THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 3556, 16 July 1874, Page 1 (Supplement)

THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

( Continued ,)

I found hardly any pabulum in the Now York papers. Mrs George Darrell appears to be doing very well in the interior, but was not a great success in that City. But in the ‘Clipper’s’ account of a performance at the Bowery I came across this account of what must have been a very funny scene The scene was a bed-room at midnight, with an old gentleman reading a letter. To the sound of slow music a villain entered the room, and with a cat-like step approached the old man, clutching in his hand a glittering knife. He approached slowly, and the excitement among the gamins in the gallery became intense. Just as the would-be murderer was about to make a deadly plunge at his unsuspecting victim a boy who was leaning with open mouth far over the railing of the gallery, sung out with frantic earnestness : “Loek behind you gov’ner. Thoer’s a feller goin’ to stab yer.” The assassin dropped his knife and roared with the audience, and the curtain dropped without anybody being murdered.

The present season appears to bo as prosperous for the theatres as it is for amusement of all kinds. ■ The greatest activity is observable, in all the London houses, and managers are jubilant. French plays are brought into prominence by the splendid acting of Madame Laurent in Balzac’s “La Mar&trd,” which is enjoying a highly successful run ; and at the Prince of Wales’ the “ School for Scandal ” is produced with elaborate realism; furniture, dresses, decorations, manners and customs of the period complete. Every little allusion and incident —every touch of domestic fashion (or, as we should now call it, chic) has been studied in the books and letters of Sheridan’s day, and reproduced. “The result,” remarks the correspondent to whom I am already indebted, “is not quite satisfactory; it is a little too much like that produced by Charles Kean’s revivals of Shakespeare. The power of the play is weakened by the perfections of tbs properties.”—The other dramatic productions of the month are Mr W, Wills’s “Mary Queen of Scots” at the Queen’s,' and “ Eldorado described as one of the brightest, smartest, and liveliest burlesques of the day—at the Strand, In Mr Wills’s historical drama, Mr Rousby puts so much low comedy fun into his acting of the part of Knox that his audiences seem to forgive

the libel of making the great reformer a more contemptible person than Oliver Cromwell in “ Charles I. ” for the humor of its dramatic translation. They call out familiarly to Mr Rousby when he appears—“ Ah, John Knox ! Bravo, John Knox ! Go it, John Knox I” Some critics say the popularity of the drama is evanescent.—J, L. Toole, who goes to Kew York in August, is being extensively paragraphed on the other side of the water. This most genial of low comedians is said to make an average of L3OO a week during his provincial tours.—Sims Reeves is in a very serious state of health. He' has for some time been unable to sing, and his illness has made so much progress that it is feared ho will not be able to sing again. Indeed there are grave fears of a still more serious resnlt. In a previous contribution I made a brief reference to Ben Webster’s farewell of the stage, made at Drury Lane on March 2, on which night “ a string of carriages, reaching from Waterloo-bridge to Drury Lane, deposited at the national theatre the most brilliant audience of modern days, to witness a performance by the most famous actors and actresses of the day.” Old Drury was crowded from floor to ceiling, and quite as many as obtained admission were turned away. As has been before stated, the play selected was “ The School for Scandal,” and out of the volunteers the following extraordinary “cast”—l doubt if a stronger one will ever be seen—was arranged : —Sir Peter Teazle, Mr Phelps ; Sir Oliver Surface, Mr S. Emery ; Jossph Surface, Mr Creswick ; Charles Surface, Mr Charles Matthews ; Sir Benjamin Backbite, Mr Buckstone; Grabtree, Mr Compton ; Careless, Mr H. J. Montague ; Trip, Mr J. Clarke ; Moses, Mr J. L. Toole ; Snake, Mr T. Thorne; Rowley, Mr Horace Wigan ; .Sir Harry (with the song, “Here’s to the Maiden”). Mr W. Wrighton; Sir Toby, Mr J. Billingt m;

servant to Sir Charles Surface, Mr Lionel Brough; servant to Joseph Surface, Mr David James; servant to Sir Peter Teazle, Mr Kighton ; servant to Lady Sneerwell, Mr Brittain Wright; Lady Teazle, Miss Ellen Faucit; Mrs Candour, Mrs Sterling; Lady Sneerwell, Mrs Alfred Mellon ; Maria, Miss Isabel Bateman ; Lady Teazle’s maid, Miss E. Farren. It is superfluous to add that the performance was as near perfection as could be, and the audience were in raptures throughout. Among other noteworthy events must be classed the production in London, at Exeter Hall, of Macfarren’s new oratorio “ John the Baptist.” In a communication to the Auckland ‘ Star ’ I find the following refer* •nee made to it :— ‘* English oratorios have of late years multiplied exceedingly ; but in numerous instances they are heard only to be relegated to the lumber-closet or perchance the butterman. This will not be the case with Mr Macfarren’s latest production. In “ John the Baptist” the subject is peculiar, and would not seem promising, but it contains glorious melodies as well as some very peculiar passages, unusual, even abnormal, which attract and please jthe educated ear. I was at once struck with the overture and its singular opening. This consists of an imitation of the sounding of a sonorous ram’s horn, a custom amongst the Jews at the approach of the new year. The principal characters are John the Baptist, Herod, Herodias, and Salome. The latter is the daughter of Fferodias, who danced before the King, and here was an opportunity which the composer has ably grasped. The dance measure is of a peculiar kind, stately, but voluptuous, and highly Oriental in its quaint melody, if melody it be called. The com-

