THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3019, 24 January 1912, Page 67

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

By Pasqotm

Tuesday, January 23. Tlio members of “ The Chocolate Soldier ” Opera Company arrive by the first express from Christchurch on Wednesday, nnd commence an eight-night season at His Majesty’s the same evening. Miss Amy Murphy, whom wo are told will furnish a delightful surprise, plays the leading role of Nadina. As a production of Dunedin’s best Miss Murphy should receive a tremendous reception on the opening night. Mr Charles Berkeley has received a cable from headquarters advising him to “advance” “The Chocolate Soldier” through Hobart and back to Melbourne—a happening which pleases the touring manager vast l :- * There is no overture written for The Chocolate Soldier.” The curtain rises at 8 o’clock to 20 bars of music. The first to apnear is Nadina. (Amy Murphy), followed immediately by Aurelia (Rita Prosano). and Mascha (Mabel Graham). There is a chorus of soldiers off the stage. The three principals then sing a delightful concerto, “ Sympathy,” end then Amy Murphy is heard in the' big song of the opera, “Mv hero.” never failing of five or six encores, and which invariably sets the seal of success on the performance. One of the carpet snakes in the cast of “ The Speckled Band ” was inconsiderate enough to die after we went to press Ibafc week, otherwise jt-s obituary notice would have been chronicled earlier I have not yet ascertained whether it was the “ lead ing juvenile ” or “ the principal comedian” snake which shuffled off its mortal coil; but it's gone where all good snakes go—if there ever was a “ good ” snake. This makes the third which preferred death to dishonour in entering the bedroom of Enid Rtonor and being whacked on the tail by Sherlock Holmes. The supply of snake actors is kept up by understudies. The other day at the Burns Hall Mr Gaston Mervalo, who is keenly interested in nhoto plays, gave a private view to a few friends of his Australian photo-play “ Trilby” This picture was taken at Mr Mervale’s studio outside of Melbourne, and acted by several well-known artists. Mr Mervale himself was the Svengali and Miss Gwen B urroughs, who was last here with M : ss Nellie Stewart’s Company, was " Trilby” The film ran out splendidly, the various characters showing up well, and the picture generally throwing sham and clear-cut. The acting of the principals was good, but in some of the minor cbaracters there was lack of repose, ancP no attempt at face acting so essential in

