DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 29, 19 January 1901, Page 12

DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL

By Footlight.

FOR a whole week "The Professors Love Story" has held the stage and kept the Opera House tilled each playing night. It is a complete change from the comedy-pieces which preceded it. Written by J M. Barrie, it is pervaded by that novelist s tender grace of style, delicate fancy, and quaint, dry humour I? B h°rt. it is an exquisite little love-idyll. A middle-aged m-ofessor, prematurely old and sapless, falls into love without knowing it with his pretty amanuensis. The case for a time baffles his doctor and college chum, who, at last, divines the truth, and orders off the patien : to the home of his youth in Scotland. The professor takes the prescription but also takes his amanuensis with him. Various people try various means or keeping professor and amanuensis apart . His sister suspects the girl of being an adventuress. A young and mercenary dowager makes strong efforts to capture the professor for herself. But all the marplots fail. Love rejuvenates the learned recluse, and under its inspiration he steers for the port of matrimony. There is some baffling weather on the way, but the voyage ends happily after all. # + Mr. Charles Arnold played the part of the Professor with really admirable effect, bringing out into strong reliei his listless manner, his fits of abstraction, and his unconscious devotion to the winsome little secretary in the earlier scenes, and in the later ones his tumd and gentle courtship. Miss Dot Frederic (Mrs. Arnold) appeared to very great advantage in the role ot Lucy White, and she missed not a point. The low comedy element was furnished by Effie (Miss Ada Lee 1 ), the Scotch housemaid, and her canny Scotch lovers.' Pete (Mr. Frederic B. Sharp) and Henders (Mr. Frank H. Denton). The make-up of these two swains was droll, and their acting was highly diverting, but their Doric was not made in Scotland. Mr. Geo. Willoughby afforded further proof of his versatile talent by the finished manner in which he impersonated Sir txeo. Gilding, and Miss Agnes Knights gave an excellent portraiture of the Professor's sister. The scenery calls tor special mention. The wheat field, with its stooks of golden grain, was quite redolent of the country. * • * "Captain Fritz" was staged on Wednesday, drew a full house, and proved a complete and unqualified success. Mr Arnold's impersonation of the namepart is a delightful character study, and the songs which he incidentally sings were all promptly encored. They comprised, "My Pipe and I" "Fairy Bubbles," "Tommy Atkins," "We Take Off Our Hats to the Queen," "Lord Bateman was a Noble Lord, and "Whose Little Girl Vas You." "Tommy Atkins" and "We Take Off Our Hats to the Queen" produced quite a furore. The piece was repeated last (Thursday) night. # To-night 'What Happened to Jones" will be revived for this occasion only, and for the last three nights of the season "On and Off," a racy, up-to-date farce-comedy, adapted from the French, will be played. It created quite a sensation at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, where it ran for over a yeai If Anniversary Day should be rainy there will be an afternoon performancp of "On and Off." * * * Miss Nance O'Neil, said to be the greatest actress who has ever visited the colonies, makes her debut at the Opera House on Wednesday next, and plays for an all too brief season of ten nights. During that time there will bo a rapid succession of high-class dramatic works. Critics have gone into rhapsodies over Nance O'Neil. She is in the first flush of a glorious womanhood. A beautiful woman, with a superb figure, and a voice capable of translating every phase of emotion, she also possesses histrionic gifts of that -exalted order which men call genius. It is a unique experience in the colonies to be visited by an artiste of such great talents at the very outset of her career. The company which supports her is a strong one. Suderman's powerful drama "Magda" will be the opening piece, and will be followed by "Elizabeth, Queen of England." Mr. Joe St. Clair is now busy with the preliminary arrangements for the season. The box-plan opens to-morrow (Saturday), at Holliday's.

Mr. A. Middleton, who brought the C'uttica Concert Company to New Zealand, and was last here with the "Land of the Moa" Company, arrived last week to prepare the way for the advent of Wirth Bros.' Great Circus. It is nearly nine years since it last visited this colony, and, with the exception of the Wirth family themselves, the present performers will make their first appearance in Wellington. Amongst the "stars" are — J. W. Cook, the champion bareback rider of the world, one of whose feats is the remarkable jockey act of jumping, with his feet shod in bas^ kets, on to the back of a galloping hor^e ; El Zobedie, a marvellous handbalancer, who walks up a spiral staircase on his hands, and slides down the baluster rail ditto; Miss Wirth, who rides and drives five bareback horses ; and Miss Marizles Wirth, who juggles on a galloping horse. Amongst the performing animals are a bucking elephant, a couple of ponies that box in regular prize-ring style, and three tigers. The circus opens on Monday night, on the reclaimed land in Mercer-street (adjoining the Working Men's Club), and only plays for six nights. There will be a matinee performance every afternoon after the opening day. * * Mr. Percy Dix ought to be perfectly well satisfied with the prosperous run his pantomime, "The Babes in the Wood," has had in Wellington. Nineteen nights to first-class business, to say nothing of some half-dozen matinees, is a record to be proud of. The final performance of the pantomime was given last (Thursday) night, and Mr. Walter Rivers has nroceeded to Dunedin to prepare for its opening there on Tuesday next. It is intended to give it a four weeks' run in Dunedin, then take it to Chrstchurch, and at Easter to open with it in Auckland. * * * For to-night and to-morrow night the Gaiety Company return to vaudeville variety business, every song, dance, and act .introduced being quite new. On Monday an entirely different combination will take the place of the present artistes, who will then be on their wav South. It will consist of several old* favourites and eight performers who ha.ye ' not been here before. Among the latter are the Mintons, a clever American troupe of ban joists and trick dancers; the Wingate Sisters, graceful and daring trapeze artists; Miss Mollie Bentley, a descriptive and motto vocalist; Mr T. Dawson, comedian; Mr Conney Moreny horizontal bar performer: and Miss Maggie Steen, a sprightly danseuse. The old favourites comprise Mr. Frank M. Clark, the clever comedian, the Leslie Brothers, Mr. Arthur Hahn, the popular basso, Miss Mabel Maie, and Miss Rose Andrews, vivacious serio-comics, and Mr. John Tudor, another sterling comedian. This is said to be the strongest vaudeville combination that Mr. Dix has yet introduced to the public. • * ♦ Shows may come and shows may depart, but Fuller's Bijou, at the Choral Hall, goes on for ever. At any rate 3 there is a full house every night. As usual there was a complete change of programme on Saturday, and all the new items scored heavily. Lottie Lome and Lena Young made their last appearance. Charles Faning and Georgie Devoe were in great form, and, in fact, all the artistes appeared to advantage. On Monday, the Tylers (risley acrobats) made their re-appearance, and, along ■with Miss Jeannie Johnston and Miss Trixie Le Mar, received a very hearty welcome. Charles Faning and Georgie Devoe "farewelled" on Wednesday night, and to-night (Thursday) the Lyn- > i Hrc- , musical eccentrics, will face the footlights. More attractions on Saturday. Mr. Geoige Willoughby, who played with such signal success the leading part in "Why Smith Left Home," will most probably revisit New Zealand, say two years hence, with a company of his own. At the conclusion of his present engagement he will then take over some of the pieces now being played by Mr. Arnold, and hopes also to introduce to the colonies "The Wrong Mr. Wright," the latest of the clever farce-comedies turned out by the playwright who wrote "Jones" and "Smith."