CHRISTCHURCH CHATTER.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 939, 5 March 1908, Page 16

CHRISTCHURCH CHATTER.

OPENING OF THE THEATRE ROYAL.

My Christchurch dramatic correspondent writes The new Theatre Royal was opened on Tuesday evening last, 25th February and s ems to have pleased everybody present. It is certainly a fine theatre, probably the best in he Dominion. The house was packed from floor to ceiling,, *‘ The Blue Moon ” being in itself an attraction, although the opening of the new place of amusement doubtless was responsible to some extent for the extraordinarily large audience. The advance booking for the opening nigh: was very heavy, people assembling as early as 5 o’clock outside the box-office on the morning the booking of seats began, and by 9 a.m. there was quite a large crowd of persons anxious to secure places. The boxes, circle and stalls of our new temple of the drama, are upholstered in dark green p’ush, and the back stalls in brown leather. The seats are separate and distinct, and every seat commands a fine view of the stage. The dome is beautifully decorated in the scenes from “ A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The acoustic properties of the house are excellent. Miss Daisy Wallace as “ Millicent Leroy” made a great hit, her song “ She Didn‘t Know,” was encored three times. Miss Wallace’s dancing too, is of a very high order of merit. Miss Celia Ghiloni. who has rendered such good service in the Gilbert and SuUivan operas, and in scores of o her p’eces, was as good a ‘‘Lady Brabashan ” as the part allowed her to be—but she had no songs ! Miss Alma Barber as ” Evelyn,” made a success of the character, and sang “ Sometimes ” very pleasingly. Miss Amy Murphy made a sa isfactory “ Chandra Nil,” but might have been a little more “ forceful,” perhaps. Mr Victor Gouriet was the life and soul of the piece, and divided honours with Miss Daisy Wallace. There will be frequent changes of bill during the short remainder of the season.

Wirths’ Circus, located at the huge King Edward Barracks, is drawing enormous houses, the seating capaciiy of the house, large as it is being taxed to the utmost nightly. Mr S. Batty gives a wonderful performance with wild beasts, and shows how completely he has got his savage pupils under con rol. The Flying Herberts are perhaps one of the cleverest companies of acrobats the Dominion has seen. Their trapeze performance is thrilling. The performing elephants, under Captain Burro wes contribute one of the best ” turns.” and other notable items are those given by “ Tomato ” (foot juggler), Osado, a Japanese contortionist, and the Ozzipardi Trio. The menagerie is much larger than usual in circuses, combining as it does the best animals from Fitzgerald’s circus, Woombuell’s circus, and several others. The Messrs W'rth are ‘o be congratulated on

their wonderful show. It is indeed “ bigger and better than ever.” The return of Mr John Fuller to Christchurch, after a long absence, and his welcome re-appearance on the local Opera House deserve to be chronicled. John rendered ' '.ally in our Alley,” and “ Geraldine,” as attractively as of yore, and our only regret is that he did not make a longer stay in the City of the Plains. But he is off on his world’s tour and only called in here, en route.