GREENROOM GOSSIP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 479, 28 September 1899, Page 9

GREENROOM GOSSIP.

[By

Paul Pry.]

Mr P. R. Dix’s patrons still roll up merrily to the City Hall night after night and crowd the place, greatly to the delight of Auckland’s genial impresario. Mr Caston has met with a big reception every evening, and his songs —“ Son of a Gun” and “ I was Left in Charge” —have invariably been encored time and again, and his buckdance burlesque is a great draw. The Leslie Sisters pursue their own sweet way towards popularity, and they take a direct line, too. Miss Miriam Lewis, Mr J. E. Shepherd, and Mr Scott Leighton have done well with a scene from “ The Bohemian Girl,” and also in their solos. The Leslie Brothers have put on a new sketch, “ A Music-master’s Troubles,” which has proved as taking as anything they have done previously. Messrs Fred. Leslie, jun., Johnny Collins, and Karl Browne have, during the week, done excellent work, and the company has scored in “ Poisoned Milk” and “ The Sphinx,” which must be seen to be appreciated. Last night there were some changes in the programme, andon Saturday further novelties will be introduced. Our Christchurch dramatic correspondent writes —You Auckland people have a treat in store. “ The Belle of New York,” put on by the Pollards this week, has filled the old Royal night after night from floor to ceiling. The “ plot” is as thin as boardinghouse soup, but its full of snap and go, and keeps people alternately dazzled by gorgeous scenery and dresses, and tickled with the

inimitable humor of Messrs Whelan, Quealey, Percy, and others. Whelan is very funny and already an immense favorite here. You should hear him in “He’s with the Angels Now”—it’s half recitative, the concluding words of each section (I was going to say verse) being sung to a sort of hymn-like tune ; the effect is immense. Whelan got encored six times for this the night I was at the show. May Beatty (as the Salvation lass) is ’ hardly up to our usual form. Tenor Carter contributes some songs divinely. Quealey is very good indeed as the New York “ tough,” and his business with cheeky little Tilly Woodlock brought down the house. Percy (as “a polite lunatic”) makes a tremendous lot of a very small part. In less capable hands the character would be colorless. The crowd waiting to get into the pit each night extend half-way across Gloucester Street. On Monday the bill will be changed to “ The Forty Thieves,” of which I hear great things. You shall have my impressions in due course. * * To-morrow night (Sunday) Tom Pollard and Co., with characteristic good nature, give a sacred concert at the Royal in aid of the unfortunate Davis family, who were recently burnt out at Sydenham. I hope there may be a bumper house. * * * Ben Fuller and his show are flourishing like the grem bay-tree at the Oddfellows Hall. Christchurch has “ taken to” the waxworks, the phono, the variety show, and the Punch and Judy, and the hall is proving quite too small to accommodate the crowds flocking there. Ben, like the Pollards, is always ready to lend a helping hand where its wanted and gives the Davis’ a benefit this (Saturday) afternoon.

The announcement that the executors of Augustin Daly have decided to sell the lease of Daly’s Theatre in New York has brought out a great many particulars in connection with the house. It appears the lease has eight years to run, with the option of renewal. The rental of the property —including an adjoining house,which is used for offices, etc.—is 41,000d01s per annum. The reason given by the executors for selling rather than running the theatre is that neither Mrs Daly nor the deceased manager’s brother, Judge Daly, have the necessary experience in theatrical affairs. Meanwhile, the executors are, of course, acting absolutely within their rights (under the conditions of the will) by selling, but their action will cut away the share of the profits, which, in the event of their having run the theatre, would have gone to Miss Ada Rehan, Mr Richard Dorney, Mr George Clark, Mrs Gilbert, and Mr Sidney Herbert. Of the above, Miss Rehan is the only one who will profit by the sale, as the will states that in the event of the executors deciding to sell the theatre Miss Rehan is to receive 20 per cent, of the purchase money. The Holloway Dramatic Company made a very promising first appearance at the Melbourne Royal with “ A Soldier and a Man,” which was played before an extra crowded house. Since Mr Holloway last showed at Melbourne he has strengthened his company by the engagement of Miss Dora de Winton and Mr John D. Saunders, two very capable English artists. Melbourne critics speak very highly of the production as a whole, and praise the English actress and actor in glowing terms for their clever and painstaking work.

The Steele —Payne Bellringers gave a very interesting saered concert at the Opera House on Sunday evening, when a large number of people listened to the various items of an excellent programme. Solos were sung by Miss Lizzie Payne, Miss Kitty Maher, Miss Gertie Bromley, and Mr Williams, whilst the part songs (admirably rendered by the company) were greatly appreciated. A circus at present touring in Australia has a splendid advance agent. He advertises through the length and breadth of the land that the company has artists fromyZve hemispheres ! Probably he has some real live “ Martians,” and he may have secured “ the man in the moon” for a long engagement! Long before Wagner’s music had obtained its present recognition (says a writer in The Nineteenth Century) Verdi was popularly known in the Italian musical world as Vammazza voce (the killer of voices). I remember when still in my teens overhearing a discussion at the Villa Novello, Genoa, in which the Countess Gigliucci (Clara Novello) and her sisters (the late Mrs Cowden Clark and Miss Babilla Novello) took part The countess, who had just sung as well as she ever did in her life, “ With Verdure Clad,” turned round from the piano and said, “ One can manage Haydn’s music easily enough, the accompaniments are all so subdued. I defy any voice, however robust, to resist for long the strain of ‘ll Trovatore.’ Fancy having to shout, night after night, at the top of one’s voice, over a clashing orchestra, that dreadful duet in which Leonora, at the full vent of her lungs, defies II Conte de Luna.”

