THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 76

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Bv Pasqcin. TUESDAY, January 18, 1910. In its coat of -dazzling - white the Alhambra Theatre presents a more than imposing appearance, and strikes a fresh note in the key of surroundings greys in Dowling street. The front design of the. Alhambra Theatre has much to commend it, and when «, striking colour scheme is added the effect is most marked. The figures of justice and Mercy with which the design is surmounted stand out clear cut against the sky-line, the whole producing a decidedly pleasing result. It is the intention of the management to renovate the interior of the vaudeville house, so that it will be one of iHiHMiiiiHiMi

[The welcome accorded the members of Pollard’s Opera Company at His Majesty’s ; on Saturday evening was whole-hearted and ! refreshing, the large audience extending the glad hand of affection and appreciation over the footlights. Tho Pollards have improved vastly on their last appearance, and now threaten to outrival —if possible—the popularity of the Pollards of other days. Apropos, it is interesting to know that the company will be reorganised here and further strengthened with a view to producing later in the year several new pieces —notably, “Miss Hook of Holland,” which in Melbourne last year outrivalied “The Merry Widow” in popularity. The management of Pollard’s Opera Company lias, in addition, the option of the New Zealand rights of all the latest London successes secured for Australia by Messrs Clarke and Meyneli. One of the greatest of these is “The Arcadians,” which has been running for months in London, and is still attracting tlie multitude. With a repertoire of tho latest comic operas and musical comedies, and a company, strengthened by the addition of a good male chorus, there is a bright future in New Zealand for the Pollards. There is, however, one thing 1 would impress upon the management — that is. a uniformity of popular prices. ■ Speaking of “Hook of Holland,” I mentioned last week that the Pollard manage-' . merit was undesirous of risking the reputation of the opera by a. too-p'rovious performance. I now learn that tho difficulty is not so much the preparation by the performers as the work of making the “props,” i ...which are a special feature of the successful Dutch opera. The dressing and mount- I ing of “Hook”, is to be done locally, and opportunity will be taken of the company’s stay in Dunedin to push on the necessary preparations as fast as possible. It is doubtful if the opera will be staged this season in Dunedin, but Invercargill may be the place where it will be “tried on the dog.” In any case, the dog is lucky. The over-seas movement and the scheme for joining the world of voices and music per medium of the Sheffield choir is going on apace. Mr Hugo Gorlitz, who is acting for Dr Harriss, the promoter of the scheme, was in town last week after a successful tour of New Zealand in the interests of the undertaking. Ho reports meeting with great enthusiasm from musical 1 societies everywhere. In respect to the 1 local arrangements it, is now intended to j give four evening nerformances and one. | matinee. In the last evening perform- j ance the Sheffield choir will be assisted by 1 representatives from all (be local churches ' and choral societies, the whole ma'ktmr up a massed choir of 600 voices. Mr Gorlitz ! left on Monday for Christchurch, where he will establish Ids headquarters. j Dear Pasquin,—Titheradge - Kingston here, doing great. The old “King” last , night packed. George Coates, Anderson's pilot, passed through to Invercargill yester- ! day. They have just finished a phoneme- 1 nally successful West Coast, tour. You will , see them about, the 20th. Barney Levy, one of tlm good old has beens. is managing. Charlie Blake leaves here foi Sydney next, Friday. I think MevneH arid Gunn will . snare him for “Pete” at the Melbourne j Royal at Easter. Charlie MacMahon back j here contemplating tour of Dominion with | a eineniatogranhic show of Marcus Clarke's, j “The Term of His Natural Life.” Wishing j you the compliments of the season. —Yours i sincerely. Leo. De Chateau. Wellington, I January 14.

