THE LORGNETTE

Observer, Volume XXVII, Issue 45, 27 July 1907, Page 6

THE LORGNETTE

By Prompter.

v COMING SHOWS. 12th August to 24th August— Rickards's Vaudeville Company. . 16th September to 6th October— Allan Hamilton's English Star Company. 7th October to 26th October — MacMahon Brothers' Dramatic Company. 4th November to 16th November— Willoughby Ward-Geach Comedy Company.

BUSINESS at the Opera House shows no sign of falling oft, neither do the pro. grammes. Octavia and Warne are back again after a prolonged absence. Their sketch, " Military Maniacs," is a much better cure for the blues than Dr Jones Jallop for Jaundiced Jokers, or any other patent medicine. Little Eileeu O'Neill is a small artist with' a big assortment of musical instruments. She is equally at home with the cornet, bellophone, violin or handbells, aud her turn is productive of much applause. Walker and Hughes are jugglers who give a capable periormauce in an attractive manner. Athas, the trick Bkater, jumps over half-a-dozen chairs and does other skatistical feats to the accompaniment ot a fairiy new lot of patter. Keldie and Davis are a pair ot young ladies w^o have singing and dancing propensities, and Beattie Macdonald and .Nellie Power are good average serios.

Quite a feature of the programme is its strength in vocalism. Clarence lisdale, the American tenor, has a Bweet and well-trained voice. Percy Denton is equally at home as an end man and as a singer of sentimental songs garnished with illustrations. These same illustrations are decidedly in advance of most ot those seen heretofore. A. L. Cropp is a basso who is deservedly popular and Hilda Lane has an excellent voice. Bob Lloyd's stock of comic songs is apparently infinite, which is just as well considering the demands tuat are made on him, and the Warwick Bioscope projects new films.

Owing to the protracted passage of the Mokoia, the opening performance of Mr George Musgrove's Grand Opera Company was postponed until Tuesday night. A full account of the performance will be found oa page 9.

Miss Jessie Maclachlan and her talented concert company concluded a highly successful season last Friday. The audiences have been consistently large and appreciative, which is not to be wondered at considering the excellence of the fare put before them. Although the season was supposed to be a l arewjll Qne, it is to be hoped that Auckland music-lovers have not seen the last «>t Miss Jessie Maclachlan —to say nothing of the rest of the company.

Alf. Stephens, one of the original members of Pollard's Liliputian Opera Company, has joined Mr J. C. Williamson's new musical comedy company, assuming the part of Corporal Ham in " My Lady Madcap."

Mr J. C. Williamson has cabled his safe arrival in London, where he is already at work. The preparations for his 'Xmas pantomime this year will be one of the first matters to engage his attention and he has begun on arrangements for it.

Mr "Andrew Mack was recently presented with an ornate address 'of welcome by the Melbourne branch of the Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Societies. . What with greenstone caskets .and addresses of welcome, Mr Mack, will .have a pretty considerable cargo to take back to America.

• Mr "Joe " Stoyle, late of Pollard's Opera Company, who has been coaching the Dunedin Amateur Operatic Society, has secured an engagement with Rickarde c Vaudeville Compny, and is touring the colony with that combination.

Madame Clara Butt i* thfe heroine of many Btories, and ,\ recent one is well worth repeating. li. a north country town where she was singing," the prices of the concert were doubled and instead of sixpence the tariff for the cheapest seats was a shilling. This worked on the thrifty feeling of a mill hand, who stood outside arguing with his companion as to the advisability of spending so much. "Aw coom in, son," replied the other. " 'Twas worth he brass joost to see Clara."- They went in.

Miss May Beatty had accepted an engagement with Geo.-gss Edwardes, the London impressano, and will appear in the leading role of " The Lady Dandies" in July.

Mr J. C. Williamson's attractions seem to have a particularly lucky application to Miss Dolly Castles, who, after getting a thorough theatrical grounding with the Gilbert and Sullivan company, has now secured the best of introductions to the London stage with the principal part in ' ' The Girls of Gothenberg, ' which will be one of the next additions to the repertoire of the Royal Comic Opera Company.

The Besses o' th' Barn Band are now touring New South Wales, after which they visit Victoria, with South Australia to follow.

Judging from the success achiever] by Miss Marie Hall at Wellington, the brilliant young violirriste should have a highly prosperous career in this colony.

Miss Ola Humphreys worked " real hard" during hei last weeks in Melbourne, occupying herself not only with her stage work but also with the writing of a nove : of 18th century life. The plot is taken from that ot an unpublished drama which Miss Humphrey wrota some time ago and for which she received many flattering opinions iron. American managers. After being published in book form, the novel may, it is allowable to suggest, be " dramatised " anew.