Music, Drama.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 106, 4 August 1892, Page 1

Music, Drama.

[By

“Orpheus.”]

S'pectatum admissi risunt teneatis amici ?

Wirth’s New Programme.

Quite equal in every respect to the last is the menu of Wirth’s popular Circus, and enthusiastic crowds nightly testify to the successful catering of the management. The brothers Valaize perform a double flying trapeze act with precision and grace. All danger to the performer of this difficult aerial flight is averted by a large net stretched beneath, but the safe-guard is merely a concession to the feelings of nervous spectators, as Mr. C. Valaize never makes a mistake. Another trick pony, “ Sultan,” replaces the accomplished “General.” Sultan, a handsome black with flowing mane and tail, walks and dances on his hind legs, and skips with the agility of a Wellesley-street school-girl, besides displaying wonderful docility and training in many other feats. Miss Edith Wirth, with a pretty floral wreath, executes a graceful skippingact on horseback. The young brothers Carl and Alf. Wirth in their Voltigeur and Crupper act, show surprising agility and balance in mounting and dismounting at full speed, and flying hurdles placed so near to each other as to render the performance still more marvellous. The Bedouin Arabs electrify spectators with their difficult and apparently dangerous manipulation of the national weapons. But one of the most charming and graceful acts is Miss M Wirth’s backward riding through balloons and over ribbons. Merry little Benham, the inimitable clown, gave an original pot-pourri, into which he introduced the name of almost every public-house in Auckland, and, moreover, proved himself a Daniel in subduing the ferocity of a quaint den of

lions. His courage even reached the point of placing his head in the mouth of one of the lions, but unfortunately either Benham’s head was too large or the lion’s mouth too small to render the feat practicable. Still he undoubtedly would have done it if possible, and should therefore bear off the preemium virtutis. His educated pig is a real wonder. He performs balancing feats, jumps hurdles, and fires off a pistol, and displays a conscious pride and self-satisfaction which betokens self-respect rather than vainglory. The Godayou troupe of Japanese introduce new marvels of dexterity. The stick and ball balancing, including the feat of catching the ball on the point of a stick and nursing it until it rests in perfect poise, must be seen to be believed. The spectacle of a revolving disc careering round the top of an open umbrella; the top-spinning feats, among which perhaps the most strikingly effective is that in which the top climbs up a vertical line into a little pagoda and releases a shower of many-coloured ribbons; the extraordinary ladder balancing, and the daring feats of the boy who climbs one vertical ladder and then out to the extremity of a second attached at right angles to the first, the whole structure being poised on the feet of a recumbent strong man ; — all these acts are singularly original and clever, and in addition we have Miss Minnie’s delightful butterfly and juggling marvels. Miss Madeline Wirth’s wirewalking without the aid of a balance-pole is extremely graceful and charming. The effect is greatly enhanced by two pet pigeons, which perch on the fair performer’s head and shoulders and occasionally circle around her, but always return at the call of their mistress. Space will only permit a word about the clever acts by C. Moreni, H. Benham, P. Wirth (the bounding jockey, whose leaps and balancing are simply immense), C. Wirth’s pedal contortions, and Eugene Kneebone’s muscular revelations. For artistic merit and genuine fun the company deserves the highest praise I can give it. But a few nights remain of the present season, and I strongly advise everybody to go, and take his sisters, his cousins and his aunts, to see a really good entertainment.

Amy Vaughan’s Amazons.

On Saturday evening the City Hall was well filled and a very successful entertainment gratified Miss Vaughan’s many friends. For the first part, “ Our Floral Home,” the stage had been tastefully decorated, and the winsome lasses, in their pure white frocks with pink and blue trimmings, looked their very best. The corner men — Messrs. Makinini, Diamond, Cowan and Creamer—were tip-top, and each sang excellent comic songs. Messrs. Hyland and Elton contributed ballads of the more sentimental class and sang with taste and expression. Misses Amy Vaughan, May Travers and Annie Wyniard also sang with great success. The latter gave an especially good rendering of “ Alice, where art thou?” A comic finale closed the first part. In the second an overture for piano and violin, in which Mr. Burke again displayed his mastery of the latter instrument, was an excellent feature. Harry Cowan, after humorously soliloquising on football and other themes, gave “ Get thee gone, girl,” to the tune of “ Villikins and his Dinah,” which seems to be a favourite, as Tom Makinini also sang funny verses to the same air. Tom also sang '• Parliament,” and introduced the names of various well-known members. In response to an encore he began a speech supposed to be prompted by some one behind the scenes, but at last losing patience, bade the prompter to “ Come and say it himself.” Cowan and Creamer’s burlesque rehearsal sketch was

funny as ever. Amy Vaughan, in sumptuous array, sang a couple of taking songs. Miss Daisy Thornton danced a new “ Dance,” into which she imported fresh steps and poses. Master Cresswell and Little May sang the pretty sailor song “ Comrades,” in blue and white naval dresses. Misses May Travers and Annie Wyniard gave the graceful double dance and song, “ Pretty Primroses,” and a capital performance was capped by Tom Makinini’s comic and laughable poke at “ Women’s Franchise.”

