OLYMPIA RINK.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 850, 21 June 1906, Page 16

OLYMPIA RINK.

The popular pastime of rinking does not appear to in any way lose its hold in public estimation, judging by the number which nightly occupy the floor of the Olympia Rink; indeed, the reverse would almost seem to be

the case, so excellent have been the attendances. All sorts of novelties have been introduced, some of the racing having probed very exciting. It has now been determined by the management to opn a branch rink at Onehunga, and this will be open every Wednesday, both afternoon and evening. A special effort will be made to render this as attractive as possible, so that rinkers will now have the choice of two places to go to. This is a move which should tend to increase the popularity of the pastime. Mr. Geo. Cathro is acting as business manager for a series of song recitals by Te Rangi Pai and a strong concert party in the Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu and Taranaki towns, which the great contralto is giving prior to her departure for Australia. The Rowell Sisters, now appearing at the Opera House, are proving a strong attraction at that popular place of amusement. They dance and sing most daintily before the footlights, and their work is' . most attractive throughout. They have established themselves as firm favourites with Opera House patrons. *** ■ * The Taylor-Carrington Company will open in Whangarei on Friday with the drama, “Unjustly Sentenced.” The season will be one of four nights. The Albert Hall, which has just been opened, will supply a much-felt want for an up-to-date and commodious dancing room. The hall itself will accommodate 1500 persons, and the supper room is even larger than the hall. From the author of “The Lady Typist” comes a brochure containing notices from many well-known actors and others anent this latest musical play, which we are to see for ourselves before long. Among those whose remarks are quoted are Herbert Flemming, the late Robert Brough, Bert Royle, Fred Graham, Charles Kenningham, George Hall, Arthur Towsey, Violet Mount and Horace Lingard. One and all speak in terms of the warmest praise of “The Lady Typist,” so that it is not without reason we are looking forward to seeing the piece ourselves, for a good comic opera is a rarity nowadays. * * * : My Christchurch correspondent writes . —Many people prefer an arm-, chair by their ain fireside to turning . out these nights in quest of outdoor amusements. But “own correspondents” cannot afford to study personal inclinations, and must, perforce, don their war-paint whenever a new show comes along, and hie them to the festive scene. So I hied me, accordingly, to the ancient Theatre

Royal on Thursday evening to witness “\ eroriique.” The rain was falling in torrents all the evening, but nevertheless there was a splendid house, and an enthusiastic one: We may not be able to appreciate high musical art, but we dote dri comic opera, and roll up in our thousands to witness anything really good in that line. And “Veronique” is distinctly good. Golly Castles, looking more bewitching than ever, plays the title role, and both sings and acts so admirably that it is hard to realise she is the same Dolly who sang here two or three years ago. She has made a lot of headway since then. It’s worth turning out on even as bad a night as Thursday to hear* her sing “The Swing Song.” Miss Olive Godwin also deserves honorable mention. Her lovely 7 soprano is heard to great advantage in “The Bloom of an Apple Tree,” which is a really pretty song, and a little superior to the ordinary run of comic opera ditties. Of course, Miss Celia Ghiloni (one of the best artistes of her class on the colonial boards) makes the usual hit. She sings “The G irden of Love” delightfully. Other members of the cast who cannot be passed over are : Miss Aggie Thorne (who song, “My Little Hubby,” always brings down the house), Mr. Frank Wilson (magnificent in the tuneful “Letter Song”), our good old friend Howard Vernon (whose appearance is always the signal for a hearty 7 round of applause), and others. “Utopia Limited” will follow “Veronique.” . . The only other show here just now is the one always with us, and which we could no more do without than we could do without whisky 7 and Apollinaris, cigarettes, nice girls and other agreeable things—Fuller’s. I venture to predict that during the approaching Exhibition season my old friend John Fuller and his clever sons will simply coin money here. * * * * Mr. Edward Lauri, Mr. Charles McNaughton, Miss May Beatty and Miss May Garstang were passengers by the China. * * * * A theatre is shortly to be constructed at Rio de Janeiro solely 7 for the entertainment of children. Many of the plays produced will be adapted from the stories of Grimm and Anderson. The municipality 7 will erect the building and subsidise the enterprise. ’* * * * Miss Decima Moore has returned to England from West Africa, where she accompanied her husband, Major Guggisburg, and met with many interesting and novel experiences. Miss Moore has not been seen on the stage since her marriage. * * * * The money collected by the London “Tribune” for the fund to commemorate the jubilee of Miss Ellen Terry amounted to over £2350. * * * * In the opinion of the celebrated Teresa Carreno, a new musical prodigy has arisen in Budapest in the person of Mdlle. Mignon de Mars-Chalks, a pianist of 12 years of age, of whom Mdme’ Carreno writes that “she is the greatest musical genius that has ever lived.” * * * * An action is pending in the Supreme Court in which Clyde Meynell, of Menzies’ Hotel, Melbourne, sues Miss Addie Pearce, of Nelson-road, South Melbourne, respecting his proprietary rights in the play known as “The Fatal Wedding.” He claims £lOO damages, and also an injunction to restrain the lady from advertising or producing a play called “The Fatal