Tn Tho fours’ of a few weeks’ time we are To have J. C. Williamson’s new comic one re, company in “The King of Cadonia.” Tina piece is heralded as far and away the best comic opera of many decades. We are informed that the whole of +ho enterprise. ll 'l' m'”V -lal oast of Melbourne, and . .% the same raise ea scene, para-

, *ernali»i. and effects will he brought and used. There can be little doubt That both Sydney and Melbourne have rot for many years been so completely captured by anv musical play as has been the case with

‘'The Kina' of Codcnia.’’ The composer, librettist, and writer of the lyrics have all turned out fine work. There is said to be an excellent, and well-vvorked-out plot, and an entirely principal cast-of new artists. Mr Herbert Clayton, a. fine singer, comes with a reputation as the best-looking and most pleasing baritone- since the days of Charlie Riley. Mr Frank Greene, the tenor., has been continuously with the Edwards’s companies in London. There is no equal favourite in Australia with Mr Bert Gilbert, who is said In the Duke of A-lasia. to have the part of his life. Miss Dorothy Court, the prime donna, is recognised as a. first flight artist in England and America, and Miss Lottie Sargent, the soubrette,. has been called by no lets an authority (ban William Archer, the modern Nellie Far re n. Also, the company numbers over 120 people, carries a grand opera orchestra, and the finest ballot in Australia..

; Dear Pasquin,—Hope to be your way next week making - arrangements for William Anderson’s dramatic show, which will commence on January 26 at His Majesty’s. ■ During our season of eight nights we will produce “The Great World of London” (opening production), “The Female Swindler,” “Man to Man,” and “A Life’s Revenge.” The company includes Messrs ) Vivian Edwards, Herbert Linden, John Do Lacey, Edwin Campbell (stage manager), ’ Stewart Garner, Frank Rees, Crosbie Ward, Charles Throsby, Edwin Green, Onslow Edgworth, Air. Holland, the Misses Kate G-air, May Granville, Barry Lane, Dulcie Hall, Nellie M'Donakl, May Watson, and others. Barney Levy is business manager. — Sincerely yours, Geohge Coates. I La Danse Das Apaches.—This extraordinary terpsichorca-n evolution is to he done j by Mr Bert Gilbert and Miss Lottie- Sargent in “ The King of Cadonia,” due here shortly. It is a remarkable study of two Paris hooligans, a man and a woman, set to music, and danced. The whole garnuit of the passions are rum through. Jealousy, j rage, hate, passion, fear, and love follow | each other in quick succession. The musio !is in turn sensuous and threatening; the | action virile. Gleams in the eye of the I Apache—murder; his lady looks calmly j into her fellow’s threatening orb and I smiles. Crash goes the music, whirling I the dancers, and death gives way to love. Slowly the musio languishes, and to dream ■strains; life is paramount again. A story desperate in its intensity, enthralling in its conviction; the fate of two souls with the end inevitable. Fate implacable locks them in its grip, the while love struggles vainly for possession of the master key. An adverse criticism cf the dance led the management to take a popular vote by ballot, for and against its production- The result was a majority of 8000 votes in favour.

