THE GHOST WALK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2727, 20 June 1906, Page 61

THE GHOST WALK.

Hylands' Circus is still in Western Australia. "Sinbad the Sailor" pantomime is now in Auckland. Wirths' Circus is to tour New Zealand at the end of the present year. The Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Co. is at present in Christchurch. Madame Dolores will leave 'Frisco on July 12, reaching Sydney August 3. The We3t-Brescian combination is doing splendid business in Melbourne. Another "girl" play is "The Girl on the Stage." She is always interesting. The Royal Comics move on to Adelaide at the conclusion of the Sydney season. The Royal Comics are putting in the closing weeks in Sydney — Adelaide next. The Brough-Flemming Co. was at latest staging "Little Mary" at Meib. Princess. Press criticisms from America are enthusiastic of Miss Nellie Stewart in "Camille." ! ■ - Bostock and Wombwell's Circus is concluding a New Zealand tour at Auckland. Walter Sanford and his American Players ! are still in Adelaide producing melodrama. j The season of the American comedian Wm. - Collier in Melbourne terminates on July 6. | The Leslie Bros., well known in New Zea- i land, were at latest at London Hippodrome. "The Fatal Wedding" Co. has concluded its Auckland season, and is working south. Miss Ada Reeve is alleged to receive £5000 for a nine season in South Africa. Madame "Sarah Bernhardt's profits for 227 performances in America amounted to £6000. Miss Winifred Fmser, of the BroughFlemming Co., is returning to England shortly. Miss Rose Musgrove, the well-known ' actress, leaves for London this month on a. holiday tour. Our old friend Wili S. Percy is doing good work with tha Royal Comics in Melbourne. Brandon Cremer, who acted as coach to tbe defunct Roscius Society, is with Sanford'c Co. in Adelaide. An American criticism : "Nellie Stewart is more truly a child of the -theatre than a daughter «Tf art." Ten thousand dollars (£2000) has been subscribed in New York for the erection of a monument -to Sir Henry Irving. The cable advises that Lily Cove, a parachutist, was killed by falling from a great height near Keighley (London). "Some modern comedies are responsible for the suspicion that the Tree of Knowledge must have been a chestnut tree." Since Stephenson's Co. disbanded Miss j Rosina Bucktnann and Harold Reeves have - been doing concert singing in Sydney. * j The latest "girl" comedy is "The Gir'' j Behind the Counter." She is said to be • less interesting than her predecessors. ) our Harry St. Maur, who will be remem- ; bered in Adelaide as "Jim, the Penman, has j settled dowc on a ranch in South Africa. M ! ss Elsie Mooie. who toured New Zealand r with "The Runaway Girl" Co., is appearing I in New York in "The Earl aad the Girl." j Miss Ellen Terry's jubilee matinee, which was produced recently, was attended by nearly 6900 people. Many waited from 24 to 30 hours at the doors. Jim Bain has now blossomed out into a very big theatrical manager. He has now four shows going — Hobart, Launceston, Ballarat, and Bendigo. Leslie Harris, the society entertainer, who is coming to New Zealand -shortly , is claimed k> be one of the 'best raconteurs Australian audiences have listened to. Mr Jack Thompson (a native of Melbourne ana son of the well-known sportsman) is now playing the Sergeant in "The Little Michus," at Daly's Theatre. Mr George Titheradge is playing at the Empire Theatre, Newark (N.J.), in Felix Phiihpi's drama, "A Patli of Thorns," under the management of Henry Miller. Miss Marie Nareile, the Australian singer. arrived in Fremantle by the Orient on the 7th met. She is to tour the colonies under the management of Mr F. Shipman. Miss Frances Adler, granddaughter of the late Madame Fanny Simonsen. has appeared as Marguerite in "Faust" at Covent Garden, London. The great Carueo_was Faust. Miss Paaisy Montague (''La Milo," at London Pavilion; was a member of Mr Musgrove's Opera Co., and for three years understudy to Miss Nellie Stewart. — British Australasian.

Mr Charles Manners says grand opera in England is, in his opinion, probably about in the same condition, position, and state at present as the drama was some 400 years ago. Mrs Hugh Ward, who was formerly Miss Grace Millar, a solo soprano in an American cathedral, is coming out to Australia to join her husband, who is the star comedian in "The Man From Mexico."

A silver loving cap was presented to Kyrle Be.lew by the members of his company to celebrate the 700 th performance of "The Baffles," which occurred at the Grand Opera House, Cincinnati, on April 7. Tii« Moody-Manners oOpera Company, of which Madame Sapio is a principal, her husband being the musical director, is negotiating with Mr J. C. Williamson for an Australian tour at the end of this year.

Mr Alfred Woods and Miss Maud Williamson are to appear in London in the dramatised -version of Mrs Humphrey Ward's novel. "The Marriage of William Ashe." It is being produced by the America© manager, Mr Frohman.

The Federation of Labour in the United States is considering the establishing of a theatre for working -m«n. It is proposed that the labour theatre should be a medium for illustrating "the wrongs endured by the Bor>9 of toil."

