WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 77

WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS

By Peter Pan

January 14

Dear Pasquin,—Last nip hi, saw the revival of “The Silver King” by the Williamson Dramatic Company at the Opera -House, when Mr George Titheradge i played l Wilfrid Denver. The production j was a, great -success, and there was a I packed house to watch- the favourite actor { in the part which ho created in Australia, j The company finishes its season, to-morrow | night, and' then goes northward. ! Mr R. B. Young, of “The Scarlet . Troubadours,” was in town this week, but I has now gone to the Wairampa, where ! the “ Troubs” are due on Mondav week, i Mr Young reports business excellent all i through the South Island.

Mr F. Coates the advance representative of William Andertson’-s Dramatic l Company was in town this week. The company is just concluding a tour of the West Coast.

j Miss Marjorie Murray, of tire William- ! son Dramatic Company, was called upon i to play-Mr Lewis Waller’s part e,f Mid- , fihipman Hood in “The Flag Lieutenant” on Saturday night. Mr Waller had been S laid) aside with illness, but has now quite recovered, and has resumed his parts. | There has been auite a chapter of acci-

'dents on. the Opera House stage _ during ' the season of Williamson s Dramatic Conipany. One night during the performance of “The Flag Lieutenant” the chief property man. W, Lincoln, :• met with aso nous aecideiith- He was! engaged in firing squibsthrough apertures in a cloth, which were supposed to represent the firing of cannon in the distance.. There was a box ox powder lying at his feet, and by some means a discharged squib, which was stilt smouldering,’ fell into it, with the result that the powder exploded, and he was severely burnt about the face. He had to be taken to the hospital for medical treatment. On another evening Alfred Denice, the Opera House electrician, was manipulating two “dimmers” —electrical contrivances whereby the coming of dawn or dewy eve is made, quite like the real they came cut of their sockets and in trying to fix them quickly Dentico caught hold of the live wires, and his head coming in contact with an iron pipe he received a severe shock. Yet again on-- another evening an assistant property man was hurrying down stage carrying an armful of “props.,” including a loaded revolver, when by some means the weapon went off, and the load entered the leg of a “super.” who was waiting in the wings. . The Fuller Firm have just arranged an important engagement with “ a maestro of spinning, tossing, and iuggling banjos.” ■which is the way Franco Piper, the individual referred to, describes himself. Mr Pipqr may be called a circus man im banjo music. Flo is said to get his tunes in the meet extraordinary manner, and without breaking the melody he contrives, whilst playing, to keep half a dozen instruments working. Franco Piper will tour New T Zealand next month. Mr T. J. West, head o>f West’s Pictures, who has been in England on a business and pleasure trip leaves London for Sydney next Thursday. The West firm has, I understand, bought the Bijou Theatre in .'Sydney. Heaves Mannikens. Hassa.n the Indian conjuror, and the Climes come across to Now Zealand shortly to tour the Fuller circuit.

Fuller’s Biograph Supplies Comnany has a very large connection with biograph companies, and it sends film to all carts of the Dominion, besides supplying Fuller’s houses. Recently it. supplied a programme to West's Pictures in the Town Hall.