WIRTHS’ CIRCUS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 887, 7 March 1907, Page 16

WIRTHS’ CIRCUS.

It had been the intention of the management to take the circus for a trip through the Waikato, but owing in a measure to the somewhat prohibitive railway tariff rendering such a course impossible, an extra week has been played in Aucktland. This has proved a most fortunate move, for the big tent in Freeman’s Bay has been crowded every evening, the various turns coming in for much appreciation. The circus leaves for Sydney by the s.s. Victoria on Monday.

Miss Gertie Campion, who was recently benefi.ed at His Majesty’s, is opening a cigar divan in Queen-street, Auckland.

Mr Fred Graham and Miss Nellie Dent, who finished up a successful season at the Opera House last week, have proceeded to Dunedin, still under the management of Messrs John Fuller and Sons.

A syndicate has decided to erect an up-to-date Opera House in Feilding. Mr J. C. Williamson has promised to assist the syndicate, both financially and with advice. is to be spent on the new building.

Mr Dudley Clinton, who is well remembered here for his excellent performance of Dr. Juttner in “Old Heildelburg,” writes me that he may be out this way again at the end of the year. I notice from the “New York Dramatic Mirror” that Mr Clinton has scored a big hit as the Rev. Matthew Phillimore in Langdon Mitchell’s “The New Idea” at the Lyric Theatre.

An old friend, Mr Walter Sanford, writes as follows: —You may doubtless be surprised at hearing from me, 11,000 miles away, but I thought a few of your readers might be interested in my doings. Although intending to make a farewell tour of New Zealand before returning to America with my company, on closing my Adelaide (Australia) season last September, I received information from San Francisco that the time was ripe for me to invest in that field, and myself and wife left Sydney for America on September 24th. Within two months after arriving here, I purchased an interest in, and have become the personal manager of, the first modern, up to date theatre to open its doors here since the fire. This is a magnificent three-storey building erected by Senator Felton of this city, and representing an outlay of 300,000 dollars. It is built of steel and concrete, and is absolutely fireproof. It is governed by a syndicate of wealthy influential citizens here who have formed a stock company. I own a large block of said shares and expect to reap a splendid profit from my investment. Our theatrical system is different to that of Australia. Here, the lessees must lease for a term of years, and the security required for rent, represents thousands of dollars. As our lease runs for ten years, I expect to make ’Frisco my future home. As I have given up acting for the time being, I will enlarge the field of my activity, and within a few days, expect to secure control of a Los Angeles theatre. Los Angeles is a city of 200,000 inhabitants, in this State. I have opened my season at this theatre, called the American, with an Opera Company, producing all the latest musical comedies. It may interest you to know that Miss Maud Beatty, a New Zealand girl, is a member of it. This company will play months, to be followed by a high class dramatic company. I hope every thing in New Zealand is prospering. To all my kind friends I send greeting, and although we may never meet again, I will always hold them in affectionate remembrance.

If “Under Two Flags” is to mako a success in Sydney something fai’dv drastic will have to be done to improve it, for as the play was produced here it was generally considered as a long way below the Williamson standard. Miss Humphrey made a valiant effort to carry the play on her own shoulders as it were, and was very successful on the whole, although an American vivandiere was something of a novelty. Never by any chance could she have been mistaken for a Frenchwoman. Mr. Waldron made perhaps the most lifeless

hero one has seen for many a long day, while most of the other principals were cruelly handicapped by reason of their nationality. Quite apart from this, however, objection must be taken to the want of accuracy in the setting—a rare fault with a Williamson production —but in this instance a very glaring one. The first act, a racecourse scene, was laid in the garden of a castle. Just why bookmakers of the shadiest type should be wandering about these while the race meeting was in full swing was not apparent. Later on a scene in Algeria was flanked by portions of Australian bush scenery. Then, again, the so-called fleet Arab steed (save the mark!) had a colonial saddle and bridle which custom has not yet been adopted by the sheiks. There were many other inaccuracies, and the production on the whole was decidedly crude. Rumour states that Mr. Williamson, who came North to see it, was by no means pleased. I can well believe it.