"My motto," said th<? actor-lodger "is 'Pay as you go.' " The landlady shook her head. "It wru'da't do in my business, she said. "A man might remain a month, ard then forget his motto when he went. My motto is 'Pay. or go.' " Miss Nellie Stewart will, according to present arrangements, be m London next month, but she intends returning immediately to America for a second tour Apparently first dates were made with caution, and success demands a second visit.

It may interest Australian touring companies (says Sydney Referee) to know 'hat Bombay is to have a uew theatre which it l-s hoped will be ready early next year. Tbo hou=e will seat 1200 persons, representing at loral and immediate prices about JE3OO a Eight Mr Douglas Gerrard leaves for England on July 2 as he is engaged for the next production at Her Majesty's Theatre, London, and niuat be there by September. He travels home %la America, and will cross by the Sonoma, which leaves Sydney on the abo\e date.

Mr Wallace Brownlow was eugaged to create the part of Satan in a new musicnl piece entitled "H;« Ma)esty," the =cene of which is laid in Hades, just produced in New York," but- at •dir.nst the eleventh hour lost

his voice, and is now threatened with pneumonia.

Hugh Ward thusly: "I remember on ons occasion Coquelin was watching the performance of an English actress, and expressed himself pleased with hex performance up to the time when she gave way entirely to her emotions. " Awful,' he cried, with a gesture of disgust ; 'she cries real tears.' " The Star (of the Knightstand Comedy Company) : ''Did you know there was a cigar named after me ?" — The Low Comedian (whose salary is in arrears) : "I guess that was one of them I just smoked." — The Star: "Indeed! What makes you think so?" — The Low Comedian: "It didn't draw very well."

Miss Lillah M'Carthy, whom Australia and New Zealand remembers as the leading lady of Mr Wilson Barrett's last company to visit these shores, was married, just before the departure of the laßt English mail, to Mr Granviile Barker, an eccentric comedian, now concerned in the management of th Court Theatre.

Acto.r J. B. Atholwood is proud of at least one thing (says "Gadfly"), and that is that he can make iadiarubber face pads. B" has always been noted for his fine makeups, and he spends a lot of time over them. The old style of face padding is with wadding. With mdiarubber one can get expression ; wsdding, however, is dead. Undoubtedly Miss Vesta Tilley is the most popular music-hall artist on the "halls." She gets a higher salary than anyone else, and what is more," ""draws" it. Her work is always clean and wholesome. She has departed for a six weeks' engagement, in America, drawing the feeß of an operatic prima donna for it. A realistic representation of Vesuvius in eruption is to be the scenic sensation of the autumn drama at the Lane. A very striking volcano effect was the feature of a play called "The End of the World," produced some 20 years ago at the old Princess Theatre in Melbourne, under the management of the late William Bayliss.

Australians who remember Mr J. F. Cathcarfß masterly performance of Sir Peter Teazle in "The School for Scandal" might find a cuiious antiquarian interest in the demise recently of Mr Henry Brinsi«y Sheridan, who was a, direct relative of the author of that famou- comedy, which was written in 1777!

Mrs Brown Porter thought of coming to Australia again, but the project is deferred. An English paper states that Herman Oppenheimer has engaged her for a 12-weeks' season in the United States at £500 a week. There are, it is understood, certain conventional fictions in the theatrical profession wliich make salaries appear larger in print than in the contract.

The northern tour of the Andrew Black Conceit Party has proved very successful in every way, the noted baritone vocalist (Mr Andrew Black), Miss Ethel Sinclair. * and Herr Adolphe 3orochke creating wonderful enthusiasm and receiving great welcomes at each appearance. This concert company is certainly one of the most popular combinations ever heard in New Zealand.

That stage dancing is productive of muscular development about the legs is well known. In the States, it is apparently also conducive to imparting "a Tillage .blacksmith species of strength to the biceps. The other day an inquisitive stranger had the audacity to penetrate into on-a of the chorus dressing-rooms of a theatre where musical extravaganzas are produced^ The room was filled with ladies of the chorus busily engaged in getting ready "When they caught sight of the Paul Pry (says an exchange) the majority screamed, a few fainted, and others proceeded to conceal themselves as well as the construction of the apartment admitted. One alone stood firm — a slim, fair, willowy young person — who "rai<=ed her arm and knocked the rash youth down " If the willowy one is as handy with her feet as she is with her fist she ought -to get on. He was a very fine old actor — one of those splendidly-matnred actors of the vintage of 1870 — with a rich. Tolling voice and a majestic gait <says Bulletin) Everybody round the vicinity of the "Point" knew him as an »c-tor 'with the accent on the "tor"), but few bad seen him act ; and now it was made known that he had been offered, and had been graciously p'eased to accept, an engagement .11 a metropolitan theatre. There was to be a performance of "Hamlet." and the good old actor was placed as second gravedigger. He was a bit swelled up about it in the bar, and the billiard-marker said. "Yes; but why do you not play the part of Hamlet 9 " The veteran Teorarded him gravely for a moment, and then in rich, fruity tones he replied "That point was considered, my man. That point received profound consideration. But, sir, if I were to play Hamlet who would play the second gravedigger — that is the problem; who wou'.d play the second gravedigger?"