Music and Drams

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIII, Issue XXIV, 9 December 1899, Page 1056

Music and Drams

The Pollards begin a short season at Wanganui on Friday. The Broughs leave Australia for New Zealand on the 20th inst., and will open in Christchurch. Their repertoire will include:—"The Liars,” ‘‘The Adventure of Lady Ursula,” “Lord and Lady Algy,” “The Physician." “The Gay Lord Quex,” "Tyranny of Tears,” “The Brixton Burglary," “Niobe,” “Dandy Dick," "Tanqueray," and "Village Priest.” The company for the New Zealand tour will be as follows: Air and Mrs Brough, Misses Temple, Noble, Bessie Thompson, Martheze, Mathers, Hanley, Gillies. Brown. Rochfort, Messrs Lovell, Carne, Dartrey, Victor, M. Majeroni, P. Brough. Mclntyre , Grattan, Pringle and Hards. On Thursday and Friday next the Caste Company of Christchurch will perform Albery’s “Two Hoses,” a play which, when first produced in London many years ago, had a great success. Mr P. R. Dix’s Gaiety Company is doing good business in the W'airarapa. Mdlle. Trebelli expressed herself greatly pleased with the musical appreciation of the Australasian public. “I have given programmes in this country,” says Mademoiselle, “that I would hardly dare to give in London. Thep eople here are more cosmopolitan, and while they are fond of old favourites, of course, and always like to hear them, they are very willing to listen to anything new, and they appreciate it if it is good. There is a really fine voice in Adelaide, and many good ones nearly everywhere. They do not seem to be limited by climate.” Harry Lynch, of the Lynch Family of Bellringers, is now in Australia, having returned from London, where he engaged new novelties. The scene of Mlle. Trebelli’s farewell concert at the Centenary Hall on Tuesday night was one to be remembered, says the Sydney ‘“Evening News.” The great singer’s numbers brought forth loud and triumphant applause from beginning to end. and she was almost smothered in floral tributes. The vast audience demanded innumerable encores, and at the conclusion of the last song—likewise an extra—could hardly be persuaded to leave the building. Mlle. Trebelli bowed her acknowledgments repeatedly, but the audience would not go until she sang “Home, Sweet Home,” which was received with loud applause, and many “Bravos!” The crowd lingered long on the sidewalk to catch a glimpse of the singer as she left the building. Truly it was a reception worthy of a diva. Rowley's Waxworks is now in Auckland and will be on exhibition during Christmas! ide. The proprietor has with him several new figures and performe rs. Mr Alexander, the Australian din, met with a severe accident performing in Auckland on Saturday night. He had successfully walked up «i. steep inclined wire to an elevated platform thirty feet high, marched forwards and backwards, balanced himself on a one-legged chair, carried a boy across on his back, stood on his head on the wire ro]»e, and commenced a trapeze exhibition, when as lie was turning a somersault into his seat the wire strainer broke and he was thrown to the ground, breaking Ids left arm and spraining the right one. Dr. Lang was soon on the scene and the injured man was assisted to the. doctor's residence, where he was promptly attended to. The accident will mean a stoppage of the performance for five or six weeks. The Auckland Banjo, Guitar, and Mandolin Club's concert takes place to-morrow (Wednesday) evening in the Opera House. Miss Constance Hatherley, the well known and popular harpist of Wanganui. is going to the Old Country in Marc-.l next to continue her studies. Before leaving the colony Miss Hatherley will make a tour of the provincial towns. The Henry Dramatic Company has returned to New Zealand from Australia greatly improved. At Christchurch recently this organisation filled the Opera House, the chief draws being “Soldiers of the Queen” and "Outlaw Kelly.” The Sydney pantomime foi this Christinas is to b< "Little Red Riding Hood," the first performance of which is to be given at “Her Majesty's" on Boxing night.

The new TiAtli Theatre, the contracts for the building of which have been let at between £19,000 and £20,000, is to hold half as many people again as the old house, the auditorium being 60ft deep by 45ft wide, with a height of 50ft from the stalls to the dome. Mr Rickards is having especial attention given to the important matter of lighting. The Tivoli is to be re-opened at Easter. The Macarte Sisters (3), described as "extraordinary exponents of equipose. under engagement to Mr Harry Rickards, appeared in the Bijou Theatre. Melbourne, on Saturday last. The next Drury-lane pantomime is to be on the subject of "Jack and the Beanstalk.” and preparations are progressing for its production on even a larger scale than that of 1889-90, when the same fairy tale was put upon the stage of Old Drury by Sir Augustus Harris. Mr Dan Leno will (the "Westminster Budget” states) appear as the Dame, Jack's forlorn and widowed mother, and Mr Johnnie Danvers, now touring with Mr Leno in "In Gay Piccadilly," will, in all likelihood, figure as King Henry the Bounder, a part formerly played by Mr Harry Nicholls, the author. The pantomime will be run on the traditional Drurylane lines —highly spectacular, as close as possible to the story, and as full of laughter as its group of comedians can make it.

“Perhaps the most striking figure in the company imported by Mr Wilson Barrett to Australia was Mr Ambrose Manning. ‘The Silver King’ has been played many times and by many different combinations in Australia, but, wonderful to tell, almost everyone is agreed that Mr Manning's Elijah Coombe was the finest of them all. His Gravedigger in ‘Hamlet" was a revelation in acting and make-up; and in fact every character he pftiyed had some distinguishing element that lifted it above the ordinary.” A Belgian journalist learns (says the “Stage”) that before the present war crisis in the Transvaal one of the European agents of the Boers was negotiating with a well-known Dutch manager, who was offered substantial terms to form stock companies for the performances of plays in the Dutch language and German opera. ® ® ® “A TRIP TO CHINATOWN.” The opening of the “Trip to Chinatown" Company in the Auckland Opera House is being looked forward to with great expectation by theatre goers. The immense popularity in America and Australia of the brilliant musical comedy, and the fame of Ms Conor, will certainly secure for the company a most hearty reception throughout New Zealand. Messrs Williamson and Musgrove are known throughout the colonies for the invariably excellent character of their productions. This is the last occasion on which we shall witness a play under the management of the famous firm, as the partnership is on the eve of dissolution, and it affords one of the best instances of that careful selection of talent regardless of cost which has made the productions of the Firm a household word throughout Australasia, ♦ere are some of the principal members of the company in “A Trip to Chinatown":—Mr Wallace Brownlow; Mr Hugh J. Ward, character comedian from the Grand Opera House Stock Company. Pittsburg; Mr Tom Browne, a marvellous siffleur. whose wonderful and beautiful double note whistling creates a. sensation; Mr Sam Marion, farcical comedian and eccentric dancer, from the principal U.S. touring circuits; Mr Arthur Pacie. the gifted American operatic tenor vocalist; Mr Harry Cashman, eccentric comedian; Mr Will Bernard and Mr James Harvey; Miss Allene Crater, leading soubrette, late of the FrancesWilson Opera Company, and David Henderson's Pantomime Company; Miss Helen Merrill, mezzo-soprano from the Tivoli Theatre, San Francisco: Miss Nellie and Lizize McCoy, characteristic dancers and interpreters of nogroistic melodies and eccentricities: Miss Marie Adams, soprano, from the principal concert platforms of the United States; Miss Emma Siegel, ingenue and dancer; Miss Minnie McEvoy, the charming soubrette of the Madison Square Theatre; and Miss Roy Bernard. Of the comedy itself it is only necessary to say that it has never failed to delight huge audiences wherever it has been performed. The box plan for the first three nights of the season will he opened at Wildman and Lyell's to-morrow (Thursday) morning.