WELLINGTON NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1505, 27 February 1919, Page 29

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(By

“Lorgnette.”)

WELLINGTON, February 20.

There is nothing that soothes the soul and steadies the jangled nerves so well and so surely as the beautiful song literature sung by a really gifted singer. This was demonstrated at the first recital of Mdlle. Antonia Dolores at the Grand Opera

House on Saturday evening. The audience —a large one —followed the singing of the famous French prima donna with all the rapt attention and splendid appreciation that used to be given in the old days before the detestable Huns tore at the heart of the world and its civilisation. Mdlle. Dolores’ programmes for her present tour of the Dominion are like those of the days that are gone, presenting the sweetest of the songs of the old English writers, the folk songs of France, excerpts from the best of the old operas, and the most modern songs from the pens of the most representative writers of all countries. The enthusiasm for Mdlle. Dolores at Saturday night’s recital was quite extraordinary, but then the gifted French vocalist is easily the most popular concert singer that has yet appeared in New Zealand. A lot of wise ones shook their heads when they heard that Mdlle. Dolores was going to visit us again. “She’ll lose money,” they said; “times are so bad.” But the wise ones were wrong once again. The Dolores recital of Saturday evening was amongst the most financially successful ever given by this singer in New Zealand. After a whole lot of cabling between Sydney and Wellington, the J. C. Williamson management at the last minute decided to curtail the Wellington season of the “Business Before Pleasure” Company to one week, so as to fill in dates already booked in Dunedin. It is now decided that the company will play a return season, opening at the Grand Opera House on Wednesday, March 12, with “Friendly Enemies,” to be followed by a revival of “Potash and Perlmutter.”

Owing to the dislocation of the J. C. Williamson business, through the epidemic and labour troubles, Wellington theatregoers are to enjoy a return season of the J.C.W. New English Musical Comedy Company. The season will open on April 5 and the repertoire will include revivals of “Going Up,” “The Pink Lady,” “Canary Cottage,” and possibly a couple of new pieces.