DIX’S GAIETY COMPANY.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 677, 26 February 1903, Page 11

DIX’S GAIETY COMPANY.

Despite the counter attraction, Dix’s Gaiety Company are doing good business at the City Hall. The programme is an excellent one. The first part, “Our Rustic Bower,” includes :—Overture, “ Tally Ho !” by the Gaiety Orchestra : the Sisters Smith (May and Ethel), in their celebrated song and dance, “Bird's and Butterflies” ; Mr Geo. Gardner sing an acceptable Coon song : Miss Annetta ' Bodin contributes a ballad, “The Working Girl” ; the Gilardi Sisters (Beaty and Ivy), score a hit with their song “ Ran Dan” ; Mr Frank York makes fun and merriment with his comic songs and sketches; Little Millie Bertoto, who is keeping up her reputation as first favourite with the City Hall patrons, sings several ballads in a very pleasing style, earning encores each evening ; Mr Frank Graham delights his hearers with his splendid voice, singing “The Prison Scene” from ('“H Trovatoire”) ; “ The Great Statute Ballet” is a feature on the programme, and brings forth storms of applause, the whole being invented and arranged under the supervision of Madame Ethel Clifford. Miss Emmie Smith who made her first appearance in Auckland on Tuesday night, sings some very pleasing coon melodies and popular ballads. So well are the City Hall patrons catered for, that* further new faces and’ items are promised for next week.

Our Christchurch theatrical correspondent writes :—“ Fitzgerald Bros.’ great circus has been doing magnificent business here. The most novel item in a bill full of novelties is 'the Cycle Whizz,’ in which first of all two, and then four cyclists ride at break-neck speed round the sharply sloping sides of a sort of basin formed of wood pickets, similar to those of a garden fence. This side-ways racing is a marvellous performance, and the cyclists (including one pretty girl) get hurricanes of applause for an act that must be witnessed in order that you may form an idea of its daring and unusual character. . . . Jameson’s Popular Entertainers, who have been appearing so successfully at the Oddfellows’ Hall, go on tour next week, commencing at Ashburton

The Melba concert —only one ' —was an artistic success. Approximately the house held £l5OO. . . . The Hawtrey Co., at the Royal, is doing well. Business is excellent, in spite of the strong counter-at-tractions. . . . The Pollards commenced a farewell season of six nights at Canter-

bury Hall, on Monday, February 23. ‘ The Toreador ’ will be followed by ‘ Tapu,’ the new Maori opera. The well-known (and much-liked|) Mr Frank O’Sullivan is in advance. The season ought to pan out , splendidly. Mr F. O’Sullivan tells me the Company is likely to be absent from New Zealand for about nine months. They will be missed.” Our Wellington correspondent writes 1 under date February 20th, that Pollard’s Opera Coy. are staging “Tapu” at the Opera House this week, tor the first time anywhere. The piece was written some years ago by Arthur Adams and Alfred Hill, and was passed on to J. 0. Williamson for production, but unfortunately was put aside time after time, until its production this week by the Pollard’s. Mr. Alf. Hill conducted the performance throughout in good style. “Tapu” introduces the cannibalistic native in his element, and is prepared to eat his fellows with a good grace. The dialogue is very weak, and the humor is not infectious, and a careful use of the blue pencil would tend to raise the tone of the production. The musical portion of the work is very fine, Mr. Hill having made something of a study of song-writing, and there are some airs that will outlive the work. Taken all round it is a fairly creditable performance. . . . Dix’s Gaiety Coy. are in their last nights at the Theatre Royal, and the J. C. Williamson Coy. will occupy the Royal to stage “The Circus Girl” for a short season. . . . How it will be possible for

the J. C. Williamson Coy., Circus Girl, Madam Melba, Fitzgerald’s Circus, (and Frank Thornton on Tuesday night), to make both ends meet on Monday night, is a problem I, at present, cannot solve. . . . Dean’s Waxworks are in full swing at the Choral Hall. tt « ft tt Miss Gill has just purchased another new play, “ The French Spy,” from Chas. Holloway, which will be produced during her New Zealand tour.