DRAMATIC GOSSIP.
"The Royal Oak." Death of H. B. Farnie. Gilbert and Sullivan's Latest. "The Profligate." ,;; £ , The 0.0.M. [Fbom oxtb London Cobbbbpondjmt.J London, Oct. 4. The Royal Oak ia very far from being one of the most successful pieces whioh Augustus Harris has produced at Drury Lane. It will, indeed, require ruthless cutting before it becomes even "sit-out-able." On the first night most of ub retreated bored to death after the third act, and from all accounts we did not miss much. There are, however, plenty of smart scenes and stirring situations in The Royal Oak, and the acting is so good that it will probably run till Christmas. I should scarcely think, though, you will ever see the piece in Australia. Arthur Roberta commences his campaign as a London manager at the unlucky little Royalty Theatre with a burlesque called The New Corsican Brotliers, by Ceoil Raleigh (" Sir Walter" of the Pink >Un), the music being arranged by Walter Slaughter. The Brigands is a complete failure at the Avenue Theatre, and " Mons " Marius (as everyone calls the volatile Frenohman) has already put Tito Mattel's new comic opera The Prima Donna, into active rehearsal. A Mdme. Palma, fresh to London, will play the chief part in this work. . , The late H. B. Farnie had been in bad health for some time. He went to Paris in defiance of his doctor's advice, caught a bad cold en route, and was dead in three days. Farnie's moat successful adaptations were the Mascotte, Olivette, Let Cloches do Oorneville, Rip Van Winkle, and Paul Jones. As a stage manager of this slaßß of production, he had, it is generally admitted, no equal in the profession. The Strand flaneurs aver the scene of Gilbert and Sullivan's new opera is laid in nediieval Venice. I fancy I shall be learer the mark when I predict China as ;he venue. Anyhow, Mrs Gunn, who isuaUy designs the dresses for the Savoy, ias a large number of Celestial costumes n preparation. The authors of "The Irish Cousin," rhioh I recently commended to you as the ihe best story of Paddy life and character 'without politics) I'd read for years, are wo girls, a sister and a cousin of Mr ioberfc Martin, composer of those immortal yrics, " Ballyhooley " and " Killaloe.*' It an at) present only be obtained in library orm (two volumes octavo), but I'll let r ou know when it comes down In price, as he novel is not one to be missed. Major Cookie, the composer of the peratio version of the Lady of Lyons, iroduced at the Opera Oomique last night, s a nephew of the oompounder of the amous liver pills, and the present posessor of the patent. He has, of course, its of money, and lives at Hastinga.where c takes the lead in matters musical. Sara Bernhardt's last eccentricity has reated the profoundeat surprise in Paris, 'be— who never paid,4ier--t)wa^lllfr fcaa.
Mr C. E. Haughton sails from Marseilles by the Yarra next Thursday, and hopes to be with his Dunedin frionda for Christmas. Mr Haughton spent last week, and the week before, showing his son and eieterthe sights of Paris. At the Hippodrome one evening the little party found themselves Bitting immediately behind Mr and Mrs Gladstone. Mr Haughton was immensely Btruck with the intense heartiness with which the G.O.M. enjoyed himself. He says he does nob know whether his boy or Mr Gladstone carried on most. They seemed both about equally delighted. Tha great statesman talked as if he bad never been to a circue before, and discussed the j acrobatic feats with his wife and Sir ! Edward Watkin as if the subject were the I one in the world for which he cared most. j Mrs Gladstone wanted to leave about eleven, fearing her husband might he tired, ! but lie insisted on sitting the whole show ! out. The Parisian public received the G.O.M. very cordially. The National Anthem was played as he entered, and again as the party leEt, and the greater part of the immense audience (the Hippodrome holds 7000) etood up. Mr Gordon Craig, who made his d/bvi in the Dead Heart ou Saturday, is a 6on of Ellen Terry by her first husband, Mr Watts, the Royal Academician. He inherits his mother's beauty with his father's erratic artistic temperament, and promises to develop into a distinctly remarkable charaoter. Miss Terry's daughters b^ her second husband, John Kelly, are strikingly plain girls, and will never set the Thames on fire as actresses. One of them,' Miss " Ailsa Craig," recently went on tour^witk Misa Fortescue, but declined to allo* herBelf to be advertised as Ellen Terry's daughter. Provincial, like Colonial audiences, are often pro vokingly captious and inexplicable. At Liverpool, for example, the Garriok Theatre Company scored an immense success with The Profligate, turning away money every night. Afc Manchester, ou the contrary, the piece, apparently without ' rhyme or reason, failed to draw. Everything was the same as at Liverpool nud in London, but the Manchester folk wouldn't have it at any price.
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Bibliographic details
Star (Christchurch), Issue 6703, 16 November 1889, Page 2
Word Count
842DRAMATIC GOSSIP. Star (Christchurch), Issue 6703, 16 November 1889, Page 2
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