THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2691, 11 October 1905, Page 60

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

By PiSQTJiJf.

TUESDAY, October 10, 1905.

Wiss in their generation, the Fuller Proffietary has secured the Princess Theatre jpr fcUfi season, of tha Modern Milo, which

commencee shortly. Business is certain to bs great , during the time the perfectlydeveloped lady is posing in classic statuary A passenger by the incoming Melbourne steamer :s: s one Ajax, who is -said to bo a contortionist of graat ability. Ajax is claimed to eclipse anyone in his line seen in Australasia. He will make his appeararce at the popular Temple of Vaudeville, ia Dowling street, on Saturday next. It is an old axiom that coming events cast their shadows before. It applies with much force to theatrical concerns. The advance play bill is invariably the- forerunner- of the coming show. This servos

runner- of the coming show. This servos to introduce the interesting item of :iows that the Marvellous _ Hugardes are coming south shortly, and will probably play Dun•ediu en route* for Invercargill. Hugh Wilson, who brought the Italiiii gentleman Grossi to New Zealand, is interested in the ccming attraction. By the Monowai. which sailed for Melbourne on Sunday, quite a number of artiste whose- contracts on the Fuller circuit hav-J expired departed, some never to leturn, others to return at some future time. Amoagf-t the departed were the Stewart Trio of Instrumentalists, Coia Trevor, and Alton and James Opic. Por favour of M'Mahon'e Dramatic Com pany, which has decently concluded a eeation in •Chrhtchurch, we are to renew acquaintance with modern melodrama. Iho Princess 'Theatre 'will once again resound to the "call" 1 of tho hero and the "Unhand me, villain !" of tho virtuous maiden. A season of a, few nights only will be played. 'As nothing in the' dramatic line has sojourned with 'us since the visit of the Tittell Brim,* Company* the newcomers will bo welcome. The opening night ie set down for October 16Mr Nigel Brock, ' the tall and pleasantlooking advance manager of the Wesf-inin-ste-r Glee and Concert Patty, departed by the first e-xppjss for the north on Friday to arrange peliminarios and make the path smooth for the glee singers' appearance in the northern towns. Mr Harold Ashton made a flying trip to Durfidln on Saturday evening, transacted his business, and was off again by the fiist express on Monday morning. It was a notorious kind of .visit, not at all like those usually paij by the popular advance repressntative. Earnest inqiiirics failed to elicit nny information as to the nature of the business, sava that it had nothing tT do with shows. A brother of Howard Chambers, the well-known baritone, is here in the person oi Mr Charles Chambers, of the West minster Glee Singeis. In a phat the other day, he informed me that his brother was getting on splendidly in America, where be is flaying good parts with a big opera company. Howard Chambers has married since leaving- New Zealand. "It was at Mid'dleburg," said the Humori'sb of the AVestnnnster Glee and Concert Party. "We were about to give a concert in the Town Hall in that city. Going along one of the stocts on the morning of the concert a gentleman accosted ' me in a great 6tate of mental perturbation. ' You belong to the Westminster Glee Singers, do you not?' I confessed I did belong to that august body. 'Well, they're pulling the Town Hall down, and if you're ' giving a concert there to-night you should see about it. I thought you should know.' I thanked my unknown friend, and took a stroll along to the Town Hall. l There, sure enough,^ the 'workmen were buey- dismantling the building. They had got as far as demolishing the chimneys, but we , played there that night. We were just in time, for the building was demolished next day, the Westminster Singers being the . last to perform in it." George Homan Barnes, who was just j plain G. H. Barnes when through these i parts some little time ago with Stephenson's | Musical Comedy Company, writes me from Sydney that he hopes to be in Dunedin early in November to herald the "J.P." Company. If the 12 nights' business at ;' tho Princess Theatre, Melbourne, is any ] criterion, the "J.P.," at which London is I iaughinj yet, has caught on in. Australia. By the way, George Homan forwards an inteiestiag souvenir of the "J.P.," in which I Miss Florence Lloyd 1 , the Gaiety favourite, cuts a pretty figure. j A deal of disappointment is felt by play- I goers here that Miss Nance O'Neil, the young American tragedienne, and company are not to ;isit Dunedin. The fact that th.3 Amorban actress hag engagements to fulfil in New York and that time will not ' permit of a season being played in this city goes down rather badly with the "general," which is of opinion that it is being done out of ifs theatrical treat. Mr Bert. Royle advises that he has ar- , ranged for* the Pollard and Sullivan Opera Company returning to New Zealand. Its opening town is Wellington, at Easter, and lexers of Gilberiian opera will be pleasod to hear that the pieces will ii elude several new ones, "Utopia, Limited," " The Sor- < oerer,"' "Princess Ida." and others. At tho : conclusion of the Wellington season the com- ' pany will -^rork the east coast towns to i Auckland, where the sea3ou begins on May : 14. Visits to Gisborn^ and Cb.ristcn.ureh ; fellow, and the colonial tour ends in Liver- '. cargill on July Is. The proprietary of the Theatre Royal, I Clv istchurch, have decided to erect a new, i up to-date theatre on the same lines as 1 Her Majesty's. Sydney. "When finished it i

