Music, Drama.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume V, Issue 212, 16 August 1894, Page 3

Music, Drama.

By The Prompter. Mrs Annie Besant opens in Adelaide next month. St. John’s Burlesque and Pantomime Company are due in Wellington shortly. The Montague Opera Company are said to be doing excellent business at Wellington. Mr A. H. Gee has retired from the weekly populars, which will now be run by Mr John Fuller. Miss Pattie Browne, Australia’s favourite soubrette actress, has been engaged for a Drury Lane season. After doing Sydney and Brisbane the Thornton-Arnold people go to Calcutta under engagement to T. V. Twinning. The Dunedin Purists have been assailing Walter Bentley for producing Victorien Sardou’s ‘ Nos Intimes’—which is good business for friend Bentley. Mr Arthur Towsey will be tendered a benefit at the City Hall on the 13th prox. by the Auckland Orchestral Union and Liedertafel. Att str, alt an advices state that next Xmas will see the pantomime ‘ Aladdin ’ at Melbourne Royal, ‘ Beauty and the Beast ’ at Melbourne Princess’s, and ‘Sinbad’ at Sydney (Her Majesty’s). Mr J. C. Williamson is endeavouring to secure another novelty for Melbourne Princess’s. He is negotiating for the rights of the ‘ Yellow Ballet,’ with which Mdlle. Bartho is astonishing Chicago. The Sapio-Urso combination, which has received about one-quarter of the support due to such a splendid company, left for Sydney by the s. s. Monowai yesterday. A farewell Australian tour has been mapped out. Pinero’s play The Second Mrs Tanqueray must be a very naughty piece for that aristocratic journal the Australasian calls it ‘ strong meat!’ Good Heavens, where is the old-time purity of that high-toned weekly ? I am obliged to the Dunedin Star for this tit-bit: —“A Paris music-hall is drawing large crowds with a novel entertainment. The scene represented on the stage is the sleeping apartment of a smart Parisienne. She is in her morning sleep. Ten o’clock strikes. Enter the femme de chambre, who opens the shutters. The sleeper elaborately awakens, sits up, and clothes herself from head to foot, and start to finish, in garments of the choicest description, before the eyes of an appreciative audience. The spectators who assemble to witness this, include a“ larger number of women than men.” The Newbury-Spada Concert Company are due in town shortly, and have engaged the Opera House for three nights, viz., August 22nd, 24th and 25th. With the exception of Miss Emily Spada (Mrs Newbury) the company is composed of New Zealanders. Mr Philip Newbury, the tenor, was a Dunedin boy before he went home in search of fame ; Miss Clara Mongredien, an accomplished contralto, who has youth on her side, also hails from the Otago capital; and so does Mr Harry Smith, a baritone who would soon secure fame if he went home and took to the operatic stage. The ability of the company merits substantial recognition at the hands of alleged musical Auckland.

Messrs Williamson and Musgrove intend cutting Wellington out of their next New Zealand tour in consequence of a refusal on the part of the Opeia House people to lower the rent of their theatre. W. and M. wanted the Opera House on the same terms as the Christchurch Theatre Royal. The Opera House authorities offered the Australian firm the Theatre Royal (which is claimed to be of much the same size as the Christchurch Royal) on the terms taken for the Canterbury Jtheatre, or to play on terms with them at the Opera House. This was refused by the remaining members of the old famous triumvirate. *

Bessie'Doyle is booked for the United States. Martin Simonsen’s daughter, Frances Saville, is moving upward. She has been given a winter engagement at the Paris Opera Comique. The only Snazelle’s daughter, Miss Mabel Eleanor Snazelle, was married to Captain R. W. Pilkington, of the Bengal army, at St. James’s, Piccadilly, on May 7th. Theatrical life never had any charms for Miss Snazelle —nor had she any ability for it.