Mr John Black, of the Black Family of Musicians, writes from Zeehan Tas.): “We are appearing here for three nights. Did good business in Hobart and Laun-r ceston, also at all the smaller towns. This is a lovely island to travel in, and all the family are enjoying the trip immensely. We leave for Melbourne next month.”

According to an exchange, a German cargo steamer named the Lichtenfels, left Calcutta a few months ago, with over xoo animals, and arrived in New York with only a mangy cat, that was so seriously injured that it had to be handed over to a veterinary surgeon. The first trouble occurred through the cheetah biting a piece out of the cook’s leg, whereupon he kicked it vigorously, and it took its revenge by killing a deer. After this it became an outlaw, living on the smaller arjimals, biting passing seamen occasionally, and hiding in the dark corners of the vessel between times. It was finally discovered by a search party, and driven overboard. Two days out of Suez a sandstorm wept over the ship blinding 30 monkeys there were on board, and driving them mad. Before they could be recaptured, all but two had jumped overboard, and the survivors were sold on arrival at port. Meanwhile, the crocodile had lashed out his tail so vigorously as to send half the crew flying, and render the chief mate insensible. He was made to listen to reason by a stoker with a bar of iron, and when secured was found to be dying from a fractured skull. In the Suez Canal the captain’s favourite collie dog fell overboard whilst barking at an Arab on the bank, and then the porcupines, the squirrels, and the ship’s cat came to loggerheads, the squirrels disappearing, and dying, until they were exterminated. The cat, however, continued the vendetta against the porcupines, and contrived to kill them off one by one, incidentally eating a cage of parrots and small songbirds, and a gale which struck the vessel in the Mediterranean led to the loss of all the remaining animals, except the cat, a mongoose, and two cobras. During the last day of the gale, the mongoose jumped into the cobras’ cage, and in a half-hour’s fight succeeded in killing both, only to succump from his own injuries. The cat was subsequently the only one left of the cargo which left Calcutta, and it had more holes in it than a colander from its encounters with the porcupines. Next please!

Parisian society was recently in a very excited state over the decision of the Marquise de Morny, niece of Emperor Napoleon and ex->wife of the Marquis de Belbeuf, to appear at the Moulin Rouge in a pantomime written by herself. The play is entitled “ A Dream of Egypt,” The Marquise will take the part of a savant, while Mme. Colette Willy will appear as an Egyptian mummy. The members of the Marquise’s family are greatly scandalised by this strange engagement of the eccentric lady, and efforts are being made to dissude her from putting her daring project into execution. But the Marquise is masculine in more things than her clothes —she always wears male attire—and obstinately refuses to abandon her engagement. The Marquise daily receives shoals of letters from aristocratic people imploring her not to bring dishonour upon the noble family to which she belongs. She made her debut on the 3rd January. The house was crowded and there was much suppressed excitement until the curtain rose, when there was a scene of indescribable confusion, with everybody present screaming and shouting. The sketch was finally allowed to proceed, but before many lines had been spoken missiles of every description were thrown from all parts of the house, even the footstools used in the boxes being hurled by strong-armed and excited Frenchmen, who wished to show their disapproval of the appearance on the stage of a member of the aristocracy. The demonstration was so vehement that the act was removed from the bill.

It is seldom that plays and politics are mentioned in the same breath as it were, but that the honour among its other distinctions has fallen to the lot of “Mother Goose.” When Mr Bent made his policy speech at the opening of the Victorian electoral campaign recently, he took Mr Williamson’s record pantomime as the most appropriate parallel he could think of to illustrate the progress of his State, and compared the prosperity of “Mother Goose” with that of Victoria. Another piece of evidence bearing upon its tremendous staying power lies in the interesting figures on attendance published by the management. According to actual statistics an average of 2550 people had, up to the end of the ninth week, been present at each performance, giving a total of over 181,000 payees for admission. There is no reasonable ground to suppose that this average will drop in any degree for the remainder of the run, and at the end of its 120th performance on the 19th March, the enormous total of a quarter of a million people, equal to half the entire population of Melbourne will have passed through the doors of Her Majesty’s Theatre during the pantomime season.

