The STAGE

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XI, Issue 522, 20 December 1900, Page 9

The STAGE

eby

Paul Pry.

' •• Patu Pry” will be glad to hear from those managers at theatrical companies touring New Zealand who desire that the public shall know the movements of the come panies. Any information as to dates, etc., will be acknowledged in these columns, as well as any other items ox interest to the theatrical world. All letters should be addressed—Paul Pry,” SPORTING and DRAMATIC Sbview, VulcaniLane. Auckland.

Will Stevens is back at the Agricultural Hall.

The City Hall looked very bright last week — a pretty stage picture and bunting in profusion.

Some of J. C Bain’s get-ups are great; he looks his part every time.

Miss Maggie Moore passed through Auckland by the Mariposa on VV ednesday of last week, en route to Sydney. She goes to Australia on business of a private nature, but »tates that she will probably appear in one of the pantomimes in Sydney or Melbourne this Christmas season. It is not her intention to remain in Australia for any great length of time, as she will go on to South Africa as soon as everything is settled there, and after a season in that country return to America, via.,-. New York. She reports Mr Harry Roberts has been most successful in the United States, having secured an engagement with Messrs Whitney and Knowles, one of the biggest theatrical firms there, at a salary of one hundred and twenty five dollars a v eek. His engagement takes him right through America to New York. Mr Roberts has been playing Petaonius and other leading parts. His friends in New Zealand will be pleased to hear of his assured success in the States. Miss Moore saw Mr Bentley while in San Francisco, and says that he was unfortunately unable to secure an opening in the city, and he is at present touring through the North but anticipates going East shortly. Miss Osgood Moore came through with Miss Moore.

Miss Lili Sharp and Mons Rafalewski gave two concerts in the Theatre Royal on December 11th and 12th. On Friday, December 14th, Mons Rafalewski gave an organ recital in St Mary’s Ohurch. Miss Sharp contributed two sacred solos. . . The Waibi (Upper Thames) Brass Rand, en route to Christchurch for the Band Contest, stop here and give a concert in the Theatre Boyal on Tuesday, December 18th. Prior to the concert the Waihi and City (New Plymouth) Brass Bands combine and will play through the principal streets. The New Plymouth City Band have entered for the Brass Band Co test to be held at Wanganui in February next. The Band are in steady practice. I don’t expect that they will be able to carry off a place considering the talent engaged, but the trip will

be instructive, and no doubt they will return better bandsmen after seeing all the points at the contest Our other musical institution, the New Plymouth Town Band, are now on the look out for a bandmaster to fill the vacancy caused by Mr G. Garry’s departure from New Plymouth. “ Banjo ” Paterson lectured in the Theatre Royal on Monday, December 17th, to a crowded audience. The lecture was highly entertaining.— (Taranaki Cjrrespondent.)iJ . “ the genial,” who will soon be in luckland in advance of “ Jones.”|has piloted the following : —George Rignold (with “ Called Back,” “ My fartner,” “ In the Banks,” •“ Lights of London,” etc., in Le Repertoire, Miss Kate Bishop being leading Lady) ; Madame Patey, the “ Queen of Song ” ; Madame Antionette Sterling, England’s great contralto ; the London Gaiety Company : Locke Richardson, the greatest Shakespearian reciter ever seen south of the line; Frank Lincoln, the monologue entertainer, the greatest humorist that has ever visited Australia; Bland Holt of melodramatic fame ; Carl Hertz and the ill-fated Dante the Great two of the world’s cleverest illusionists ; Frank Thornton in “ The Private Secretary ” and “ Charley’s Aunt ’’.(twice) ; the ill-starred Amy Roselle and Arthur Dacre; Wm. Elton, comedian; and Charles Arnold (three times round the colonies). I take fhe following from the Bulletin : —Miss Graham, the barmaid, who recently entered the tiger’s cage at Wirth’s, in Melbourne, and drank a glass of champagne to “ Phil,” while the keeper kept the animals at bay, is a lady typical of the class —fleshy, fair, and facinating- When the advt. of her intention to enter the cage first appeared she received the following letter from a Semitic wag who hangs on to the skirts of the legal profession —“ Cemetery Lane, off Tombstone Street, Kew, 12th November, 1900. Miss Graham, Ballarat, Star Hotel. —Madam, —-Referring to the enclosed advt. we take the liberty of informing you that we can provide you (if required) with a first-class funeral—glass hearse, and plumes, and three mourning coaches —for £7 10s. We are prepared to embalm you in the real ancient Egyptian style, including keeping the body on ice for six days, to be viewed by friends and relations for £1 12s, or can do the modern cheap style, merely stuffed with straw and guaranteed to keep fresh for three days if under 90deg m the shade, for 16s 6d Kindly mention this letter to your friends, as should our services be required of course you will not be attending to matters of business personally. Should you be assimilated by one of the tigers, of course it will be difficult to separate you, in that case we will bury the animal at reduced rates. It is possible that you may survive the experiment, but in the interests of our trade we can only hope for the best. —We have the honour to be, Madam, yours admiringly, W. E. PrAXTUM and Co., Expert Funeral Directors and Ancient Embalming Artists. P.B —Pardon the absence of Our professional black-edge stationery, its use at present would be premature. —-W.E.P. and Co., E.F.D. and A.E.A.”

