Music and Drama

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1, 5 January 1907, Page 33

Music and Drama

I think there are is many fine plays produced nowadays as ever were produced since the Elizabethan period. So far as public taste is concerned, it is quite recognised that public taste Huetuates. There are periods of depression, and there are times when Che public has a nearer and better view of what is good and true.—Mr Martin Harvey, interviewed in the “Manchester Courier.” J* The difficulties of a manager who is also actor, acting-manager, and moneytaker are illustrated by Miss Soldene in an anecdote of Mr. Harry Webb, of ’ Two Dromios ’ fame, who filied all these positions in a company on tour under his management. “One night (the bill was ‘Macbeth’!, during a lull at the receipt of custom, he ran up and peeped through the bull’s-eye window of the centre boxes to have a look at the Witches scene. Horror! He could only see two witches. Rushing round to the stage, he shouted, * Where’s the third witch ? Where on earth’s the third witch? Fine him. fine him! ’ ‘You’re the third witch, sir,’ replied the stage-manager.’* J* An anecdote of -Tohn Ryder shows the ease with which that important artist could produce the evidences of grief. Says Miss Soldene: “On Feb. 10. 1868 I. by appointment, met Mr. John Ryder on the stage of the Queen’s Theatre, to hear his opinion. He asked me what could I do? I said ‘Nothing.’ He gave me the Portia speech. ‘The quality of mercy.’ etc., to read. After I got through, he walked up and down for a minute or two. then stopped. ’ You have tears in your voice.’ he said: ‘are your tears near the surface? Can you cry easily?’ I could not tell him. ‘Look at me,’ said he, -smiling, and, reciting a few lines, the tears ran down his face as freely and as miserably as possible." J* Mrs. Kendal recalled a fateful incident of her earlier life in presenting the prizes at the chrysanthemum show of the Scottish Horticultural Association in Edinburgh on Thursday. When the Haymarket company went to Edinburgh some years ago. she said, its members were entertained to a picnic, and one year it was held just below Arthur’s Seat. While the preparations were in progress the younger members of the company strolled away, and on the very top of Arthur’s Seat a young man proposed to a young woman and was accepted. She would not tell who the young man was, because he ought to have been there beside her on the platform. She had been looking for him everywhere. “He was far more atten five on the day of the picnic.” added the popular act ress. smilingly. Misfortune has dogged the steps of Wirth Bros.’ Circus I’roprietary ever since it landed at fie Bluff nearly a fortnight ago. First the lioness mu'e a meal of its two cubs, then an expressman’s horse took fright at the elephants, a law suit ensuing; then the tent, was blown to ribbons at Gore: amt now a fourth loss is reported. One of the best jumping horses was observed to be walking lame after th- loncimling performance in InvereargiTi. The animal was. however, trucked next morning, but on arrival at Gore it was unable to shift. A veterinary examination revealed that a leg had been broken, an I th • animal spared the manager the pain of destroying it by succumbing before it was taken from the truck. This succession of misfortunes is certainly a poor welcome to the show in New Zealand. Letters to band by the late ’Frisvo mail intimate that Miss Madeline Rovle. daughter of Mr J. ( . Williamson s New Zealand representative, has been doing some excellent work in London, and pro inises a successful career in the musical world (writes our New Zealand correspondent). Three and a-half years ago Miss ItoyU went home to complete her education as a pianist, after being many years one of Herr Kretehmann’s best pupils. In London she has been studving under Mr Franklin Taylor and Ma-

thens. two of the world's greatest teachers. Miss Koyle has been remarkably well received at several coacerta lately, including a recent one at Queen’s Hall, on which occasion she was accorded four encores a triumph for a young performer against a number of |H>pulac vocal artists. J* 3 When the Royal Comic Opera Company takes wing, it always supplies an instance of the large amounts which Mr. J. C. Williamson pays out. as a matter of course, for travelling expenses. Their trip to New Zealand upon which they Started in Wellington last week (a company of ninety) will cost for the round trip from Melbourne to New Zealand through the colony and back to Sydney considerably over £2OOO in fares alone, without reckoning in the e\|>enditure on freight by steam and rail for scenery and baggage. It. is safe to say that there is no other manager in the world who would spend such a large sum for ths sake of sending a single company on * three months' tour of a country boasting less than a million inhabitants. Ilia company were due to open in Wellington on Wednesday of this week in “The