Wedding” or “The Fa<tal Wedding Day.” Mr. Justice Cussen last week granted the injunction, and said that he did not consider the slight difference in the title worthy of consideration. He thought the defendant would be wise to change the name of her play to perhaps, “The Tragic Marriage,” and let it stand upon its own merits. * .. * * * Miss Nellie Stewart will, according to present arrangements, be in London next month, but she intends returning immediately to America for a second tour. . * * X- *- Among the many revolutionary ideas of Wagner, and one which he contrived to carry out, was the abolition of the ballet, which once formed a great feature of all operas. Wagner, aiming at his mpsic telling a continuous story, objected to any interruption, and the ballet passed, disappearing from other operas as well as Wagnerian productions. This season at Covent Garden Opera House, London, however, witnessed a revival of the ballet, the management having decided upon the experiment of reverting to the old system. Should the ballet prove a success this time it is likely to stay, except, perhaps, in the works of Wagner. Mr. Alfred We?' 1 " "nd Miss Maud Williamson are to appear in London in the dramatised version of Mrs. Humphrey’s Ward’s novel, “The Marriage of William Ashe.” It is being produced by the American manager, Mr. Frohman. * * * A daughter of Mr, Bert Royle, who collaborated witr Mr. J. C. Williamson in such well-remembered Christmas spectacular burlesques as “DjinDjin” and “Matsa,” recently made her debut as a pianist at the Albert Hall. The many Auckland friends of Mr. Royle will be glad to know the performance was a great success, the young player getting several encores. * * * * Miss Billie Burke, one of the most promising of musical comedy artists in London, and known to Australia by means of multitudinous pictorial postcards, has just inherited a fortune of £7OOO from an old family friend. Miss Burke announces that she will remain on the stage, in spite of her good fortune. * * * * Mr. Wai. Rockley has received a letter from his brother Alf., who is in India with Bert Flat’s Amrican Stars vsays the “Referee”). “You can have India as fai' as I am concerned,” he writes. “I have no use for it. Tom Liddiard brought a lot of little kiddies here from Australia, their ages ranging from four to 16. They all got smallpox, and at the latest report five of them had died. I don’t know all their names. One was Ivy Niccols, another Nellie Steward, one of the Waddrell sisters, a little boy baritone, and another girl. . . . We ran right into the same town, where they left Nellie Steward, and put up at the same bungalow. Were there two days before we found she had smallpox. You should have seen us skin out for the next town, 100 miles away, at four in the morning, to escape being quarantined.” * x- * * Charlie Albert, who first showed promise of his abilities as a comedian as The Insect in “Paul Jones” with Tom Pollard’s Opera Company, and who was recently through New Zealand with Stephenson’s Opera Company. now disbanded, has sailed for Manila.