Miss Tittell Brune went back to her first love for her last week in Sydney, and has been appearing in her charming impersonation of “Sunday” there to the gratification of crowded houses. On Friday, March i, her actual good-bye to Sydney is being made the occasion for a

special complimentary benefit performance, and to-day (writes Mr Tallis) 2nd March, she leaves for a seven nights season in Hobart, following it up with five nights and two nights in Bendigo and Ballarat respectively. This will bring her down to the date when she is due to begin her farewell season in Melbourne, and the primary attraction of the visit which will last until June, will, of course, be “Parsifal.”

The Bicknells, who last week comp.eted a five months’ engagement with Messrs John Fuller and Sons, left for Sydney .0 join Mr Harry Rickard’s Tivoli Company After doing Sydney, Melbourne ,and possibly Adelaide, they depart for South Africa. The Bicknells will carry with them hearty wishes for future welfare and success.

Air George Lauri, of Williamson’s Royal Comic Opera Co., is still rusticating at Ruth’s Island. The eminent comedian is much improved in health since taking the compulsory rest.

It never rains theatrically but it pours. Amongst other musicians wending their way thitherwards are Madame Albani (who was last here about nine years ago), Miss Jessie Maclachlan, Phillip Newbury, Saunders, the tenor, and Misses Maude Powell and Marie Hall, who have been winning some fame as violinists in London musical centres.

George Boyle, the clever young Sydney pianist, who accompanied Mark Hamburg under John Lemmone’s management when touring the colony some years back, is off to try his luck in London.

Mr J. C. Williamson, inspired by the unequivocal success of “Mother Goose” has practically decided to have a pantomime both in Melbourne and Sydney next Christmas, and indeed the work of preparation upon the productions has already begun—an interesting example of the huge amount of preliminary detail that must be covered before a pantomime company actually “gets down to work.”

Tom Moore, the most popular of all his previous repertoire, has been chosen for opening piece in Wellington by Mr Andrew Mack, who is on his way from San Francisco this week with his new company for a tour of Australasia, which will last six months, far longer than he was able to devote to the country on his last visit.

A Bendigo visit quite as successful as the Ballarat one, terminated Mr Julius Knight’s sojourn in Victoria for the present. On March 2 he began a prolonged season in Sydney. In the course of it besides “Robin Hood,” which was the opening piece, he will produce both “Raffles” and “Brigadier Gerard” as new pieces, with the evergreen “Monsieur Beaucaire” as a revival.

A popular actor is not always pleased with the enthusiasm which follows his acting’'‘such as he may appreciate the evidences,'• generally speaking, of the public esteem. The o-hier day in Ballarat, Mr Julius Knight had this brought home to him. • The culminating scene in “Robin Hood” is - a fine situation in which 1 ' the i bold outlaw holds up-a whole garrison'of a castle’.at.'the point of an arrow’? ' • The authors of the. play have written' in some stirring lines to accompany the action,, but Mr Knight could never !; gisie ~them : .utterance. As soon as his bow * was bent and the men-at-arms fell back the whole house burst forth into cheering and applause, and the heroic words never get beyond the footlights as far as any chance of hearing them was concerned.

Mr Roy Redgrave, who was round the colony with the Tittell Brune Company in “L’Aiglon, ” “Theodora” and other pieces, and who afterwards went to England, is returning to Australia.

A prophecy io years ago that a body of English singers would visit Germany and be there accorded a glorious greeting would, have been considered a hair-brained phantasy; but such a journey is now a matter of history. Three hundred and sixty singers, selected from the famous choirs of Sheffield and Leeds, have given concerts in Dusseldorf, Frankfort, and Cologne, arousing in each place boundless enthusiasm and unstinted praise. The works chosen were intended to enable the hearers to judge of various British composers. Chief among them was Elgar’s “Gerontius”; various shorter pieces also enabled the singers to interpret various modes of musical expression. Handel’s ’“Messiah” was given in Dusseldorf byspecial request.

Miss Ellen Terry commenced her farewell American tour at the Empire Theatre, New York, on the 28th January, in Bernard Shaw’s “Captain Brassbound’s Conversion,” to be followed by “The Good Hope,” and “Nance Oldfield.”

