THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3031, 17 April 1912, Page 68

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

By Pasqcuj. Tuesday, April 16. The most important item of theatrical news this week is that furnished by Mr Bert Roylo, tho New Zealand representative for the firm of J. C. Williamson, who writes me as follows: —"Having arrived at something like our definite fixtures for t'nis year, I am. redeeming my promise to let you knoTf the arrangements, which are as follow: —'Evorywoman,' May 11 to 18; June 18 to 27 we have let go to Messrs Von Arx and Norwood, and July 16 to 25 wo have sublet to Messrs YVykeham and Nable (these,

of course, arc not the firm's attractions); 'Ben Hur' visits Dunedin August 17 to 22; 'Blue Bird,' Sepembor 14 to 21; pantomime. October 22 to 31; and Oscar Asche, November 16 to December 5." From the foregoing letter it will be recognised that" the firm intends to do well by New Zealand. The year started auspiciously with H. B. Irving in a strong reperj toiro of tragedy, followed by Miss Ethel j Irving in comedy. Next month we are to welcome Miss Hilda Sporig (who has not i been seen hero for a number of years), and ! a big company in "Everywoman" and "Passers-by." The usual quiet time be experitnoed in June and July, to revive in August, when the spectacular play "Ben Hur" will be staged at His Majesty's, with Mr Erio Maxon, who was here with the H. B. Irving Company, in the name part. Everyone will be looking forward to the production of "Blue Bird," which is set down for September 14- to 21. Maeterlinck's fairy play, staged for the first _ time in Australasia in Sydney at Easter, is charming to a degree, and beautiful to behold. I The enormous success of Barrie's "Peter 1 Pan" in New Zealand two seasons ago forej shadows similar triumphs for Maeterlinck's i stage version of "The Blue Bird." The j annual pantomime, which this year is I "Sinbad the Sailor," happens along, so far ; as Dunedin is concerned, a trifle later than , usual, October 22 being set down for the ! opening. The principal boy of the pantoI mime is Miss Florence Imeson, remembered here with "The Gay Gordons" Oompany. ! Already we hear of the engagement of Miss Violet Lorraine, this year's prinoipal boy . at Drury Lane, for the new pantomime to j be produced in Melbourne at the end of I the year. It will probably be "Hop o' my J Thumb," from Drury Lane. To finish up ' the year we will have for the first time in I New Zealand Oscar Asche and his complete ' London company in a Shakesperean repertoire. It has been reported that "Kismet," tne spectacular Oriental play, which is at present being staged in Melbourne, will not bo seen in 3S.ew Zealand. There has been no official confirmation of this, and one trusts that "Kismet" will be included in the Asche repertoire for Maoriland. The marriage is announced as having taken place in Australia recently of Mr A. J. Patrick, of this city (at present with the "Everywoman" Company in Auckland) to Mis a Meynell, daughter of Mr Clyde Meynoll, the well-known theatrical manager and member of the firm of J. C. Williamson Co. (Ltd.). Miss Carrie Moore, the well-known and clever Australian actress, who has placed several English successes to her credit, arrived at Auckland the other day in company with lier husband, Mr Percy Bigwood. ! Alter visiting Wellington and Christehurc'h ' 'Air and Mrs Bigwood will come on to Dunedin. | The band of benedicts was added to on the 10th inst. at Christchurch, when Mr Geoffrey Nye, well-known in the theatrical and picture world, was married to Miss Lucie Marsh, of Lindfield, England. Geoffrey Nyo is now located at Wellington as general business manager for Hayward's Pictures (Ltd.). The Dunedin Operatic Society intend making the forthcoming production of 'The Pirates of Penzance" notable. Never before has the cast been so strong from a i musical standpoint, while the fact that Mr | Percy James is in charge of the stage is sufficient guarantee that the latter department will be up to the usual excellent standard. Mrs Power is making a big success in the part of Ruth, while Mr Farquhar Young can be relied upon to give a very humorous interpretation of the part of the sergeant. Mr Dance, who plays the part of the major-general, is a recent arrival from Home. He possesses considerable talent in the acting department, while at the same time he is a thorough musician. Muss Bathio Stewart (late of Pollard'.-; Opera Company) has a congenial part, which, as usual, she makes the most of. The members of the cltorus are well up in their work, and the gay abandon with which they enter into the choruses and business augurs well for the success of a bright and swinging production. Miss Hilda Spong, who visits Dunedin next month, was a mere girl when she was a loading lady, not beintc out of her teens. She held the record of being the youngest "star" on the Australian stage. After three years with the Brougn-Boueioault Company, she went into her leading roles, and then undertook a starring tour as Paulino in "The Lady of Juyons," Galatea, Xiobe, etc. Determining to try her luck in a wider field, she went to London, and immediately made a name for herself in 'The Duchess of Coolgardie," subsequently repeating her success in "The Kiss of Delilah" and "The Two Little Vagabonds" at the Princess, and "The Children of the King" at the Court Theatre. A. W. Pincro then engaged her to create the role of Imogen Panott in "Trelawny of the Wells." She was seen by Daniel Fichmann, who immediately engaged her, and thus commenced the long period on the American stage. . . The mystifying mirror in Everywoman has aroused a great deal of curiosity amongst playgoers. To see a human figure gradually take shape in the glass, which is

