GREENROOM GOSSIP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 450, 9 March 1899, Page 9

GREENROOM GOSSIP.

[By

Agnotos.]

Madame Sara Bernhardt is to play Hamlet at the London Lyceum shortly. Miss Lillie Titheradge has sailed for England to join her father in London. George Rigncld opens at the Sydney Royal with “Othello” on Easter. H. W. Diver plays lago. The Jubilee Singers left for Gisborne by the Flora on Saturday last. They will next proceed to Napier. “ 1 am Marcus Superbus”—by Wilson Barrett out of Great Csesar’s Ghost. —Bland Holt in “ The White Heather.” Tommy Hudson, who will shortly conclude his Eastern tour, opens at the Adelaide,(S A.) Bijou Theatre on Easter Monday. • Harmston’s Circus gave its final p erformance on Saturday evening. -Mr Love’s benefit on Friday evening;was well patronised. Fitzgerald’s Circus, after a prolonged and successful season in Melbourne, are now touring Tasmania, where they are doing very well. Mr Dick Stewart, who was last through New • Zealand with “ The Two Little Vagabonds” Company, is travelling, as treasurer with “The Sign of the Cross” Company. . Bellman and Moore, who were here with Rickards, have produced a new and original sketch, entitled “ Her. Other Husband,” at the Sydney Tivoli, with signal success. While Madame Sara Bernhardt was touring Australasia she spent £BOO in the purchase of Maoriland curios, io greenstone, wood carvings, ■ and ornaments made from kauri gum. A Kreitmayer, of the Melbourne. Waxworks, has ' “filed.” Liabilities, £2211 ; assets, £2OO. This show has been in existence since the early fifties, having been founded by Madame Sobier. . ~ Mr\Frtd w Patey, formerly connected with the :Pre.‘b in. Auckland, is now playing an engagement .it the Lyceum Theatre in Sydney; His wife (Maiie d’Altori) is with “ The sign of the Cross” Company.] " '7 .J < ?

Minnie Palmer made her appearance in vaudeville at Proctor’s Theatre, in New York, U.S.A., oh March 6th. It is stated that Paderewski will tour Australia next year under the management of Mr John Lemmone. The latter gentleman will be recollected as having toured New Zealand some years ago as a flautist. Mr Charles Hoyt, the well-known American manager, to whom we were indebted for the visit of the Chinatown Company, purposes sending us another combination, « hich Will again be headed by inimitable Harry Connor. Stated, that Mr George Musgrove earnestly desires his daughter Rose to abandon the stage as a profession. Funny how managers and. mummers object to their children appearing behini the footlights. Sort of slur on the profession, isn’t it ? ' The Woods Dramatic Company are playing a season at the Christchurch Royal. They opened with “The Gates of Bondage” I wish them better luck than they had. in Auckland. The show is really an excellent one, and deserving of a generous patronage. I see that the Greenwoods are advertising that they will give away a gold watch to some member" of the audience. Things must be rather slow for them in Wellington. I trust that they will look up in the r ear future, and that it will not be necessary to scatter jewellery about in this indiscriminate fashion to secure a full house. Mr Hughes, general manager of “ The Sign of the Cross” Company, desires me to contradict the statement made in the Southern papers that “the Royal Comic Opera Company would tour New Zealand with * The Geisha’ during the coming winter.” The statement arose through the fact becoming known that Mr Hughes had booked a New Zealand tour for The Firm, and the conclusion was immediately jumped to that it must