It was recently announced (writes ‘•Tempo”) that as a matter of departmental exigency Mr Farquhar Young, whose vocal and elocutionary talents have delighted audiences ever since ho w,«s transferred from Dunedin to Christchurch, was about to leave for Nelson. An effort was made by the Christchurch Savage Club and a. number of prominent citizen® interested in musical matters to retain. Mr Young's services in Christchurch as a vocal and elocutionary instructor, a role ■ in which ho has already been very suc- | cessful. Mr Young ha® decided to accede | to t.ho request of his friends, and to re- } main in Christchurch and devote the whole |of his time in teaching. He is one of the | elocutionists who were trained- in the , early days by Mr William Hoskins, and his vocal pupils have established records , in the senior vocal examinations of the associated board of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music. ! Dear Pasqui.n,—Just a lino to let you know I am down your way again, this , time with the Burn®;Johnson fight pic-. l ures, doing a- flying trio through the gold- : fields. Wo have been doing splendid busi- | new in the “smglls” in the north, and , expect to do the same in the south.— Yours sincerely, Chas. Reeves, Touring Ma nagev. During its just-concluded season in. South Africa the Bosses o’ th’ Barn Baud: received most generous tributes from the ■South African ‘ press. As an exam ole of this cordial praise we quote the following from the Diamond Fields Advertiser apropos of the Bessels’ appearance ini■ Kimberley: “It seems a bold thing to say ■ that the performance last evening was* the finest thing of the kind ever heard in Kimberley. It was also an exhilarat- j ing of how brains and pe reaver- ! ance can raise men to the topmost rung , on the. ladder of fame, for it has to he j remembered that the bandsmen are Lan- | cashire mill hinds, who, no doubt, first of I all looked upon music as a harmless amuse- j nient and soothing pastime, subsequently j recognising its- many-sided influence.” j The Friend (Bloemfontein) also makes a graceful reference to tbs claying of the hand: “As a body of musicians they are I unique. As individual soloists they are j unsurpassed. Th© precision and attack manifested by them is marvellous, and, analysing each kind of instrument performed on, the impression given is that instead of there being 30 performers it seems as if the volume was given by a si rode performer of each instrument.” It is now announced that, owing to unforeseen cir.cum.sitar.ees, Miss Amy Castles lias been forced to somewhat alter her | future professional movements in. Austral- ' a-'ia. Formerly it was arranged that Mies j Castles should sing in Tasmania for a few j nights and then embark for a long-pro- | mised season in New Zealand. It has [ now been decided that after completing her Tasmanian engagements, as already projected, she shall come back to Victoria to reappear in the country district® of that State. At the conclusion of that tour, which is limited to about 20 con-cn-ts, she is to proceed to New South “Wales, where she is booked for another * p dea of aonca ranees. Aftei-wn rda

managers, confidently predict that she will meet with a success as great as that which she has enjoyed throughout ■ the Commonwealth. The date of the young soprano’s first appearance in New Zealand has not vet been fixed, but will be made known as scon as available. Unemployment in the ranks of actors and actresses would not seem- to he -confined to England, according to the Pail Mall, which recently published the following from its Vienna correspondent:—With the dramatic schools turning- out a thousand or more stage aspirants every year, the actons’ situation in Austria is not a. particularly prosperous orre. This season conditions are unusually bad, over 150 actors and actresses having appealed to a Vienna dramatic benefit fund for assistance. They were all without winter engagements, and with no prospect of obtaining such. Austria has 102 theatres, but tk» managers find it cheaper to employ young men and girls from the dramatic schools than capable and experienced actors. The former will work for next to nothing, and frequently have some costumes and dresses of their own into the -bargain,, . Hence the destitution, among the older performers increases every year. In the cast of the latest. New York success. “The Fourth Estate.’’ are Charles Wa-ldron, out hare with “The Squaw Man” Company, who plays lead;' and Argyll Campbell, formerly of “Mrs Wiggs of the Caibbs.ge Patch.” The New York Herald’s criticism of the piece, which at fatest was running at Walbck’s Theatre, said : —“lt’s all about newspa-perdom, and the fourth act showed the composing room of a newspaper just before going- to press. The audience applauded that- for eo liomg- that the actors had difficulty getting in their" lines. Four big type-setting* machines were operated in. view of the audience, pages were being ‘made up,’ proofs were being clira vit, andthe noise was deafening. It was a novel and interesting sight for most of the audience, and they said so with their hands. After, the final curtain the crowd- shouted while the curtain was raised again and scam.” The plax tells of a reformer, disguised as an editor, who sacrifices hie betrothed in order that he may hunt for the truth; aird print it. When he finally succeed'-) in trapping a- judge of the United States Court, and has -all his evidence complete, he is ordered by the proprietor of the paper to “kill” the story. H© denes those orders, inserts a brief story of his own suicide on the first page, together with the dory, and then blows cut hie brains while the paper is being printed. The company is excellent. Mr Charles Waldron, as tii© editor, was convincing in his zeal. There are a lot of humorous lines, and the dramatic situations are tense. The tragic finale struck a deep note of this strong play.