“ Romeo and Juliet” was recently performed at Cairo in Arabic. Bernard’s Circus Company has been doing very good business at Wellington. Mr Charles Voss and the Wanganui Opera House are both going along merrily. Mr M. Majeroni, one of Robert Brough’s young men, was married recently to Miss Elizabeth Bay. The Cremorne Theatre, Perth, W.A., offered a very lively show when the Silk Stocking Company was on view. Mies Alma Stanley was playing at the Brighton Royal in “ Larks in London” when the last mail left England. Bland Holt has a two years’ lease of the Melbourne Royal, dating from the expiration of the Holloway season. Chris. Simonsen has been busily arranging for the production of “ Sporting Life” at Dunedin Princess’ to-night. The Robert Henry Dramatic Company commence a two-week season at Hobart on Saturday next, the 30th instant. M. B. Curtis’ Coloured Minstrels had a very good time at Dunedin. Their season there ended last night (Wednesday). Alfred Dampier commenced his Brisbane season at the Opera House with “Robbery Under Arms,” and met with a big reception. G. W. Hunter, the English humorous vocalist now with the Harry Rickards Company, has caught on with the Sydney-siders. L. J. Lohr has been having a royal time with Dante in Adelaide. The return tour of New Zealand will shortly be undertaken. The Steele—Paynes appeared at Northcote on Monday, at Otahuhu on Tuesday, and left for Gisborne and Napier yesterday afternoon. Bland Holt commences his New Zealand tour at the Dunedin Princess’ to-night (Thursday). He will play there for a four-week season. The English®, the musical comedians now with the Rickards Company at the Sydney Palace, lost instruments in the recent fire valued at £l5O. Harry Rickards is on his way back to Sydney. The day after the fire at the Tivoli he was cabled to, and he started on the return journey at once. “ The Georgia Magnet” will show at Pukekohe on Thursday (to-night) and Friday (to-morrow), at. Papakura on Saturday and Monday, and at Otahuhu early next week. I see it is stated that Charles Arnold has been raking in about £9OO a week with “ What Happened to Jones,” at Johannesburg. What will happen to Arnold when war is declared ? “ The Geisha” is doing excellent business at the Melbourne Princess’. A visitor to Melbourne writes me that everywhere one goes one hears “ Geisha” melodies sung, played, or whistled. Robert Brough, during his last week at the Sydney Royal, put on Sidney Grundy s very clever “ The Village Priest,” and the old favorites “The Second Mrs Tanqueray,” “ Dandy Dick,” and “ Niobe.” “ The Georgia Magnet” had a good time nt Te Aroha, Hamilton, and Cambridge. Full houses weie met with every night, and the spectators were enthusiastic in their reception of Miss Abbott. “ Bis” is rather unkind to W. H. Manning, the advance agent for “The Georgia Magnet.” There is a reason for all things, and in this case the reason is that “ Bis” tried for the billet himself and didn’t get it. Harry Rickards’ Tivoli Company has been doing immense business at the Sydney Palace. The public showed their sympathy in many ways, and one of the most pleasing was the packing of the Palace night after night. Beerbohm Tree produces “ King John” at Her Majesty’s, London, early next month, it will be a sumptuous production and a costly one in the extreme. For the dresses alone Percy Anderson has delivered no less than 250 sketches. Mr Charles Santley, the eminent baritone, has . been created a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by His Holiness the Pope, in recognition of his many services to the Church of Rome, which a very rare distinction. Sir Henry Irving has been taking a well-earned holiday. Part of his time he spent in picturesque North Devon, and part at the Cornish fishing village, Bude, where he watched the huge rolling waves dashing against the rocky coast, and gained health and strength. On Saturday last The Firm staged Wilson Barrett’s adaptation of “ The Christian,” which has been garlanded by Bernard Espinassee. For the week previously “ Pygmalion and Galatea” and “ The White Stocking” filled the bill at Sydney Her Majesty’s. The Melbourne Sportsman is my authority for stating that Miss Maggie Moore and Mr H. R. Roberts were united in the holy bonds of matrimony before leaving New Zealand for America. Surely somebody must have been pulling The Sportsman writer’s leg rather badly. Miss Lillian Russell will go on the American variety stage shortly. Her salary is to be something enormous. Not very long ago Miss Russell was the queen of comic opera in America, but avoidupois came with age, and lately she has not been very prominently before the public. Whitehouse’s Kinematograpbic Exhibition has been doing splendid business during the last week. At Opitiki, Te Puke, and Tauranga the houses were filled to overflowing at every performance. A tour of the goldfields will now be undertaken, including visits to Waihi, Karangahake, and Waitekauri. Miss Agnes Hewitt, over whose lovely figure and shapely limbs middle-aged and youthful London raved a few years ago, recently declined a benefit which some friends theatrical proposed to get up for her. Miss Hewitt believes her bad luck will wear itself out, and declares that she will not go round with a hat in hand yet awhile.