DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 18, 30 April 1892, Page 449

DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL.

AFTER one or two serious false starts and silly blunders our own Nellie Stewart has taken a part

at a London theatre, and as might have been expected, has achieved a veritable triumph. The public are raving over the Australian actress. Her singing and acting, her dancing and her prettiness are lauded to the skies, and it is declared that without her * Blue Eyed Susan ’ would be as ‘ Hamlet ’ with the I’rince of Denmark's part omitted. Our picture is taken from a sketch of Miss Stewart as BlueEyed Susan, and certainly the little lady looks fetching and piquant enough for anything.

It must, however, be rather galling for Miss Stewart to remember that this same triumph might have been hers rather over a year ago but for a silly attempt to put on ‘side.’ It will be remembered she threw up her contract to play the ‘ Nautch Girl ’ simply because Jessie Bond, an old Savoy favourite, bad almost as good a part as herself. The young American who took her place at the last moment did quite as well as Miss Stewart would have done, ami gained both fame and fortune. Still, all that is over now. Success is at least better late than never. The fashion in which the London papers talk of Miss Stewart as a debutante and praise her easy stage manner must tickle those who have seen her act for years on Australian boards very considerably.

Meanwhile ‘Wilful Murder’ continues (says a Sydney paper) to hold the mirror up to Williams at the Melbourne Alexandra. Robert Vernon attended the inquest last week and has since added a life like presentment of the other murderer’s sneer to his already splendid conception of the Crime on the Hearthstone. Dampier, in the goodness of his heart, exhorts ladies not to bring in their young children until after the first act, because it might frighten them for life, or give them an early taste for belud. Therefore, little innocents are now left outside on the mat whilst their mothers assure themselves that it is almost as nice and horrible as they expected. As a matter of fact, it ought to be made a lot more horrible. Melbourne would like the Alexandra monster to knock down two women on the hearthstone, lay them side by side, and ent both their throats at one fell swoop.

A FUNNY story is told of Carl Hertz, the illusionist, who is shortly coming to New Zealand. When he was in Paris some years ago, he made a great success with a trick called the ‘ Vanishing Lady.' He used to perform it at private parties without any assistants or stage accessories whatever ; standing on the floor of the drawing-room, with no doors or windows handy, he would select a certain lady from among the guests, perform sundry cabalistic signs and hocus-pocus, and straightway she would vanish from the scene. Then a search party would find her in the attic, or out in the garden, or somewhere. A certain nobleman was so much pleased with this trick that he paid Hertz to teach it to him, ami when he became proficient, he gave an exhibition in his own house before a roomful of guests, using his young wife as the subject. The peiformance was successful, and the lady vanished with great promptitude. That was several years ago, and she is in a vanished state to this day. When the search party went out to look for her she wasn’t there, and all they found was a note on the table, which stated briefly that she was tired of the old man, ami wasn't coming back.