OPERA HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 753, 28 February 1910, Page 6

OPERA HOUSE.

'.. EICEAEDS'S .COM- ''•'*'.":'; v" ■ PANT. ■:;.':'. ..> ■'. :'•• " A,. Eiokards, Vaudeville "Company is always welcome in Wellington; for the very.simple reason that .the' public can' safely ,rely on" seeing two or three ,; turns," sometimes • many.' more, that are really, .worth ; seeing. As -a matter of fact, the companies sent' through' New Zealand'are invariably stronger than those seen at any one time at' either' of ~,-6 Eiokards theatres in Australia—the iivoh, Sydney,, and the Opera.-House, Melbourne, where the bills are frequently changed, .but the .'stars, do-not cluster so notably. In. the. present instance, there are three strong turns which form the backbone of the -show—the clever Trapnoil Sisters,; Franco Piper, banj'oist', and the -old, war-horse "Bob" OTitzsimmons and his talented wife, Miss Julia Gifford. iheact' of the Trapnell Sisters is electrical : from beginning to' end. They .are acrobats, strong women, pyramid-builders, what you will, but beyond all that they are,'something new. Much of their combined work' is. done in time to music as are-the treble, flips,and accompanying postures'with'which they introduce themselves. Having demonstrated their'marvellous ' facility'in acrobatics, they become a little' more serious.: A Junoesqde young, lady, places her feet on' her sisters' ™aas, and. these 'then draw-wide .apart, ■j-2. lad y meantime maintaining her pUiheult posture in mid. air.; :To- make the feat more "notable,' : the two supporting, sisters" ".slowly "sink.,to a' kneeling posture as they part.;, then, without respite, they rise.slowly, and come' together onco more. Ihe. act,/ which, aroused a- storm/ ot applause, was .accomplished with on' ease and grace delightful to witness. Another, startling feat of skill, strength; and judgment is;that where'one of the" girls ■Lathorine-wheels"" across the. stage, an J is caught.'qn .the last handspring,, and Held poised, in mid-air by her muscular sister. The, "tum'V is' embellished by the'acrobatic, quips of. brother. George,' a youth as.,shm" and shapeless as his sisters ?SiW ;TII demonstrate the stiengthi:of . the girls, if. only needs ■ to bo mentioned that George'uses the arm ot-one of;them as a horizontal bar-it is, the v arm: of, .a female' Hackcnschmidt. Ir n S ? nd ' fl ? el ; of-their aerial acrobaticshave to be, seen to be; realised. Franco Piper is a star of quite another ff'.,,,? 1 ; travels, with a' warehouse stock, of banjos,: :of, which instrument 'he ■ is.the.,master.'. His : tone is resonant, his' lingering • clean ■ and masterful, arid ; his expression ,; unexceptional;" One ' 'can' 'hardly, conceive an impressive. "rendering on- the banjo :of.the "Pilgrim's .Chorus/' ■.from ,Tannhauser,". but-Mr.,Piper gave' Ml value and effect'to ; the manf beauti;tul and subtlo changes that mark the progress...of, -Wagner's , great :religious Morale. rßut. in the . mainKhe eschews' solo work.,for .trick banjo-playing,: in:. ■ v ■ t ~-* »"."-Wonder.-"'- Holding a. banjo ,in -each."hand, .(by-;the ,neck), he sways:them;gently: as:he tihWe.'i ,out a popular ' then weWwith tiro,; tfireeMour, banjos, with the tune" •coming-clear.-'oiit" to the' audience. , Franco Wper has", also, -developed", the, freakish .idea of, tinkling "banjo's, and at one stage he, is. playing ia ..tunei on .no. fewer than' sis.-banjos. spinning',i,n ; a; row. ■'■■.■ These tricks 'are..exceedingly, clever, but many m thenudience would; have-liked to hear more ..straight-out, .banjo-playing', from such a master of the. instrument.' Tho : ■advent; of -. "Bob" ■ Fitzsimmons,. ox-cham- ■ pion-pugilist of the world.and his pretty wife, : was ; .the.sißnar for 'ail"."outburst of applause.;-/They appeared .in a- little sketoh, entitled. ?'A Man's a Manfor'a' ■ i, at »,,> n tp/winch the story-of the pugil-' ists; hfe is "woven;' Unfortunately;. Mr. Jjitzsimmpns s,;voice was .very husky ,on: iZ.. i y , e . T , enln ?- and '•■»'' was- with diffionltv.that his ".dialogue could be heard, ? \5 ,s . ? Ia , m manlT: story wins the 1 heart', .of: the .lady,., as it.'certainly made", air a PP ea V- to,'.the'audience. . Though he struck no deep note as ah exponent of histnonics,, it ,was;interesting' to see the hereof, over .300 :gTeat icontests-a' tall, spare, .broad-shouldered, aggressively.bald man-bestriding'-, the stage, and administering knock-out; blows' to a punching-: ball, ".which he, with a smashing blow, Snally punched.ihfo the dross circle. Miss Julia"Gifford'"(Mrs.: Fitzsimnions) is' a .bright, stylish little American'iady, with more than..a: sOnpcon.of French" chic in her- makerup. . She intones, rather.than I speaks,, her .dialogue, and has perfect con- - trol. over., a'.pretty little soprano .voice, which, ,however,; ; she "uses'" in" rather an : .affected manner,., She sang. "Comih' thro' ..(uriaccompanied) in the sketch archly, enoughi.but rather overdoing the staccato :,offect,/. : That this is characteris- ■"° :°f her., yocalism was' borne out in a couple' of pretty bravura songs later in the evening. .Miss Gifford was charmingly frocked and has a captivating stage pre-, sence. -.A clever: and daring fbicycle act' .was, performed'by The Wheelers, who: are right-up minute in trick cycling. Vande and Verne: were':moderately.amus-. mg in-.their-joint songs :and" patter,'and ■^ r Vi: ' e ?' Blue ". a popular comio singer - &i?? B -'-P.W d -' order ' san S a number of ..ditties, abased on "themes,that have done noble service m the music-Halls for. the last quarter -of a century.;.- "Shirts"- was the laughable; exception.- The entertainment . concluded: with the. display of the kinematograph :picturo.;'of the Lang-Fitz-' Simmons fight, which took place at Sydufcy,.a few,;.wceks ago.. A capable little orchestra-under Mr. Harold Hennihgham, supplied the needful in the instrumental ™?.v ;/ h ?, programme, will .be presented:until further, notice.', '~'.. V .