STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 69

STAGE GOSSIP.

Harry Rickards leaves for England again: in March to book more artists. Marie- Loftus, the -well-known comedienne, has scored a great success in South Africa. "Humpty Dtunpty*' was rto have been the - pantomime at the Grand Theatre, Glasgow. _Mr, Mark Hambourg is meeting with great - success in America,, where be is now on tour. Mario /Majeroni is showing at the New York Empire in ," My Wife" with John Drew. , , Madame BLancbe Arral, the soprano vo- . oalist, fwill" leave * Australia* shortly for France,. , ' It is 'stated that Mr William Anderson will sand savexal^ shows along to New Zealand this .year. Mr Richard Stewart is business manager of a »"Blue Moon" -company at present in Wellington. ~ The Music . Hall reports that Charles Faning, the Australian comedian, has- arrived in New York/ j m "Br«wst«r's - Millions" . reached— ats 200tbj performance at, Hicks'a Theatre, London, on November 4. Carlo Dani " has, been engaged W Henry Russell to tour America with the San Carlos ", Opera. Cbmpamy. ".- - Three of the J. C. Williamson productions made tbeir debut in three different cities! on Boxine Night. Winfield Blake and Maude Amber have made a- success in their West End appearance at \the Oxford, London. ■ ' Miss ' Celia Gbilorij, after postponing her departure for London several times, baa ' determined to' sail next July. Mr George H. Smith, who was . out here •with Wilson Barrett, is -as Mr J. C. Williamson's secretary abroad. ( Miss Violet . Elliot, the Sydney contralto. • - has been engaged for the London ballad con- ", certs 'at the Royal Albert EalTi After her Australian i season La Sylpbe goes to America »nd plays the Orpheum circuit, Afterwards returning 'to Europe. Madame Calve, the. great prima donna-, has been awarded 'a gold medal' fox her model * farm at the Chateau de Calriera. Ching Ling Soo. the magician, who is so popular in England, hag been engaged) by Mr Harry Rickards to tour Australia. , M\ Paderewski is now on bis seventh tour of America, for wbicb >70 concerts have been booked, extending over until May. The famous Russian vocalist, Chaliapine, baa 'just accepted an offer to appear for et ■ short^season in New York at. a fee of £8000. - "Mrs Patrick Campbell and her company i ''are playing in America at present. "The Second Mrs Tanqueray" is in the repertory. _, -.La Milo, ,who_ returned to London early in November from a visit to the Continent, opened at the Leeds Emtjire on November 16. Sheridan produced! -fehat old favourite pantomime. " Cinderella," at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, during the New Year season. l ?*% j Martin Harvey, .-the eminent " London - actor,' has just "concluded! one of the most successful, theatrical seasons even seen in Dublin. Mr A. "JBrahnis. late musical conductor for ] the Willoughby-Ward Comedy Company, is now with, Mr Tom Pollard's Juvenile Opera " Company. Madame Sarab Bernbardt and 'her French company, after a, successful tour of the ' English provinces^ were at -latest advices in Paris. Mr Philip Wirth has left for Europe and England to engage new artists for the next e&ascm, of Wirth s Circus, commencing in Sydney at Easter^' Mr Harry Rickards gave a matinee in aidi of th-s Sydney .poor recently, and. also provided a Christmas dinner Jpx 1000 of Sydney's "submerged tenth." ,' ' j Mr- George Giddiens was in the cast or I ••'Still Waters Run Deep" <at the command' performance given before the King- and the K»iser »t Windsor Oastle. Mr John Fuller," sen., leaves ftt tbe endi of February on a round-the-world tour, going! Home by way of the" Red Sea and returning 1 through America and Japan. | 1 Tbe traditions of pantomime 'are 'being uoset at the- London MiaTlborougb, -wherein "Liitle Red Riding Hood," tbe principal! -bov'is being played by a man. Georg-o Grossmith and the late Corney Grain, were tbe firmest of friends, and Grossmith often obliged- Corney Grain at the pjVmo'at St. .George's Hall, London. Fregolina.' tbe wonderful quick-change chil6s artist at the London Empire, has a suite of three dressing rooms for her act, and the wardrobe in use cost -30.000 francs/ Tbe London Lyceum pantomime of "Robin- I sob Crusoe" to conclude each night with ■v a "shadow 'pantomime." while the afternoo-m ebow will end with a full harlequinade. ' Victorien Sardbu has nearly completed the libretto of ,a new musical play for a London 'theatre, and it will be soon in the -bands of en English, playwright " for adaptation. . Tbe.