Orchid.*' as the forerunner of a repertoire w dich includes such favourite* as ••The Gotintrr Girl/’ “I'he (‘ingalee,*’ and “La Mascutt J* J* Mi>s Emily £oldene, whose matinee at the Palace. London. was most successful, has some interesting reminiscences of great ringers. " Mme. Tietjens* corsets were dreadfully stiff, laced dreadfully .tight, ami audibly creaked. She never appeared without a lave pocket-handker-chief. princess or ]>easant it was all the same; alike in the agonies of Donna Anna the grandeur of Fidelio, the dungeon of Marguerite, clinging to the Gross in " Robert Ic Diable.” or frantically entreating her lover in "The Huguenots.” alio carried her costly inouchoir. ami her s<•itfure. uiu.hr any stress of emotion or danger, was always perfect. not a hair d:sturl»ed. On the other hai’»l. Mme. Grisi. so inimitable and careful in her art. wa« careless to a fault as to her personal appearance. ami never, even at a morning concert, had her bonnet quite straight. *’ * , Miss Ash Wynne’s recollections of Stephanos in "The Sign of the Cross’ are serio-comic. She learned how to give the screams of agony of the unfortunate young Christian martyr by stabbing her own uni with a strong needle — a i-niel method, but effectual —in the privacy of a room at the top of th hou*e. One night, in struggling with the jailors in the torture scene, her wig 4.i me off. ard when she fell on the ground there was a space of a foot b: t ween* Stephanos's "proud young head*’ an 1 his "rich dark lock*.** Many unknown admirers of Miss Ash wynne used to wait at the stage door when the wa< playing in "The Sign’* to se • how' she looked after being tortured. On one occasion an old lady, who had been much impressed with the play, paid how much she would like to go behind the scenes, to see "the machine that did the The young actress told her quietly that Miss Ashwynne was the only machine employed bv the management.

Mr Julius Knight, now en route tor Australia. via the United States, will sjsmd a fortnight or so in New York, bu>king round and paying particular attention to the manner in which the American stage managers produce their plays. While there he will have an opportunity of seeing Kyrle Bel Tew starring in " The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard.** one of the four new plays Mr Knight brings with him to Australia. In two of the others --*’ Robin Hood’’ and ’’ Rattles.” Mr Knight has already seen Mr Lewi* Waller and Mr Gerald du Manner in the leading characters, so that he has boon able to compare his pr<bq>evtivr interpretations of the part with those of players already familiar with them, and such a comparison is always a valuable aid to an actor. Thousands of his admirers throughout Australasia will be. glad to know that Mr Adrew Mark, tiie popular IririiAnuri.au singing comedian. who has already an enviable reputation out here, is returning in a few months to fill another engagement with Mr J. C. \VilLainson. with a new company and a repit»drv «*f new piece-. * ' r Afr VT. **. Gilb**rt h.i< been triling the •'Daily Mail" a >v«»r\ of "The Mikado.’ that ha* a piqtrain flavour. "It was f»ug»fes*trM I » us.” s.ii-l Mr* Gilbert, "that it vKonid U* a proper thing to introduce the Mikado*? entrance with appropriate nutric. A friend at the Japanese L« nation *ii"ge<tei-l. ’Win - not the Japanese National Ant b« in.’words and mu>i« A- -capital idea. I thought. ‘Yon dictate t?ie words to me,’ 1 said, 'ami hum the air to Sullivan.’ s<» it wa< done: and that air and those words hare I « »-n Ming and |»L<y»-d somewhere aln:**-t nightly for many year* in theatres ami rr»|>v<table drawing-room*, and Feveral ehtirrii bazaars. But a year or tu«» after the production of "The Mikado, a correspondent sent me a German new»pa|>er containing an interview with a Japanese diplomatist »m the r.-vjit product ion* of "The Mikado’ in Berlin. ’Yew/ raid the diplomatist, •there i- milch to admire in th- accuracy of detail in gesture. costume. amt <.-eni ry, I ay> quip* fit a losr' to UM? dercand why rhe author chose to intrcdu'.e the Miered person of the Mikado

