STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 36, 11 February 1905, Page 10

STAGE JOTTINGS.

From some notes that I have received from Mr Pete Hughes. 1 learn that Mr August Van Biene has played "The Broken Melody" over two "thousand \ Times. The- record of two thousand! was attained in Manchester, and on; ihat occasion the actor-musician was: the recipient of congratulations from I AdpHna Patti. Sir Henry Irving. Beer-1 bohai Tree, andtthe late Wilson Bar-' rett. among others, jir Van Biene/s ! Company open? an Australasian season j in Auckland on March 27. i Our old friend Oeo. H. Snaaolle turn- j ed nafty when asked to remove b.i« { tlr.j: from a Hasting omnibus a few ! weeks ago. He made things uncomfortable for everyone in the 'bus, and j apparently bordered on the violent.: The magistrate mulcted him in a severe j fine the next day. Miss Jessie Maclae.hlan, who is billed a. ; the Queen of Scoiti«h ar.d Gaelic Son;: in the States, contemplates a touT of the Antipodes, and will be dov.-n this way about April next. I have misgivings *about Gaelic songs, but, perhaps, after all they are not so dreadful. Miss Maclachlaii was the recipient of a very appreciative letter after singing before the late Queen at Balmoral. The Knight-Jeffries Company is to conclude its New Zealand tour at Dunedin to-night, and is due in Melbourne to open next Saturday. Speaking of the Williamson production of "Pirates." the Sydney '"Referee" say?: —Mr Walter Whyte. a new arri-i val from New Zealand, covered himself' with credit as Frederick, notwithstanding he. had to follow sucli an accomplished artist as Mr Kenningham. Other old friends in the caste were Mr Ernest Fitts as tlie Seregunt of Police) and Mr .lohn Ralston as Samuel. Probably the most- striking feature of the Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan revival?, says an Australian critic, was the magnificent chorus work. Na-nce O'Xfvil is once ajram to visit the Antipodes. She is expected in Australia, to play drama—drama good and strong—about the middle of th.c year. The season of the Royal Comics in Melbourne conolud'ed with a weeTc's reviral of "Panl Jones." The Calcutta "Englishman." in the 1 course of a ]enjrthy «*hiit with Torn Fitz-Gcrald, soys: —"Our representative interviewed Mr Tom Pitz-Gerald, who is slaying wit-h Mrs Fitz-Gerald at t-he Great Eastern Hotel, yesterday, and obtained some interesting particulars us lo (he origiu and progress of n show that is acknowledged by all who have st-en it to bo one 67 tin , best Australia lias ever sent us. Tt is to Mr Pan Fitz-Gerald Urat the c-ircus owes its Incidf.ncc. but it is to the ex : cellent business capacity of his brother. Trim that- it owes much of its i-uccess, and. moreover, it is to the lattors pro-, grt'ssivoness that we owe this visit. 'Dan started in business through a cough.' s.iid Mr Fitzgerald. 'The doctor told him that he had to travel, and he did. But rather than ask hi? mother for his expenses he joined a oirPlls. He soon became treasurer. :iud by hard work put by some £300, when lie left the cirrus and started in business on his own account. This was 25 years afro, and in those days circuses were not. in Australia, at least, the shows they are now. After a nomaclic p.xistenoc in ibc back woods Dan returned to Adelaide, in £oirth Australia, nnti T ibo.n joined lxirn. I brought in some money, and. after enlarging, the show a bit. we toured through Australia and Xcw Zealand, had a. good 1 ime. perhaps,' arided Mr Fitz-Gerald. reroiniscently. 'and when wp got to Queensland we found ourselves nearly broke, our capital and stock-in-trade consisting of &.'A2, six horses, and the pony Commodore. However, we started out ajrain, and have never looked back siuee.' This, in fact, was the origin of the mammoth show the FitzGeralds now possess in Australia. Experience had taught its lesson, and from that. time, as Mr Fitz-Gerald put it, 'we made money all along.'" Leslie Brothers are producing "Mnsic Mad" at the London Hippodrome. In a production of "Faust* , in Tokyo recently. iJcphistopbeles was represented' as a Russian, and Marguerite, in the linal tableau, gave lie-r hand to a victorious Japanese warrior returning from Manchuria. The fund initiated by Mr Bert Royle for Miss Gertie Campion affords an admirable example of a- laudable project carried to a successful consummation with marked business ability. I have pleasure in publishing a statement of the receipts and expenditure in the fund. Receipts were as under:—Wellington: Private