-PoJJai6s Opera Company are buey a# N work, rehearsing "Tbe Island of . Bbong Bhong." wbicb will, be "produced for the firsfi time during- the coming Wellington season. Our old friend G. S. Titberaage is included in tbe- cast of "A .Pair' of 'Spectacles" for a command performance -to be given by Sir John Hare and bis company at Windsor f Castla. '' ' " I

Daniel . Frawley, who appeared in Australia under JT C. Williamson's management, is building 'a theatre in, Oakland (Cal.,' U.S.A.) which will have a seating capacity of 2000.

j Frank Weathersby, at one time manager _ for John F. Sheridan, and now a theatrical . agent in London, is reported to be rapidly •_ recovering from his recent severe attack of " pneumonia. p The manager of a Lancashire music hall lias posted up a notice in the prompt en8 trance as follow®: — "Notice to Artists. — 1 Please don't play ' Killarney.' The audience " is sick of it." * Mr Bland Holt is in London arranging b for engagements of new people to come out t to Australia in the new pieces M-i Holt is understood to be seeking to acquire on the. c other side of the ocean. Vera Faust, well known in Australia and) - New Zealand a-a a member of the Fausti , Family, married Frederic Lyon, baritone of } the Augustine Daly Musical Comedy Comb ~pany, in Winnipeg recently. . Mr Percy Whittle, the talented young t pianist wfoo has been, selected by Madame , Melba as her accompanist, is a New Zeaj lande'r, his father being on the Wellington 3 staff of the Bank of New Zealand. 3 The Supreme Court of U.S.A. reoently l decided that Sunday amusements, theatres, and concerts were illegal. Several managers 5 have defied the -finding,., with the result that law proceedings have been taken. Miss Grade Emmett, who appeared in sketches under Mr RAckanrdis's management in | Australia, hadi to close her engagement at ai ' New York theatre owing to a sudden illness, ; which almost robbed her of her voice. . One of the biggest scenes ia this year's l Melbourne pantomime, "Humpty Duinpty," t will be an electrically illumined 'big wheel, , said to be far more attractive and fascinating i than the .swing scene of "Mother Goose." Paul Cinquevaili recently arrived in New York, and promptly lost a satchel containing valuable papers, including his contracts for America, and, in spite of a handsome reward! being offered, they have not yet turned up. An actress once well known in Australia, c Miss Florence Hamer, at present touring India with the Bandmanai Company, recently married Mr M. P. Maason, a Rangoon mer- ' chant. Mrs Masson intends to retire from the stage. Music Seller: "Her© is that book, ma'am, l ' How to Play the Piano.' " Lady of the House: "What book? I didn't order any ' book." Musi© Seller : " No, ma'am ; but the neighbours did, and they told me to bring it to you." The ".Home, Sweet Home." Company will ' appear at Tmiwu. January 8 and 9, Oamaru January 10, Dunedin January 11 to 18. ' The company will leave the Dominion on January ■ 19 for Tasmania, where a. season will be oom1 merged! at Ho'bart. f "The SilveT King" was first produced in London at the Princess's Theatre on November 16, 1882, by Mr Wilson Barrett, and was , revived by him at the new Olympic on [ January 3, 1891, and again at the Lyceum, on September 2, 1899. 