The cause of the tumour in Miss Nellie Stewart’s shoulder, and which has just been removed as the result of a successful operation, is said to have been the wide, heavy hat which she wore for five years in “Sweet Nell of Old Drury.” The rim of the hat used to come in contact with her bare shoulder, and the constant friction set up inflammation, and finally caused serious trouble.

Miss May Beatty and Mr Edward Lauri have scored a big success in the pantomime at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin. Miss Beatty figures as Sinbad, and Mr Lauri as Tinbad.

Mr Kyrle Bellew, who has been playing Brigadier Gerard in America, has been engaged by Klaw and Erlanger to star in “A Marriage of Reason,” a comedy, by Mrs Hartley Manners, which they will produce this month. Mr Charles Dillingham released Mr Bellew for his new part after his Boston engagement.

The story of “Carmen” has been reenacted at Lisbon. Like the hero of the opera, the principal male character was a soldier named Jose. Four years ago he proposed to a cigarette girl, and on being refused fired a shot at her, grazing her scalp. He was tried by court-martial and on the intercession of the girl let off with three years’ imprisonment. The other day he was discharged, and at once renewed his suit. He was once more rejected, and returning with his rifle shot the girl dead, afterwards blowing out his own brains.

An American paper states that steps are being taken to preserve the birthplace of the man whose fame rests on one simple little song, “Home. Sweet Home.” Unless the citizens of the little village of Easthampton, L. 1., can raise the funds necessary to purchase the cottage which was once the home of John Howard Payne, the structure will be destroyed and a church erected on the site. Easthampton is the birthplace of the author of “Home, Sweet Home,” and the cottage in which he spent his boyhood has been the prize show place of the village ever since Payne wrote his tender little song. Payne, by the way, was only a boy when he left Easthampton and started out to wander in many lands. He knew more about poverty and privation than about the “pleasures and palaces” of which he sings iri “Home, Sweet Home. ”

“Nelly Neil,” the new play in which Miss Edna May (whose engagement, matrimonial, is just announced) made her re-appearance in London, was produced

at the Aldwych Theatre, Londcn, on the 10th January. The “book,” by C. M. S. M’Lellan, author of “The Belle of New York” and “Leah Kleschna,” is said to be a mixture of both those plays, and deals with a young lady and her friends, who are fascinating Socialists, and seek to regenerate a naughty world. Miss May, with a fine song, “Back to the Land,”, got an enthusiastic reception. People waited from ten o’clock in the morning to gain admission to the performance.

Miss Marion Grey, who has been engaged from London to play leading parts in Mr Julius Knight’s company, .is a daughter of the late Captain William Grey, Coldstream Guards, and cousin of Mr G. O. Ross Fenner, of Melbourne. Miss Grey went on the stageat the age of 17, having been specially engaged by Mr F. R. Benson to play second to Mrs Benson in the Shakespeare Company. Mr Benson had heard Miss Grey give recitations at an “at home,” and was so much impressed with her histrionic talent that he at once proposed to her the adoption of the stage as a profession. She remained with Mr Benson’s company for three years, playing important parts on tour, and at the Lyceum and Comedy theatres, London, assuming such roles as Helene, Ophelia, Olivia, Viola, Emilia, Bianca, and Hero. An American tour followed, Miss Grey playing Berenice in “The Sign of the Cross.” On her return to England she was engaged to enact Princess Flavia in “The Prisoner of Zenda” to the Rudolph of Mr Harcourt Beatty. The author of the piece, Mr Anthony Hope, was so pleased with her performance that he secured Miss Grey for the title role in “The Adventures of Lady Ursula.’ So successful was her acting that she was requested to play Rosalind at a pastoral performance at Oxford, in honour and in the presence of T.R.H. the Prince and Princess of Wales. This is her favourite character, and she has given

over 100 performances of it. Her recent work in England includes Katherine in “If I Were King,” Lady Huntworth in “Lady Huntworth’s Experiment,” and Kate in “Cousin Kate.” Sir Edward Burne-Jones, a friend of Miss Grey’s fam-, ily, took her as model in several of his paintings, and she was the original in Mr Frank Dicksee’s “A Reverie.”