with the music and the womls of the most ribald song ever sung in the most reckless tea-houses of Japan.’ practical joke on the part of my la*gatiou friend.” J» J® Nothing, writ 's Mr. George Tallis, was lacking in the production- of "Mother Goose*’ at Her Majesty’s Theatre, MelImurne. on Saturday (22nd December) to make the performance a notable success. and to stamp the pantomime as one of the very b st that Mr. J. Williamson has ever put on. With excellent foundations, in the shape of a book that t-dls a connected story in a really humorous way. a superstructure has been built up that displays all the very best characteristics of its type—excellent socialities, artistic novelties, gorgeous dressing and mounting, a strong singing east, dashing dance-, much tine comedy work, ami a generally finislied stage management which reflected the greatest credit upon Mr. G.rard Coventry. Some of the novelties, notably the very effective Swing Song, in which the chorus -wing out over the orchestra on long lines lit by multi-coloured electric lights, were cheered to the echo by a delighted house, while others, ami especially the ludicrous imitations of a horse and donkeys by Messrs. Queen and la* Brun, evoked inextinguishable laughter, the first entrance of the asinine pair when they are run down by a motor car keeping the house in a roar of merriment for many minutes. Mr. Harry Phydora. in the name part, more than fully realised the high expectations formed of him as a comedian. Miss Florence Young’s principal b«\v was an instant success, the enthusiasm for Imt impersonation growing steadily as the evening proceed d. Miss Olive Morrell was dainty and charming as the principal girl. Mr. Harry Shine was intensely funny in a part that suited him down to the ground, and Mr. Victor Loydall scored heavily as a typical Scotch coimdian. The singing and dancing were strong attractions, the "Moon Dear** Itallad of Miss Young making a specially big hit. while the scenery, the dressing and the mounting generally were on an exceptionally high level of excellence. To al! playgoer* in towns to be visited by the Brough-Flemming Comedy Company on the present N.Z. tour '(which commenced in Auckland on Boxing Night i, this paper confidently recommends "Dr. Wake’s Patient.” It is a clean, fresh, wholesome comedy of the highest class. The management are indeed fortunate to have so excellent an opportunity of showing their abilities, and the public can be warmly congratulated on being afforded the chance of seeing so clever a specimen of the art of play writing. The plot has been brielly epitombed in a previous issue, but no such synopsis of the story of the play can do justice to the excellence, of the character drawing, which is always firm, mostly original, and in one or two notable instances really brilliant. Homely Farmer Wake is so exceedingly lovable, and has so many intensely human traits, that we easily overlook the fact that he is drawn somewhat on the fanciful side. It is a part which tits Mr. Flemming like the proverbial glove, and he d«>es pretty well what he wishes with the emotions of the audience, now making them laugh, now' producing tears, ami in the two supremest moments of the play, thrilling them to that chill shiver of the spine which i* only produeed by perfection, whether it is in ringing, acting, art. or the sublimity of nature. Dutt* Winterton is also an rx< ? -dingly tine part, ami it would be "absolutely”— as he would say—imp<>s*ibh* to prai-e too highly the work of Mr. Gregan McMahon. Ifis impersonation i — as lv* would put it--"absolutely” fine. Mrs. Btough. who was warmly weleonfed. has a most excellent part, which -he plays |wrfe«t!y. and the only weaknesses of the cast* are the Earl of >t. Aubyn — nnlly -liockingiy weak —and a tendency to buffoon an excellent little part of a ponqxHfU bishop. "Mrs. (vorringe’s Necklace” replaces "Dr. Wak»’’ this (Wednesday) evening, and as i* comes straight from Wyndh«?n’s. London, is an assured su<*ces<. At a dinner of the GUI of which he the gue-t of the evening. Mr. Hall_<ai.p*_*aid: "1 will venturi* to tell you «»( a. few storie* fr«>m my own • xprriei);e of the theatre during the last twenty years-, and leave jou to dyaw

> . vears ago. when' 1 was an almost \inkndwn author, 1 produced my first play. The condition* under which it was produced were as unfd\ fiucable as can be imagined. In spite of this we had on the first night a tiiumphant success. 1 do not remein--Ih‘| a play which was received with what seemed to be more genuine enthusiasm, lhe papers the next morning reviewed it with delirious rapture. 1 fondly imagined 1 had opened up a new career, my manager thought bis foot was on the rung of fortune’s ladder. The second night, in a house capable of holding A* 250. jve opened to receipts amounting tu X‘27. and after dragging on a miserable existence for eight weeks, we "shut down ’* to a loss of £3OOO. This illustrates the general unreliability of a firstnight vei’.liet. Sixteen years later I produced a play under the most favourable conditions of leading West-end management. and it brought me more money* than 1 should care to reveal to the income tax-collector. All the first-night audience said my play was an utter and abject failure. The next morning the newspapers, without any exception, tore my play to rags. On the second night wp opened to the record takings of the theatre, and for eighty nigths we played to the utmost capacity of the bouse.* I think that we have some reason to be downhearted, not only as to th? verdict of some first-night audiences, but also on

t,le .jfecla«jiie on first nights in Tbniion' although XvitTiin’ ejr-tain-limits the elnt]ue mai- l»e neeessary, if only as a set-off against the stolid-ita-differenee of-the otv\i|»aiits of the stulls, or the booing of the boys in the gallery. Two or three months ago I eame to London to produce a new play. and. oh jny arrival 1 received a letter from a which ran something like this: ••Dear Sir, —Perhaps yon remember that I was a super at sueli-and-such a theatre so many years ago, when you produced s'ueh and such a play. 1 am now out of a billet; but 1 know a Jot of good men, and if you think you would like to make it worth my while, on the first night of your new play. 1 shall be glad to give you a hand.’’ 1 handed that letter to the manager of the theatre at which my play was produced, and 1 have excellent reason to believe that it was my correspondent ami not my play who got the benefit of the hand.’’ ‘ x .