DRAMA AND MUSIC.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15456, 19 September 1914, Page 3

DRAMA AND MUSIC.

BOOKINGS. THEATRE ROYAL. 1914. Sept. 21—Orchestral Society. Oct. 5 and 6 —The Dandies. Oct. 7 —Niblo Comedy Company. Oct. 26 —Royal. Oct. and Nov. 2—Cf.rroll. "Bunty Pulls the Strings." Nov. 7—Julius Knight Company. Dec. 4 and s—Linleys—Linley and Stephenson's Pantomime. The Fuller-Brennan firm has secured Madame Schell and lier fully-matured lions for £i Now Zealand toui. are at present thrilling Sydney audiences —all three of them; for Madame herself does most courageous things ■with tlieSe great cats, who, although fully subservient to her command, are fierce enough in appearance and disposition to strike terror into the hearts or tli© bravest. There have been pig turns and. dog turns, trained cats, monkeys, and birds; but the lion is a quite m-odern introduction to th© music-hall - 'IVo long, jagged scars, one on the right side of the face extending from the temple down past the ear to the throat, and the other from the left ear backward to tlio nape of the neck, are the record of a narrow escape from a ternble death which Madame Schell, the liontamer, had. She claims to .he the sir allcst wild animal tamer in the world, for 6he is under 4ft Sin in height.

"Juggling is not what it used t<D be," j Cinquevalli confided io a Sydney inter- j viewer, with a sigh. " Audiences now a- J days want to laugh ; and a juggler must ■ put all lifs tricks' in comedy setting, no matter how wonderful the tricks may be. He must have a comic assistant, or dress as a tramp, or put a smngle on his nose, or do something else "of the kind. Years ago it was different. Audiences sought for skill in the juggler's work, and appreciated it when they found it. I

Hugo "Wolf, long neglected, is now absurdly overrated (says the New York "Evening Post.'-'') Those who like his pongs or other works will he glad to liear that Schuster and Loeffler have issued an exhaustive work on his life and his compositions by Ernst Decsey, in no fewer than four volumes. Wolf's pet aversion was Brahms, yet when one listens to one of the excellent poems chosen by Wolf; "together -with his music, one is apt to be reminded of a certain anecdote of Brahms, wlho was noted for his wit. Having heard a new musical setting of Schiller's "The Bell," lie was asked- how he liked it. His answer was, "I have always considered it the best of Schiller's poems."

Mr F. R. Benson is arranging a Shakesperean provincial tour in England, which will start in October, with Mrs F. R. Benson as leading lady, and Mr Ofclio Stuart as joint manager.

The proclamation by the Tsar extending equal rights w th the Russians to tlio Jews has part'cular theatrcal significance. The J. C. Wililamson management has a drama entitled "Thry .Yellow Ticket," which deals with the persecution .of the Jews in the Tsar's dominions. Ow : ng to Russi a being the alljv of England, it was deemejl that the time would not be opportune to stage the' drama. Now, however, that the Jews are to 'have their liberty, the theme "bscoines one of past history, not present-day suppression. It is likely, therefore, that ''The Yellow Ticket" will follow "The Chorus Lady" at Sydney Criterion. Mr Hugh J. Ward, who bought the p'ay, states tha"t it is a powerful treatment of a very dramatic theme. Mr Clarence BJakiston, who has come from England to appear as the King in Belacco's play "Madame du Barry," in wh ch Miss Nellie Stewart has returned to the Sydney stage at the Theatre Royal, is an actor of considerable London experience, who for several years has been in "West End theatres. The company is to tour New Zealand later. * *

A theatrical expert, who writes for the London "dironicle," has made an estimate of the total number of times the ten best known pl'ays of modern rears hare been presented on the stage. This estimate, it is explained, is based only on records obtained from th'o biggest theatres in the world, and does not take into cons;deration stock performances. According to this list "Garni lie" leads a l .! competitors w'fh a. total of 37.61S presentations before audiences in France. Great Britain, Austria, Germany, the Un-trd States, and smaller countries. Mclnre. Sara Bernhardt alone has appeared in the play 1149 times. A new one-act pay by Arthur Eckersley, ent tied, "A Collection Will-Be Made," was produced recently at tlie Garriek Theatre, London. It was described as very funny and ingenious. The trifle is largely concerned with the adventures of a parson. The Rev. Cuthbert Cheese, who is a near relation of the Rev. Robert SpaVTng. who "didn't like London," has been sent at the expense of his eon r _ir:gat on to an hotel- on the Italian Rvier a to recuperate. By some nrsunderstandiiig lie is mistaken by h : s fel loir-guests for a fY.mous detective in d'sgu se, and, as most of them have guilty consciences, they thrust "hush money" on him, wlrcii is accepted with great complacency.

Mr. George Tvlor, theatrical manager of the firm of Le : b'er and Co., of New York, has secured the exclusive services for a term of five years, for both Amer'ea and England, of M'ss Phyllis Ne : ison-Terrv. She will opsn in New York in November, playing Vio'a in 'Twelfth Night," Juliet iii "Romeo and Ju! : et," and ma.v also appear in a new play by Louis N. Parker. Mr Julius Kn ; ght is to commence a farewell tour of New Zealand shortly, when will be revved several of t?ie big success 's associated with the well-known ae:tor. One notable revival will' bo "A Royal Divorce." Madame Emma Calve is still winning a ami rat on for her singng as well as li-er rare skill as an actress. She and her husband, Gaspari, recently created tlie leading parts in a new opera by Georges de Seynes, staged at Nice. Mr Hugh J. Ward, of the J. C. Williamson directorate, has b:en appointed a member of the council of t'he New South Wales Conservato're of Music, the State institution, which is to be established in the h'storic Government House, situated next to the Sydney Botanical GaVdens. One of the results of the adoption of the up-to-date snectacular pantomime lias been the abolition of twe oldfashioned harlequinade, though there are many who have a regard for this qua nt old feature of the pantomime of former years and regretted its depa] ture. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., have decided to bring back the harlequinade and it w'l! be played, at matinees, after tfiic "Cinderella." pantomime, which is to be staged at Melbourne lier Majesty's at Chr stmas. Tlie harlequinade v. ii! conform to its tradit ona! lines, and will eonta 11 a story, which will be acted by the principals cf the ■pantomime. These wll include Mr Barry fv.ipmo. who will appear as the clown.