Very few of the comedians we have seen ap* proach Mr J. O. Bain in versatility and complete disguise of identity. In no two items is this

gentleman the same, and yet he always gives us something free from vulgarity, but exquisitely humorous. His change of voice, his different manners and wonderful acting, stamps him as an artist of the highest talent. By engaging performers like Mr Bain and Mr Clarke, the City Hall management are sure to gain the sympathies and patronage of the Auckland public. Mr Clarke’s repertoire appears to have no end, and his funny songs, his more serious recitals, and his interesting gags, not to mention the farces, of which he is the life, make his hearers loth to let him off the stage. Miss Molly Bentley is already a great favourite. She is the possessor of a powerful voice of low range, and greatly pleases with her distinct enunciation, albeit her songs savour somewhat of sadness. The Fausts, in pretty new dresses, the Lindweod Sisters, lively as ever, and Jack Steele, of whistling fame, continue to appear with every success. Mr Charles Hampton made his bow to an Auckland audience on Monday night, and fully sustains the good reports which have reached us from the other side. His ballads are well-chosen and artistically rendered.

Lennon, Hyman, and Lennon are showing some splendid acrobatic business at Fuller’s to good houses. Miss Amy Blackie is as popular as ever with “ Grandfather’s Boy ” and other pretty bal ads, while Miss Mae Marlow maintains her reputation as a serio. Dennis Gorney and Will Stevens keep things merry in the comic line. Sivroni has danced away, and the Agricultural Hall will know the “ ihdiarubber man ” no more, at any rate for the present. Miss Rose Belmont should prove a welcome addition to the company, judging by the taste of her ability as a singer which she has already given.

Mr ‘‘ Banjo ” Paterson opened to a splendid house last night. I hope to have a few interesting ;notes of his experiences for next week’s issue.

The Nance O’Neil season commences at the Opera House on Boxing Night, the first produc tion being Sudermann’s great play “ Magda.” Miss O’Neil will be supported by Mr McKee Rankin, Mr Thomas Kingston, Mr Harry Plimtner, and a strong combination. Of Miss O’Neil as “ Magda ” the Melbourne “ Argus ” recently said : —“ Real flesh ; a soul born active, windbeaten, but ascending That is the woman pictured by George Meredith when he bidS us imagine the celestial refreshment of having a pure decency in the place of sham. It would serve as the cry of self-defence for that passionate, storm-tossed soul depicted by Miss Nance O’Neil when she undertook to quieten into life the heroine of Sudermann’s great play ‘ Magda.’ She succeeded. With a striking stage presence, and a voice capable of fine modulations, from the ringing note of passion to the cadences of tenderness and grief, Miss O’Neil has some admirable physical equipment for the delineation of this remarkable charactr, while her intellectual grasp of it is. undoubted. The hushed interest with which a crowded audience;watched Miss O’Neil’s unfolding of the character attested her skill in making its varying phases readable, until it stood out clear-cut in its warped nobility.

The Choral Society gave a successful rendering of the “ Messiah ”on Tuesday evening. The soloists were a better lot than usual and the choruses were well given. The “ Human Frog,” whose performance B have excited much wonder on the other side, i 8 expected to appear at the City Hall next month-

Our Christchurch dramatic correspondent writes : The Arnold Company has been filling the Boyal to overflowing nearly every night since the season opened. “ What Happened to Jones ” was followed by “ The Professor’s Love Story,” a delightfull little comedy-drama by J. M. Barrie. From a literary and artistic s andpoint this piece is as refined gold to pinchbeck when compared to “Jones.” But (alas! for the public taste) it failed to draw so much money as the former. As the absent-minded professor who falls unconsciously in love with his charming amanuensis, Arnold appears at his very best. I have seen him in all his principal roles and can unhestitatingly pronounce him better as the pro! essor than in aEy other of his leading parts. The character is played with rare artistic skill. It is simply delightful. The star is admirably supported by Miss Dot Fredericks as the amenuensis, Miss Hops Maine, Miss Bensusan, and Miss Ada Lee, while Messrs E. W. Thomas, F. B. Sharp, and Denton are all excellent. On Thursday another piece, “ Why Smith Left Home,” of the same type as “Jones,” and by the same author, went on, and will be repeated for the last time (but one) on Tuesday. The balance of the season will be devoted to old faveurites and one night’s revival of the “ Screamers;” - I am glad to think Arnold is making a lot of money here, he deserves it. , . Dix’s show still worries along, and in spite of the powerful counter attraction at the Royal, continues to be well patronised. . . I looked in at the Oddfellows’ Hall the other night, and was very pleased with the new programme provided by the Fullers. The attractions of the show are now inhanced by the fine War Biograph, which is very up-to-date, and presents patrons with Paris Exhibition pictures, and some illustrative of the atrocities in China. Jack Williams and Fred Bluett contribute popular turns, and so do Misses Lena Young, Jessie Johnstone, and Eva Wilson. Percy James is a young serio who has evidently studied Rickards’ methods to some purpose, and the Tylers are a trio father and two small boys) «f really clever acrobats. . . Montgomery Company follows Arnold at the Royal. Messrs John Fuller and Sons have'completed the purchase of the Choral Hall, Wellington, and will shortly make considerable alterations and improvements in that building. They have got hold of a good property in the right quarter of the town.