will be one of the best and most completelycquippad theatres in Tiie colonies. it is hoped lhat the. new building will be ready for ti^e Exhibition per'oil. Tho proprietors cteE.ire, in expending a very largo sum of money ..n. providing a theatre constructed on tho most up-to-date Jmes, that the council, having approved of tiie plans, will not harass them by insisting on works fr/eing carried out involving a large expenditure after the completion, of the building. If this is arranged, the work, it «> tincteistood, will bo put in hand at once. The erection of a new theatre will enable the larger companies not only to £,ive productions which .low they are debarred from playing, | but also to make their seasons longer, , owing to the additional auditorium space available. The boy chorister is one of the most unique productions of English musical lite, i and few persons have a oettcr knowledge j of this than has Mr Edward Branscombe, of the Westminster Glee Singers, who for a number of year& was associated with the famous choir at Westminster Abbey. Mr Branscombe does not think that England •enjoys a monopoly of good chorister boys. For instance, in Australia and New Zealand one might pick up several good voices, but without the training and practice they v.ould be raw amateurs. Speaking ot training, Mr Branscombe states that the best boys are to be found m the cathedrals, wh-er-e, in every instance, the boys are educated in a choir school, which ensures attention being paid to the use of the speaking voice. Over 12 services a week, with attendant rehearsals, afford oportunily for - a sound musical training. In London there are two famous choir schools, and it is from these that many of the city churches in the Old Country acquire the best solo | boys. The dialect, in Mr Branscombe's opinion, is a very difficult trouble, the two j worst being the Yankee twang and the i fV)r\Un,PV- TVI.V TlrflnsnmnVvA snpn.lrs into- •