6 Mir George R. Sims has taken in hand L the- revision of his melodrama, "Harbour Lights," in order that all business may T be brought up to date for the forthcoming • 5 tour of the English provinces of this wellknown Adeplhi piece. , A new theatre for Melbourne- will soon j be started on the" right of Russell street, ' turning -down, from Bourke street towards > Collins street. The cite is at present occu- , lnied by "Bowe's- TattersaJls," a registry l office, and other structures. Mr Bernard Shaw's plays are increasingly i popular in London. "Csesar and Cleopatra" is now being produced, with Mr Forbes 1 > Robertson and Miss Gertrude Elliot in the leading parts. Our old friend Miss Elizabeth! . Wats-on is also in the cast. ! Mr Roy Redgrave, who toured Australasia. , with Miss Tittell Brune. has turned his attention to the writing- of sketches for the , musical halls, and one from his. psn, "Peterkins." was to be produced at the Stoke Newington Palace on. December 16. i An Amiericaqn appreciation : — That Aus1 -tra-lia produces the finest voices in -the world is demonstrated by Rivers and Rochester at ' the Uniques. Both have voices of unusual) ■ range, fine quality, and cultivated' to a point . , of nicety seldom found in va.udeville. Dion Boucicault died 1 on September 18, 1890. aged" 69 years. 'lArrah-na-Pogue" was ' produced in November, 1864, in Dublin, and! was first played in London at the- Princess Theatre 'in 1865. Mrs Boucioault, played Arrah Meelish, and the author Shaun the i Post. "The Si«n of the Cross" was originally produced, in America-. Its first production) in F.ngland wa-s at the Grand Theatre, Leeds, on October " 24, 1896. and it ' was first ptodrucedi in London in 1596, -when Wilson BarTett t>layed Marcus and Miss Maud Jeffries Mercia. , London' actors work hard. In addition to ' their ordin-ary evening programme. Mr Oscar Ashe (Othello) and Misa Lily Brayton (Desdemona) are giving Shakespearian afternoons at His Majesty's Theatre. Their -productioni '. of is described as the finest ever eeen in the Wes-t. End. Mr Arthur' Collins was -asked reoently pv a shareholder of Drury Lane why he did not engage Mr ' Lauder for the pantomime ' this year. Mr Collins replied that Lauder was engaged for the next 10 years ahead, and that if they could get him. they would have to pay him £800 a week. Signor Caruso, after singing at Vienna, was unable to return to 'his hotefli owing to the demseness of the crowds, who cheered him until a friend picked the famous singer up in his^aanas end carried himi out of the crush. Over £50,000 worth of tickets were j soldi for four Caruso performances. i , ' More newcomers at the Sydney Tivoli I Theatre. Mr Martin Henderson is a blind i musician whose manipulation, of the old- ' fashioned concertina is something to be long - remembered. He produces the sweetest tones and gives realistic imitations of the bagpipes, of the organ, and of a set of chimes. | It . was at a, theatre in Manchester. -^JThe Mng, aged! and infirm, was blessed with two ■sons. He was pacing up and down the stage with a wearied, troubled look, exclaiming aloud, "On which of these mv sons shall I bestow the crown i" Immediately came a voice from the gallery: — "Why not 'arf a crown r apiece, gxLv'hor?." i Mr George Darrell, the actor-author, is once more to the fore. He bias written yef ' another Australian drama, "The Land of Gold," which is being 1 produced by Mr Wm. j Anderson at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney. I In this the Varischetti mine rescue is the main idea of the plot, wEicb is treated in an essentially Darrelßan manner. ' Miss Florence Young's place in "The Girls <jf Gottenberg" cast is being taken by Miss Olive Goodwin. In the London production Miss Dolly Castles took, tie part of Elsa. . at very short notice, and .with practically no rehearsal, being recalled- fronx a provincial tour of ."The Lady Dandies-" for the purpose. I She scored an instantaneous success. | At tbeir last song recital in Dresden Mr 1 and Mrs 1 " Albert Mallinson -were recalled' 10 times. At the close* of the recital the lights in the ball had! to Be turned out before the 1 admirers of the composer -aftd bis interpreter J would leave. Mr Sfallison. ijs looked' upoßi ,

both at Home and m Germany as quite the finest song composer England possesses. It is rumoured in Melbourne that Mr Geo. Musgrove will shortly visit England on behalf of Mr John Wren to engage a rand

