Footlight Flashes.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIV, Issue IX, 2 March 1895, Page 207

Footlight Flashes.

SPOHR’S ‘Last Judgment’ is in rehearsal by the Nelson Harmonic Society. Mr Balling will condnct, and some first class singers are to be heard in the solo parts. Popular concerts on Thursday evenings have been reinaugurated in Christchurch. Mr Harry Rossiter is running the ‘ show,’ and if the programmes submitted are kept up to the standard of those gone through at the two concerts that have already taken place, there is a pot of money for the promoter and plenty of popular amusement for Christchurctfpeople. Fitzgerald’s Circus has done big business in Dunedin, whither it arrived about a week ago. The ‘ New Boy’ will probably have left New Zealand by the time the present issue is in our reader’s hands. He was certainly funny, and did well in Christchurch while he walked the boards, though he did follow the Opera panyThe R ose Dramatic Company, with Leith—excellent man —as ‘ star,’ have been playing in Dunedin. It is rather comical to see in advertisement, ‘ Notwithstanding enormous expense,* etc., etc. This old * gag ’ comes well enough from an opera company or Bland Holt, but when Manfred Rose trots it out—well, really 1 And how George Leith must smile, too. New Plymouth has some very successful popular concerts. Mr Garry conducts them. They come off fortnightly. Efforts are again being made to revive the absurd canard, denied a week ago, that Melba would come to New Zealand. There is not, and never has been the remotest chance of such a thing. There is no theatre in New Zea land which would hold enough money to make it possible for an impresario to bring Melba here. The same holds good of Patti, Irving, and Tree. The Kendals might come when the Americans get tired of them, as they are beginning to do. Mrs Kendal's charms are now what may be termed mature—decidedly mature, but she is still one of the finest living actresses, and Kendal is, of course, superb. Dunedin seems the only town in New Zealand that can support a stock company. The Dobson. Kennedy Company have been there many months —nearly a year unless I am mistaken—and at latest advices were still doing well. There is a story told in theatrical circles — usually the lower circles which suffer from the correct appreciation the press shows of their badly-mounted, poorly-played dramatic efforts—which never fails to raise a grim sympathetic laugh from the despondent managerial bosom. It is of an Adelaide manager whose show was so sadly slated by the local press that he cherished a terrible revenge against the whole of the fourth estate. This is how he carried it out. He invited all the office boys, printers’ devils, and other trimmings of the press of the city to his performance. Of course the youngsters were delighted and flocked to the theatre, where they found that not only were they admitted ‘on the nod,’ but that the front seat of the dress circle was reserved for them. Behind a big notice • reserved for members of the press ’ sat the grinning rank of shining faced rogues while the manager skilfully moved among the audience, and with one eye on the ‘press’ appealed dolefully with the other to the public to say if it was not ‘ a shame of the newspapers to send such illiterate boobies to criticise our performance.’ Miss Cicely - Staunton's (Madame Goldenstedt) concerts in Auckland appear to have inherited all the popularity that was the portion of Mr John Fuller’s entertain, ments last year. She draws good houses, and assisted by favourite amateurs, gives the public a big serving of good musicvocal and instrumental —at the usual low rates. Bland Holt, who always revives the drooping stage whenever he comes with his well mounted dramas, is expected in New Z -aland towards the end of the year. He is now playing ‘ Span of Life ’ to the Sydney people at the Royal, and earning plenty of applause and pelf. Mrs Holt as Shrove is the delightful woman she always is—graceful and winning—and Miss Hilda Spong, who led captive many hearts from stalls and circle when she was here, gains in popularity. The Mostyn Dalziel Company has broken the long dramatic silence in Auckland. On Saturday they opened in the Opera House wirh • Ransom,’ an Australian drama of the strongly sensational class, which very often draws immensely.

Madame Bernhardt was the first actress to really study art of fainting. The realistic cleverness of her faint in F 6 iora ’ was the result of weeks of study. So realistic is the scene that when she gasps, falls half way on the sofa, and then tumbles headlong to toe floor, an inert mass, the audience invariably rises in a body and catches its breath, forgetting for the moment even to applaud.