THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 3401, 15 January 1874, Page 3

THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

The Hoskins - Colville Dramatic Company, -jvith Dr Carr of/mesmeric celebrity, divide' this 'patronage of the people; but the former get the'lion’s share, Uhey have been producing the late Torn RobertsonV comedies with ; c6hsiderable success. On the Oth ihst Miss Colville took a benefit, and.,had,a bumper house. “The School for Scandal,” .with; the bcheficiare as Lady Teazle, Mr Hill as Lady Candour, Mr Musgrave as Sir Peter[ ! aui Mr Hoskins as Charles, was the pihee de fesUUpnce. * Colonial managers have'Jo put;up,with a gp.od deal, but I pity thp lot of the tajahager having a copjipapy whmh'iticmdes or tjiree such “.jolly dogg, as'the wrfter oflhe subjoined epistle must be. The style is so charming that I give-it verbatim et literatim, and the only comment I make upori/it is that it ought to find a/pUce among “Curiosities of Colonial Literature,”, when such a work shall be written ;. Saturday, / ‘" v ' ‘ Don’t know the date. Dear Governor,— . . Drunk .all night, no better .'how—. Dead' letter In th 4 farceto-night—and in School!—uncertain how to spell Schooll— God’ forgive -me; 'Will fpp my : screw at the usual time. Yourspay or whUe. memory holds.,a seat in this distra'credSchobli P.S. found out how it is spelt. » God-bl6ss you; and trust’your knee is better,' N.B.—A and are ruining me. youth’s £ot'sprfrip,l’ A ■[:,] Governor don’t attempt to sack me, for I have a medical certificate in my prompt trousers pocket. ' ... . .. • f •“■Kumsprigs in’these'’em latitudes. ’’— ' s • \ v Musstme. 22 of Phiz, among 4, and 2 bottles of P.B.*-; Haminnature ran’l-stiahdit,Ac.* : This elegant letter is the production of a gentleman who ! hearly every town in Her Britannic Majesty’s Colonies, and is particularly wdll khown in Dunedin. .When, the Alhambra left Melbourne the pautbiMmes'were ’the principal -attractions/’ The. Royal produced a localisation, by Marcus; Clarke, of a burlesque by John Strachah. of London, entitled, “ Twinkle, twinkle,' little star, or harlequiriJaek < Frbab, Little Topi: and the Old, Woman who lived in a Shoe,” and the Prince of' Wales plays “ Australia - Felix ! and. 'the' Magic Bat,” by Garnet .Welch, It be popular librarian: of the Melbourne AthenseuM: , The local critics tell ua,,tbat, “;lff point, of splendour the Royal pampih'ihie takes the lead; but the preponderance of Uteraty i ment belongs to the Prince of Wales; and: it is moreover the best played. Further, its murical qualifications rare, higher, 'and; as the ; cast presents/ several ladies; first time in Mel : hofirne make! thpir ' appearance in burlesque., Miss Wipstotie, who, ; it will be' ■ recollected, fUad&suCh a promising dihut in English opera last' season, ’ detelopes a .remarkable aptitude forbafTesque*; Miss Lydia:Howarde is much liked both ao Ssinger and dancer, arid' Miss Wpolridge'geti the fair show which hitherto has 1 been denied her, and pleases everybody. Then Mr Lascelles, who visited Dunedin with Madame Anna Bishop) pi excellent in bur-; lesquC. and the Leopolds; 'are ip the ballet. The Royal bave Miss* Thompson, sister of the Lydia Thompson; who is spoken of as being “ elegant and ladylike,” and the sisters Duyalli, Vho ile the most finished dancers who; < have ;! been ■ in the Colonies. Lottie'and hertroupe, - Rick ardsr and-B aselmayorare also in Melbourne, and receive a. fair,;share/of attention. /Turning to the Previnces ;and; other. Colonies, > I find ; the Xttiliaix'Opera ‘ Company Ure ’ still delighting

Sandhurst hbflsfes—St.. James’s— Miss Polly; l.eake takes the lead in burlesque-, and is ! supported by a strong company, -which, in-' chides many names known in Dunedin, among them being Miss Nelly Greenlees..and Mr Russell, and Mr Martin Forde. At the other ,house —-the Royal—Miss Ada Hart plays in, burlesque ; and 1 am sorry t> learn that misfortune has compelled her again to take to the stage. At •Sydney the English Opera Company is performing “Genevieve tie Brabant ” at the Victoria,'and at , the other house Mr Joseph Rayher leads, assisted by Mr Carden and Miss Green. In Tasmania Miss Juno’s company continue to do good business; and their visit, which was only to have been for , a and has already extended over three, shows ho signs of being brought to a cloae v , They are now playing in Hobart Town. “Mrs Steele is givit g.readiugs in the island. ’

Colonial names do not occur very often in the notices of English theatricals, but when they do they are spoken of in very complimentary terms. Miss Julia M.atthews has made another great hit in opera. Her per formance of the heroine in .“ La Fille de Madame Angot” at the Philharmonic took London by storm. It is spoken of by the critidk as bile' of the .most' legitimate 1 successes of the present sgb; ,'and Her performanceunanimously cbhsiderbdsuperiprineyety way to that of the original representative of the character,.when a Brussels company performed ft at St James’s in May last; The mention of this opera;’which is by a Prencli author, recalls' the fact that' Both' foreign artists foreign productions have'almost entire pbfisession'' 6f' tli^'-l^n^on'; 5 stage. M : tragedy,' Slid her Lady'Macbeth created*a'perfeot'' ftirore. It is tq rival anything, by ifiddons in Bef' jp'al'niiest days. • Cer’Wnly Ristorils benefitwas one f of the ,greatest;ovatiqlie'’‘Baid to any cetitury? of the' principal London Theatres ard handed oyer ; to Erench companies. Barry iS faiHy'coining money in-lhq;ProviridSS, r and Charles Dillon has just cbh'bliided^"successful Rowe is' still rn New Ybrk,, where His new piece, '* K (3iorieva’B iS fouhded on the, Franco-Prussiau, war, has met with ast nisHittg success. ChartesMathews iilav s yetf biit shows Srghs'of old age, and the .critics do ,nqt negledt to tell bim thaff it is tirhb he : retired, t*.' Comedy °, n Gyutches’’. they ball Bis performances. Mr’Pnor, who visited” Melbourne with the died lately, aqd left his fortune, viHtwh v \Vasf ! ;'a respsfliablo;', 6no, ; to .l Mrs Matjiew|, ; 1 Tady’Theresa‘Avbnmofe 7 —or, as she''is Better kriownv the Hqh!. Mrs Yelverton —J 1 ?? coihinenebd a lecturing tour in (order to provide funds to cintihne’ her suit'.against her ; reputed husband,in the House of Lords. It is notified in a Hastings paper, where she performed last, that at the, conclusion of. b?? tour Through Great Britain s!le : will visit the , Australian Coloniekon a similar errand. - ■ I.have been asked to mention that a compliihentary benefit, tendered' ; to M. ; Fleilry S b Y The- Ga,rahdiui family; the members of thh , musibal profession and of .Dunedin !as ?‘ a mark of respect to stu • excellent ; arid esteemed ■ artist, algo of sympathy- for j his recent protracted illness,”’ takes place &t : the Queen’s Theatre on Monday evening next. The mere mention of the fact should secure, the utmost sympathy" and fullest ; patronage of the public for one who. iinfiays tone by, when in good health, was ever foremost in lending his aid and talents tq any charitable purpose. That an excellent entertainment will be given, the names of the , promoters of it are a sufficient guarantee. ■ -• ... PROMPTER.' r