half of Mr John Wren to engage a grand opeia company, -which will play a i season ot old English opera at the Theatre Royal, Melbotirne, and in other centres. _ The repertoire, it is understood, will include "Maritana," "Bohemian Girl," "Martha." "Norina," etc. The Court of Appeals at Albany (U.S.A.) • recently gave final judgment in the case in 1 which Mr Metcalf, of Life, "endeavoured to obtain an order restraining the syndicate managers from excluding him. from their theatres. " The decision was that a theatre is a private concern, from which the proprietor or manager may exclude ■whomsoever he pleases. I Miss Maude Beatty, who is- styled "the 1 statuesque contralto," was at the date of the American mail leaving playing with Healey's San Francisco Opera Company at Astoria, Oregon. The opera in which eho •was appearing was De Koven's "TEe Highwayman." Mr George Kunkel, who was here with the Josephine Stanton Company,, is in the cast. Herr Kubelik achieved a veritable triumph at New York on November 10, it being the opening concert of his extensive American tour, which will -consist of 112 concerts. On that date the hall was crowded from floor to ceiling, and a rough estimate was made that over 10,000 people were turned away. Many of the fortunia/te ones who obtained a ' seat had waited outside the doors from 8 o'clock, on the morning of the day of the concert. From an interview with Sir Charles Santley: — " Is there- any golden rule for singing? None. I only Bay emphatically to those thousands 'who lare being crowded into the musical profession, ' Learn to sing properly before attempting to sing publicly.' And to many I say, ' Don't ' sing- at all.' Many try to sing, and fail for want of the necessary training, and then they try to teach; that is" where the mischief comeß in." v The Journal Official announces that the year's profits of the Paris Opera, which receives -a subvention from the State, amount to £3 18s. The gross receipts were more than £127,000, but the salaries at the Paris Opera are fairly heavy; end there are a great many of them. Mdlle. Breval receives £300 a month, and Madame Region nearly £2000 a year. M. Alvarez is p-aid £320 a month, and salaries of £2000 a year and more are many. ~ Mr Williamson has made a discovery — • Miss Olga Grey, a Ballarat girl, who came to have heT voice" tried, like hundreds of others. Quite unknown, aud with no previous stage experience, she gave a clever sketch, introducing imitations of Rose Musgrove, Daisy Wallace, Maud Fanning, and other well-known artists, and pleased Mr Williamson so much that he engaged her on the spot to do the, same sketch in "Humpty Dumpty." Madame Blanche Arral is a Russian princess. Her first husband was Prince Sergius Peschkoff, a Russian aristocrat. She herself conies of an old French family, her father having been a. count. Born at Brussels in 1874, she was the youngest of a large family. From he* earliest youth she\exhibrted great love of music, and very soon displayed' a geniu9 for it's performian.ee. When 10 years old she won prizes botfi. for singing andl playing at the Gonservatorium of Music, Brussels. • , Miss Suzanne Adams, of grana opera fame, has signed a contract for a 12 weeks' musichall 'engagement in America, and is now appearing at the Auditorium, Chicago. Messrs Klaw and Erlanger have contracted: to pay Miss Ad-ains 500 guineas a week for two appearances daily, Sunday included, and in making a suggestion as to the songs she ought to sing they mention only four— namely, the Jewel Song from Faust, "Kathleen Mavourneen," "Robin Adair, and "Home, sweet home." ' In Sydney at' the present time people are unanimous in their praise of, the dainty fairy story "Bluebell in .Fairyland," which is now bein" run als a matinee entertainment at tne Theatre Royal there. The production of the ' piece has opened the eyes of the public to the possibilities of the rising Australian generation from a theaizrioal standpoint, andi the juvenile* members of the company certainly do ample justice to the