. restingly about the boys at Westminster i Abbey. A bojr, he explains, enters the j > choir for a year r s probation, during which l ; time he does not take part in the actual j . services. At the end ot the probation, if . he has shown promise in training, he is kept on permanently, and is promoted to the choir. The position of solo boy is gradually attained by the ordinary method ot promotion. The boys sing at two services a week and three times on Sundays, with, perhaps, six rehearsals weekly. The boys of the present Westminster party are very much above the average of the English Cathedral soloist, because of their training being more exacting in view of appearing in public. Then, again, the music is considerably more varied. No party of boys in England has been called upon to sing such a big repertoire of part music jjrom memory. Dear Pasquin, — Just a few lines to inform you that my trip through Queensland, New South Wales, and "Victoria, with Abomah, the Amazon Giantess, has been uniformly successful. This, our second, visit to Melbourne has resulted in the three weeks' season being extended to five, after which we purpose leaving for New Zealand to catch some of the agricultural shows— viz , , Napier, October 18, with Carterton, Palmerston, Wanganui, Haw-era, and New Plymouth to follow. Kind regards from. Abomah and yours truly, — J. E. Pethekick, manager. Melbourne Waxworks, September 27. Quite a touching reunion was witnessed at Her Majesty's Theatre last week, when MiJulius Knight and Miss Rose Musgroye met for the first time since their respective illnesses. They were both down with typhoid together in ■Sydney, and through the long course of it condoling messages on their mutual ill-luck passed between the two hospitals. The first person Mr ' Knight went to see on his ar- 1 rival in Melbourne was Miss Musgrove, i and the first thing they did wae to doff j their wigs — for they had naturally been < shorn in their fever days — and laughingly , compare their growing hair. Then came an excited comparing of notes, how he had i put on several pounds in weight, how she ' was eating better than ever she did in her life, and how their doctors had differed in the details of their treatment. And since few subjects are so fascinating as that of .past illnesses, quite a pleasant half hornwas spent in each other's company before Mr Knight bethought himself of others who , might be anxious to welcome him back. There was very nearly a catastrophe to the smooth career of the Gilbert and Sullivan Company a few days ago. Twenty- ' four hours out from Adelaide on their way , to Fremantle it was discovered that the music box, that most important part of ' operatic impedimenta, had been left behind —scores, band parts, everything was languishing on the Adelaide wharf. Now an opera company without its musio is rather like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark, and confusion reigned supreme, while the luckless assistant stage manager, at whose door the mistake lay, was alternately Teviled and avoided by the indignant mem- i bers of the company. Fortunately, before < they reached! their destination, Mr Bracy, ' by dint of hard work and much ingenuity, had succeeded in scratching together a complete score of " The Gonoliere," t]y; ■ opening piece in Perth; and before the i pro gramme was changed the errant box had arrived, and all was peace once more. Dear Pasquin, — You may think I have gone i out of the business, not hearing from me ' for so long; but that is not the case, aa i I 'am making a big hit with tho Great '. Warwick machine and! its new picture?. \ Wo have just finished a very sueeesful season in Gisborne. The Hugardes, whorh j I am now with, are making a great stir i with that most marvellous trick, " Invulner- , ability." The >uspended lady in mid-air 1 has caused a great deal of interest, whilst j the card tricks have given the players of t the inland towns a good many points. Whilst j travelling by train the other day I was asked) i to join in a game with three gentlemen. ( On looking throvigh the cards I discovered j eight aces in one pack. I came fo the i conclusion that they must have seen our ] show. — Yours truly, Tom Shaw Valentine. \ A very cordial reception greeted the re- i appearance of the Knight-Jeffries Company ( at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, last ( Saturday evening, September 23, when they c staged " His Majesty's Servant," a romantic t play well suited to the capabilities of the ' company. Mr Julius Knight, to whom a c specially apreciative welcome was accorded, ■ i showed no trace of his illness, and acted j even better than he has done before ; while Miss Maud Jeffries was kept bowing her i acknowledgments for some minutes after ( her first entrance. During their present c season, which will be a brief one, there will \ be a revival of "The Darling of the Gods," r in which Mr Knight wili be seg^ also for a

me first time in Melbourne, as Zakkari, tho .*3carpis-hke viilain oi the Japanese play. During Madame Sarah Bernhardt's last season in London she made a great success with a revival of " Adnenne Leeouvreur," a play in which there is a strong woman's part. Mr J. C. Williamson possesses the Australasian rights of the piece, which is, of course, of French origin, and is consi- , dering the possibility of producing it with Miss Tittell Brune in the name part. Already in one of the divine Sarah's best parts | — L'Aiglon — Mi*s Brune has won very high , praise, and Adrienne should suit her every whit as well. Miss Brune did not, as was anticipated, play "La Tosca" during her ; Brisbane season, Mr Williamson considering it better to reserve it for Sydney. The same city will also see the young American actress for the first time in " The Second Mrs Tanqueray" during the extended season, which begins there on Saturday, October 14. A man vias terribly bitlon Ly a python in the grounds of the Liege Exhibition recently, where the occurrence caused a panic among the visitors. The python, which measured more than 23ft in length, had only that morning been xeonived from Antwerp. As a snake charmer .named Daniels was about to transfer ifc into another cage the python darted at him, and swiftly twining its huge form round the man's body, seized his arm with its teeth and tore it from its socket. The affair was witnessed by a number of spectators, who were seized with panic, and, screaming with fear, made a rush for the gates. Al. Francastel, one cf the managers of the exhibition, rushsd to Daniel's assistance, and succeeded, with the aid of three attendants, in tearing the enraged serpent from its prey. Danielfi was_ conveyed to the hospital, and was in a critical condition. One of the reasons assigned for the failure of theatrical and variety enterprises is the enormous inp.wn.s« in t;]i« jsnln-rios r>f +li/>