be the Royal Comic Opera Company that was coming. Mr Hughes tells me lhat Mr Williamson has four or five companies coming over from America, and he may send any one of them through this colony, but no decision has been arrived at as yet. However, it is not at all probable that the opera company will come, as their repertoire only includes “The Geisha” and “ La Poupee,” and that would not be sufficiently extensive. Fuller’s Myriorama Company did good bu iiess on the goldfields and in the Waikato district, and will shortly go South in conjunction with the Waxworks, which finished up at the Agricultural Hall on Saturday evening la«t. On Saturday the Agricultural was open continuously from 10 in the morning until 10 in the evening, and ihe place was crowded throughout the day. There was a beauty show in the evening as well as a number of other attractions, and the people present evidently enjoyed themselves to tbe full. A good deal of praise is due to Mr Ben Fuller for the exceptional success achieved during the prolonged season. He got the show together in Australia, and has been largely instrumental in keeping the ball rolling 1 wish the show the best of luck in Dunedin, and if Mr John. Fuller does half as well there as he has done in Auckland he will have no cause for complaint. The true inwardness of the difficulty between Mr J. St. Clair, one of The Firm’s advance agents, and Mr Molloy, of the Perth Theatre in West Australia, is somewhat different from the reports at first received here. It seems that Molloy’s theatre had got a bad name previous to the advent of the company which Mr St. Clair was piloting, and this feeling had Jo te fought against One evening before the curtain had gonq; up, Mr Molloy entered the theatre and sta'ed his intention.of refusing admission to any more people. Mr St. Clair explained that there were a number of reserved seats vacant which had been previously purchased,.ana that if the holders were refused admission.he would render htmee 1

liable to be prosecuted for breach of agreement. But the licensee was obdurate and refused to listen to reason. It was only then that Mr St. Clair, exasperated beyond endurance at the stupidity or obstinacy of the licensee, and recognising that the suaviter in modo course of treatment was of no avail, adopted the fortiter in re style and, more in sorrow than in anger, Ejected the unimpressionable Molloy. Subsequently the licensee, without any previous legal procedure, got up in open court and attempted to address the magistrate on the subject. It was at once pointed out to him that the course he had taken was irregular, and he was advised to consult his solicitors. On doing so he found that he had no case, and so the matter dropped. There was a large audience present at 'Harmston’s Circus on Friday evening last, the occasion being Mr Robert Love’s benefit. One of the particular features of the evening was a jumping competition, open to local horses only. There were eight entrants, and the jump was taken over a padded bar in the centre of the arena, so placed that a touch would send it to the g-ound. 'The competitors had three chances to clear the bar at each height, a balk counting as a failure. . The contest was won by Mr J. S. Buckland’s Pat, who was ridden by Mr Rothwell. Mr Love pre sented Miss Buckland with the prize, a description of which appeared in our last issue. A pleasing ceremony took place at the conclusion of the performance, when Captain Humphries presented a handsome gold medal to young Leopold Ohler, in recognition of his daring in entering the cage of the man-eating tiger. Duke. In the course of his speech the Captain referred to young Ohler having been a witness of the attack made by the tiger on his two predecessors —one died subsequently from the injuries received. In view of these circumstances, in his opinion, the feats performed by Ohler gave an evidence of exceptional intrepidity equal to anything he had ever seen in

an experience of over twenty years of circus life. Such words from a man like Captain Humphries were a high compliment to the young tamer. On Saturday there was a successful afternoon and evening entertainment. The circus, after a trip through the Waikato di-trict and goldfields, will return to Auckland and show here- two nights (March 24th and 25th) before leaving for Australia. • Perhaps no piece in modern times produced on the English-speaking stage has given rise to so much controversy as Wilson Barrett’s “ Sign of the Cross.” It has been lauded for the religious tendency of its action, and abused for giving so realistic and vivid a representation of the immorality and debauchery that obtained in Rome during the reign of ero. Those who have objected to the realism referred to should take into consideration the point that its ini reduction is absolutely essential in ord r to mark the strong cont i ast between Marcus Superbus—tbe .wealthy patrician, with means to command every luxury; with ambition all but satiated; next in authority to the Emperor, and tbe idol of the people —and the same Marcus won to Christianity through the kindling of a pure love that enables him to cast aside all 'hia'pjinp as if itr were a garment, and meet a disgraceful death with fortitude, yes, even with compla-ent anticipation. The motif which runs through the play seems to me, however, rather intended to analyse the effect of a pure and unselfish love on a noble and impressionable temperament than to show tbe convincing influence of Chrisiian doctrines. Marcus becomes a Christian b mue he loves Mercia, and is, p rhaps. partially urged to his sudden decision at the fi> ish because his chivalrous nut ure deems it shame to avoid the terrible punishment met< d out to l is 1 ve. Il does not app ar to be either argument or conviction after consideration, that has influenced him, but a passio atelphgir g to. possess and be worthy of the object of his affections, as well as an intense admiration for her constancy and purity. He has, as he admits,

