Dramatic And Musical

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 105, 5 July 1902, Page 17

Dramatic And Musical

By Foptlight.

THE Theatre Royal is at present a haven of refuge to those who want to get in out of the ram, and, once inside the hall of talent, you aire generally glad that the wet drove you there. Gallando's stock-in-trade consists of about a hundredweight of clay a table, a board an easel, and his own genius. It makes one's heart ache, having watched him model a perfect face in half-a-mmute, to see him take a twenty-pound handful of clay, and savagely destroy it for ever. He is ambidexterous, and can create an expression with a punch of his fist or a poke of a finger. • * * A clay picture of Mr. Gladstone was a perfect thing, and, as he poised his handful of clay to smash the well-known features, a distinct murmur of disappointment went up. He gently effaced the resemblance to the G.0.M., and built up well-known features of worldwide renown with marvellous fidelity The audience rose as one man, and sang "God Save the King" as the effigy of His Majesty grew under Gallando s nimble touch. • * * Mr. Miller Fraser wins the heart of his audience at the first note. He sings delightfully the most tuneful of Scotch songs, and there is a clarion ring about his voice that remands me muchly of that prince of tenors, Sims Reeves. Mr. Fraser is a worthy successor to Wallace King, who, on Monday night, was in the audience, and who enthusiastically clapped the tenor's fine items. * *■ * Dave Frohman, who us billed as a coon impersonator " did not impersonate any coons on Monday night. He sang and imitated the voices and manners of well-known actors. Cunning, the magician, finds an inexhaustible supply of half-crowns in the air, and deludes the audience in a very openhanded manner. While he varies a good many of the feats with which the ordinary music-hall goer is familiar his methods are distinctly in advance of most conjurers. A magnificent example of "palming" is shown when four billiard balls crow out of one apparently from between his finerers. He sets enouerh bunting and Chinese lanterns out of a hat to decorate the sta°-e with and doe= it with a finder and thumb only He is a sray and clever deliver is Cunniner. Drum-Major Irving Sayles, of the "Dandy Fifth " a corps of dashing demoiselles, brings his regiment _on, and puts them through their training with tremendous animation. This is still one of the most "fetching" items on the bill. Pope and Sayles tour through their half-hour turn, and tickle all and sundry of the Gaiety patrons. The ebullient Sayles, at a modest computation, uses at least twenty tons of energy per night. I have seen Pope and Sayles' "turn" twenty-five times and I am going to see it through as lone as they are on the bill . • • * Other artistes there are too. Miss Fanny Shepherd is a favourite vocalist now, enving of her best. The Howard girls are as frolicsome as ever, and Bert Gleeson and Arthur Elliott supply burnt-cork work from the wings and elsewhere. The Wellington Amateur Opeia Company, who were thought over-am-bitious in running for a seven-nights' season, have no reason to> be disappointed at the result. Bumper houses were the order right through, and certainly the amateur artistes improved as they gained confidence. Miss Amy Murphy, the beauty of whose voice is undeniable, has full confirmed the kudos she won on the opening night, and Miss Sime, who certainly shines as an actress, deserves high commendation. Mr. Lvon, "the gaoler " from the fir^t night took premier honours as a remarkably able artist, and Mr E J. Hill ha* sustained a long-established reputation for his finished vocalisation t * * Amy Castles' record "house" was the one iii the Melbourne Exhibition buildings, when she gave her farewell concert She charmed 20,000 people that night and the traffic outsido was blocked.

Jean Geiardy arrived in Sydney on July 3rd. He goes through Australia, and Tasmania, and the date foi his wind-up is October 24th, at Auckland. • * ' Some of Mr. George Musgiove'& "Chinese Honeymoon" is to be spent m New Zealand. ' First date of the happy event somewhere about the opening week of November.

Saudow, of course, is to be the pnncipal attraction of the coming Rickaids Number 2 Company Hanj behe\es Cinquevalh and Sandow to be the biggest 'draws" he lias ever bi ought out » • • Miss Ada Ciossley, the eelebiated Australian singer, has not always beon m receipt of big salai-ies In hei youthful days she did strange things to raase the necessary lucre to enable hei to hear music One time, not hawng money enough to obtain entrance to a show at Port Albert, she waded m the local creek barelegged to collect leeches She sold the proceeds to the hospital, am] luxuriated m a front seat and a satisfied soul when the show opened ' Pianist Paderewski, who is at piesent delighting London audiences, says lie will come to Australia and New Zealand if entrepreneurs make it worth w hile America made it worth while to the tune of £20,000 for a three-month*' tour. Surely, Australia can go o-m> better than that' + *- ~ Madame Melba is still holding herself back from visiting her "beloved Antralia." There are sixteen musical at homes to be given in London, when she leaves Vancouver for the ''Big Smoke," representing £400 a time, before she rejoices the hearts of her country-people. * * * Mr. Wallace Brownlow loves Adelaide. It is said that the recent farewell benefit tendered to him eclipsed most things of the kind during recent years. The Adelaide Town Hall was filled, and the town pavement blocked on June 27th. The popular baritone inbound for London ■r- -c *■ I notice that theatrical scribes on the "other side" are pretty unanimous m regretting Alfred Hill's retirement from the musical life of Sydney. The\ say his song now is, "Home to Oui Mountains." r *. j. The Broughs have not farewelled themselves out of the Pacific vet They are billed te play Pinero's "Iris" and Esmond's "Twenty-one " at Sydney Royal opening on July 19th Big houses and beautiful notices w hereever they pitch camp. * * • Sn Henry Irving has recently celebrated the anniversary of his 64th birthday. Toole has just completed lias 72nd and Jo Jeffeison of 'Rip Van Winkle" fame, has enteied upon his 74th. • • * Mr Clarence Holt, Bland Holt'^ father, who is about to publish his lemmi&cenoes of half a century on the stage, played on the gold digarings m Victoria fifty years' ago, just after the yellow metaJ was discoveied in Australia Among hxs acting contemporaries in the colonies were G. Y. Brooke and Joe Jefferson. Mr. Holt is still to be met daily about London, says the "Dailv Chronicle," carrying his seventysix years with characteristic gaiety, while his old friend Jefferson is doing tlie same in the Californian capital G. Y. Brooke went down in the wreck of the London, in the Bay of Biscay. many years ago while making his second voyage to Melbourne. • • • Lillian Coomber, the talented soprano, who was charming Wellington audiences when the Musgrove Opera Company was here, turned her colonial engagement to good account. The Carl Rosa Opera Company snapped her up wheai she returned to England, and she is now playing leads for them. Lillian is stall in her earliest twenties • • • Miss May Beatty, now playing Rhoda in the "Thirty Thieves," for Mr. G Musgrove, has been given the leading part m the "Chinese Honeymoon " * • • New Zealand is "housing" the leading representatives of Australasian vaudeville — Ben Fuller, representing Messis Fuller and Sons Mr. Marcus, repiesentmg Rickards's Variety Companies P. R. Dix, Dixs Gaiety Companies amd Mr. Rial, of Lee and Rial's World's Entertainers • • ♦ The Haw trey Company which the cycle of time will land in New Zealand next May, bring "The Lady of Ostend" and 'Mv Soldier Boy " Cinriuevalh says he will juggle no more after he concludes the piee>ent tour, but will settle down in London If he takes as long to farewell jus the average stai , he wnll be round this \\a\ again in a year or two * • * Criticism at the recent Amy Castle? ciush concert in Melbourne — Matron (who looked as if she had been drawn through a gorse hedge) "Oh the onrl may be able to sing pretty well, but I have no patience with hei . Just look at my ha.t '"