With only a season of less than six weeks in Melbourne, three of which have already gone, Mr. William Collier has naturally had to curtail the run of “The Dictator,” and that brisk, buoyant and breezy American farce comedy saw its last performance on Friday. To-night (Saturday, June 16) (writes Mr. George Tallis) Mr. Collier and his clever company will stage another piece of much the same delightful humour, which the star comedian has had as a strong attraction in his repertoire even longer than “The Dictator.” “On the Quiet” is a farce comedy by Augustus Thomas, the hero of which is an alert young American, Robert Ridgeway by name, who has fallen in love with an heiress worth 16,000,000 dollars. Unfortunately for Robert, however, the lady’s brother is also her guardian, and he has other plans for her, which include a husband of title or of high social position. Neither of these distinctions belongs to Ridgeway, but the young lover is so pertinacious that the brother gives a promise that his suit will be taken into consideration, if Robert goes back to college. That gentleman consents, but, in case there should be any forgetfulness, he persuades the heiress to a secret marriage beforehand. The subsequent proceedings, when the young Mr. and Mrs. Ridgeway are torn between the necessity of observing the proprieties and the inclination to indulge in exhibitions of affection, are of so exciting a nature that the brother is glad at length to strike his colours and consent to the union of his sister with Robert, whose keen wit and resourcefulness has met all the situations with an imperturbability worthy of the cause. Mr. Collier will, of course, play the young gentleman, a part in which he has already scored heavily, both in London and the United States, while the other members of his capable company are all fitted with parts calculated to show them off to the best advantage. * * * * Mr. J. C. Williamson produced “The Little Michus” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney, a week or two after the same delightful piece had celebrated its first anniversary at Daly’s Theatre, London, where it had been running continuously for a year. All the London papers noted the event, and most of them are confident to prophesy that the fresh and fragrant comic opera is likely to continue its prosperous career in that city for a long while yet. It was always delightfully bright and amusing, says one paper, while another (the “Daily Express 1 ’) comments on it in the most flattering terms : “Dainty, fragrant, sweet, this memorable comic opera . . . must be accounted undoubtedly the most charming, melodious, tasteful and humorous entertainment in town.” Judging by the audiences which have greeted it every night since the opening performance, that opinion is destined to be more than confirmed on this side of the world, and though the run may not be quite so long, it will not fall far short of 12 months when its successive seasons and revivals throughout Australasia are totalled.

The Royal Comic Opera Company have begun rehearsals of “La Mascotte” in earnest. The old favourite will scarcely be needed for the Sydney season, which ends on July 6th, but it will form with “The Little Michus” and “The Shop Girl” one of the early attractions of the Melbourne visit. * * * > When “Leah Kleschna” was produced in Adelaide by the Tittell Brune Company, Mr. Thomas Kingston played Kleschna, the Austrian criminal, and made the part one of the greatest of his successes on the Australian stage. He drew the character on lines very distinct from those made

familial- by Mr. Redgrave to Sydney and Melbourne audiences, and his idea of the man as a sly, incisive and sleek individual, who only blustered towards weaker vessels than himself, and was obsequious to those who might injure him, certainly seemed to be the more correct one. The performance was. indeed, a most artistic one. « « * * The Brune Company will receive an accession of strength for their West Australian tour in the person of Mr. John Beauchamp, whom Mr. J. C. Williamson engaged to play “old man’s” parts, a class of character in which he is said to be the best exponent on the English stage. Mr. Edward Mackay, a young actor who came out in the same steamer as Mr. Beauchamp, will be attached for the time being to “The Squaw Man” Company. * * * » Miss Tittell Brune was most cordially farewelled in Adelaide, and is now on the eve of commencing her West Australian tour. That State will have the pleasure of her company until July 21st, and barely a fortnight later she will be at the other end of Australasia—New Zealand to wit, where she opens on August 7th. * * * * Mr. Charles Waldron and the American members of the company engaged by Mr. J. C. Williamson to play “The Squaw Man” and “The Virginian” through Australasia, passed through Auckland by the Sonoma. On arrival in Sydney they will proceed straight through to Melbourne, where the tour opens at Her Majesty’s Theatre on July 7th. * * * * All the Australian booksellers agree in ascribing to Owen Wister’s fine novel, “The Virginian,” the distinction of being one of the best selling books of the past decade, and even now, five years or so after its first appearance, its popularity remains at a consistently high level. The vigour anl manliness, no less than the humour and sentiment, contribute a blend which has a very decided attraction

