THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 64

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES

By Pasqtjix.

TUESDAY, , April 24, 1906. The news of the death of Mr Robert Brough and Mr Tom Fitzgerald has been .received in Dunedin with genuine expressions of regret. "Both gentlemen were very .popular throughout Australasia. It is announced by cable that Miss Nellie Stewart and the members of Musgrove's Opera Company, who were recently playing in San Francisco, have escaped the disaster. Also that the members of Pollard's Opera Company are safe. The funeral of the late 3lr Robert Brough, the well-known actor and manager, which took place in Sydney on SunJay, waa largely attended. The' Conreid Opera Company !e reported to have lost all its scenery and personal effects in the disaster at San Francisco. This company was playing grand opera in the Opera House. On the eve of the earthquake the company staged "Lohengrin." .Considerable anxiety is expressed for the safety of Mr Fred Kiverhall, the well"known comedian, who recently left for San Francisco. It is hoped that h& las escaped the disaster. Mr Fred Shipman, who toured these parts with Misa Je6sie M'Lachlan. was in 'Frisco at the time of

i* j Hi© earthquake He was to have sailed by the Sonoma for New Zealand. An- ! other well-known theatrical representative j in the person of Mr Harold Asliton was ; also in San Francisco. He, toe, was to j have left by the Sonoma.

The comedy company headed by Air William Collier, which Mr Harold Ashton has arranged) to visit Australia under cn.gagement to Mr J. C. Williamson, has escaped the -disaster at San Francisco.

Death has been very busy in the ranks of the theatrical profession of late, several well-known favourites having passed away during the Wsf few months. A melancholy interest attaches to the death of Mr r '.om Fitzgerald, inasmuch as the affairs of his brother Dan, who predeceased him ; % y :i few weeks only, were being wound up when news came of the death of Tom m' Burmah. The strenuoos life of the circus and the exposure in all weathers played havoo with the constitution of Mr Dan Fitzgerald, who, on recent tours of New Zealand, was greatly troubled by a hacking cough which pointed to consumption. Mr Tom Fitzgerald was more robust than his brother, and looked the last person in the world to fall victim to any disease.

The late Tom Fitzgerald might have Ixin known as the man who took a chance. Dan, on the other hand, was cautious. The writer remembers an incident which brought out the characters of the two men. The circus landed in Wellington . while a typical gale' ripped through Cook Strait and raged 'over the house-tops and through the streets of the city which is called Empire. It: was late in the afternoon on the day of ,the opening. With a view {'f seeing if the gale would- abate, the tvut was not erected- Dan was for postponing the opening, but Tom said "No" with somo emphasis. "It will be madness to put the tent up in this," replied Dan ; "the canvas will be ripped to pieces." "Let her rip," ejaculated Tom; "up she goes." Up she did go. The wind! caught the huge canvas and tore it from hem to top. "There goes seventy pounds' worth !" eaid Dan as he walked disconsolately back to his hotel.

The business manager of Wm. Anderson's "Sinbad thf Sailor" Company got something- more than "stage fright" one dark evening last w««k. The performance was over, and the manager was returning to his hotel with the night's receipts (a tidy sum, as the house was crowded at ss, 3s, and le) securely tied up in a canvas / bag. - An officer of "lawn order," evidently imagining that the manager had not come by the bag of gold honestly, was about to arrest him, .when explanations followed, and ho was permitted to go on his way rejoicing. Mr James Hendy, representing Holloway's Dramatic Company, departed for the south on Wednesday to make arrangements for a short season of melodrama in Invercargill. This will terminate the New Zealand tour of the Holloway Company, which afterwards visits Hobart.

Mr Charles Holloway, of the Holloway Dramatic Company, was confined to his room last week. Having recovered from his indisposition, the popular actor made a welcome re-appearance on Friday ingA difference of opinion between the stage manager of Wm. Anderson's Pantomime Company, now showing at the Princess Theatre, and the business manager of the same company has resulted in the former resigning his position. Mr Fred Graham >s now stage manager for the "Sinhad the Sailor" Company.

Owing to the temporary indisposition of Miss Rosina Buskroann, the leading lady of Stephenson's Musical Comedy Company, the part of Zara in "The Mo6rish Maid" was taken by Miss Mabel Morgan on *ho last two nights of the season in Christchurch. Misa Morgan had short notice to play the part, but she is said to have' acquitted herself more than creditably.

At the termination of their engagement with Wm. Anderson's Pantomime Company, the clever Bicknells go out to South Africa to fulfil a long-promised engagement under the management of the Messrs Wheeler Bros. After this they will return to England and thence to New York, where Mr Bicknell ha 3 interests in the song-publishing line. "I came out to Australia for 17 weeks," said the "whirlwind" dancer, "'and it has extended over three years — it is time I was getting back." The members of the Andrew Black Concert Company arrived by the Wimmera on Tuesday Mr Erio Mackennal has been in town some days making the preliminary arrangements for the series of concerts, the first of which is set down for this evening. Supporting the famous English baritone, is Miss Ethel Sinclair, violinist, and Adolphe Borschke, pianist. Mr Horace Gleeson acts as accompanist. The tour is under the management of the •Messrs Tait, who have- been much in evidence in musical circles of late.