subscriptions. £31 15/6; Mrs L. Schatz. £19 16/6: Black Family concert. £32 1/9. and cricket carnival. £96 14/6 (gross receipts, all expenses donated by Press and theatrical proprietors) —a total of £ISO S/3. Auckland: Private subscriptions. £13 3/6. Christcbureh: Private subscriptions, £11 11/; matinee benefit, gross receipts. £69 19/5; "Lyttelton Times," £5 5/6: Miss O'Brien's subscriptions. £7 2/6 —total. £!V5 18/5. Dnnedin: Private subscriptions. £9 13/; "Otago Daily Times" subscriptions. £21 14/6: cricket carnival (result not known)—total. £34 7/6. Gisborne: Concert, gross receipts. £43 5/9: private subscriptions. £1 5/..total. £44 10/9. Wangamii: Concert, gross receipts. £15 15/0. New Plymouth: Concert. trross receipts, -£6 10/; "Taranaki Herald" subscriptions, £.5 8/ —total, £11 18.. Masterton: Dresden Piano Company, subscriptions. £23 10/6: private subscriptions, 5/ —total, i£23 15/ G. - Timaru: Concert, gross receipts. £27 12/. Invercargili: ''Southland Times" subscriptions, £S "'Southland Daily Xows" subscriptions. £2 5/ —total. £]0 15/. Greymouth: Miss Webber, subscriptions.. £4. Oamaru: Mr Hood, subscriptions, £5 6/6. Feilding. Westport. Palmerston, Xew Plymouth, Hastings. Kelson, etc.: Sundry private; subscriptions. £6 6/. This makes a grand total of £471 13/2. The expenditure and remittances from the fund have been as follow.—October 25. 1904: Remitted to Miss Campion through Reuter, £50; cost of exchange, etc., £1 0/5; cable, £2 19/2—total, £53 19/7. November 24: Remitted, £50: cost, £1 0/4: cable. £1 8/4—total, £52 S/S. January 5, 1905: Remitted. £50; cost and cable, £2 8/6 —total. £52 S/6. January 6: Thomas Cook, passages Miss Campion acd sister, £72 15/4. January 16: Remitted at Miss Campion's request, £70; cost, £1 10/4—total. £71 10/4. Turgsy's account, Wellington carnival. 15/; Bobson'b account, Wellington , carnival, 6/ —total, £1 3/. This brings the expenditure up to date to a sum of £304 5/5, and leaves a credit balance in hand of £107 12/9. Mr Royle on the balance-sheet of which the above is a copy in a concluding note says:—"l . stated nuoui £600 as amount raised, but in doing so I estimated the Duneriin carnival (from information received) at about £150 or £100 net. I have received no particulars or money from the comj mittee—who I understand are dealing with the receipts independently, aud do not wish to include them in the general New Zealand fund.

Miss Madge Tithcradge was appearing in "Little Black Sambo" and "Little White Barbara," a musical medley, played at the Garrick (London) for the Christmas season. The medley is an adaptation from the two popular '"Dumpy" books, and Miss Titheradge as Liza, a pretty quadroon, is so.id to have sung and danced delightfully. It is stated that Mr Harry Plimnier. of the Knight-Jeffries Company, comes into a nice little Xew Year's gift under the will of his grandfather, the late Mr John Dimmer. THE DEADHEAD. BAXDS AND BA2sDSME2s. By PRESTO. My informant last week re Mr Llolben being in town was leather prenmtuxe, as that gentleman did not arrive until Tuesday morning last. Some of Ihe trophies for the forth j coming contest have arrived, and Eady and Co. have on view a Ruddall Carte cornet, two Jerome-Lamy troin-. bones and a Boosey euphonium. The cornet is taking the attention of all bandsmen, some of whom no doubt are casting envious eytfß at it. The special trombone, presented by Lamy and Co., is a real beauty, and there is no doubt that these makes of trombones have come to stay. Messrs Boosey and Co.'s special prize euphonium has not arrived, but an ordinary one is in the window to show what the firm arc donating. Tin , Bescn Challengiv Shield has arrived, and that, together with other trophies, will, by the time this is in print, be on view at Messrs Richardson's Piano Agency, Queen-street. From the bandsmen's column in the "Canterbury Times" I cull the following:—Mr Kay, secretary of the Devonport Band, Auckland, who is travelling \ through the South Island in the inter-! ests of his firm, Messrs Yates and Co., seed merchants, -rery kindly called on mc last week, and I had a most interesting conversation with him. Mr Kay is entlrusinstie on contest matters, and is | of opinion, as all bandsmen will be. that the coining contest to be held in the far northern city will give a great stimulus to ba-nris of Auckland province. Mr Kay also assured hip that the committee which has the arrangements in hand is a real li-re combination, and that overy-t-hing will he done to serve, the visiting bandsmen in a fitting