quite real, and in which the reflections of tne people on the stage andi the audience can be seen, and, after delivering bis speech, fade away again, has aroused a great deal ct wonoei merit, and many patrons have appealed to the management to satisfy their curiosity on this point. Some nave offered explanations as to how it is done, and asked the management to let thorn know whether these are correct. It is said, ho\yeyer, that the principle upon whaon the mirror effect is worked had never been put into operation in Australia before, and that the discovery how it could be brought about was accidentally mode in the course of some experiments. It is extremely difficult to achieve the desired effect, and even the artists on the stage are mystified by it. The first night of the Asche-Brayton Company in "Kismet" at Melbourne Theatre Royal was one of the most notable experienced in Melbourne within the memory of the oldest theatre-goer. Enthusiastic patrons of the gallery waited for admittance from the early hours of the morning. Every seat in the dVese circle and stalls had been sold under the preliminary booking at 10s, and the house was a record one. A brilliant spectacle was witnessed before the rising of the curtain. Outside, in Bourke street, the splendour of the interior of the theatre was reflected in the long line of motors and carriages that extended the full length of the street to Parliament House, and! around the corners into the side streets. Herbert Grimwood, of the Oscar AscheLily Brayton Oompany, at Melbourne Theatre Royal, has a strenuous role as the Wazir Mansur. It is not only one that calls for a good deal of dramatic power, but demands something in the way of actual physioal endurance. In the harem scene, Mr Asche, as Hajj, the beggar, takes Mr Grimwood in his arms and dashes him, head foremost, into the plunge bath. Kneeling over the side, Hajj thrusts blio Wazir beneath the water time after time, until he disappears. To escape from the bath unseen by the audience, Mr Grdmwood has to swim under the water to the other end, and makes his way out by a secret exit, the actor emerging dripping and shivering. It is understood that the amalgamation between John Fuller and Sons and Brennan's (Ltd.), of Sydney and Melbourne, in respect to the control of the vaudeville business carried on by both firms, has been effected, and that rs the result of the combination New Zealand will profit considerably as regards the standard of artists who will appear in the permanent vaudeville theatres hitherto controlled by Fullers in New Zealand. The difficulty in the past of securing high-class artists for New Zealand alone has been the limitation of the field, but with a complete circuit, including long seasons in the big centres of Australia, it will now be possible to get a continuous 6tream of artists, whose engagements will include New Zealand in the countries to be visited. Brennan's (Ltd.) has been singularly snccefsful in Australia, and the amalgamation with the powerful New Zealand firm oannot be anything but beneficial to the vaudeville business of this country. li is understood that Mr Ben Fuller will be general manager, with residence in Sydney. Jansen the Great, whom Messrs Po<-',-u« and Talbot will present to Dunedin during May. tells a snake storv of interest. On his last visit to India he was present at the performance, given by a Hindu snakecharmer, in the garden of the house in which ho was staying. After going through part of the performance the fakir was suddenly struck by a young cobra. Dropping ''' huck into its !).--'et. the native went, livid, and commenced to murmur, "I shall die, I shall die." With the exception of Jansen, the onlookers thought this was part of the show, in nrtlc- to raise more money. Meanwhile the bitten man had found among his rags of clothes a small black stone, and was rubbing it, on the wound. Presently he stopped rubbing and left the stone at rest on the teeth marks, until gradually his face resumed its normal hue, when he went on with the performance. "Why flid you try to bluff us," said the mrister of the bungalow, "when we knew that the poison fancrs of th<* snake had b<*on removed?" The native denied that this was the case, and the sahib, in order to test, the matter, sent for a domestic fowl and placed it so that the cobra could strike again. This was done twice, but the hen on being released merely toddled off and went on pick in" fur food. "You're a fraud," ' said the sahib. "Wait," replied the fakir. Four minutes later the hen tottered like a drunken man and fell dead. Jansen endeavoured to purchase a snake-stone, but was unsuccessful; nor could he learn anything concerning them, excepting that the natives place great, reliance in them. The death is announced at Los Anerelrs on February 17 of Mr George Fuller Golden, the exceedingly clever monologist, who visiUjd Dunedin some years ago at the head of a Rickards Vaudeville Company. He had gone from the Adirondacks in an effort to recover from tuberculosis. Ho was 43 years old. He is survived b" his wife and three children. Mr Golden's real namo was George Fuller, but ho bad almost, forgotten it. When he was a bov in Alabaster, Mich., his mother let his

yellow hair grow long, and the other boys called him Goldie, the unoorrupted form of which he selected as a stage name when he became an aotor. His first partner in a song and dance sketch was Quigg, later of Fish and Quigg. Their successors were James Dolan and then Ryland, well known in variety. When Irwin's big show was organised to play in all the variety houses Golden stopped dancing and became a monologist, although he kept on singing when he felt like it. In 1900 Mr Golden founded the White Rats of America, a union of vaudeville actors, and became its first president. The next year the White Rats went on strike to compel tho Vaudeville Managers' Association of America to stop deducting commissions from actors' salaries. The White Rats won, But Golden decided to go to England. He opened the Palace Theatre in London, and was twice commanded to appear before the King. Apropos of the forthcoming production of " Cavalleria Rustioana" in Wellington, »t is not generally known that this wns the first opera ever written by Maseagni, and was the means of the famous composer being discovered. He tells the story of his earliest years—how he became ;• Maestro in an Italian provincial town, in which position he might have remained had he not come across quite by accident an advertisement in a newspaper. It was to the effect that Messrs Sonzogno, the well-known music publishers, offered a prize of 3000 lire (£120) in a competition for the best one-act opera. "I set to work at once," says Signor Masoagni, "and the result was that I wrote 'Cavalleria Rusticana.' It was lucky for me that the publishers did not stipulate that the copyright should be theirs. The arrangement was that during tho period of copyrightwhich in Italy is 80 years—the profits should be shared between them and the composer. Under this agreement I still continue to receive considerable sums, hot only from Italy, but other countries." -