Music -and Drama.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue XVII, 29 April 1899, Page 564

Music -and Drama.

The Wellington Dramatic Students will produce Pinero’s comedy ‘The Cabinet Minister’ next month. ‘The Sign of the X’ was the title under which a theatrical company at Palmerston North hoped the other night to produce ‘The Sign of the Cross’ without incurring the penalties meted out to purloiners of theatrical rights. But Messrs Williamson and Musgrove’s agent was too quick for the enterprising showmen, and an injunction was issued prohibiting the performance. Before the order would be obeyed, however, the police, we understand, had to threaten interference.

Miss May Pollard has left the ‘Belle of New York’ Company, which has been touring the provinces at Home. Miss Henrietta Watson, the actress, is on her way to Australia to join the Williamson and Musgrove’s Company. The Pollards opened in Christehureh on Monday last.

The Ernest Toy Concert Company opened their season at Christchurch last week. Mi- Toy is a young Australian violinist, who has already made a name for himself, and garnished it with the letters L.R.A.M. and A.C.L.M. After completing his musical education at Home, he carried off a large number of prizes and honours. Miss Renee Lees, the solo pianiste of the Company, is spoken of as an artiste of exceptional talent, and has won golden opinions wherever she has played. Miss Alice Simpson (soprano) and Miss Maud Dalrymple (contralto) are the vocalists.

The Broughs have been doing good business on the other side with Madame ‘Sans Gene.’ On Saturday last ‘Lord and Lady Algy’ was staged. The comedy recently concluded a run in London extending over 450 consecutive nights.

On Friday last ‘The Geisha’ was performed for the last time this season at Her Majesty’s, Sydney. Harry Rickards makes the Tivoli, Sydney, a most attractive place of entertainment with the wonderful variety of things he offers the public. We learn from the Sydney ‘Morning Herald’ that Mr Walter Bentley, distinguished as a tragedian, intends to settle in Sydney as a teacher of elocu tion, and part of his scheme will consist in the establishment of an amateur dramatic club. There should be ample scope for such a club when directed by an actor of Mr WalterBentley’s world-wide experience, and doubtless his services as an authority upon the oratorical use of the voice, will be appreciated. The following interesting sketch of the career of M. Leon Caron, the wellknown conductor for Williamson and Musgrove, who is shortly to be tendered a benefit prior to his departure on a holiday tour for Europe, is taken from the Sydney ‘Morning Herald: — ‘lt was in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where he was born in 1850, that Leon Caron won the Grand Prix d’Honneur at the Ecole Communale de Musique, after which he studied the violin under Camilla Urso and composition under Alexandre Guilmant, now the first of French organists. At 18 years of age the Mayor and Council of Boulogne sent him to Paris with an annual grant of 1000 francs. He was at once received as a pupil at the Paris Conservatoire, and joined M. Victor Masse’s composition and counterpoint class, and in 1870 he was selected as one of the three candidates for the “Prix de Rome.” Unfortunately, the Franco-Prussian war broke out before the competition took place, and everything came to a standstill. Unwilling to remain in Paris during “La Commune" M. Caron fled to London, where he joined the Alhambra orchestra under Mr Riviere as first violin. Twelve months later he left London for New Orleans with an opera company under engagement to Signor Calabresi, after which, proceeding to New York, he met with Theo. Thomas, and remained in his famous orchestra until it disbanded after the Philadelphia Exhibition of 1876. At the end of that year M. Caron made his debut at the Melbourne Opera House, and then, ex-

changing his bow for the conductor’s baton, remained chef d’orchestre of S. Lyster’s Grand Italian Opera Company until 1880. In that year M. Caron won the prize of 100 guineas offered by the commissioners of the Melbourne International Exhibition for an original cantata, and his “Victoria” was accordingly performed under his direction by a chorus of 1000 voices and an orchestra of 125 players at the ceremonious opening of the Exhibition on October 1, 1880. After the Exhibition, M. Caron, as conductor of English opera, produced for the first time in English “Carmen,” “Mignon,” “Paul et . Virginie” (by Victor Masse), “Fra Diavolo,” “Rose of Castille,” and many other operas. Since April, 1889, when he directed the first performance of “The Yeomen of the Guard,” M. Caron has conducted for Messrs Williamson and Musgrove all the new operas of the Gilbert and Sullivan and Audran series, besides composing the music for “Djin-Djin” and “Matsa.” During this long period M. Caron has maintained the chorus and orchestra of the Royal Comic Opera Company in a stale of high efficiency, so that theatre- ‘ goers owe much to his talent, and will welcome him on his return here at the end of the year.’ . ‘The Belle of New York’ now in its third week in Melbourne is gaining more favourable notice than it originally did. It seems that owing to the hurry of the first performances the piece did not get full justice done to it.

lhe Woods-Williamson Dramatic Company disbanded in Dunedin. The principals, Mr Alfred Woods and Miss Maud Williamson, will shortly begin a season in Brisbane.

It has been decided to form a harmonic society in Feilding.

Chas. H. Hoyt, the well-known American playwright and manager, is badly broken down in health. His new piece, ‘A Dog in the Manger,’ proved a failure, the inabilitv of the author to personally direct ‘the performances being detrimental to its success.

It is not improbable that the famous La Scala Opera Company from Milan will appear in Drury Lane. Pinero’s new comedy, to be presented by John Hare, is entitled ‘The Gay Lord Quex.’

Edith Crane is the Comtesse de Winter in the Knickerbocker (N.Y.) production of ‘The King’s Musketeers.’ The amended copyright law of the United States provides punishment as a criminal to any one who makes unauthorised use of a copyrighted play. But most pieces have ‘been kept in unpublished manuscript, which leaves them defensible as property under the common law. The penalty for their piracy is indefinite a-nd inadequate, however, and Lawyer Dittenhoefer, counsel of the American Dramatists’ Club, has prepared a bill defining such an offence as a misdemeanor. It is now before the Legislature at Albany.

Sarah Bernhardt has taken her theatre in Paris for 20 years, and evidently looks forward to a- long period of activity on the stage. When she appeared in ‘La Tosea’ the other nio-ht it was for the 825th time of the role. The author of ‘Martha’ withdrew it because it was not likely to be acted soon. He explained that he took it not from the actress, but from the manager. Mme. Bernhardt is soon to revive Octave Feuillet’s ‘Dalila,’ which was acted first in 1857 at the Vaudeville and in 1870 taken into the repertoire of the Comedie Francaise.

The commercial value of a. great drama is proven by the fact that the past year’s receipts at the Porte St. Martin, in consequence of ‘Cyrano de Bergerac, were $220,000 above those of the previous year. As a title for his own dramatisation of ‘Children of the Ghetto’ Mr Zangwill has chosen ‘The Jew.’ This, of course, is very old, and was first used by Richard Cumberland for a very dull comedy written to vindicate the character of the Hebrews on the stage, who had always hitherto been represented as a very bad lot indeed. It is not at all unusual for popular actors and actresses who have all their lives been accustomed to facing audiences to experience an acute feeling of nervousness when called upon to address a. public gathering. An instance of this occurred in connection with the meeting recently held at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Edinburgh, in aid of the Rehearsal Club. Lady Bancroft, who was looking remarkably

well, approached the Press table before the proceedings began and confessed that she felt ’horribly nervous’ at the prospect of having to speak in furtherance of the objects of the meeting, and her ladyship smilingly added, ‘to get on one’s feet and talk to a crowd is so very trying to the nerves, you know.’ But when Lady Bancroft did speak she spoke very much to the point, and the popular actress showed no marked signs of extreme nervousness.