good' material they have to \work upon both as regards the book and the music. _ In an - interview published recently in a Vienna newspaper, Caruso stated that he has signed am engagement for America for four years at the rate of £500 for every performance, with 80 (representations in each year guaranteed. The Gramophone Society pays him, in addition, £8000, and he accepts evening 'engagements in New York at the vanderbilts', the Goulds', etc., which bring ' him in fully anotbei £8000, making in all, about £50,000 a year. And the Metropolitan. Opera House pays all travelling and hotel expenses. Caruso says he is now -studying "II Tro'vatore" and " Otello." The statistics published about -the opera in Vienna for the season 1906-1907 show that 309 performances were given, and that in all 74- works were heard. The 46 authors oi the3e 74 operas^ were thus divided 1 in point of nationality: — There were 23 German composers' who had 42 operas performed, six Italians with 11, and 13 French musicians bad 17 operas represented.-' The works performed the most frequently '-were "Carmen," giveni 11 times; "Coppelia" and 1 "Lakme >r " 10 times each, Gounod's "Faust" and Ambroise Thomas's "Mignon" seven times, and "Samson et Dalila" and "I/a Muette de Portici" four times each. I The Daily Telegraph, referring 1 to this I year's pantomimes, notes that the Lyceum ! book" at Christmas, 1867, was the handiwork !of Sir W. S, Gilbert. "Harlequin Cock and! Jenny Wren" was declared — probably as a sarcastic reflection on bombasticl announcements elsewhere — to have been "10 days in preparation." "Actors and authors took to Christmas work kindly in those days. Mr Kendal was playing in Gilbert a'Beckett's burlesque of "The Brigand" at the Haymarket, and Sir Francis Burnand cheered! the hearts of playgoers at Gr-eenwich by performing "Sweet William" in his own. rollickingjHydesque of "Black-eyed Susan." Said Mr Alfred Moulton in the course of an interesting chat to a Referee writer: "Do you know that fn America there are nearly 3000 theatres with an invested capital of £6,000,000? Why, in TSTew York alone there are 61 theatres which take' in the 30 weeks' ' season ' close on £2,500,000. Thelargest is the Hippodrome, which seats about 4800; It cost also the most money to build — niOTe even than the great Metropolitan Opera House, which was built for £600.000. Two very fine playhouses are the Criterion and! ,New Amsterdam, and I was told by a prominent New York architect that they cost about two millions each. And there is still a demand for more theatres." An episode of the New York season that has almost escaped notice was the attempt of a- little band of Bavarians, most of them natives of Oberommergau, to give in that city a representation of "The Passion Play." of the, cast were members of the comi pany which? took part in the last £erform- ;

ance at Oberammergau. Not one of the 20 ' could speak English, and in serene simplicity the peasants came unheralded, hoping in a few weeks to make their fortunes •in a. country which had sent so many spectators to the play of the Bavarian village. There were barely 40 present when the- curtain rose, and after an ineffectual struggle of a night~ or two the empty house was closed in darkness.

Mar Lesilie Harris, the monologuist out in Australia aaid New Zealand «i little while ago, recently arrived back in England, and has. been relating anecdotes' of his adventures in Australia. One. of these is worth giving: At one hall in the back-blocks, the stage was of the most primitive description, and in the 1 middle of one of his sketches the bioscope screen came down with a> run, and be narrowly escaped being injured. To pass tihe accident off he airily explained' that it was part of the performance. At the close of the show he was met at the stage door ■by a large and hairy sundowner, who asked him if it was really brue that the fall of the white curtain was a rehearsed effect? "Certainly," replied Hairris. " Then I shall bring my missis to-morrow night," said the man; "'that was the only bit I enjoyed!"