slain, or permitted to be slain, scores of Christiano in accordance with the Emperor’s edict, but it has been to him nothing more than a repulsive but necessary duty, and only once is his pity aroused for Stephanus, and that is because the torture of the boy imperils Mercia’s safety. The setting of the piece, its explanation, and interpretation of the trials of the early Christians, and a large portion of its dialogue, certainly possesses a religious significance, but the actual plot is simply an epic of passion and love. It would be superfluous to give a detailed description of the story, as this was done in these columns by my colleague, “ Orpheus,” in February of 1898, when the company last visited Auckland, and both the theatre, and non theatre-g >ing public generally, are familiar with the plot. Some alterations have been made m the cast, which require special attention. Mr Cecil Werl Mr Caleb Porter as Nero, and in spite, of contrary opinion, I think the substitution a great imp ovement. Mr W trd gives an interpretation of Nero in accordance with the generally accepted historical version. His Nero is the Cseiar that Gibbon pictured to us in his “ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” — cruel, crafty, egotistical almost to insanity, and fea-ful of his personal safety to the point of abject cowardice. A monarch who had given free rein to ev-ry] passion until at the age of thirty-two his debaucheries had made of him physically an impotent wreck; and mentally a famished tiger, whose minions procured him victims to rend, and yet with, some appreciation of integrity and faithfulness in a servant that unfortunately was only too often dissipated by the hints and inn tendoes of a rival playing upon his fears. His affected laugh to cover either a cruel mandate or a spurn of apprehension was excellent, aa i he -mper dioa as a whole was creditable. Mies Mme d’Alton, as Poppce i, is another change. She made the Empress hard, sarcastic, and unyielding, except when policy dictated her blandishments of Caesar, but

hardly gave one the idea of the passionate woman whose lust for Marcus influenced many of her actions. Miss Harrie Ireland, as Beriuis, was an improvement on the original cast, and, to my mind, gave an exceptionally good portrayal of love, hatred, revenge, and consequent remorse. Watch; ing her performance, one’s mind naturally reverted to Congreve’s lines in Roxana — “ Heaven hath no rage like love to hatred turned, And Hen no fury like-a woman spurned.” < The Servillius of Mr Oily Deering was conscientiously carried out, but I like him better in comedy parts. However, his' artistic instinct enabled him to give an impersonation that redounds to his credit. Mfes Florence Gleeson gave every satisfaction as Stephanus, her acting in the final scene witn Mercia gaining a hearty and warm appreciation from the audience. As for Mr Knight and Miss Ferrar, I can give them no higher praise than to adapt the compliment paid by Marcus to Beriuis, and" say they are still Julius Knight and Ada Ferrar. Miss Linda Raymond was the beau ideal of a Roman coquette, undoubtedly a little more prononce than the modern type, but still fascinating, heartless, and reckless. Her musical laugh aided her comment on every, subject, graveor gay,- and that she had scores of lovers was but the natural consequence of her attraction. Mr David Glasslord’s bavins -- was an able conception of-a strong par., and Mr : Hawtrey as Glabiiu, Mr Hill aS Philodemus, Mr Rosevear us \ ituriu.-,aud Mr Majeroui as Licimus • were excellent iu ihqir- respective characters!: Mies Slay H .Its pave a sensuous posturing dance. with much grace as Cydonti, and Miss Jbloienoe . \ Ter.iss give a cnuit performance in the part of Aiivutia. liie eceutc effects throughout were A as neui- perfcctio'.i i£S possible, a lot ot new stuff having b>,en painted since the coinpii y’s last visit here, I ought A R >yal Divorce,” by W. G-. ; Willis, will be.st g. d. Mr End. Poplar, the well-known music-hall c bmed tin was" ri c’Lu. ly fined in Sydney for .. a ssaultiug a night watvliinan. ..