STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 42, 18 February 1905, Page 10

STAGE JOTTINGS.

The chief interest of "the Taylor-Caiv rington Company is the comedy work pf Mr Charles Taylor. His tion of a part that would have simply been stereotyped and silly into a singularly clever and original impersonation is worthy of all praise. I should like to see Mr Taylor at the head of a. firstrate comedy company. Mr Auguste Van Biene and the company which is to support him arrived in the Ortona. The company consists of 20 members, and Mr George Musgrove states that the Australian season will be limited to 20 weeks, beginning at Melbourne to-night, February 18, with "The Broken Melody." Mr Barries plays bring him in every year £50,000. Mr Harry Rickards is sending another company to New Zealand at Easter. The star will be the "Russian Lion," Hackenschmidt. Miss Jennie Opie is likely to be a member of the combination. It is reported that Paderewski made over £20,000 on his recent Australasian tour. Lempriere Pringle has been specially engaged by Mr Geo. Edwardes to sing the part of Lefebre in "The Duchess of Dantzic," which was announced to be presented at Daly's Theatre, New York, ou the 16th instIt is said that a third Camille will probably be seen on the Australian stage in the near future. Miss Eugenic Duggan is studying the part, with a view to the presentation of the drama at the Melbourne Bijou by Mr William Anderson's Dramatic Company. Miss Florence Young passed through here oa the mail-boat yesterday, bound for America. Her final appearance in Australia was in "Paul Jones/"' Miss Jessie Ramsay (Mrs W. S. Percy) made something of the part of Juliette Diamant, the French maid, in "The Geisha," %vith the Royal Comics in Melbourne, Perc. himself playing the midshipman in the same production. Private advice has Deen received in Dunedin to the effect that Miss Gertie Campion is now making satisfactory progress towards recovery, and that her medical adviser is of the opinion that it will only be a matter of time when she will be quite her own self again. Miss Elsie Forrest, remembered here as a particularly attractive member of \ the World's Entertainers, is heard of | from India, where she is showing with considerable success in the land of Rajahs. Miss Dolly Castles will be the prima donna for the J. C. Williamson's Repertoire Opera Company during the impending New Zealand tcur. Tlie company's Sydney season closes on the 24th inst., the combination leaving for Wellington next day. There is a probability, says the "Critic," of George Lauri dropping out of 'his shop as leading comedian on the' Royal Comic Opera Company for Borne time. After fourteen years of constant graft George finds his health getting back at him. Jle suffers from a trouble that may call for the intervention of the eurgeon's knife. Probably young Percy will take on the big comedy parts if G.L. has to back out. Miss Aggie Thorpe, the promising young actress, who was Jast through here with the Abbott Musical Comedy Company, baa joined the Royal Comic Opera Company. She made her first appearance ill "Paul Jones," in the part of Yvonne, and came instantaneously into favour, her acting being pert and captivating, while her singing is sweet and full of expression. There died iv Melbourne the other day from consumption tho eldest daughter of Mr Martyn Hagan, who was professionally known as Miss Marie Woodforde. The deceased young lady was well known throughout New Zealand, having toured so frequently with Mr Martyn Hsgan and his wife (Miss Lucy Fraser), with whom sincere sympathy will be felt. Mr George liauri has been supplying some interesting particulars concerning his career, and his opinion of Australian performers. Mr Lauri made his first appearance on the stage at the New York Opera House at the time of the War. Two men, well known in Australia, M. Leon Caron, the conductor of Her Majesty's Theatre (Melbourne) orchestra, and Mr Pete Hughes, were employed in the same house at the time. All or most of Mr Laud's relations were connected with the stage, his ancestral connection therewith dating back for 200 years. As a boy he was articled tp an architect, but on the expiration of that term he followed his natural bent, and took to the stage. At first in England, Mr Lauri played drama, and then went into musical comedy. He visited Anieriqa witii Miss Marie Tempest, playing in ''Dorothy," and first appeared in Melbourne 14 years ago in "The Merry Monarch,"* with the late Mr William'Elton. Mr Lauri's favourite part is that of Jack Point in "The Yeoman of the Guard," and next to it Lurcher in "Dorothy." Of Australian girls on the stage Mr Lauri is very proud. He says:—"Nowhere in the world could anybody find choruses with the same beauty, voices, and education as those of Australia." Then the are no dancers in the world like the Australian girls. 'This