Amateur Operatic Company. “ H.M.S. Pinafore.”

To professionals and amateurs alike everyone knows that a “ first night” is a trying ordeal, and the success of venture can only be judged relatively, not absolutely, by its first performance. On Monday evening a very full house gave evidence of great satisfaction with the staging, acting, and singing of “ Pinafore ” by our Opera Club, and the performance was undeniably a good one which will become better every night. A competent and efficient orchestra of two first, two second violins, viola, ’cello, double-bass, flute, clarionet, cornets, trumpet, and drums, under the leadership of Mr. Eady, played the jovial and tuneful overture in excellent style. The curtain rose upon an admirably mounted deck scene with all the details perfectly represented, and a specially effective back-cloth showing Portsmouth Harbour with forts, etc., and an ironclad. A splendid lot of tars arrayed in neat white sailor costumes with blue collars sang the opening chorus “We sail the ocean blue ” with good volume and tune, and the male members of the chorus distinguished themselves throughout the opera in those respects. “ Little Buttercup ’’ (Miss Mary Horner) dressed and acted her part in capital style. She has a good mezzo-contralto and sang her music very effectively. Her lines were delivered with clear enunciation and every point made with intelligence and dramatic truth. Josephine (Miss Lizzie Warren) made the hit I expected from her. She is admirably fitted with the part, and looks simply ravishing in her two elegant costumes. Although I have heard her in better voice, she sang her music capitally, and triumphed over the difficulties of the most ambitious solo in the opera, “ A simple sailor,” which occurs in the scene beginning with “The hours creep on apace.” Eewarded with a shower of bouquets Miss Warren sang her encore even better. Every one should hear her and see that exquisite pale blue and pink confection, which, however, I fear must suffer great damage from the state of H .M.S. Pinafore’s deck. The tars should really turn to and swab decks, as they are in a state by no means creditable to a smart crew. “Cousin Hebe” is perfectly safe in the experienced hands of Miss Carrie Knight, who looks very attractive and makes the most of her minor role. Mr. Percy Dufaur’s “ Sir Joseph” is a really great performance from every point of view. His get-up is immense, and his singing, dignity, gravity, gait, and “official” importance are all first-rate. Captain Corcoran (Mr. G. M. Heid) is another success, and the only fault I can pick in a very excellent impersonation is perhaps the absence of that bluff, off-hand and hearty manner which is the popular characteristic of the sailor-man. Mr. J. McGregor, who takes Balph Hack straw, was unfortunately handicapped with a relaxed throat, and his singing was not up to his usual form. He possesses a sweet, true, and sympathetic voice, and before the season closes will yet astonish those who have not heard him at his best. In acting he has decidedly trained on, and shows

wonderful improvement on his rehearsal form. Dick Deadeye finds a humorous exponent in Mr. F. W. Cotterill, who must be bracketted with Bill Bobstay (Mr. B. Pullan) as the low-comedy men of the piece. The pair throughout make excellent fun, and keep the house in roars with their antics. The other parts, Bob Becket and the Sergeant of Marines are capably taken by Messrs. A. 0. McLean and J. Taylor. The cast is an excellent one, and is greatly enhanced by the Midshipmite (Master N. Warren) and the “Little Cousin” (Miss Clara Hargreaves;, who are immensely popular with the audience. The sisters, cousins, and aunts are an attractive bevy, most tastefully dressed, but they do not produce a sufficient volume of tone, and must copy the example of the crew and sing out. The grouping, tableaux, and business are all tip-top; especially good is the moonlight scene at the opening of the second act. The sailors now wear i handsome navy blue costumes, and the deck scene, with Jack enjoying himself, is truly realistic. Mr. O’Meara and Mr. Pullen dance hornpipes to the fiddle in splendid style, but I think the effect would be enlivened by introducing shiplanterns and turning up the gas slightly. The dancing, too, would be rendered more effective by the use of shoes, whose clatter could be heard. Herr Carl Schmitt directs the performance with his customary tact and skill, but one or two tempos appeared to be taken a trifle too slow, Little Buttercup’s first song for example. Altogether “Pinafore” is a success, and will draw good houses and afford great pleasure. I notice that a critic in one of our -joirninW'blames Miss Horner for a mistake in the duet with Captain Corcoran, “Things are seldom what they seem,” and praises the gallant Captain for coming to the rescue. Exactly the reverse occurred, and I should not have mentioned the slip, which was a trifling one, save that “ Little Buttercup ” is letter perfect in her part, and it is only fair to Miss Horner to put the error straight. On Tuesday evening “ Pinafore,” under the patronage of Lord Charles Scott and suite, drew an immense house, and the performance was a great improvement. Ralph Rackstraw’s throat is slightly better, but he was still physically unfit, and has yet to show his true form.

The Dobson - Kennedy Company, as will be seen by advertisement in another column, open a twelvenight season at the Opera House on Monday next with Boucicault’s “Arrah na Pogue.” The company, which was well received during last Auckland season and has been most successfully touring the Colony, now comes with additions to its ranks which must materially strengthen the casts.