poser was obliged to come forward and return his acknowledgements. The oratorio was performed last year at the Bristol Festival, but this was the first time it had been rehearsed before a Loudon audience.” •‘‘O far the operatic successes of the season

must be credited to “old Drury,” where Titiens is supreme, though the Swedish Nightingale has hosts of admirers. But Titiens is said to be the greater attraction this season, her voice being as fine and powerful as ever, while her industry and energy are unflagging. The rivalry between the two Queens—Titiens and Nilsson-to which reference was made in my last, appears to approaching culmination. It is thus more fully referred to by a lady correspondent, who occasionally contributes Home gossip to the columns of the * Bruce Herald*: It is said that Balfe’s posthumous opera “ II Talismano is still a bone of contention. Mdlle, Titiens declines to play second fiddle in the piece, and Madame llouzeand, nee Nillson, must have the first. This is one rumor,'but not a very credible one, as these ladies never do appear in the same piece, each having her own night for performance, and her own especial character. A more probable one is that Titiens is offended at the appearance of the new opera being delayed until the arrival of Madame llouzeand, and the first performance of Edith Plantagenet being given to her, th*

part being better suited te Mdll*. Titiens her* self. We only take the rumors for wliat they are worth; they are a good deal talked of here at any rate; and it is also more than whispered that Madame Bouzeand has not been, pleased b y the far from enthusiastic reception whioh she has had in America, and Is therefore dis* posed to be rather more exacting than, such a hitherto flattered prima donna may be expected to be, or than, it is no libel to aay, she usually is.

Apropot of the "queens of song ” a correspondent of the • Argus’ tells ns how they dress, information which is certain to interest my lady readers (if I have any). The subjoined is an extract from a communication dated London, April 17 : People are talking of the wonderful toilettes of Madame Christine Nilsson. The desoription of one of her dresses is wonderful. The gown is white satin, not only trimmed with puffings and plaitings according to the most elaborate of Worth’s designs, and bunched, looped, and bundled, o I'outrcmce, but with the skirt striped throughout its entire breadth with cords stitched into the satin like piping for seams. A nice little calculation has been m^d ß that 500,000 yards of stitching have been required to “fix” these curds alone. Over-dress-mg is very prevalent on the stage at present; even in the case of actresses who have artistic pretensions, and who ought te know better. Madame Titiens is a grand exception; her stage costumes are always rich, appropriate, andln perfect taste.

And before leaving the subject I will just again refer to Nilsson and to Patti, to show how valuable is a brilliant voice. The u j M Strakosch are perhaps the most goahead of all our modern purveyors of musical entertainments. One controls the Italian opera; the other makes the United States his special field of operations. The latter (Michael) was lately “ interviewed ” at New York by an American reporter, and volunteered to the latter the] foil awing information ; *

In his first concert engagement with Madame Nilsson, that very accomplished lady’s terms were L2OO a night and half of thegross receipts after LBOO. Nor was this all. He had to pay her toilet bills and find her with carriages, as is always the rule with all her engagements. She subsequently sang for him in the opera, her terms being again L2OO a night, but with some modifications as regards the sharing of ths gross receipts. Altogether from those two engagements Madame Nilsson cleared the astounding sum of 260,000 dollars, or. sav L 50.000. His own share of the profits wu enough to satisfy him; but he has since obtained Nilsson’s services on more reasonable terms—Lloo for each performance, with half the gross receipts after L6OO. Even at her highest, however, Madame Nilsson is cheap as compared with Adelina Patti (who, by the way, is the Strakoschs’ niece), who is under engagement to the American uncle at L 40.000 for a hundred nights, which is L4OO for-each performance. Those extravagant prices for warbling, cannot, of course, be obtained in Europe, though Mr Strakosch states that Madame Patti, who is related to him, “gets Ll6O readily every time she sings ” in the Old World In the opinion of Mr Strakosch, the star system cannot be got rid of at present, but he and his brother—the Paris manager—are working in the hope of putting an end to it sooner or later. What they are agreed upon is ‘the education of the public taste and the gradual doing away with the star system ; or if they will have stars, we’ll make them ourselves, and not buy them readymade at as high a price as now.” Promptkk,