THE DRAMA.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue XVIII, 3 November 1900, Page 817

THE DRAMA.

Mme. Sarah Bernhardt in “L'Aiglon” wears a wig that- has set a style in Paris, says an Eastern paper giving the news. The French actress’ wig is the red she always wears, but it is close cropped, fits tight, and is combed in a peculiar fashion. The part is far to the left, and the hair comes down in front, forming a point in the middle of the forehead. Note —The San Francisco girls caught on to that months ago.

Maude Jeffries, who has so long lieen associated with Wilson Barret, has just been engaged by Beerbohm Tree to create the part of Mariamne in Stephen Phillips’ play, “Herod.” The plot deals chiefly with the insane passion of lierod the Great for his wife, Mariamne. Herod, for certain reasons. having brought about the death of his wife’s favourite brother, finds this political move has estranged Mariamne from him. His love for her becomes a madness, and in the frenzy of the moment, and after much vacillation, fie orders her to be killed. But so great is his infatuation for her that when she is dead he still continues to think that she is alive. All concerned try to humour him in his delusion, for they fear that should he onee realize his wife is dead he would certainly go mad.

Every theatre aud entertainment hall throughout Italy was closed from July 30th to August 12th, in sign of mourning for the martyred King. King Humbert’s cruel death may retard the performance of Mascagni’s new opera—it being essentially comic, and the court mourning is to last six months.

“What Happened to .iones” is to be adapted into French. It will be called “Le Bon Pasteur.”

Sarah Bernhardt had a free box at the Japanese performance in Paris. She left the theatre before they were through, and said, “They act like monkeys.” Sometimes even Sarah’s own colleagues do that.

The manager of a travelling company advertised for a man to “Rube the streets.” What he means is a make-believe gawky fellow to gaze in mock wonder at the bill-boards, and at the theatre entrances, and so direct attention to a rural farce.

The whole system of the first night is wrong-, according to Mr. Grundy, the distinguished playwright. It is not a representative audience. In the body of critics who come to the first nights you have a formidable buffer between the play and the publie. They occupy the same stalls, they constantly meet the same colleagues, they spring up during the same entracte, they swop the same ideas. They are a close corporation. They are out of touch with the public. They are a body of sheep, with the strongest-headed chap of the lot playing bell-wether. You want a fusion of new- blood, new ideas —something fresh-aired, and, above all things, different.

Johann Strauss, the great writer of dance music, never could learn to dance.

To-morrow (Thursday) evening the Auckland Amateur Opera Club commence their season in the Opera House. The popularity of the opera chosen. Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Yeoman of the Guard," and the success that has attended former productions by the Amateurs, should ensure an ample patronage from the. theatregoing publie.

The Pollards opened in Christchurch on Monday, and will play there till December 1. It is expected they will do specially good business during the jubilee carnival period. The company will pass through Auckland on December 3, their destination being Sydney, where they open on Boxing night.

The critics speak well of the Nelson Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society’s production of “lolpnthe.” Miss Driscoll and Mrs W. R. Walker as “lolanthe” and “Queen of the Fairies” respectively, carried off the chief honours among the ladies, while Mr Condell as the “Lord Chancellor,” and Mi- Pratt as “Strephon,” appeared to have made themselves conspicuous among the gentlemen. Every “turn” in the music ball (writes Max Beerbohm In an English paper), has but one aim—to please the public in the quickest and most obvious way. If (as not often happens) a “turn” fails to do this, out it goes, an awful example. There is no nonaease about the halls, no pretence- The

mirror is held up, aud in It the face of Demos is reflected, whole and unblurred. Thus, for those who, like myself, have the misfortune to hate humbug, a hall is preferable to a theatre. It has an air of honesty and freshness not to be found in a theatre. It is nearer to life. The average song, maybe, does not distort life less than the ordinary play; but, at least, it distorts life exactly as the public like to see life distorted. It shows us, in fact, what are the tastes and sentiments of the public. It is an always trustworthy document, and. in this sense, it is near life.

The British Biograph Company has indeed redeemed the cinematograph from the unsatisfactory reputation it had won in the colony prior to the appearance of the present excellent show. Tile pictures are magnificently clear and steady. During its stay in Auckland the Biograph Company has been deservedly popular. The season closed in the Opera House on Monday last.

Mr Donald Macdonald, the war correspondent. has been lecturing' in Napier recently.

William Paul, who used to lie with the Pollards, is now a member of Maurice Grau's Opera Company in England.

Monday, the Sth inst., was Miss Nance O’Neil’s birthday, and her Sydney friends and admirers took advantage of the opportunity to send her some souvenirs. At the’conclusion of each scene lovely flowers were handed to the popular favourite, while in the “green room" the gifts were particularly costly and original. At. the conclusion of Fedora the heroine of the evening entertained a few guests at a supper party, the tables being profusely decorated with pale pink roses.

Both Fitzgerald's and Wirth’s circuses are at present in Melbourne, so that city has a plethora of that kind of amusement.

Mr. W. F. Hawtrey is bringing out to the colonies a dramatic company, which will open at the Palace Theatre on December 27th with “A Message From Mars.” and will later on visit, the other colonies, New Zealand included. At present the chief interest, attaching to the organisation is the announcement that a son of Du Muurier is leading juvenile.

Mr C. R. Stanford has organised a strong dramatic company for New' Zealand. The tour will commence in Dunedin on Boxing night, and will conclude in Auckland in April.

In Melbourne the opening of the grand opera season at the Princess Theatre, under Mr. George Musgrove's management, has naturally excited a great deal of attention. In the old days of the Lyster Opera Company the presentation of the great musical works was frequent, but there has been such a falling off in that, respect, since, that the last Italian company with “1 Pagliacci” and “Cavalleria Rusticaua” was here as long ago as 1893. Very full accounts of the new enterprise have been telegraphed over from Melbourne. No doubt the star of the company is Miss Agnes Jansen, the new contralto, whilst of the two tenors, Signor Umberto Salvi aud M. Arens, a Russian, the Italian is unanimously preferred. The favourable verdict upon “Faust" was tempered by a good deal of adverse crith-ism, but -the scenic equipment seems to have been unusually handsome and complete, and the advantage of the imported pipe-organ for scenes demanding a religious atmosphere—as in the cathedral music of “Faust” —is warmly admitted. To-night "Faust” will again be repeated.

On Saturday next Miss Nance O’Neil will appear in “Macbeth” sit Her Majesty’s, Sydney. On this occasion Mr. George Hall will conduct an augmented orchestra in the incidental music, composed by one Kelly, of San Francisco. The “Overalnd Monthly” of February. 1886, remarked that, “In point of form this music took a conspicuous place as the first work composed on this side of the Atlantic, in frank obedience to the new principles developed by Richard Wagner.” On the same evening Mr. Bland Holt opens his twelve months’ season in Melbourne.