for Australian readers, and everyone is therefore looking forward eagerly to the dramatic presentation by Mr. Waldron and his company. Some of the London critics give very high praise to the turn of “Milo” and Cruickshank, who will be remembered as appearing at the Opera House some months ago. They are now showing at the London Pavilion. * * * * A cable received a few days ago states that at the jubilee benefit to Miss Ellen Terry no less a sum than £6OOO was taken, and that some people (whose enthusiasm must have outrun their common-sense) waited outside from 24 to 30 hours to obtain a front seat. The performance took place at Drury Lane, and there was a very strong management. Mr. Arthur W. Pinero was the chairman of the committee, which included Mr. George Alexander, Sir Squire Bancroft, Mr. Arthur Bourchier, the Hon. Stephen Coleridge, Mr. Arthur Collins, Mr. Alfred Courtenay, Mr. Henry Dana, Mr. Frederick Harrison, Mr. Sidnev Smith, Mr. Bram Stoker, Mr. J. E. Vedrenne and Sir Charles Wyndham. Mr. Acton Bond was hon. secretary, and at the request of the committee Mr. Austin Brereton undertook the duties of hon. press manager. A feature of the performance was the appearance, acting together in one play, of the entire Terry family. * * * * “The Dairymaids” is the title of a new musical comedy recently produced at the London Apollo Theatre by Mr. Robert Courtneidge. It is very highly spoken of by some of the critics.

A monument is to be erected in Central Park, New York, in memory of the late Joseph Jefferson, the wellknown actor, at a cost of £lO,OOO. It is reported in latest London files that Mr. Kyrle Bellow’s great and increasing success in America will prevent him from making his expected re-appearance in London in the dramatisation of Mr. E. W. Hornung’s ‘‘Kames," which will shortly be produced at the Comedy. Mr. Gerald Du Maurier takes his place. •ft •* •• * “The lascinating Mr. Vanderveldt” is Mr. Sutro’s latest play, which is now running at the London Garrick Theatre. The story Mr. Sutro has to tell is slight \ so slight, indeed, that one wonders how he manages to prolong it over four acts (says the “Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette”). Briefly, it relates the history of the duel between Lady Clarice and Mr. Vanderveldt, which culminated in an oldfashioned abduction in a new-fashion-ed motor-car. Lady Clarice never has any doubt on the score of her admirers’ reputation and methods. He is a notorious lady-killer—his path is strewn with broken hearts and blasted characters, and when he openly sets himself to subdue Lady Clarice he is as openly ambitious to wed her. But, knowing him as well as she does, and recognising that even if she capitulates to his blandishments honourable marriage will be her portion, the interest in the struggle of wills is discounted to begin with. But finding he is making very little headway with this gay, garrulous, bewitching widow of 31, he has recourse to strategy. Having, by a device, denuded a distant part of the country of all its horses, he invites Lady Clarice to take a run with him in his motor-car. If the lady, who is anything but a fool, and has no delusions on the score of her lover’s chivalry, had declined the invitation, Mr. Vanderveldt would have been done in the eye, and so would the play. But Mr. Sutro is too wise to admit the possibility of the wily widow’s exhibiting so much discretion. When they arrive at a place situated about a hundred miles from nowhere—the place where the horses are gone from and the telegraph office isn’t—Mr. Vanderveldt removes the sparking plug from the motor and declares that they won’t go home till morning. Lady Clarice sees through the caddish trick, and—with a grace that saves both the situation and the play—she laughs. But a sparking plug is to a motor (so I gather) what a bridle is to a horse, and when Mr. Vanderveldt removed the plug and presents it to

