THE STAGE

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 359, 10 June 1897, Page 9

THE STAGE

[By

Orpheus.]

The Fredo Family at the Opera House. —On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings very fair audiences witnessed the clever performances of an athletic and acrobatic combination which could hold its own in any part of the world. The two youngsters, “ Bubbles ” and “ Lar,” not only accomplish the most marvellous feats of bending, tumbling, somersault throwing, dancing, etc.,’ etc., ■ but appear to thoroughly enjoy themselves all the time. A novelty in the shape of skirt-dancing on the slack-wire, executed by “ Estrella,” was a marvellous bit of balancing work, but presently the young lady discarded her flowing robe, and appeared in true personality as Mr James Dristell,and an extremely accomplished Blondin. Kodama, the wonderful young Jap., again astonished everyone with his extraordinary feats. He is a veritable human eel, twisting himself through the bars of an ordinary chair, iand doing the most perilous feats on a pyramid of cigar boxes. James Hayes, on stilts, is not only comic but wonderfully agile. Mr Fleetwood Donnelly, with a mouth organ, played a number of popular airs with tremendous success, winning a triple encore. Madame Fredo and Little Lar, on the double trapeze, perform feats equal to

anything achieved by the most renowned gymnasts, with a charming ease and grace. Mr Alan Kerr’s bicycle trick-riding scored well, as usual. In .the gladiatorial grouping and human pyramids Madame Fredo displayed her magnificent strength by supporting a load of 6001bs. Other interesting items were James Dristell’s tumbling, bending, and high-kicking, the clown comicalities of Fred Fredo and Charles Kodama, the character songs and dances of Lar and Bubbles, and Fredo’s Royal Marionettes. Altogether the entertainment displayed what perseverance, hard work, and natural talent can achieve, and with the addition of a few trained animals and perhaps an adult singer or two the company should succeed well anywhere.

Opera House : Williamson and MusGrove’s “ Matsa ” Vaudeville Company.— A bumper house on Monday night revelled in the splendid work of this array of talent, which is bound to make a triumphant tour throughout New Zealand. To begin with, there is the ; firm’s exquisite orchestra, among whom “Orpheus” was pleased to recognise many familiar faces, including that of Mr Carl Reidle, the talented conductor ; then Miss Alice Leamar, with all her wonted sprightly dash, verve, and fascination. The time-honoured “ Area Belle,” worked up to date, was played with refreshing go by the funniest possible cast, under the new title of “ Fun in the Kitchen. Miss Alice Leamar as Penelope played delightfully, introducing songs and dances with inimitable chic and perfect enunciation. “ Always bring your opera glasses ” and “ The Area Belle,” , with their terpischorean illustrations; created a furore. Pitcher (Mr John Coleman) completely wipes out all other Pitchers —

his grotesque dancing, with ingenious bye-play, excruciating contortions, and quaint songs must be seen and heard, they beggar description. Tosser, Mr Frank Lawton, is another immense comedian, his imitation of a railway train, with whistle, steam, etc., on the bones is nothing less than fine art. The way in which he drops a bone and, tip-cat like, recovers it by jumping on one. end, is marvellously ingenious. The duets and trios, with such material, are something tremendous, especially the posturing and dancing elements. Mr Ernest Fitts, who played Walker Chalks, not only shines in his comic role, but is gifted with a magnificent baritone voice, most artistically controlled. His singing of “Love’s Serenade ” was a rare treat. The Delavines and Winterton Sisters are a splendid quintette of mandolin players, pantomimists, dancers, and singers. They found instant favour with the audience. Mr Ernest Fitts won further honours with the impassioned ballad, “ I love but thee,” displaying great sympathy, power, and exquisite taste, combined with perfect enunciation and intonation. The vibrato is used, but not too liberally. Mr Frank Lawton’s whistling is clear, facile, and artistic. The “ Canary Polka,” with variations, cadenzas, and fioritnre,. is a marvellous feat, and the same criticism applies to the “Viginia Skedaddle,” a lively breakdown, admirably whistled and danced. “ Ben Bolt ” was sympathetically rendered, but the intonation was scarcely so perfect as in the other morceaux. Mr Lawton’s trills are superb. “ Little Gulliver,” a tiny character vocalist and dancer, made a tremendous hit with two songs—“ Home, Sweet Home,” being parodied with ludicrous effect. Miss Alice Leamar’s songs in character. “ The American Millionaire,” “ Looking for a coon like me,” and “ All through sticking to a soldier ”

