MISS NANCE O’NEILL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 701, 13 August 1903, Page 17

MISS NANCE O’NEILL.

The “ Dramatic Star,” of San Francisco, writes : “ After many proposals from other parties and considerable deliberation as to her coming appearance in New York, it was definitely settled on Monday by a long telegram from the £t»t theatrical firm of Klaw and Bruges* to McKee Rankin that) Nance O’Neill, the now celebrated actress', is to pass under their exclusive control for the period of four years. This arrangement is • most auspicious one for the brilliant young star’s appearance in the Metropolis. Everybody knows what the advantage of being presented by the< g.s’eat syndicate means in a city where productions costing many thousands of dollars ara not uncommon. The arrangement just made ensures for Miss O’Neill magnificent productions and a thorough-y efficient cast in her support. The question of expense will cut nO figure, and the amb tious star could not desire a better opportunity to demonstrate to the people of the great American metropolis the rare histronic talent which has already been recognised on this coast and in other parts of America. A NEW ZEALANDER IN LONDON. Of the many good singers who have lately appeared in the halls Miss Daisy Davidson is (says the “Era’’) certainly one of the most promising and attractive. A young New Zealander —she is only twenty-one —Miss Davidson, has never had occasion to hunt for work or sigh over the difficulty of “getting on.” From west to south — from the Tivoli to the Canterbury—her clear soprano voice has been heard and will be remembered. She has just concluded an engagement at the Oxford, and next week she appears at Walham Green. Miss Davidson was born in Auckland, but die has been educated in England. Making her debut about two years ago, she has already worked nearly all the London halls, to say nothing of- touring: through the provinces. Last year she was principal boy in a Glasgow pantomime, and there is every probability of her playing the same character in a London pantomime next Christmas. The pretty New Zealander’s autumn engagement will give heir an opportunity to act as well as sing, for Mr George Dance has engaged her to play the' title role in “ The Country Girl,” on tour. Miss Davidson is a clever pianiste. and she plays the mandoline, violin, and banjo equally well.

Musgrove talks of including Benedict’s “Lilly of. Killarney” and Balfe’s “The Talisman’ ’ in next year’s operatic cams

Mr George Alexander, in the July number of “ Men and Women,” gives an interesting account of his first appearance. After a lengthy course of amateur performances he secured a professional opening. One Sunday morning, while his people were at church, he seized the opportunity to get his box secretly out of the house, and had it conveyed to th® railway station. Arriving at Nottingham on the Sunday afternoon, he worried about what he was going to learn and what he was going to do until night came, and it was time to think of sleep. And then he found he could do no more than think about it, for rest would not come to him. He lay awake all night, and early on Monday morning he was up and out. He took his part with him, and went for a long walk in the public park, and round the old castle, trying to get the lines into his head. When he reached the theatre at night his recollection failed. Hb did not break down, but he spoke few of Mr Sydney Grundy’s' words in “ The Snowball,” saying just what struck him as appropriate at the moment. At a rehearsal next cay he had the opportunity of going through his lines again, and at night he got through quite comfortably.

The delegates of the “Clarendon Press” intend to supplement their facsimile of the Shakespeare First Folio by publishing facsimile reproductions of the earliest accessible editions of that portion of Shakespeare’s work which found no place in the First Folio. The excluded portion consists of the four poetical quarto volumes : “ Venus' and Adonis ” (1593), “ Lucrece ” (1594), “The Passionate Pilgrim ” (1599), and the Sonnets (1609), as well as the, play of “ Pericles,” which was first published in quarto in 1609, but was not included in a collected editions of Shakespeare’s plays before the Third Folio edition 1664. The four volumes of the poems and the volume of Pericles will be reproduced by the collotype process, and will be similar in all respects —size only excepted—to the collotype reproduction of the First Folio edition of the plays, published by 'the delegates in December, 1903. This reprint will be executed under the direction of Mr Sydney Lee, who will contribute full introductions containing the latest results of his researches with regard to the bibliography of’ Shakespeare’s poems and of the play of “Pericles.” The delegates hope that these reproductions will be ready for publication in the autumn of 190-1“

Miss Olga Beatty Kingston, Fred. Kay and Leedham Bantock and W. Warde were all in the original London cast of “A Country Girl.”

The Oamaru correspondent of the “ Otago Daily Times ” telegraphs that a number of resident® have subscribed the amount of Miss M’Dermott’s fine and costs for the hat-lifting episode at the Theatre Royal. It will be remembered that Miss M’Dermott, sitting behind a lady with a large hat, who declined to remove it when requested, tilted the hat forward by the aid of a walking-stick borrowed, and for. this l was fined for a technical assault, The amount of the fine was subscribed as a protest against the large hat evil at public performances, and not as a comment on Major Keddell’s judgment.

