DRAMATIC GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5014, 28 July 1894, Page 3

DRAMATIC GOSSIP.

Lotta, the American actress, pays taxes on real estate in Boston on 430,000d01. The play Victonen Sardou wrote on "Don Quixote" many years ago will soon be produced in London. English critics- have found a new name for Miss Pattie Browae. They call her "a little lump of. fun," The bookings . for The Mqsqueraders exceeds anything in the history of St James's Theatre, London. A Condon critic eaya the plague of the English stage at present is the mania for the representation of disease and other physical horrors. ' The latest hindrance in theatrical enterprise in London is, of all things in the world, a cab Btrike. Playgoers dread having to walk home in the rain, and are staying away in crowds. In Jerome K. Jerome's new play, A Way to Win a Woman, the villainy is exposed by an amateur photographer's ' snap shot of a miner writing a letter. By : a magnifying glass the letter is read. A bronze statue of Shakspere, the gift of a gentleman who lefba bequest of 10.000 dol for the purpose, was unveiled in Lincoln Park, Chicago, recently. The face of the statue is spoken of as a faithful copy of the beet portraits of tbe poet. In speaking of the English troupes now in New York city, the "Dramatic News" says that the street cleaning department . is kept busy sweeping up the h's that are dropped on Upper Broadway by the chorus of the Cinderella and Utopia companies. Mr Walter Eeynolds, once very well known in the colonies, has taken a twentyone years' lease of the Leeds Theatre Boyal, which has the greatest holding capacity of ■ any theatre in the United Kingdon (outside London). 3553 persons paid for admission on Boxing Day, 1892. Mr Fred Mason, who was through New Zealand with Carl Hertz, secured his, popular song, "It Makes You Careful, Doesn't It?" for the small outlay of seventeen shillings and sixpence. Another song, which he has sung a good deal in England, entitled "Days of the Week" cost him only half-a-orown. Paderewski (says a contemporary) will talk to an Englishman in his' native tongne, to a Frenchman in the purest Gallic-, and to a German in language of the test academic kind. He is cosmopolitan of tbe cosmopolitans. He is Mr Paderewski in London, Monsieur Pdderewski in Paria, Herr Paderewski in Berlin, Signor Paderewski in Borne, and Pan Paderewski when at home in his native Podalia. | An alarming accident occurred on May 20 at the Theatre Moncey, in Paris, during the performance of Le Voyage en fiuisse. One of the principal sensations of tbe piece ia the explosion of the boiler of a railway engine. To produce the necessary lond report several guno are fired in the wing simultaneously with the simulated explosion of the boiler, *On the night in question the man in charge of the guns appears to have carelessly pointed them towards the stage, with the result that when they were discharged several of the aotora were struck by the gun wada. A comedian received a severe wound in the thigh, a lady artist was hurt in the ehonlder and arm, and two other actors received slight injuries. The accident Caused great excitement in the theatre ; the onrtain was dropped, and nearly an hour elapsed before the performance was continued. [lEOM OUB OWN CO&BBSPONDENT.] London, June 1. Mibb Olga Brandon, who is, as you know, a native born Australian, has undertaken to produce a piece by Mr Henry Hoyt, of your colony, some time in the autumn. Measager'a new opera comique, in rehearsal at the Savoy, is called Mirette. M. Carre (of L'&nfant Prodigue fume) has written the libretto, and Hied Weatherly and Harry Green batik are translating it into English. It is dv« on the 21st. The success of Falstaff has been so great at Covent Garden, that Sir Augustus Harris means to give a series of . special repetitions at Drury Lane in the course of the next month. Tomorrow, Madame Jdelba makes her renire'e at the Opera, and the following Saturday will create the title tole of. Cowen'e Signa, in London. When Mirette goes' on at the Savoy, several old members of the company, including Eutland Barrington, and W. H. Denny are, it is said, " signed and sealed " to W. S. Gilbert, and will appear in his new opera. The Puritan. This was the work Sir A. Sullivan had commenced to Bet when renewed ruotiocß between the Savoyard trio broke out, and the composer sent it back. The return of Mrs Bancroft to the Garrick Theatre bas brought Mr Hare a renewal of prosperity, and though both ehe and Arthur Cecil over-act outrageously, tbe scene between Graves and Lady Franklin excites shouts of laughter sightly. The best piece of acting in this revival of Money i* the Evelyn or Forbes Bobertion, who really manages to make Lord Lytton's prig an acceptable and almost sympathetic personage. Daring their recent American tour the prtorA donnas of the Royal Italian Opera fell out, Madame liames (tso the story goes) making unkind remarks about la helU Melba. M. Liss&lle, the famous baritone, constituted himself the Australian lady's champion, aEd Mr Willy Bchutz, a tenor, having sneered at her, he slapped that gentleman'a face. This occurred on board the Tonraine, as tke troupe were homeward bound— a fortunate fact. On land, declared Schutz, rivers of blood conld alone have washed away the insult. He farther deolares he never made the Statement laid against him by Lassalle. Meantime the latter has raised an action for defamation of character in tbe French courts. After that, says "Fg*ro," one will see what one will s** c. Tbe patrons of the AdelpM have never had a hero whom they took to quite so kindly as " Handsome Bill Teriisß." H<B Bicilodramatio style is broader and breezier than either Leonard B yne'a or George .Alexander's and lees pnsty and emotional than "Chawley Warner's." One is consequently hardly surprised to learn tbat the Gatfcis have lured Mr Terriss back again for a season, lis paltry remuneration being JBIOO a yeek r T«r«Bfl?wMi : .;ona- r off ia&. Bancroft*?

discoveries, and made his first appearance on any stage aa Lord Oloudwrays in Society. For twenty years he has been unapproachable as Borneo, playing the part with the late Adelaide Neilson, with Miss Wallia in her prime, with Mary Anderson (best of all living Juliets) and with Ellen Terry. Off the stage the lines are beginning to show in the fine face of Mr Terries (who has a grown-up family and for sometime been a grandfather) but made-up as the dashing, love-lorn Borneo, he still looks not an hour more than twenty. Mr Terris3 lives very quietly down at Bedford Park, taking lots i of exercise on bicycle and horseback, and ' abjuring society outside the club house (rud-ly styled the pub-bouse) of that > eclectio suburban clique.