Lady Clarice she accepts the services of the local curate to replace it—when the owner’s back is turned—and goes quietly back to dinner and the sedate colonel, whom (she says) she has always intended to marry. Miss Violet Vanbrugh is Clarice and Mr. Bourchier Mr. Vanderveldt. The piece has been drawing big houses. * * * * The plot of “The Little Michus,” recently produced in Sydney by the Williamson Opera Company, is as follows: “The Two Little Michus” are schoolgirls who were changed at, or soon after, their births. Monsieur and Mdme. Michu keep a glorified ham and beef shop in Paris. Years ago an old noble, named Des Ifs, flying from the revolutionary persecution, left in their charge a young baby girl to be brought up with the Michus’ child. The husband, in giving them a bath, managed to mix the babies up. This is where the play begins. The noble, now a Napoleonic general, returns and demands his daughter, Which of the two is his child? One the general is determined to have to marry to his aide-de-camp, Gaston Rigaud; he leaves it to the Michus to decide “which is which.” The head of Marie Blanche—who is really Mademoiselle Michu, and who loves her parents’ shopman, Aristide Vert—is turned by a visit to the General’s chateau; and she announces that she is the aristocrat. Gaston is enamoured of the other damsel, Blanche Marie; but he obeys orders, and prepares to marry Marie Blanche. In the last act she finds she cannot sacrifice her love to her ambition, and dresses up Blanche Marie so as to reproduce exactly the portrait of the General’s late wife, the Marquise. He is convinced and accepts Blanche Marie as his child, and the couples pair off properly.

Mr. Wm. Anderson, of the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, has reason to think that there is some unseen fairy watching his interests in connection with his hobby as a racehorse owner as well as with his business as a theatrical director (says the “Referee”). He had a horse listed to run at the Bendigo races lately, but unfortunately he was laid up with a cold, and the doctor would not allow him to go to the quartz city to witness the event he was interested in. But heavy rain fell on the day fixed for the meeting, and it was postponed for a week. By that time he haxl quite recovered, the day was fine, and he went to Bendigo, saw the races, and had a good time generally. Did his horse win? Those who want to know can look up the turf reports. There they will see that he pulled off the double, and struck the proudest moment of his life. * * * * A new musical comedy has been produced at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, entitled “The Girl Behind the Counter.” The plot is non-existent, but (says a Home exchange) the entertainment, that is to say, the songs, the dances, and the general stage business with which it is embellished, is a tremendously merry and inspiriting concoction, the numbers are rendered with spirit and lively humour, and the music is the most melodious, graceful and scholarly that has been heard in musical comedy for some time. Indeed, this score, especially in the concerted pieces and finales, is of a class seldom found in this class of play, and Mr. Howard Talbot may be cordially congratulated on his wellearned success. The scenic effects, especially again in the second act, are exceedingly pretty, and, in fact, the whole thing is extremely well done.

A theatrical manager “is known by the company”—that keeps him. * * * * Miss Ada Reeve has left for South Africa for a nine weeks’ season, receiving the record fee of £5OOO. * * * * Mr. Haddon Chambers has gone to New York to superintend the rehearsals of his new play, “Sir Anthony.” • • « « Messrs. G. L. Goodman and Edwin Geach are the secretaries to the movement for the erection of a fountain in Sydney to perpetuate the memory of the late Mr. Robert Brough. The memorial is to be erected by contributions from members of the theatrical profession only. * * * * The burlesque actress, Miss Millie Hylton, recently gave a fine example of how the motor car can assist an artist in getting about. After her appearance at the Coliseum in the afternoon, she was asked to sing at Stratford Empire for a sister artiste who had suddenly fallen a victim to influenza. Without demur she consented, and was received wih enthusiasm at Stratford. No sooner had she left the stage than a favour was once more asked of her. Mark Sheridan, the humorist, fell suddenly ill, and was unable to appear at Holloway Empire. Miss Hylton was asked to oblige. Jumping into a motor car she completed the journey in 30 minutes, and again was the recipient of an ovation. Back she rushed to Stratford, and after appearing there, back once more to Holloway, reaching the Coliseum just in time to don her walk-ing-out clothes before that place of entertainment closed for the night. How’s that for rapid transit?