AMUSEMENTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2051, 30 November 1907, Page 4 (Supplement)

AMUSEMENTS.

LOCAL FIXTURES. HIS MAJESTY’S. Dec. 2 anil 15 —Cook’s Pictures. Deel3—Cook County Curious Coons. 1908. February 17, 18. and. 19—J. O. Williamson’s “Blue Moon” Company. March 11 to 14—Brough Flemming Company. May 11, 12, 13—J. C. Williamson_ Juno 8, 9. 10—J. C. Williamson. August 12, 13, 14—Erank Thornton. Ada Crossley is now louring Dio English provinces with her own. company for the first time, under the direction of N. Vert. Grace I’alotta, upon the teimination of the Willoughby-W.ird four, will go to Monte Carlo for a. holiday. Miss Jessie M’Lwohlan is at present resting in Sydney. As soon as sho has fully recovered, another tour •will be arranged. Edward Nable, whose conscientious study of the part of MooJrai till tileabsence through accident of Mr Victor Gouriet) in “The Blue Moon,” has suddenly brought him into prominence, was a Pollard Liliputian. He graduated to the position of first comedian under that management; and when he had in due course grown out of the “Lilliputian” size, he became stage director of the company during its tour of the United States. He is a Melburnian. Mine. Patti, who has been in the habit of "iviug an annual concert at the Albert Hall, Swansea, in aid of the funds*of the local hospital, repeated the pleasing function in September, when the gifted diva sang several songs, and was encored again and again. Thousands of people lined the streets of the Welsh town to dfieeer tlhe great vocalist, and numberless bouquets testified to the lov e and reverence ol ’lie audience. News came to hand by the last mail of the death, of Fred, iieliermun at Paris on October B.’ The deceased, who, with his wife] Madame Gharbomiet-Kellerman,for-merely had a conservatoire o/lullsic in Phil lip-street, was the father of the noted swimmer. Annette Xellernnau, and was held in high esteem in musical circles in Sydney. He died, after a ; period of great suffering, and was buried in the family vault of his wife’s relatives at Pere la Chaise.

Madame Clara Butt has completed her principal big seasons in Australia ; that is to say, she has finished with the cities in which. she was ■announced to give five concerts and over,- and for the rest of the year the famous contralto will he occupied with the less densely populated centres—as compared with Melbourne and Sydney—in South Australia and West Australia and Tasmania. It has been a truly wonderful visit, 'for every one of the concerts she has given so far lias beeu_ an absolute triumph from the artistic standpoint, while from'ilie box office point of view it is' not too much to say that tlie average takings for each of them approximated to four figures, a record that no previous singer has so far attained when the number of concerts as well as the number of the audience is taken into consideration.

■lt is not generally known that diaries Dickens, early in life, thought seriously of going on the stage, and wrote to the stage manager of Oovent Garden Theatre asking for an engagement. “I itold him,” said Dickens, “how young I was, and exactly what- I thought I could do; that I believed I had a strong perception of character and oddity, and a natural power of reproducing in my own person wliat I observed in others.” For three years - he worked at preparing himself for'the hoards, going to a theatre every night to study acting, aiid practising for six hours a day, shut up in his own room or walking in the fields. His first reco/rded connection with (amateur) theatricals was in 1842, when, on his first visit to America, lie took part in “A Roland for an Oliver,” anti “Deaf as a; Post,” in Montreal. Dickens all his life was more or less “stage struck.”

Mins. Sarah Bernhardt will appear iii a new role shortly—that of ail 'authoress, lor the has written tllie story of her life, and Mr William Hemeonann is publishing it ithis month. Tlio title of her hook is - vu L v Double Dife,” which, it may be explained, does not. mean that the great Sarah lias been guilty of duplicity in character, but that, besides being .an actress, she has a very interesting private life, and she takes her readers into her confidence with' regard to her life both on and off the stage. ; For several years she lias been engaged on the work which will be fully illustrated in colour and block and white. Wij; this book the great actress shows herself the equal of the Kaiser in versatility. She is an actress, authoress, poetess, sculptor.—and artist, but, about all, as" hel* memoirs will .prove, she is a woman whose Jafe lias been devoted to all that is artistic, and whose indomitable will has conquered all obstacles.

There’s no doubt about tit ("remarks a Sidney writer) American, fmw people a.re ’cute and un-<to-date, and don’t miss many points, lilie mere suggestion of ' booking seats in Sydney by wireless would cause a bigger sensation than if tllie whole Federal Parliament were to .otter their services to the country free of charge. . Hero is a par, from the New York ‘‘Dramatie Mirror” : ‘“A Hmv system was inaugurated last week at the Hippodrome, whereby passengers on the itranslawtic idea mors are enabled to order their tickets in advl.uice by wireless telegraph. Ait this time of the year thousands of American tourists are .returning from Europe, many af whom, on their way to homes in the \\ eat,. have perhaps only one or two days m New 7 ork. l,t was found on the opening of the Hippodrome last year that these people were very anxious to witness the performances, but that the tickets were all sold 'When they arrived in tfclio city, shuhert and Anderson therefore decided to send wireless messages to incoming steamers informin' l " (tllie passengers that any orders that might be sent by wireless telegraphy would he given particular attention,”