THE DRAMA.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue XXIV, 15 December 1900, Page 1105

THE DRAMA.

The Society of Dramatic Authors looks very carefully after the affairs of its members, who are the dramatic and musical writers of France. Las; year it collected a little less than £100,04)0, of which-£15,000-came from ■ foreign ’ countries. It - was only .in -Paris that- the royalties fell off, and in every other quarter a notable increase was shown. There were 660 new plays produced during the year. Eleanora Duse has recently been discussing with more than her usual pessimism the condition of the stage to-day, and the failure of her own ambitions. She said in effect that the theatre of the present, in orde” to be saved, would first have to be des.royp.d, and that all actors and actresses would have to be killed by a plague, us they poison the air and make art impossible. They do not act dramas, in the opinion of the Italian actress, only pieces prepared for the theatre, and only by returning to the tragedy of the Greeks and giving plays in the opeu air wus there hope for the sal-

ration of the drama. It was being killed, she said, by the parquets and the boxes, and the persons who came in evening dress to the theatre to digest their dinner. Since the days of the Greeks and Shakespeare thenhave been no greut dramatists, and these represented the entire life of the people and the highest achievement of their contemporaries. listen does not satisfy the actress, presumably from the narrowness of bis view, as the details of his dramas reveal it, and she longs for Rome, the Colissi-um. the Acropolis, Athens, beauty, and the living flame of life. She adores Maeterlinck, but his figures are to her in the clouds, childlike and spiritual. She has tried to act the plays of Sardou and Pinero, but finds it impossible. Some day she believes that a younger actress than herself, beautiful, and filled with zeal for her ambitions, will accomplish the regeneration of the drama at which she aimed and failed. The two men she would most have liked to know are Shakespeare an<l Velasquez. She is entirely able to enjoy life without acting, and once gave it up for three years. If she could follow her own wishes, the actress would live always on a ship and never come nearer to the rest of mankind. Signora Duse's last appearances in London were not attended by large audiences. Can this faet have been responsible for her melancholy views? Signor Mascagni's new opera, “Masehere." has just been performed in semi-privacy, though before a very large number of musicians, in the drawing-room of a rich amateur. Signor Felice Robert, of Rome, the various parts being sung by professional vocalists, although the orchestral accompaniments were played upon a piano. Among those who were present were the Count of San Martino and the Prince of Belmonte. The composer lias already stated that in “Maschere” he has to a certain extent adopted the manner of the last century. Indeed, it is said that the overture is almost Mozartian in style, and among the numbers especially appreciated were a Parane after the seventeenth century model, a Tarantella, a duet between Rosaura and Florindo, two vocal quartettes, and a march. The opera is a comic one, and although it has a strong love interest it introduces some of the characteristics of old Italian pantomime, merry acquaintances whom opera-goers in Italy will r.:o doubt again be glad to welcome. Miss Nance O'Neil intends coming to New Zealand a little in advance of her company, so that, she may have an opportunity of visiting the Rotorua Hot Springs. The Committee of the Auckland Amateur Opera Club have issued neat little printed acknowledgments of thanks to the principals and others who assisted during the recent production of “The Yeomen of the Guard" by the club. Her Majesty’s. Sydney, is now closed. The interval before Christmas is being devoted to rehearsals of the great spectacular production which is to hold the boards during the Christmas and Commonwealth festivities. The piece is the joint production of Mr Bernard Espinasse and Mr J. C. Williamson, the former being responsible lor the book and Mr Williamson for ■the instructions, for which his long experience eminently' fits him. The music by M. Caron will be one of the features most attractive. The scenery, which has received the special cure of Mr John Gordon and assistants, will include a highly sensational scene, which should prove very effective indeed. A grand transformation scene has also been prepared. The production will be stage managed by Mr ■ Gerald ' Coventry, whose services Mr AVillianlson has been fortunate enough to secure for a period of twelve months. Mr Coventry is one of the most experienced of managers, having staged “The Belle of New York” and “The Casino Girl" in Loudon. The Lyttelton “Times” speaking of Banjo Patterson's lecture on the Boer war, says: “Probably a good many people had anticipated that a lecturer wit'h his literary reputation would have handled his subjects in a less matter of fact way then they were treated, but at any rate they came away with a clear idea of the actual methods of modern warfare, of the distingui'shed generals that have been serving their Queen and country in South Africa, and of the work performed by the colonial troops. The

