Greenroom Gossip.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1083, 8 December 1910, Page 17

Greenroom Gossip.

The Piimm/er-Denniston CompanyThe Harry Plimmer and Reynolds Denniston Company have had a most successful tour of the South and are now making their way through the North Island en route to the Waikato and Auckland, where they open at His Maj°«tv’ s on Boxing Night, with “A Message from Mars,” which is to be followed by other plays, including Mrs- Robert Brough in “Tanqueray.” A personal note received by the writer from Mr. Reynolds Denniston intimates that he will be passing through Auckland on the 15th inst-

Phenomenal Business.

The ever-green George Buller, who arrived in Auckland a few days ago, en route for the Waikato, to arrange for the Plimmer Denniston Co.’s’ tour,

under the direction of Mr. Allan Hamilton, informs me that the business done right through with “The Passing of the Third Floor Back” was phenomenal. The play has been taken up by the parsons, and over a dozen different sermons have been preached, eulogising the play, the author, and the players. The company played from Taranaki to Wellington, thence to Dunedin, and the smaller towns, right down to Invercargill. They returned for a Christchurch season, and are now in the Wairarapa district. They come to Auckland via the East Coast, playing Napier and Gisborne. This latter town will be visited on the 10th, 12th, and 13th of December. The Company arrives in Auckland on the 15th and visits the Waikato, playing Hamilton on the 16th and 17th, Cambridge on the 19th, Paeroa on the 20th, and Waihi on the 21st and 22nd, then returning to Auckland, where they will visit for a couple of days, and open in His Majesty’s Theatre on Boxing Night, for a three week’s season- Mr. Harry Plimmer will be seen for the first time as Horace Parkes, in “A Message from Mars.” The company will be well cast, and will include the same favourite artistes as those who appeared in “The Passing of the Third Floor Back”, and apropos of this magic piece of mysticism, the management have received so many letters anent this from residents of the Waikato, that they have decided to play it in every town visited, and where they play two nights, “Lover’s Lane” will be added.

The Picture Shows. The Picture shows are having a great run all through the Dominion. In Auckland last week, there were no less than six different shows engaging the theatres and leading halls —McMahon’s Johnson-Jeffries fight pictures at His Majesty’s, Fuller’s World Wide Pictures at the new King’s,. West’s Pictures at the Royal Albert Hail, Benwell’s Pictures, at the American Theatre, (Old Federal Hall), the Windsor Pictures, at the Ponsonby Rink, and pictures at the TivoliThe public interest in this particular form of amusement, continues unabated, and the matinees that are held at Fuller’s every Saturday afternoon are crowded.

That Bad Girl!

Mr. Stanley Grant, of the George Marlow Dramatic management, writes to say that Mr. Marlow’s company, that- recently toured New Zealand has just concluded the biggest dramatic season ever played by any company in Queensland. The company opened in Sydnev on the 21st inst. “The Bad Girl -of The Family,” is the drawing card- Another of Mr. Marlow’s companies opened in Adelaide on Saturday, November 19th, with the new drama, “Nick Carter, the Detective,” and scored an instantaneous success. Both these pieces are to be produced on the company’s next visit to New Zealand, which commences in Auckland in March next.

Circus Novelties-

Mr. Geo. L. Petersen, Advance Representative of Wirth’s Circus writes: “We intend visiting New Zealand 's u ortlv with the whole of our huge ’circus and immense menagerie, which includes Lizzie, the enormous

Rlood-Sweating Hippopotamus, the only living Hippo, in Australia brought direct from Hamburg, Germany, per s-s. “Annaburg,” at the steep price of £1,250, exclusive of its handsome semi-tank cage. As these animals require both water and dry land to live upon their care and transport is no small undertaking. As the “Sydney Morning Herald” stated, “not since Noah's Ark started on its voyage has there been such a shipload of wild animals as that which landed here trom Perth, per s.s. “Kyarra,” the boat being loaded from keel to hurricane deck with all kinds and sizes of animals, some wild and ferocious, as in their native state, whilst others are apparently quite tame and perform marvellous acts.” This season’s Circus roster consists of worldtamed artists, specially engaged from Europe, America, Asia and Africa, as well as the pick of Australian performers- iQur programmes are new, and entirely different to the performances of our previous visits, and the present combination, we have never equalled, and never expect to excel, wonders””' tWs earth ’ s sreates ‘

An Irving Remembrance.

In commemoration of the anniversary of the death of Sir Henry Irving many wreathes and bunches of flowers were placed upon his grave in Westminster Abbey last month. Amongst others who sent tributes was and “ Six Old Lyceum Pi? h!?’ ! a wreath, bearing the initials H.I. had the quotation, “I shall with you while the light shines forget ” d ln the darkness 1 shall not

Melba’s New Role.

On her return to London from her American and Canadian concert tour early m the coming year, Madame Melba is announced to sing the mad f r °m “Lucia di Lammermoor” at the fourth of the New Symphony Oi chestra s series of concerts, to be held on February. 14\ This will be he first occasion of the Australian prima donna’s appearing at a symphony concert in London.

A Delightful Accessory. A really delightful accessory to the orchestra of “Our Miss Gibbs” is the Celeste, a delightfully sweet toned instrument which was first used' in “A Waltz Dream.” The two numbers in ‘Our Miss Gibbs”— “The Two Step,” a song and dance by Miss Blanche Browne and Mr. Leslie Holland, and “Arms and the Man,” by Miss Alma Barber— have their effect considerably enhanced by the addition of the sweet accompanying strains of this new instrument. Mr. MacCunn thinks so well of it that he is taking it into his reckoning in connection with the music he is preparing for the pantomime this year, though he finds it a most difficult instrument to write for.

An Open-air Theatre.

•William Anderson’s new open air theatre in Sydney, the Olympia, has become an immensely popular. place of amusement. “The Squatters’ Daughter,” which is still being shown there, is attracting crowded houses. On Saturday nights the place is hardly large enough to accommodate the crowds.

A Big Pantomime Hit. What promises to be one of the biggest hits in the forthcoming Xmas Pantomime at .Her Majesty’s- Theatre, Melbourne, is the specialty to he given by the Pantzer troupe. The securing cf this company of clever acrobatic comedians by Mr. J. C. Williamson was quite an accident. They happened to be appearing for a week at one of the West End Music Halls in London on their way io the Continent, just at the time Mr. Williamson happened to be in the bigmetropolis. Hearing that they were giving their specialty, and having heard excellent accounts of them, Mr. Williamson .decided to go and judge for himself. That his opinion was very favourable -was fully borne out by the fact that that very evening he had made arrangements with the troupe to come out to Australia to join the pantomime, the contracts signed and everything definitely settled. Each individual member of the troupe is an accomplished gymnast, and each has specialties of their ownThe turn which they will give is brimful of comedv.-, and it is reckoned that, there is a laugh for every second —which we may take it also means that it is one continuous laugh from beginning to end.