(especially the last) so delighted the audience that she was compelled to make a neat little speech to escape further encores. Mr John Coleman’s “ Saucy Kate, the Flower Girl ” is a gem of ludicrous sham simplicity, while his “ Scarecrow ” song and dance even surpassed all expectations, so quaintly grotesque are his facial expressions and contortions of limbs and body. Like Miss Leamar, he made his little speech—not without a soupqon of (m)alice 1 Perhaps one of the most novel and attraefive features in the programme, the acrobatic antics of the three Delavines in striking Mephisto costumes held the audience spell-bound. Wonderful contortion feats, pantomimic humour, kicking hats at highest range and in novel fashion, etc., etc., thoroughly justified the title of Satanic gambols on the programme. Once more Mr Ernest Fitts won enthusiastic applause with a splendid delivery of “ Thou art my life,” greatly enhanced, as all his songs v/ere, by fine orchestration, beautifully played by Mr Carl Reidle’s band of artists. Last but not least on this programme of marvels comes Mr Leoni Clarke, like Tybalt, a veritable “ King of Cats,” with his wonderful docile menagerie of cats, rats, mice, monkeys, canaries, cockatoos, etc. Their feats, wonderful and delightful as they are, bespeak much time and patience bestowed to attain such docility and perfection. Mr Clarke makes a model ring-master. His patter and humorous touches greatly enhance the clever performances of his pets. An apparently interminable procession of sleek and handsome pussies jump a series of hurdles like St. Simon, Annabelle, and Co., followed by agile monkeys, white rats, etc. They next walk a narrow plank, carefully stepping over a crowd of rats and mice. The cats and monkeys then jump through a series of burning hoops. Two fine

pussies give a boxing exhibition of two rounds between Corbett and -Fitzsimmons, ending a®Eer some scientific punching in an even draw. One cockatoo rolls a globe along a wire, while ! another executes acrobatic feats on a trapese depending from the globe. A splendid marblegrey cat climbs a rope to a basket hung from the ceiling, tucks himself comfortably into the basket, which is attached, to a parachute, and therein floats safely to the stage. A miniature train, with engine and carriages, placed on a circular railway, is invaded by a crowd of white rats and mice, evidently in a hurry to secure the best seats. The engine gets up steam, and as the train runs round at a great rate a most amusing accident occurs, derailing the carriages and mix* ing up the passengers in a ludicrous melee. The entertainment is quite the strongest of its kind ever seen in New Zealand, containing as it does all sorts of attractions for all sorts and conditions of men, women, and children. The season ends next Monday night. Do not fail to go.

Auckland appears to be gaining in popularity with the profession, and the next attraction is a short season, commencing at the Opera House, on June 16, by the St. John and Hayman Dra-., matic Company, the members of which are now on the road from Sydney. The leading lady is S Mrs. Harrie Marshall, and the company also in- g eludes Miss Dora Mostyn, Miss Madge Corcoran, Miss Blanch Wilmott, Mr B. Bailey, Mr J. Bruce, Mr Joe Telano (an old Sydney favourite), Mr® Fred. Patey, Mr C. R. Field, Mr Donohue, Mr E. Franks, and Mr Hayman. The season will be opened with one of the latest London successes, “ The Vagabond,” after which will be produced “ Parson Thorn,” “ True ’Till Death,” “ Queen’s Evidence,” etc.