THE GHOST WALK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2692, 18 October 1905, Page 68

THE GHOST WALK.

Obituary : Sir Henry Irving. Percy Deiiton is about to give popular concerts in Sydney.

Maud Beatty goes on to America after a season at Manila.

Harry Eickards is due back from his trip to England next month.

. Miss Fitzniaurice Gill and company showing at the Princess Theatre. Haxry Shine, the comedian, was benefited in Adelaide the other evening.

The Fullers are doing good business m all the theatres under their control.

Miss Tittell Brune has commenced another season at Her Majesty's 1 , Sydney. Flattering press notices to hand from Millis and Lazem's company, now in India.

Thurston the Great will visit New Zealand next year under Edwin Geach' s management.

Mario Ma.jeroni has been engaged to go to America to join Miss Nance O'Neil's Company. Albert Whelan is booming in England, his bookings to date covering the next four years. The engagement is announced' of Mr Claude Bantock, of the Royal Comic Opera Company. The Dunedin Amateur Operatic Society contfiiiplatc tagina "Les Clotches de Coraeville."

Ventriloquist Wiiiton has organised a company which includes, amongst others, Tod Call away. Miss Nance O'jSTeil opens in Chris tchuroli this (Wednesday) evening. Dunedin is uot to be visited.

The Diamond Duo, at present with Fuller's Entertainers, have been engaged for Ihe Manila Orpheumi.

Piogramme of the Hill-Birch comic opera '■ Tli» Moorish Maid," produced in Wellington recently, to hand with thanks.

Miss Maggie Sterling is to tour the colonies ao the head of a concert party under uhe management of 2£r Kevin Tait.

Miss Josephine Stanton (Musgrove Comic Opera Company) is 1 touring the English jarovk'ces with a musical comedy company.

Clive, the conjurer, who returned to Australasia recently after a professional tour abroad, returns to America at an early date. Cyril 3£eightley has been aippearing as the hero in a big revival of "Pygmalion and Galatea" in Manchester, with much success. The Knight-Jeffries Company may play a shoit farewell season in Sydney on the conclusion of the forthcoming New Zealand four. Mass Floience Lloyd, coming to jjunedm shortly with the "J. P." Company, was out in Australia with the English. Gaiety Company.

A reproduction from a photograph of the late Sir Henry Irving, whose tiagic death has just been cabled, appears in this issue of the Otago Witness.

A. G. Spry has been out of the bill at Melbourne Opera House lately through indisposition. Mr Spry hag been oulered away f°£ a holid,ay 4

The Strand Comedy Company in " Tlia J P." has been doing excellent business, and the piece has pioved to be fill that was clp lined for it.

" The Walls of Jericho" lias attained such extraodinary success m the English pioviuces thst Mr Arthur Bourchicr is tending out a second company A new play by Bernard Espmasse, a writer well known to Witness leaders, entitled "The Silent Accuser," was produced in England recently with success. Mr Charles Kemnngham' wife, who has been in England for the last nine years, ctied recently. She had been suffering for a long time from brain trotible. . .

Guest- "Ah! Then you are a musician. What instrument do you play?" Musician: "The first fiddle." His Wife (emphatically) : " But only in the orchestra!" Leu Davis. late of Hawtrev's Company, nas announced his intention to run a miniature Earl's Court at Perth (W.A.), where he is the lessee ot the Ciernorne Gardens.

Mr Gaston Mervale rejoins the TitteJl Brune Company as soon as the Nance O'Neil season finishes." Ho has been already cast for the part of Eaoul in ''Leah Kleschna." England's oldest acting actor is Frederick "Wright aged 79, and father to Haidec, Marie, Frert, Hunt!ey, and Bertie Wright. He reoeuty played Polonius at the London Lyric.

Madame Albani in a London paper denies th* recently-published report that she intends to letire. Hei engagements for the next e%ht months include a tour in Canada. Miss Fiorrie Lloyd', who has come to Australia to play " lead" in " The J.P.." told a Melbourne Herald representative that she locked!! in particular to seeing New Zealand.

Mr M'Kee Kankin, director oi the Narce O'Neil Company, is to leave for America by the Sieira en the 27th insi. He goes to make arrangements for .Miss O'lX^il's tour of t'no TJfaited ;Stat«s. Allan' Shaw, ihe coin manipulator, finishes his engagement with Thurston. in Adelaide, and towards the end of next month sails for London, where he has a series or "At home" engagements booked.

The receipts at the Paris Opera House iesrfc month amounted to d 58287, for 15 performances-. '■ Faust" realised close on J6736 at each of the three representations given, "Les Huguenots" coming next in point of figures.

The Brough season in Sydnoy has been phenomenally successful. " Beatity and too Bai-ge " has enjoyed a long run, but will be withdrawn to make room for " Niobe," in which play Mts Brough will reappear. W. T. Lovell, who played Falkner when the Broughs first produced " The Liars" m Austialia, is" appearing in " The Duffer" at tho London Comedy Theatre. Beryl Fabsr, aJso with tho Broughs once on a time, is in <he same caste.

Mr Brough, during his Australian . managerial career, has had 250 plays sent him by Australian authors. Of these 200 were worthless ; the rest had more merit, but nof enough to make a play. About 50 of the plays weie -women's; tlie worst of all was an Australian editor's.

It is reported from Eoamy (Poltava) that th<* Jewish pox>u'ation, resenting the performance of " The Merchant of Venice," boycottedtho local. theatre at which the play was produced.- The manager has undertaken not to produce plays in which the Jews are presented in what is considered an unfavourable light. Spiders are notoriously and historically fond of music. At a performance on the Continent recently the concert hall was made disagreeable by a sudden 'invasion of spideis, which were drawn from the cracks and crannies of the ancient building by a violin solo. They crawled about the floor and on to the stage. 'ihe latest piece o£ sensationalism from the States relates to the death of Mr Alan W.~ Wood, who amassed a great fortune in the steel business at Pittsbuig. and who married Miss Goldie Mohr, a New York chorus girl. He was 55 years old. and has left a fortune estimated' at £4,000,000, mosit of which will go to his young vidow. Gertrude Roosevelt, who (according to the New York Dramatic Mirror) says she is a cotsin of the President, has announced her intention to make her debait at Haromerston's in a sketch entitled "Kitty Clive." Miss Ecosevelt has had experience on the stage, having played a part m "Why Smith Left Home," both in America and in London. She has also posed as a model for poster advertisements that have been used extensively.

Mr J. C. Williamson celebrated on August 20 the sixtieth anniversary of his birth. Born in Mercer, Pennsylvania, he went on to the stage when only 16 years old, in tho Western States of America. After playing a year in Canada, he spent seven years at Wallack'a Theatre, New York, and for four years was principal comedian at the California Theatre in San Francisco. It was in 1875 (says Table Talk) that Mr Williamson first came to Australasia on a starring tour; then he returned in 1879 to settle m the country.

The Broughs made their first appearance in Australia in ISBS under the management of the triumvirate in '' lolantha," -wlih. tho Royal Comic Opera Company. Mr Brough was the Lord High Chancellor, and Mrs B. played the Fairy Quieen. No reception could have bben more cordial, no applause more hearty, than tho performers received as the opera swung along. But at the curtain's fall not a hand clapped. "'A failure, after all!" ejaculated Brough. " No, no, a great success?' said someone. "Australians don't call for actors and authors like Londoners; when the curtain, falls they go home to bed."