fact is not due 16 elimatfe, or instinctive talent, or anything of the.sort; it arises from the fact that when girls showgreat proficiency id dancing in' other parts of the world they are soon able to get engagements as solo dancers. Here the market is so limited that they have to stay on in the ballets, •with the result that sometimes very nearly a whole ballet is composed of girls who •would "be starred as leading solo dancers in Europe. Although the -women of Australia make a far better showing on the stage than the men, that is the case all over the world. The standard of the' Australian actor and actress has been steadily improving of late years, and I do not think it will be long before this country is able to supply its own wants on the stage." The company which supports Mr Van Biene in "The Broken Melody" includes Mr Horace Lingard, an old Australian favourite, and Miss Maine Rignold, a niece of Mr George Rignold, and sister of Miss Dora Rignold. Eight out of ten elephants originally shipped in India for Fitzgerald's circus were landed in Melbourne the other day from the Cooeyanna. The presence of the elephants on board .caused the monotony of the sea voyage to be broken by at least one period of excitement. One night two of the elephants became mutinous, and, breaking loose, wandered through the ship looking for miscellaneous food. Some cases of sperm candles were the last delicacies which they swallowed before acute biliousness induced theni to surrender to their keepers. The elephants are tp be put into training at once, and it is estimated that in five or six months they will have graduated iato the circus porfession. The •value of the original consignment was about f 3000. Mrs JJrown-Potter has been presented with a very handsome gold pin mounted with seventeen pearls, by the King and Queen, as a souvenir from their Majesties. In the letter accompanying the gift the King and Queen say they were charmed with her delightful acting in "A Man's Shadow," performed on the creasion of the visit to Windsor of the King and Queen of Portugal. Mr Nat Goodwin, the well-known American actor-manager, who visited Australia, it will be remembered, some four years ago, has been engaged by Mr Charles Frohman for three years, commencing in September next. The first production in New York will be made by Mr Frohman at the Lyceum Theatre of "Beauty and the Barge." in which Mr Goodwin will play the part now being played by Mr Cyril Maude. The American production of Messrs. Jacobs and Parker's play has been delayed in order to enable Mr Goodwin to create the role there. A number of the "Three Little Maids" company, which toured Australia recently, are in the cast of "Lady Madcap," the new imi3ieal comedy produced this week at the Prince of Wales (writes my London correspondent). Mr G. P. Huntley is very amusing in the part of a wealthy and good-natured man-about-town masquerading ;•; a butler, and Mr Maurice Farkoa is happily cast, some of the best musical numbers of the piece falling to his share. The "Lady Madcap" of the title is played by Miss Adrienne Angarde. She is the daughter of Lord Franilingham, and a young lady of lively disposition, who, in the absence of her father, invites a large party, including a regiment of Ypoixianry who are quartered in the neighbourhood, to Egbert Castle, and, the better to enjoy herself, persruades a friend to personate her while she masquerades as a lady's maid. In this capacity she induces Trooper Smith (Mr Huntley), whose affections she has captured, to shave off his moustache and act as butler, the better to be near her—a role which he discharges with much humour and effect. In the assumed role of the lady's maid Miss Angarde made a capital hit. As one critic puts it, "her frocks are the perfection of daintiness, her shoes and Stockings the last word of irreproachability, while her every utterance is instinct with that kind of archness which bids you always remember that the lady is beneath the maid." The piece is rather weak in dialogue, and depends for its success more upon the personality and clever "business" of the performers thaa upon its merits as a musical comedy. Madame Sarah Bernhardt has been on a grand tour of Europe. In Constanti nople she was greatly hampered by the censors. She had brought with her "Phedre," '•'La, Tosca," "Fedora," fL'Aiglon," "La Sorciere," and "La Dame aus Camelias." The Sultan's censors, in their solicitude for the mental welfare of his subjects, forbad? "L'Aiglon" because it might have given them false ideas of European politics, "La Sorciere" because the Koran js mentioned therein. *"La Tosca" because a police prefect is killed in the play, "Phedre" because it is a Greek drama, and "Fedora" becausa it deals with Nihilism. Only 'La Dame aux Cam-alias" remained but Madame Sarah Bernhardt hurriedly mounted "Sapho" and "Frou Frou" as well, and they were licensed. In spite of these restrictions, however the success of her representations at Constantinople even exceeded expectations. Ballet girls have gained a footing in tirade unionism in Paris. Recently were solemnly installed in ihe Paris Labour Exchange the offices of the new Syndicate of Choregraphic Artists," A member of the committee of the Labour Exchange says that arrangements are.being made to place at the disposal of the new syndicate a room in the building, "wherein the adherents will be able to practise the graceful exercise? of their profession." The following story told by Miss Ada Reeve appears in the Christinas number of the "Pelican." It was in melodrama, and the heroine had to leap a "precipice'":—"At one town -where Ive played the platform somehow got overlooked, but the local stage manager promised that it should be "all right at night.' It is hardly necessary to say that at night it was not all rigkt— that it had, in fact, simply been forgotten. However, by means of sundry dress baskets, piled oneon top of the other, a tower was made at the side of the- wing, and on this Bessie took her stand, and stood varfcing for her. cue. Just before she ought to have said, 'I am here,' and jonrtped down, in answer to the hero's cries, 'Where—ah! where is my lore?' —or words to that effect—for some reason or other the baskets began to slip, and before the paseionate hero could' well get the words out of his mouth, Bessie—who was a 'fine woman,' weighing something over twelve stone—fell off her perch and landed on the shoulders of her hero, who supported her like an acrobat for about half a second, and then, with a muttered curse, fell heavily on his back en the stage with the fair Bessie ob top—while, to crown all, down fell the two dress-baskets with a loud noise on the top of her! I need ' not tell yon liere how the audience i yelled with delight: indeed. I am rather | afraid that, standing at the prompt entrance, 1 laughed just as loudly as anyone else!" THE D.EADHKAB.