THE THEATRE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7725, 8 June 1903, Page 1

THE THEATRE.

PLAY AND PLAYERS. The Pollard Opera Company, now tduring as the Royal Australian Comic Opera Company, opened in "Djin Djin" in Cap© Town on May 4, tho season being expected to last till May 30. The other dates of the company's South African tour, which will be of interest to its many friends in New Zealand, are as follow : —Johannesburg, June 1 to August 8 ; Pretoria, August 10 to .Sept, 5 ; Bloemfontein, Sept. 7to Sept, 19; MaTitzburg. Sept. 21 to Oct. 10; Durban, Oct. 11 to Nov. 7 ; Port Elizabeth, Nov. 9 to Nov. 21; Capo Town (return), Nov. 23 to Deo. 19. Concerning "My Lady Molly, which was recently staged in Melbourne by Mr J. C. Williamson, the London "Times ga i,j : —"Sidney Jones's music is all that such music should be— and. a little more. It is bright without cheapness, tuneful without trickery, never merely catchy, and exoeptionallv well orchestrated. It has the' true dramatic quality. If there is -still a taste in the town for genuine and; really excellent comic opera there is ''My Lady Molly' to satisfy it; and its first reception should herald a great success." The Melbourne papers are similarly eulogistic. An -extraordinary scene took place recently on the stage of the Rossini Theatre, at Naples, an actress being stabbed by a jealous rival in full view: of the audience. Tlie actress was chatting to a leading actor in the .wings, when suddenly there appeared on the scene the discarded mistress of the actor. A quarrel ensued, and the woman produced a knife, with which, she struck afc her rival, who, in fear of her life, rushed on me stage, followed by her infuriated aggressor! Here, on the stage, the latter plunged tho knife deeply into her rival's breast. She then attempted) to commit suicide, but was prevented by the ovaer artists rushing on the stage and overpowering her. A report from London states that Mr Tree has withdrawn " The Resurrection " I from His Majesty's by special, desire of the Queen. Ifc is said, on pretty good authority, that the Queen, on the occasion of her witnessing Tolstoi's play, left the Royal box in the middle of an act, declaring that the piece was brutal and sacrilegious. Next morning Mr Tree received a letter from the Queen, asking (commanding!) him tb remove " The Resurrection." He replied -fiat-, owing to the large amount of money he had spent, upon the production, he could nofc afc that,stage withdraw it, but would do so when he had recovered some of ihis outlay. In a show recently put on in a Jersey city it was the part of a caged lion to roar on several occasions on the .approach of the heroines of the drama, which was entitled ''The Lion's Bride." An animal expert who saw the show informed an offioer of the Society, for the Prevention of | Cruelty to Animals that the lion's roars were caused by pain, and mot by anger or a desire'to eat- the bride". He believed the pain was due to electricity. On making an investigation, ifc was found that the bottom of the lion's : cage, which "was of iron, was connected with electric wires,; and made the lion roar whenever the curVenfc was turned on. He notified' the manager that the electricity must be omitted, even if the lion refused to roar without it. The order was obeyed, and the cruelty and deception were stopped at. once.