The following are some of the impressions of Mr Fred. Duval while in the. States : —” I saw ‘ A Runaway Girl and ‘ The Circus Girl ’ produced by one of Daly’s companies ; nothing near as good, either individually or collectively, staging or mounting, which Mr J. C. Williamson gave Wellington. I saw Sothern in ‘lf I Were King ’ —a magnificent performance on his part ; in fact, I think he is the best actor 1 have ever seen, but the support was weak. Nat Gouodwin was appearing in ‘ The Altar of Friendship,’ a clever play well done, but too quiet for the colonies. Nance O’Neill appeared here in ’ The .Jewess,’ but the theatre was burnt down next night. She went to California, and should do well. The moneymakers here are the productions ’ln Washington ’ and ‘ Twirly Wirly,’ both depending on two Dutch comedians for the fun ; the rest marches, songs, dances —spectacles, in fact ; pantomime as we know it. Judging by the houses they are drawing, if Tom Pollard had brought ‘ Djin-Djin ’ here five years ago he. would have made a huge fortune. Our old friend M. B. Curtis, who brought Dante to the colonies, is playing his original creation, ‘ Sam’l of Posen,’ to fail- business. The best thing I have seen in America was Miss Mary Mann ering in a com-edy-drama entitled ‘ The Stubbornness of Geraldine,’ a fine production, well played, excellently staged ; in fact, worthy of the Brough-Boucicault combination in their best days. There are a dozen small houses playing vaudeville, and all doing well. Wages here are awfully high. Chorus girls are getting £5 per week, so you can imagine what leading performers l are receiving.”

The plays of Shakespeare have been very popular in America of late, and next season is to see an unusual number of revivals. Mr Nat Goodwin is planning to appear as Bottom in a spectacular revival of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Miss Ada Rehan will be seen in “ The Merchant of Venice Miss Elsie Leslie intends to revive “ The Taming of the Shrew Miss Viola Alien’s appearance in ” Twelfth Night ” is being prepared for ; Mrs Leslie Carter may play Lady Macbeth ; Miss Henrietta Crosman opens her season in “As You Like It” ; Mr E. H. Sothern will continue to play Hamlet: and Mr Richard Mansfield will devote part of his time to Julius Caesar.

Florrie Barnas may be seen at the Tivoli, Sydney (says the “News Letter”). The soubreite caught on in New Zealand With Rickards’ touring company.

Wilioughby-Geach comedy company play r a Sydney season in Septemberopening at the Palace in “Mistakes will Happen.”

Harry Plimmer (says the “News Letter”) is one of Australasia’s soundest mummers. He and Athol wood are standing advertisements as to what colonial Thespians can do.

Clive, the Australian wizard, is a son of Dr. O’Hara, of Melbourne. Clive has done the London music halls, and is now out here as an imported star. He is, in his personal capacity, a cousin of Chief Justice Sir John Madden, of Victoria, and on his travels is backed by all social advantages.

Miss Edith Blande (w-ho was here with the Broughs) after playing for sixty-five weeks in “ The Worst Woman in London,” is taking a well-earned holiday in the Channel Islands. Tn a week or two she will start out again under the management of Mr Walter Melville in “ Her Second Time on Earth.”

The Dunedin season of the Maggi® Moore Dramatic Company commenced at the Princess Theatre on Saturday evening, July 25. The initial production wa» the Irish drama, “ Killarney,” of which the “ Star ’’ says : —Twenty-one yean and some months ago Miss Maggie Moore inspired and aroused the playgoers of Dunedin with half-a-dozen impersonations that were full of life and sparkle. Her subsequent appearance here, in 1893 and .1899, betrayed no abatement of her stage power ; and it is pleasing to be able to record that on this, Miss Moore’s fourth vist to Dunedin, her acting is as forcible and natural, her artistic touches as light and true, as when we first made her acquaintance. Time has dealt gently with this lady. Intellectually she is in her prime, and it is a treat to have a visit from such a thoroughly trained and skilful actress. Saturday night’s large audience accorded her a particularly cordial reception upon her first entry, and at various stages of the performance they bestowed their thanks in hearty rounds of applause, it being realised that her pourtrayal of the Irish girl, who is the heroine of the new drama “ Killarney ” was not only entertaining, but a faithful picture from life.

« * » * The company which Mr J. F. Sheridan brings to New Zealand is said to be an exceedingly clever one. The first production will be the musical play, “ The Lady Slavey.” In commenting on the first performance of the piece at the Melbourne Bijou, on June 6, the “ Age ” says:— “The name of John F. Sheridan is dramatically synonymous with brightness, vivacity and fun, and it is not surpris: ing, therefore, that a large, highly-expect-ant and ultimately delighted audience filled the Bijou Theatre on Saturday night to witness the opening presentation in Melbourne of ‘ The Lady Slavey.’ The play is described on the bills as a ‘ laughing musical carnival,’ and that is, perhaps, as apt and concise a description as could be given of it. It is, briefly, a combination of comic opera and variety entertainment, aiming at the continuity and coherence of the one, with the scope for diversity and novelty allowed in the °‘ hcr '’ ...