silent picture plays. The American actors have this down to a tine art; hence the success of the American film dramas. ‘’Trilby” proved extremely interesting. For a photo-play which is essentially interior the acting alone must count. In the “outdoor” picture-drama the atmosphere and situations are compelling and interesting, and the art of the actor counts less. 'J.'/'e Dunedin season of “ The Speckled Baiui Jimmy Valentine” Co. was not a great success financially. The Conan Doyle play proved the more attractive to the public, which showed its lack of discrimination by poor patronage of “ Jimmy Valentine.” This, strangely enough, when it is considered that the" merits of the plays favoured the dramatised version of the late “O. Henry ” story. “ Jimmy Valentine ” was at once convincing and compelling, and “held” to the final curtain. There was nothing extraneous or superfluous about “ Jimmy,” and in point of construction was well-nigh perfect. All the situations were well thought out, and the characters cleverly and well drawn, while the cast was so uniformly good cfl to be almost without blemish. Altogether “Jimmy Valentine” was a play full of delight and meaning, and one which those who had the pleasure of seeing rejoiced! over with exceeding groat joy. Yet I am credibly informed that it has on the Now Zealand tour proved the least attractive from the box office viewpoint. The members of “ The Speckled Band”- “ Alias Jimmy Valentine ” Co. left by the second express for Llyttelton, en route to Mastorton and Auckland, on Saturday. The company played last night at Mastorton before commencing the Auckland season on Thursday, January 25. Wirths have offered the bear that recently maltreated its trainer to the Wellington Zoo. The fact that they want £SO for it has led to some inquiries as to the cost of a circus menagerie, and the figures arc rather startling. The team of Polar bears, for instance, ccist £2OOO in Hamburg, and the hippo cost £I2OO, with an additional £250 for his cage. It costs from £4O to £SO a day to feed the animals. The seven elephants require nearly a ton of oaten sheaf a day, and in addition chaff, bran, and some green food. The travelling expenses are very heavy. The Mokoia and the Flora had to be chartered to take the circus from Lyttelton to Wellington, and £57 overtime was paid to wharf labourers and officials in connection with the loading at Lyttelton. The remains _of the late Frank Lincoln were interred in the Church of England portion of Boroondara Cemetery, near Melbourne. A large number of members of the profession assembled at the graveside, and when the reading of the hurial service had been concluded some male members of the various theatrical choruses took up the singing of the hvmn “ Abide with (Me ” According to a Nelson exchange, it is the intention of Messrs John Fuller and Sons to erect a theatre in that town. The building is to be situated next to the Poet Office, in Trafalgar street north. Mr Noel Fleming, the handsome “Alexius”—the hero of the battle of Slavenski in “The Chocolate Soldier,” is the son of Barton M’Guckin, one time famous Irish tenor. Mr Fleming has sung Faust on three occasions at Covent Garden in grand opera—one with Melba, as Marguerite. He is a rare instance of a high-class tenor singing and playing in comic opera. Miss Ethel Irving, who will leave Sydney on February 3 with her husband (Mr Gilbert Portcous) and the other members of her company, will pay a brief visit to Perth, and then sail for London. Her return to St. James’s Theatre, to appear once again with Sir George Alexander, will depend on the length of run of “Bella Donna,” which the well-known actor-man-ager has announced for production about the second week of last month. Ho holds the option over a new play from Paris, and a letter received from him by Mr Portcous this week shows that his plans are that this play shall follow “Bella Donna,” whenever it, becomes necessary to provide a successor for that piece, and that Miss Irving is to appear in it. Meanwhile, she will fulfil a lucrative contract at a London variety theatre, where she is to play the leading role in Sir W. S. Gilbert’s well-known “Comedy and Tragedy.” A revival of “Lady Frederick,” in which she made one of the hits of her carrer in London, is probable, and it is also hinted that the star may appear ns Tosca in Sardou’s drama, which has not been played in Eng-, lish in London since the days of Mrs Bernard Becro, about 1890, at the Court Theatre.

THE STORY OF THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER. The new comic opera “The Chocolate Soldier,” to he presented here this and following seven evenings by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., is an adaptation of the brilliant George Bernard Shaw’s remarkable play "Arms and the Man.” To this libretto, Oscar Straus has wedded what is said to bo some of the most delightful music over heard in comic opera. The story briefly is as follows; —In the year 1885 Scrvia is at war with Bulgaria. One, Lieutenant Bumerli, of the Commissariat Department, on tlio Servian side, escaping from a band of Bulgarians, seeks refuge in the boudoir of Nadina, daughter of Colonel Poppoff, a Bulgarian loader. Nadina, after considerable demur, finally decides to protect the escapee, who is being soached for to be pliot by Captain MassarkarofF. This she is enabled to do by the help of her mother, Aurelia, and her cousin. Mascha. When the coast is clear the ladies connive at the safe departure of the handsome and dobonnair young soldier, who has made a decided impression upon each of them. Previously to doing so, they disguise him in the house coat of the fire-eating Colonel, having previously deposited in tuc pockets their photographs, unknown to each other. Presently the war is over, and Poppoff returns, accompanied by Alexius, his future son-in-law. Alexius is betrothed to Nadina, who loves him principally for his popularly supposed heroic exploits on the battle field. Bumerli also appears, anxious to return the house coat; here lie is confronted by Poppoff, who recognises in him the goodhumoured Swiss lieutenant. The women are in agony when they find that the o -at being handed over to Poppoff the photographs are still in the pocket. Here one of the best numbers in the opera is heard. Finally, the picture of Nadina fulls into the bands of Alexius, who, in a frenzy of jealous rage, breaks the engagement. In the third act, Nadina, who has found that her sentiments toward Bumerli have changed, consents to marry him, and all ends happily. Presented by a company new to Dunedin, and one that has won

golden opinions consistently in the north, ‘The Chocolate Soldier,” seeing, moreover, that it is the work of a literary and a jnusical gcniuty should prove 'worthy of going a long way to see and hear.