WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS

Otago Witness, Issue 2882, 16 June 1909, Page 69

WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS

Bx Peter Pas.

June 11. Dear Pasquin, — The announcement that a new theatre is- to be built jn Wellington has caused quite a lot of talk. The general opinion eeems to be tnat it is wanted, fof 'it cannot be truly said that any of the amusement houses in the 3itv are as comfortable as they might be. The new venture J8 proposed on an elaborate scale, but attention, it is said, will be given more •to the comfort of patrons than to stylislj. decoration. The localioa—Courtenaj nlace

— is an admirable one, and the site faces one of the widest streets in the cify. George Homan Barnes has arrived, and talking with him yesterday he informed me that Meynell and Gunn's Comic OperaCompany did immense business in Auckland. The company opens here on the 26th in "Miss Hook of Holland," the opera in which the company rnada such a big hit in Melbourne, playing it for 12 weeks. The "Cinderella" pantomime and the "Belle of May fair" will also be staged during tho season. Mr James Lindsay, who has toured New Zealand with several of Meynell and Gunn's companies, leaves Australia for England in September. Chung Ling Sco is due at the Opera House on Monday, and, judging by the box plans, he should have a very prcsperoua season. The dapper little -ilarcus has billed him out of sight, and the pencil and mirror advertisements have caused Chung L. S. to be the talk of the town. Allan Hamilton's Dramatic Company has had a very successful season, and concludes to-morrow night with a revival of "A Message from Mars." Fullers' Pictures and the Royal Pictures are both doing well. The latter are in their eighteenth month at His Majesty's. Mr Henry Bracy arrived from Sydney on Wednesday to take over the stage management of the Royal Comics. He went south with the company yesterday. The members of the Royal "Comic Opera Company arrived by the Main Trunk express on Thursday night", and a portion of them went south by the Mararoa. The remainder go on to-night by the Maori. Mr G. H. Smith also went south last night, but he didn't want to. He was on board the steamer transacting some business when the vessel moved away. The company had a most successful time in the country towns. The Wellington professional orchestra has instituted popular concerts in the Town, Hall every Wednesday. This week's concert was a great success, the hall being 1 packed.