Apropos of the death of the well-known circus proprietors, the Fitzgerald .brothers, it is not so long ago since "Mick" Jones, who was well known in New Zealand "ahead" of Fitzgerald's Circus, died in Sydney. Amongst old favourites in- the "Sinbad the Sailor" Company whose name was omitted when the glad tidings of the arrival of the big Bhow was chronicled was that of

Miss Kitty Lenton, a sister cf Dainty Olive Lenton, well known round these parts. Mr Horace Gleeson, who accompanies Andrew Black on his concert tour of New Zealand, is a young Australian composer who has published several songs over his name. It is not generally known that he was for some time a member of Tom Pollard's Opera Company, and toured up and down New Zealand when that combination was in its prime. George Homan Barnes forwards a batch of press criticisms of "The Fatal Wedding," which has created favourable notice on the Australian side. Messrs Meynell and Gunn, who are responsible for the production in Australia, purpose sending it across to New Zealand during the present year. Dear "Pasquin," — Herein please find a few particulars of the fatal accident at the Canterbury Hall while preparing for the "Moorish Maid," the victim being J. Friend ("Jockey Jack.") He was many years one of the working staff of the Pollard Opera Company. Friend fell from tho fly floor to tht stage, about 26ft. V-erdict: "Accidental death." The funeral took place yesterday in the Catholic portion of the Linwood Cemetery, Mr George Stephenson paying all expenses. The pall-bearers were Messrs Fred, and Jack Wain, B. E. Allison, and Joe F. Hardy — the- two former represented tbe Theatre Royal, while the lat-ter represented Mr Gaorge Stephenson. Some 25 or 30 .of his 'ate fellow-workmen and friends (including Ned Rose, Bob Newman, and Reeves Barker) followed the remains to the cemetery. — On behalf of the working staff, yours faithfully, J. F. Habdt, George Stephenson Comedy Company, Christchurch, April 17, 1906. The New Zealand tour of George Stephenson's Musical Comedy Company terminated in Christchurch last week, and the members of the company departed for Sydney via Wellington, on Saturday. A season is to be commenced in Sydney on April 28. In May the company will be reorganised. Edward Lauri, Charles M'Naughton, May Garstang, and May Beatty leave for England.

The- coming to Australia of Madame Clara Butt will be the cause for great excitement. For some time rumours have been afloat that Madame Butt was about to visit our country, but it is, only now that the- news comes " through from Mr Nevin Tait, of the well-known concert agency, J. and N. Tait, of Melbourne, that he has at last induced" Madame Butt to accept an engagement for an Australian and New Zealand tour. Of the famous artist nothing but the warmest parise can be attributed to hei, both as an artist and as a woman. She has a great fascination for children, and lets it be known by singing as a "specialty some of the most quaint "children's" songs, and whilst singing eoiko of." the more sympathetic of these songs 1 Madame Butt is known to have literally had ! the whole audience in tears, and there is I not the slightest cfoubt /hat she carries her audiences completely away. That r Madame Clara Butt is in great demand amongst con.cert managers at "Home may be easily uh--derstaod when it is stated, that for singing three songs at a matinee at a London concert she received the remarkable fee of 500gs for her -services. Madame Butt will be accompanied on the coming 'tour by her husband, "Mr Eennerly Jturnford, who is one of the foremost baritones in England, and a very big artist. Amongst the passengers on board the mail steamer Sierra, en route fco Sydney, was Mr Hugh Ward, a well-known young actor, who is to join the "Willoughby-Geach combination in a new enterprise. Mr Ward, who played in New Zealand with Hoyte a company in "The Trip to Chinatown" and i "The Stranger in New York," 'and acted ; in Gilbert and Sullivan's pieces in Australia, i has met with some very fina successes in I London, where he played with Dan Lono, I Harry Randall, and Herbert Campbell at Drury Lane, has "scarecrow" act in panto ' mime being one of the acknowledged draws | of the season, and it was described by several London theatrical journals as a very long way the best thing in pantomime in 1904. Latterly, Mr Ward has been playing "The Evolution of Man" in America, and in conjunction with Mr Willoughby there he organised a "special type company, to include types of different nationalities. I Most of them were picked up in London, and two came from America— namely, Miss 1 Edith Warren and Mi- Hartmann, who arrived by the Sierra. Miss Grace Palotta, whose- name is so well known in the theatrical world, is to be leading lady, and she comes out by the India. This company will start a colonial tour with "The Man From Mexico on May 12, at Sydney. The company will »lay. in addition to ''The Man From Mexico." "Talk of the Town," "A Fool and His Money," "Vivian's Papas, and other pieces. Miss Grace Palotta, who is returning to Australia after some years' absence, states that she has never been truly happy away from Australia, and is returning despite good offers to remain in England and America. "To get some sunshine in my life I go every morning into Central Park and feed the squirrels,' 7 said Grace Palotta in New York to an Australian pressman just home by the Ventura. "Australia has spoilt me for the life of the older world, and in America I feel the artificiality of existence very keenly. I am going back with Messrs Willoughby and Ward because I love Australia, not because I am in need of an engagement. You don't know how happy I feel about my return. I could laugh and cry witfi joy for Australia is the dearest place on earth to me not even excepting my native Vienna where I am now going to visit before I leave for bydney Tell Australians who care to know that I love them because they are sincere and their life is human." The well-known American actress, Alp Tittell Brune, is a heavy loser by Wie disaster in San Francisco. She bas Wnadvieed that her property (valued at £2000) has been totally destroyed. A Wellington telegram states that Veronique" was produced by the Williamson's Comic Opera Compainy on Monday evening with sensational success before a crowded audience, which insisted upon encoring every item. The season haa so far eclipsed the former visit. The company is certainly a very fine one.