manner. He regrets that his band could not see its way to procure a new set of instruments before the contest, but anticipates that the band will perform creditably. Special attention is being jriven to the; quickstep contest, for. said Mr Kay. the military mantctivres axe splendidly carried out by the bandsmen, and they may score woll in thiv department. Tins week I some nole~ re the Ruahinc Battalion, which a correspond 1 ent contributes to the "Canterbury Times." Tin Ruahinc Battalion Band first took up contest work at the ISSG--1597 contest (Wellington Exhibition). at which it figured very well for a first attempt. One or two minor contests, j held some years previously, had been attended. The next contest was held in Xapier, which was the lirst under tlie, auspices of the North Island Brass bands Association,, and the band competed, ar.d won high honours in the marching competition, and did good v.prk in the selections. Following on th<? next year at PaLtnerston North, the band again aDnexed a prizo in the marching competition, the chosen march being the "Royal Victor. ,- but it. did not gain a place in the prisy-list for i.ue selection test. Wellington Garrison, Wanpanui Garrison, Greymouth, Waihi. Pahncrston, Feilding and Mitchelltown Bands were the other competitors. Tlw following year, at the contest at Wellington, hold in the Skating Rink, the band grot into the prize list (fifth) for own choice, and one .test selection. Nelson Garrison heading it by three points for fourth place. the -leading bands being Wellington Garrison. Wanganui, Xorth-East Valley, and Kelson Garrison. Following on to the next contest, held in Wanganui, the band got second in the marching competition, which was of a very high order, Wangauui winning: and n quartette party also got second to Garrison. At the following two contests — New Plymouth and Ma-sterton—the baud did not acquit itself so well, owing to severe, losses of members, Tp to the Xew Plymouth contest the band ■was known as the "Woodville Brass Band." but. from then as "the Euahine Battalion Band." At Pabnerston North last January the band -again gained serond prize in the test selections. Kaikorai being first. lluabine was five points behind on one test and fourteen on the other. The position was very well earned. This is the only band in the association that has competed at its contests year in and year out since, its inwption. and it is very gratifying to note the progress made, under adverse circumstances at times, and considering the small place the band represents. The band is practising again, with a view of competing at the Auckland contest, when one and all hope , to acquit themselves well. The ihf-irumentation is as follows:—One soprano; three Bflat solo: one repiano: one second, one third cornet -. one repia.no. one second and one third flugels; born?—solo, first, second and third: baritones—first and second; euphoniums, two; trombones, first, second and G: basses—two E-flat, one B-flat and one B B-fiat. and drums. Mr J. Hartstone. ■formarly lieutenant in the Woodville Rifles, is now drummajor, and the members have improved greatly in their drill under his tuition. Mr A. E. Lawrence has conducted the band through all its contests. A correspondent very kindly sends mc the personnel of the Kaikorai Band for Auckland. It is as follows:—Soprano. J. M'Ara: solo cornet. '£. Kerr; first cornets, J. Patterson. J. Fear and W. Reid; repi-ano cornet. J. Bailey; solo fhigel. T. Baueop; second cornet. F. McLean: second flugel. E. Freeman: third cornet, G. Patterson; third flugel, J. Currie; solo horn, D. Whelan; first horn, A. Thomson.; second horn, L. MeConnell: third Lorn, J. Smith: solo baritone, E. Little: second baritone, J. Black; euphonium, j. O'Brien; solo trombone, D. Boyd; second trombone, J. Davie; bass trombone, W. Bevan: E-flat basses, W. Gou<rhlan and B. Gunner; B-flat basses, T. Fitzell; B β-flat bass, R. Chisholm: bass drum. S. Smith; side drum, -J. G. Osborne. Mr G. B. Laid Jaw is the conductor. The band is said to be playing really well, and Dunedin critics are of opinion that it is superior to the 1904 Palmerston North combination, a marked difference being noticeable in combination. ' The total expenses, £254. are now practically in hand,,and the bandsmen will leave Dunedin with light hearts in this respect. The Nelson Garrison Band, which recently advertised for a conductor, has selected. Mr J. Seymour, of Auckland, a recent arrival from England, who has had some twelve years' experience as a conductor.