GREENROOM GOSSIP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 499, 15 February 1900, Page 9

GREENROOM GOSSIP.

[By

Paul Pry.]

To-night the Brough’s replace “ The Liars” with A. W. Pinero’s intensely interesting comedy, “ The Gay Lord Quex.” This will be played to-morrow and Saturday. On Monday and Tuesday Anthony Hope’s charming play, “ The Adventures of Lady Ursula,” will be, produced, while on Wednesday and Thursday Sidney Grundy’s delightful work, “ Sowing the Wind,” will be staged. Mr A. H. Whitehouse will shortly commence a tour of the north with his excellent Theatrophone and Kinematograph entertainment. After doing the country north of Auckland he purposes visiting Taranaki.

The menu of that little dinner at the Star and Garter at Shepperfold was too mush for Mick Walsh on Monday night. As Sir Christopher Deering read out the delectable items our friend’s interest increased, and when the brands of the wines were uttered he sat down with such emphasis that his seat gave way and he was prostrated on the floor. Wilson Barrett realised £4OO by a matinee performance of “ The Manxman,” in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Patriotic Fund.

It is stated that Mr J. 0. Williamson will produce the Maori opera, “ Tapu,” in Melbourne at Easter. “ Tapu” is written by Mr A. H. Adams and composed by Mr Alfred Hill. Walter Bentley has been very busy with rehearsals at the Sydney Palace lately. He commences his tour at Newcastle, and presently will visit Tasmania and New Zealand, and may afterwards extend his travels to India and South Africa. Included in his repertoire will be “ The Silver King,” “ The Bells,” “ David Garrick,” “ Rigoletto,” and “ The Prisoner of Devil’s Island.”

Our Christchurch dramatic correspondent writes

—Pollards have done well here, despite the fact that “The Absent-minded Beggar” is scooping most of the cash just now. By-the-way, that reminds me that baritone Pauli’s singing of Rudyard K.’s immortal, but rather hackneyed, song has been rewarded with bigger showers of coin than even Wallace Brownlow got. To-night (Saturday. 10th inst.), “ Contingent Night,” is sure to draw a bumper house and lots more money for the absent-minded one. The drain on

the public exchequer—due to ‘‘-pay, pay,paying” ; all their “ oof” out to the war funds—is causing ; local tradesmen to growl, growl, growl. And ■ then there’s the war-fund collector, we’ve got , him, or her—it’s generally a her—on the list, as Mr Gilbert would say. This good lady usually “commandeers” shopkeepers, butchers, bakers, and candlestick-makers, and even members of the people, to contribute goods, or time, or talent, or something “ for the fund.” Yes, there is quite a lot of doing-good-at-other-people’s-expense in Maoriland just now. * * * Doesn’t Gertie Campion get a reception every night at the Royal ? Rather! Seems to be one of the most popular members of the company. * * The Valdares (circus and variety people) open here to-night (Saturday) on the circus ground, opposite the Royal. Report speaks h ghly of them. You shall hear more about them in my next. Depend upon me to keep the Review in evidence with “Me profession.” Indeed they all speak well of it. * * * Good old Bland Holt opens here early next month. He brings the new piece, “ The Absent-minded Beggar? ’—there it is again! —along. Nothing more to tell you just now. Ta, ta! The New York Sun, rhapsodising on Sir Henry Irving’s latest success, speaks of the ghost scene as follows : —“ The spirits that gather in ‘ Robespierre’ are more numerous than any that ever stalked before in any one melodrama. They are the hero’s guillotine victims, and they come to him when he is seeking his room in the prison. First, behind the grated walls, a grey figure is barely discernable in the half light, moving with little more look of substance than a shadow. It is soon seen that another vague form has appeared, and the number increased until the constantlymoving group—advancing and adding to itself momentarily—is huddled behind the bars. Men and women are seen, not as they were in the preceding act —in the color of life and dress—but ashy and filmy. In outline they are similar enough to be recognised when, having marched slowly and noislessly behind the bars, they circle about Robespierre, who has risen to his feet in the terror and despair of the vision. They approach him closely, still as vague and shadowy in looks as they were when they first passed behind the bars. Their retreat, after every pale hand has been raised against him, is accomplished in the same ghostly, incorporeal manner in which they appeared. The audience hears scarcely the rustle of a skirt as the crowd retreats, although the draperies are made in the fashion worn in the preceeding act, when this company in the flesh was led off to death at the order of the tyrant. The flamboyant beauty of other spectacles in the play is not so characteristic of Irving’s skill as a stage-manager as the detail and atmosphere of this scene. Beauty and pageantry have been successfully produced by others, but such revelations as this scene: —and the procession of the dead kings in’“ Macbeth”—show the attainments in which Irving seems to remain unrivalled. Most of the effects are accomplished by means of the lights, which in all of Sir Henry Irving’s productions are relied upon to accomplish most in the way of illusion,”