DIX GAIETY COMPANY.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 670, 8 January 1903, Page 11

DIX GAIETY COMPANY.

City Hall has been well filled each ■evening. The holiday programme, as put on by the Gaiety Company, was fully up to Mr Dix’s high standard, and was •fully appreciated by the City Hall patrons. The Wilton Bros, brought their season to a close on Saturday night, and have now gone South to appear at Mr Dix’s theatres in each centre. Thq acrobatic comedy turn with the spring floor and triple horizontal bars is decidedly the best of its kind ever seen in Auckland. Mr Frank Graham, the English tenor, is still earning double encores each evening. His exquisite rendering of the popular songs and ballads is a treat to hear, and is fully appreciated by those present. On Monday evening Messrs Parker and Rowley presented for the first time in Auckland their speciality entitled “A- Student of Physical Culture/’ introducing a novelty in the shape of a ball-punching act, which immediately caught on with the audience, and promises to be one of the principal draws for some time to come. Miss Ethel Clifford, Miss Bertoto, Miss Rose Devella, and Mr Ernest Hill, all contribute acceptable items, and earn well-merited applause.- Messrs Pope and Bayles cause much fun and merriment by their jokes ■and sketches. New artists will appear and a change of programme will be made on Saturday.

Mr Wm. Anderson’s Dramatic Company are playing to good houses in Wellington. The company is a particularly strong one, and will play while in Wellington “The Night Birds of London,” “Dangerous Women,” “The Mariners of England,” “Life’s Revenge,” “The Worst Women in London,” etc. Mr Erank Hawthorne, an old Auckland favourite, is the principal comedian of the company, and made as big a hit as Bertie Ferrars in the opening piece on Boxing Night as he did as Donald McDougal in the “Ladder of Life” during their last tour. Mr Michael Josephs is in charge of the New Zealand tour.

Our Sydney correspondent writes : — “ Theatre Royal: On Boxing Night Mr Musgrove’s Musical Comedy Company produced the ‘ Thirty Thieves ’ to a crowded house of holiday makers, who "heartily applauded the chief features of •the new production. Mr Edward Lauri and Miss May Beatty enter with right good will into the humour of the situations in which the piece is cast, and their efforts are ably seconded by Mr J. C.

iPiddock, Miss Josephine Stanton, Messrs Henry Hallam, Foster Courtney, and W. R. Shirley. Lyceum Theatre: The holiday attraction at the Lyceum Theatre is a stirring and sensational drama. The piece, ‘ The Breaking of the Drought/ is full of local colouring, and the story is a connected narrative of attractive, interest, while the familiar Australian scenes, so vividly realised by the artistic brush of Mr Brunton, materially add to the success of the production. Tivoli Theatre : An excellent programme has been arranged for the current week at the Tivoli. Spery and Monti, in their amusing entertainment, have caught the popular fancy, and J. W. Winton reappeared with McGinty. Among other favourites are the Harvey Bros., Miss Jennie Opie and the Clarence Sisters. Miss Grace Emmett Company of American comedians appear for the first time here this week in their clever entertainment, and another new feature on the same occasion will be Le Mont’s troupe of performing dogs. Palace Theatre: Like honored guests, Williamson’s Royal Comic Opera Company is ever crowded. Nothing could be more enthusiastic that the cordial reception the company received at the hands of an immense audience which assembled at the Palace Theatre on Boxing Night, when Cellier’s delightful opera ‘ Dorothy’ was revived. Miss Florence Young, in the name part, was deservedly successful, and Geo Lauri of course, as Lurcher, received an ovation which Sydney audiences reserve for their favourites alone Criterion Theatre: John F. Sheridan’s pantomime at the Criterion is a merry, rollicking, brisk production, full of topical allusions and songs, and staged with no other regard than a desire to please the audience with a variety 6f scenes of exceptional beauty. ‘ Cinderella’ is chock full of good things, and altogether the pantomime is one of the best entertainments. ‘ Widow O’Brien’ has staged at the Criterion Theatre since he took possession of the theatre. ‘ Cinderella’ can be depended upon to draw crowded houses for some time to come.”

“ The Wrong Mr Wright,” who has been holding the boards at the Opera House throughout the holiday season, was taken off on Tuesday night. The piece has been drawing large houses each evening. Mr Geo. Willoughby, in the principal part as Singleton Sites, has made many friends in Auckland by his clever interpretation of the character. The company is an all-round good one, and Auckland theatre-goers fully appreciated the good acting and well-mounted piece produced

St. Hill’s American Club Show has done phenomenal business during the holidays. The greatest of all the glove fights turns out to be Corbett v. Jeffries, shown in a 24ft ring." Corbett is conceded to be the greatest exponent of the Marquis of Queensbury rules that ever lived,, and he makes the proverbial chopping block of champion Jeffries. Large audiences attend the two performances each evening, and capital business is recorded. In another column we reproduce a photograph of the proprietor of this up-to-date show. » ® o _ ta ( Our Christchurch dramatic correspondent writes : —“ Frank Thornton is doing booming business at the Royal. ‘ Facing the Music’ is a great success. The piece creates roars of laughter from beginning to end. It attracted phenomenal business every night it was on, and might have been running still had not the management promised to revive some of the old favourites. ' Charley’s Aunt’ succeeded, ‘ Facing the Music/ and we are promised ‘ The Private Secretary’ for two nights.—Mr Dix never engaged a clever artist than Sherwin, ‘ the musical tramp,’ just now delighting Opera House audiences nightly. Sherwin is a wonder. He plays every instrument invented, and plays them all like the artist he is; and his style, get-up, and business are all original. He gets any number of encores nightly. Emmie Smith, the new coon singer, is also a gilt-edged success. Alberto, the coin and card manipulator, is a decided favourite, to. Roslyn (Ida) and Kearns (Jock) appear in a really laughable sketch nightly, and the Spanish Bull Fight, as depicted by the bioscope, is the most realistic thing of the kind yet exhibited here. Altogether the present Dix bill is about the strongest presented for a long time.* On Monday, 12th instant, Williamson’s Dramatic. Company opens at the Royal in ‘ Sherlock Holmes.’ ”

The Fitzmaurice Gill Dramatic Company is having an exceedingly successful tour of the West Coast. Miss Gill receives' great praise for her impersonation of Mercia in the “Sign of the Cross,” and Ethel Malthorne in “ Man to Man.” .Mr Charles Blake, Miss Kate Gair, and Mr Cooper also receives kudos for their work. The company is considered to be as good as any . that |has yet visited ,the Coast.

Mr Frank Weatnersby has forwarded , a copy of the daybill of' Mr John E. Sheridan’s Christmas attraction, “ Cinderella, the Crystal Slipper and the Little Girl who Put Her Foot In it.” Mr Sheridan plays the part of Baran Bounder, and Miss Celia Davis appears as Cinderella. Morris and Wilson, the acrobats, who toured New Zealand lately, are also in the cast.