artistes. Mr Alfred Buti, manager of the i Palace Theatre, London, recently gavo .a Telegraph representative a number of instances of high salaries: — A "character" comedian, engaged 15 months ago afc £S a week, now doing two " turns 1 ' a night — salary, £50. A " serio-eomio" lady (specialty, "coon songs") signed a three years' engagement at £6 a week for the first y-ear, £7 for the second, and £8 for the third. That agreement concluded, she has made a three years' contract with one of the new syndicates at £40 per week. A well-known recruit from the theatres, whose last engagement at the Palace was for £15 a week, now receives £45 at another establishment. But the record in such matters must, it seems, be placed to the credit of a certain American performer. The artist in question, a comedienne, practically agreed three years ago to come over and fulfil .an engagement at the Palace for the trifling remuneration of £100 weekly. She is now in London, and the offer was repeated to' her. With obliging alacrity she declared his willingness to appear (who wouldn't at that figure?); "but," she added, "you will have to arrange terms with my manager." He .was communicated with accordingly. The reply cabled was a little staggering-. It ran thus: — "Lowest — £400 per week." That engagement is "off." "Inquirer" asks for the libretto and band parts of "Lea Clotehea 3e Gorneville." Can any reader oTblige? That promising young actor Donald Maci Lean, of this city, who is now in England, was at latest starring in the provinces in the charming little play produced in Dunedin some months ago, " Cousin K"atc." Mr Gaston Mervale, who joined Miss Nance O'Neil for her Australasian lour, will return to Sydney after tho New Zealand trip is brought to a close, and will rejoin the Tittell Brune Company there for the purpose of playing tho part -of Raoul in " Losh Kleschna." The long and suceesful run of "The Cihgalee" at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, is now within measurable distance of its termination, and before the present month is over the musical comedy will be withdrawn. One or two short revivals of old favourites such as " The Orchid" or '" The Country Girl" will inter\cne before the eagerly-anticipated production of " Veronique. J> As soon as that opera is fairly launched, the Royal Comic Opera Company will in all probability pass on to rehearsaJis of '"The Spring Chicken, 71 which Mr J. C. Williamson intends to make the Christmas attraction in Sydney. The material for its production — score, band part*, stage sets, scene plots, designs, etc. — has already arrived, and) the various staffs will turn their attention to it when the mechanical and j other adjuncts to "Veronique" are off their | hands. Matters are now well in hand for the benefit performance in aid of the Distressed j Actors' Fund, which the Royal Comic Opera Company always organise whenever they ' play in Melbourne or Sydney. Mr George j Lauri, as usual, has charge of the arrangements, and! is working up the details in his customary energetic style. The particular contribution of himeelf and his allies, Mr f Claude Bantock, W. S. Percy, and others, will be a burlesque of "II Pagliacci"j while Mr Julius Knight and -Miss Maud Jeffries will be seen in a scene from, either "Othello" ' or "Hamlet." Assistance will also be given. 1 by the members of other theatrical com- >' panics, and by well-known concert perfor- > mers in Melbourne. The entertainment will be given in Her Majesty's Theatre on the afternoon of Thursday, the 19th inst. Mr J. 0. Williamson having granted the use_of the theatre for the occasion. Mr J. C. Williamson is evidently determined that Melbourne playgoers shall have an opportunity of remembering the KnightJeffries Company in all ihe> best pieces of their repertoire, and during their present farewell season at the Princess Theatre a series of quick changes will be made in the programme. On Saturday, October 7, a revival of " The Darling of the Gocte" I (with Mr Julius Knight as Zakuri and Miss Maud Jeffries as Yo-San) was to succeed : three nights (and a matinee) of "Monsieur ' Beaucaire." Next Saturday, the 14th met., the company will produce for a week's run, , ' a double bill' consisting of " Tragedy and '< Comedy," and a new version of "David . Garrick.' 1 The last week of the season commencing on the 21st inst. will be devoted to "The Silver King," "A Royal Divorce/ ■ , "The Sign of the Cross," and "The Lady , of Lyons"— all plays which have proved most popular wherever the organisation has ' . played them. \ W, •&. Gilbert's "Comedy and Tragedy," ' a one-act piece, whjch will precede "David • GarrAck' when the Knight-Jeffries Company stag© that play on tho 14th insi, has never before been done in Australia. It was ] revived in London last year, and the great : appreciatien with ffibicji it was received :

