THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 3068, 18 December 1872, Page 3

THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

The Opera Company will be here the first week in January, and intend to stop in Dunedin a month. The company, as I have before said, differs very little from what it was when here last year. Signora Bosisio is leading soprano; Signora Riboldi replaces Polli as contralto; and Grandi and Cortesi are now longer with them; Kosnati and Coy are the tenors, as before; Tambourini Coy, who is the people’s favorite wherever she has appeared in New Zealand, is said to be in splendid voice ; Coliva and Tournerie, the baritones; and Dondi, a tower of strength, the basso. The greatest improvement in the company will be found in the chorus, which docs not now consist merely of noise, but the introduction of half-a-dozen well-trained female voices gives it a freshness it would not otherwise possess. Signor Zelman still conducts ; with M. Eigenschank as leader; pety, as first violin, is replaced by Mr Leach : second violin is Mr Kichty; Mr Howard still performs on the clarionet; Mr Creed Loyal on the flute; while the othernew faces in the orchestra are Mr Brown (double bass), and Mr Hore (cornet). Signor and Signora Cagli accorapauy the troupe, who open here in “ Trovatore. ” So it is admitted after all that the troupe’s visit to Auckland was not, financially speaking. a success. Many causes were at work to produce that result, and some of them are thus stated by the Herald “ It was a mistake that the Choral' Hall was selected at the outset, but it having been announced that the performances would take place in that building, the impresario should have kept faith with the holders of season tickets. It iS true that after two or three nights the company went back; but they had then pffejVfled two sects of patrons. ‘ You agreed,” said the holders pf season tickets, to perform at the Choral Hall, and you have gone to the Prince of Wales.’ ‘Sou have come down to tyueen street,’ said another set, ‘and now you return to the Choral Hall, and so we will have none of you.’ Both parties v/ere offended, and Signor Cagli suffered a severe loss. The company, too, was not so strong as last year. Buffo opera could not be placed on the stage, and, for the most part, heavy pieces were presented. ‘ L’Africaine,’ * Norma,’ and ‘ Macbeth ’ demand a fuller orchestra, a more powerful chorus, and more leading lyric artistes than the management possessed; independent of these drawbacks, the stage at either place was not sufficiently large for the grand scenic effects which are intended to form part of these great compositions. If we add, that money was not circulating so abundantly as when the company first came to us, and no reduction being made in the tariff for admission, we think it will be found we have traced the cause of the nonsuccess of Signor Cagli’s venture in AuckI tlld.” My Melbourne correspondent writes At Christmas there will be a grand Intercolonial festival got up by Mr Coppin in Melbourne. I see that Melbourne is not included. It is not a Government affair. The various authorities, however, will give it every assistance. It will cousist of grand concerts, cricket, theatricals, &c., and will last from December *26 to the new year. Of course there will be many oLher amusements ; there will be three theatres open in Melbourne. Miss Rose Kvans is at the Royal. She made a great blunder in playing Hamlet, and she gave the reporters great abuse. She will probably open the Ballarat theatre soon. Haselmayer, afterhaving been modt successful in the city, is now in the provinces, but will shortly return to Melbourne. 1 Miss Jones, folly Leake, Stuart O’Brien, &c,, arc at the Prince of Wales, hrank Varley is at the Princess Theatre. •.Now for some English theatrical news. George Fawcett is irregularly employed in England partly as dramatic author, partly as aotor. Miss Julia Matthews is travelling yvfth a po'pnc opera cojnpapy, playing Offenbach's productions, Iler great hits are Boulotte in “Blue Beard” and the Grand Duchess. She is separated from her husband. Barry Sullivan is making wealth fast in the provinces. Wilmott is also making money as host of Wilmott’s Hotel, late Goal Hole. I got more than one letter from him. Heller did groat things in Java, so did the Gregorios but John Gregory gays he is heartily sick of his present life, although he is making' money. In Java no bills are allowed to be stuck on the walls, but excellent .theatres are in every town. Artiste of all kiuds.areso well off i« iioglaad

that Mr Harwood, of the Boyal, Melbourne, will have to content himself with the “leavings” of the agency offices. He has not had good health since his arrival in Melbourne. In the acrobat line, the greatest sensation has been Lottie, a young woman, daring in the extreme, small, cheerful, not ill-looking, piquantc, and graceful, but anything hut Herculean in build. Mr Richard Davies Ireland, Queen’s Counsel, actually gave her publicly a speech and a medal on the occasion of her benefit. An alarming accident happened at the Theatre Koval, Sandhurst, the other day. The Bendigo Advertiser gives the following account of itMinnie, whose performances at this place of amusement during the last few weeks have been spoken of as being extremely daring and highly sensational, was going through a number of feats on the single trapeze, which is suspended in mid-air between the roof and the floor of the theatre. Having successfully performed several difficult one?, she was in the act of doing the last and most sensational of all, when the unfortunate accident happened. She laid herself horizontally upon the bar, resting on her hack, and the feat was to let herself fall head downwards, and catch her feet in the right angles of the swing. The girl gained the first position in perfect safety, and remained horizontal with the bar for several seconds to fairly balance herself, and amid the groat excitement which prevailed in the theatre as the climax of the feat approached, she let go her balance, and in falling she attempted to catch her feet in the rope, hut she failed to do so, ami fell head foremost into the body of the pit. The fall was partially broken by the activity of a gentleman connected with the company who was in the pit watching her movements in the air, and on seeing that she bad missed her hold he rushed forward, and nearly succeeded in catching her as she fell, but, unhappily, he failed to do so ; he, how. ever, was successful in reducing the violence of the fall. The poor girl was picked up in an insensible condition, and was carried into the adjoining dressing-room. As might he supposed, the excitement which followed the accident was very great, and the painful a ene of agitation defies description, all present being quite horrified at the dreadful occurrence. The performances were abruptly brought to a termination, and the theatre was closed. Dr «Tuikshank was sent for, and having promptly arrival he dressed Minnie’s wounds, finding that she had sustained several severe abrasions on the head, and that she had received a severe shock. Her recovery was very rapid, and the theatre proprietors announced that Minnie would repeat her dangerous performance ; but the public indignation was so great that the Mayor of Sandhurst was obligee to interfere, and on his threatening that the license of the theatre would he cancelled, the proprietor gave way, and Minnie’s name was withdrawn from the bills. Prompter.