FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Observer, Volume 4, Issue 99, 5 August 1882, Page 332

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

— Mr and Mrs Lachlan McGrowan leave for Sydney by the next steamer. — Barry O'Neil lately appeared at Dunedin in " New Babylon " with. Bland Holt's company. ' — The price of a grand-tier box at the Royal j Opera, London, for 34 nights, was 200 gnineas. — William Horace Bent made his first appearance in comic opera in " La Perichole," at Melbourne lately. — The Montague-Turner company opened in the " Bohemian Girl " in Brisbane, and had a splendid reception. — Walter Reynolds opened • at the Graiety, Sydney, in " Vanity Fair " on the 24th ult. He is the author of the play. — G-eorge Coppin has been taking several more " final leaves "of the stage. We thought HosMns had played this thing- out. — Mis 9 Carrie Godfrey is playing at Tivoli's Gardens, San Francisco, in a new opera boutt'e, entitled " Les Voltijreurs." — Miss Watts Phillips, a daughter of the late Watts Phillips, the celebrated dramatic author, is playing at the Royal, Sydney. — Mr Frank Pearson, aj; latest dates, was travelling the Victorian country districts for the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company. — Mr Arthur Williams, who lately created a big impression in London bj T his performance in the opera boufl'e, " Dick Turpin," is a brother of Mr Tom Williams, the comedian, now in Auckland. — The following old favourites are members of Bland Holt's " New Babylon " company :— H. N. Douglas, C. Hqlloway, L. St. Laurence, J. A. Patterson, J. J. Kennedy, Bland Holt, Jennie Watt-Tanner, Lina Edwin, and Docy Mainwaring. — Bland Holt's company did an immense business in Dunedin. They played the " World" two weeks to a nightly average of £100. The company are now in Christchurh, where they play a four weeks' season, after which they will play Wellington two weeks, and Auckland two or three weeks. — Mr J. J. Walsh, one of the best actors in his line of business that the colonies have produced, takes a benefit at Abbott's Opera. House on Tuesday evening next. Mr Walsh is the oldest colonial born actor in Australasia, having been thirty-one years on the stage. The programme for the occasion is of more than ordinary "interest, and contains, among other items, scenes from the " School for Scandal," in which the henejlciare and Miss Blanche Vaughan will appear as Sir Peter and Lady Teazle, a comedietta entitled, " Two Gay Deceivers," the cast of which will include Messrs Cecil Gardner, William Robinson and C. D. Robertson, a scene from the drama of " Never Too Late to Mend," Mr Walsh appearing 1 in it in his old part of Peter Crawley, and a miscellaneous entertainment in which Messrs Edmiston, Richard Kohler, Gerald Dillon and numerous others have promised to assist. — The following has been sent bT a Waikato correspondent : The Waipa Dramatic Club seems to have degenerated. The reproduction (by request) of " The Wilds of Corsica " was utterly a failure. The get-up of Gidnetto was like that of an overclad bloated Maori chief with a thick unwashed freize blanket, his elocution bad, and his -.vallc like the strut of a fattened turkey. Matteo Falcone was more appropriate in his fit-out, and looked a very good brigand chief, but his delivery was like that of a feeble lady at fifty-five. The part badly enough represented by his predecessor in the previous production of the play was no improvement in this. Mistress Falcone was dressed more like a gipsy girl than a brigand's wife.apparently with a view to-dis-play a full bosom and a pretty little ancle. The boy Fortunato, was very good indeed, and seemed able to prompt even the adults during the performance. Nicolo Gamba and Brozzo sustained their parts as they should be. The scenery, though good for a country place, was too faint, and lacked the savage boldness which it is supposed to depict. In the, symbolical figure on the drop scene the artist should study symmetry and a little classic .elegance. In the " Irish Tiger," Paddy Ryan was very amusing. The one who took the part, being himself of Irish extraction, was well able to imitate the brogue. — Thompson's Diorama of the Zulu War has been crowded nightly during the past week, and apparently the interest in the show could be maintained for some weeks longer, were the proprietor not compelled Xty prior engagements to terminate the season to-morrow. A handsome suite of drawing-room furniture and numerous substantial presents have been given away each evening, as well as fine pianos, an oil painting (for a prize conundrum by Mr Thompson, of Hobson-street, to which we felt constrained to raise our hat as an old acquaintance in a slightly altered guise) and other special gifts. Mr Thompson, with a degree of liberality which deserves to be commended, will on Saturday give a free matinee to nil the children who are inmates of the charitable institutions, when a present will be given to everyone present. Now that it cannot be said that the statement is actuated by any motives of pecuniary interest in the form of advertising patronage, we may take occasion to say that a paragraph which inadvertently slipped into our columns some weeks ago, reflecting upon the perfect bona fides of the presents distributed, was, we have every reason* to believe, from actual observation, uncalled for and erroneous. Mr Thompson deserves all the reward of his enterprise and skill, and liberality as a caterer for an instructive, attractive, and wholly unobjectionable form of public amusement, and he has our cordial wishes for his future success. The popular Herman takes a benefit to-night and deserves a full house. ' Many novelties will be introduced. — Kohler's excellent and judiciously arranged exhibition of waxworks has been liberally patronised during the week, and is likely to draw crowds for sometime longer, especially as new attractions are in corirse of preparation. The promenade concerts, and Mr Kohler's multidigitatory manipulations of miisical instruments, are among the chief recommendations of this show. Kohler, in fact exhibits the sanie dexterity in extracting melodious sounds from all manner of materials and contrivances as a skilful chemist does chemicals- from the mineral and vegetable kingdom, or ilie theological milkman contrives to wring from a higher source. Give Kohler a ham-bone and he would excite che envy and admiration of Orpheus, place Mm on the Solomon Islands among the rude barbarians and he would improvise a full orchestra from the leg-bones of their defunct and devoured enemies, and get himself unanimously elected boss medicine • man on the strength of it. The other big thing in the waxworks is the "Electric Boy," a very shocking example of the ecentricities of modern| science. The touching and feelingy,manifesta-

tions of his sympathy are very attractive, and quite electrify .the people. As a burglar there is a wide field of usefulness open to this young man, if he will only apply his talents in a right direction. tNo policeman would lay hands on him. The show is still running. For the information of the uninitiated we are authorised to state that the murderers continue to maintain the same calm and impassive indiif erence to public scrutiny, andno apprehension need be entertained of a breach of the peace, as they have been completely tamed' by a long course of short rations. On Saturday children attending charitable schools will be admitted free.