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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 699, 30 July 1903, Page 17

'AM kJ MMXL - vu Lik/AA Q/ wwu«.»v«iw» *T~? ' ■.— 3 lf ; Boris, yes, Boris is a nice boy. rk Hambourg was playing ip a lage I ■ did not understand ■; rapid utterance seemed the ruling feature. If rapid execution is music—then we have had music to-nighti. There was quite a lot of it, which if 1 had heard a youngster at the piano, I would have been anxious' for it to cease making a noise ; I might have persuaded it to stop—somehow. Some of his playing was like. a musical box in marvellous execution, in the crispness of the fingering but I prefer music of a sublunary sphere, something that I know, with associations—something that lifts one up somewhere within themselves. A lot of _it was perhaps music— but I don’t want to hear it, not again. I couldn’t feel any angels hovering near ; perhaps couldn’t expect that for the money ; nor could I imagine any purling brooks or birds singing, nor any of that kind of thing thatsseminp.lv musical people think they feel in that class of music. A lot of it to me was irritating noise, dene at a rapid rate, and I would rather listen to silence.

Giddens, bhe _ versatue —cumeuian ui —ww Company, seemsat home everywhere, for on the trip to Wellington! he could be seen carrying luggage over a slip on the Manawatii Gorge, and a few days later dining at Government House. . • . • Dix’s Gaiety Company are getting some splendid houses at the Theatre Royal, the Hill and: Silvaihy attraction being a splendid draw. “ House Full ” is posted up every night lately, and should assist the genial Percy’s banking account considerably. The clever Williams quartette are doing some Very heat song and dance work, and are ably assisted by Tod Calloway, whose songs are well chosen and well sung. Jim Marion, George Dean, Steve Adson, and Robin Hay, and Miss Jessie Thorne fill up an attractive evening. On Saturday night the Company will be further strengthened by the Steele-Pjiyne Bellringers. who will -appear in a drawingroom entertainment, in addition to. the strength of the Company. . . . Fuller’s Entertainers are also doing splendid business at the Choral Hall, and it is really surprising where the people come from who regularly patronise the show. Fred.

Nordene, a L.R.A.M., has joined the Black Family for the Northern tour of thia island, and is taking the place of Mrs Black as accompanist and solo pianist to the Company. The Company are working their way to Auckland, doing the smalls en route.

Sarah Bernhardt is at London Adelphi playing “ Frou Frou,” “ Fedora,” “L a Tosca,” and “ Sapho.”

Mary Van Buren, leading lady of the Daniel Frawley Dramatic. Company, holds the proud distinction of being hailed as one of the three most beautiful women on the American stage, the other two being Lillian Russell and Maxime Elliot. She has been only five years on the stage, and is a well-known society belle in New York and Washington upper circles.

A maid servant had been sent by her mistress to see “ Dante ” at Drury Lane. When she returned she was asked how she enjoyed herself. “Oh, mum,” she said, “ it was so ’orrid to see suc h a nice lot of gentlemen all otin’ell!” This recalls the story of Sir Henry .Irving’s zealous stage manager in olden days who, during the rehearsals of “Faust,” reproved his supers for being too light- hearted in Hades. “ Gentlemen, he thundered, “ kindly remember that you are not on Hampstead Heath, but in ! ”

A Federal Judge in New York has decided that plays which deal with “questionable” situations cannot properly be copyrighted, and that even though fiheir producers may bear certificates of copyright from the Librarian of Congress, tkose documents do not confer exclusive ownership such as to render infringements punishable by the law. * ♦ ♦ *

There is a probability (states the “Sydney Daily Telegraph ”) that Miss Stewart will go to America for a five months’ tour through the States and Canada, an American manager having offered £BOO for the season. Tf this arrangement is completed this would enable Miss Stewart to arrive in London in May next, and she will then appear under Mr Musgrove’s management. The season, however, will not be played at the Shaftesbury, because Mr Musgrove is confident that in “ pahomey ” he has a novel musical piece that will occupy the theatre for a long period.

The engagements of the Comic Opera Company Will enable Mr Musgrove to keep Herr Slapoffski in Australia until the arrival of the new Grand Opera Company next year. It isi Mr. Musgrove’s intention when he goes to England next year to begin selecting his Company, which, in addition to reviving the w three Wagnerian operas which were so successful during the last tour of his Grand Opera Company—- “ Tannhauser/’ - “ Lohengrin/’ and “ The Flying Dutchman’’—will also appear in “ Tristan ” and “ Isolde and Siegfried,” two other operas by Wagner not yet heard in Australasia.

ui .sumß'-iuemuij , —is piay mg av - c/weirs Garden. ‘ 1 * * * . ' f? , '--idt lhe Daniel Frawley Company do a double tour through New Zealand, beginning at Auckland on October 12. * ♦ * * W. C. Field, Rickards’ new juggler, is) described by Melbourne' critics as “ one of the best.” •** * « Mr C. P. Hammond has left the Hawtrey Company to try his luck ill South Africa.

Knight Ashton, of “Boccaccio” fame, is in London. He recently underwent an operation' for * * ! * * When Knighthood was in Flower ” is one of the pieces in the Daniel Frawley repertoire. The locale is laid in England during the time of Henry VIII.

Miss Knight Mollison has got her heart’s desire at last. She plays the big part in “ Madame Butterfly,” at the opening of Her. Majesty’s, Sydney.;

At a recent mating of the managing committee of theXComedie-Francaise, Paris, it was announced'that the profits for the. year 1902 amounted to 400,000 fr. The share of each societal re was fixed at i9,ooofr.

“Her Second Time on Earth ” is the startling title of a new play secured • by William Anderson, while “ Strangers in a Strange Land ” is the name of a new acquisition to the repertoire of Willoughby and Geach.

The “Pelican” says that M. Rostand, who has just been elected to the Academy, is apparently so delighted with his official uniform that he is showing it in a shop window in Paris. The get-up seemingly cost a good deal of money, the embroidered coat being priced at £lB, the white waistcoat at £l, the embroidered trousers at £s, the cocked hat £2, and the sword £2 2s,

According to “The Era,” one of Miss Olga Nethersole’s special traits is her generosity. and kindness to the sick and suffering, and no . one . ever pleads his cause in vain to her. During one of her tours in America, the matron of one of the hospitals which was sorely crippled with debt wrote.to,Miss Nethersote and asked if she would help them. Miss Nethersole immediately went down to the hospital, saw all the patients, and gave such a splendid entertainment for them that the hospital -was not only cleared from debt but was set on a firm financial basis, and has flourished ever since. The patients were overwhelmed by Miss « Nethersole’s kindness, and the flowers which she used to take to them on her visits were cherished long after as mementoes.