absence of any carefully wortad-up word-pictures and the Mt might - forwanl statement of facts were their own proof of the lecturer's honesty, which was furtlier strengthened by his courage in undertaking the defence of rather discredited generals, and in disabusing the colonial mind of a few fond delnsions about the superexcellence of the irregular soldier. *’ Mr Pete Hughes leaves Sydney for New Zealand to-day (Wednesday) to make arrangements for lite opening of the Nance O’Neil season in Auckland on Boxing night. Before the curtain rose on the concluding fierformance of the CranePower Company, in Christchurch, the local auxiliaries presented the stage manager with a handsome pocketIsiok, bearing the inscription: “To Mr T. E. Foster, from Christchurch Boys, December Ist, 1900.” Mr M. T. Wheeler made the presentation, and Mr Foster suitably replied. Cheers were then given for Mr Foster and the company. The Canterbury “Times” tells the following amusing story: “Amongst their acquaintance it is well known that Mr L. J. Lohr, manager of th« Charles Arnold Company, and Mr Richard Stewart, who attends to the business of the Crane-Power Company, are fast personal friends. When Air Stewart saw an advertisement in the Christchurch ‘Star’ on Thursday evening, inviting 10(1 people with dogs for sale to apply to him at the Theatre, lie was somewhat astonished, seeing that lie had inserted no such advertisement. Astonishment was succeeded by other feelings when owner after ow ner of mongrel curs filed into his business office. Every species of the High Street pointer was represented. There were dogs from whose ancestry could have been drawn up a thousand different, pedigrees, all of which would in some cases have had a grain of truth in them. There were dogs big enough for a bullcck eart, and smalt enough to sleep in the slack of a boy's blouse. There were dogs shaggy and dogs with short hair; dogs with ears cut short and tail cut long, and vice versa. There were dogs that, had been honestly come by and dogs —but. who would impugn the ‘honesty of the youthful dog fanciers who thronged the office, or of the more elderly ones whose faces glowed with t'he honest feeling of conscious rectitude, and those delicate hues bespoke of a lifetime spent in the admiration of prohibition principles—in other people? Air Stewart is an admirer of dogs, in moderation, and a judge of them, but as the atmosphere of the theatre was fast becoming mieroby from t’he presence of unwashed curs, and the floor to hop with insect life, tie sought respite elsewhere. Then lie cogitated. As a result of his cogitations another advertisement appeared, this time inviting boys who were willing to distribute bills at ten shillhigs tv day to call on Air L. J. Lohr at the hotel where that gentleman is staying. Boys are less easily’ got rid of than dogs, and how Afr Lohr got rid of iiis 100 or so visitors oa Saturday- ie not told, but all day 'he avoided hie own hotel like a plague, nnd the attendants there wished for a pied piper of Hamelin io lead away, ‘anywhere, anywhere, out of the’ —Empire, Hit herds of boys, a.bie. willing and clamourous to make ten shillings by the dissemination of leaflet literature setting forth the attractions of Mr Loin’s company. And yet there are ill-con-ditioned people who say that money spent in the ‘wanted' column is wasted.” A theatre is to be built in New York by Mr OscAr Hammerste.in, which will be the largest in the world. It will be after the pattern of Drury Lane, but will be much larger. It will have seating capacity for four thousand without a single supporting column in the interior. The stage will be Soft by 125 ft, nnd will be intended for high-class melodrama. It wi’l be arranged so that it may be flooded in five minutes for elaborate naval and military productions. There will be four balconies, and an immense root garden with elaborate elevators 1<: carry’ the people up. The building is to be completed within tt year. “San Toy.” the Chinese opera from London, was produced last week at Italy’s Theatre, New York. It. did not create auy sensation, apparently.