actuated Mr J. C. Williamson in adding it to the repertoire of the company. Mr Albert Gran caused immense excite nient in Brisbane at the end of the Brunt season there by announcing his determinatioi to walk to Sydney. There was really nc reason for this sudden passion for perambulating. Mr Gran had been paid hi? salary, and the usual cause of actors' walking trips — a deficiency in the treasury — certainly did not apply. Having in view th< avoirdupois of the gentleman, all his friends tried to dissuade him from the enterprise ; but " threats, entreaties, prayers" were all useless, and Mr Gran set out on his selfimposed task. Although brass band?, mayoral welcomes, and fireworks have so far not been lavished upon him, Mr Gran is finding that a well-known player cannot wander about the country entirely unnoticed, and his progress is marked by daily bulletins of arrival, departure, and condition. There is every prospect of Mr Gran being on hand for the opening night of the Brune season in Sydney next Saturday, and he will doubtless discover then that the sport-loving public of Australia will accord him a fitting recognition of his feat. Mr R. S. Smythe— the "much-travelled" — c-alled on me the day before yesterday (writes my London correspondent on August 19). He was quite in his usual brisk form and good spirits, «7id it Mas pleasant to note hew little alteration has taken place in his personal appearance during the period of five years which has elapsed since I last met him in London, particularly in view of the fact that, like most of the rest of us, he cannot be by any means so young 1 as he once was. Mr Smythe told me in bis well-remembered, breezy fashion of his plans and doings. He is at present, wonderful for him, on a holiday tour, and 13 taking a good rest. But it hardly needs to be added that at the same time he is keeping his weather eye open on the r>Via.nr>o of t-iinlfino- nn some new " Star "

with which to illumine the Antipodean firmament. " But they are very scarce nowadays," he remarked, " and seem to be getting scarcer and scarcer. The facfc is, they tell me there are so many good openings at Home and there is so much money to be picked up close at hand, that in most cases they really do not care to make so long a voyage as that to Australia and New Zealand, and also, naturally they do not care to get out of the Home groove. While they are on the spot opportunities may at any time arise: if they were away for some months at the other side of the world they would lose good chances that may not turn up again. So Ido not find_ ifc by any means easy to come across -any thine; that is both new and really good. How-* ever, I may yet before I leave, and if so I will let you know. Mr Smythe is making his headquarters at the Waverley Hotel, Southampton row. Poor Mrs- Brown Potter has fallen upon evil days. She essayed a big theatrical enterprise Which failed, and so did she. Unfortunately, she was so ill-advised_ as to attempt another theatric . enterprise in the hopes of recovering what she had lost ©n the first, but unhappily this travelled on the same road, and so the ill-starred star actress 'has had to go through the Bankruptcy Court. Her beautiful viUa on the Thames, her resplendent jewellery, her odoriferous motor car. her pet animals, her favourite furniture, and most of her gorgeous gowns have passed into other hands. As usual, there aore variegated stories afloat as to the results of these sales. On the one lia-nd, it is alleged that everything went for a. mere song; on the other, that capital prices were obtained. Here again the reader "pays his money and takes his choice " which story to believe. But the latest stage yet reached in the proceedings is one of profound pathos. Poor Mrs " Gown Trotter " was present at the sale e.f her well-known pair of Shetland ponies, and was so deeply affected by the transaction ijhat she burst — I must apologise for the expression, which is not mme — into a flood of tears ! I suppose it would be unkind to remark that she has had a large amount of weeping practice on tihe fct-age. But I am really sorry for her, and so, I have no doubt, will be many in N«w Zealand who have had the privilege of witnessing and admiring her hair and gowns.