Dramatic and Musical

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 114, 6 September 1902, Page 7

Dramatic and Musical

By Footlight.

DIX'S Gaiety Company, at the Theatre Royal is in a chronic state of boom. Night after night the house is packed, and, from what I know of the quality of the bill, theie will be no vacant chan for some time. Callalian and Mack, the Insh-Aineiican artists, who ask your undivided attention for ten minutes, ask something you cannot help ?n ing. ' The Old Neighbourhood" is a picturesque spot, and is the scene of a playlet in which ~athos alternates with mirth, music, and melody, and quaint snatches, of Inshisms. # • • This clever pair are comedians of a very high order, and musicians and dancers of exception.il ability. The instrument used by Callalian (or is it Mack p ) is a relation to the. bagpipes I do not know if it is worked by wind, gas, or electricity but it is played with sou 1-st in ing effects It is the finest musical comech tuin" seen line foi eighteen months Tom Woottwcll is a gentleman of Cockney extraction, whose genius runs away with his legs. He does not shoAV any of this nonius until one wondeis what he is dome in the show but when he "breaks out " he gets all the fun out of his business that is possible. Miss Emily Lyndale, a brunette seno, of handsome appearance, is clevei in a song in which she is half a lady and the other half a "Ivdv." With the Society half to the footlights, she sings a picturesque and ultra correct verse, but, with the scarlet haJf of the Whitechapei damsel foremost, she is " 'Arriet" out and out. She dances nicely, and can recite with diamatic effect. * * • Miss Alice Lavton is remarkably convincing in "Doreen," and "Annie Laurie." She gets breathless attention from her audience. She receives an ovation even prior to lifting up her fine voice. Clever Maud Faning, the only gill who comes to New Zealand as a real "coon" while she is on, is as vigorous and bizarre as she always is. MaudV grotesque grimaces, her tuneful voice, and native grace, together with her dramatic power, have won her a hi^h placei in heir specialty. • ♦ » Mr. Georsre Dean and Mr. Fred Rivenhall, Tim How ard (the handful of humour), and Miss May Lewis (of the horizontal curls) are filling in their respective five minutes with the usual results. George Dean's clever character sones always extract a laugh out of the profoundest pessimist. The Vitnei aph is in excellent form, thei execution of p

Boxei" looking f an J m > leal, and the countn- le&s like Hampstead Heath than usual. ♦ » ♦ All that portion of tlit- people of Wellington who aie euamouied ot sensation, goie-stamed situations, villaim , and vntuf' the tnumnh of samtliness over sin have been getting then fill of it at the Federal Hall for a week past Also, the Federal Hall has been getting its fill of the people. What can I say that will adequately desenbe "When London Waives" s3 the sufferings of Madge Brooton, whopineiS in fearful wietchedness through the greater part of the story, the heioic sufferings of Hairy Trenton, the most hardly-used youii"' man of modern times the giddy wav in which the comic gentleman aim es in time to> see> that justice is not done out of its prey, and peifoims feats of valour that no man but himself would dare to ciaek a joke about ? Sobs rent the audience w hen the hei oine had lost herself, in foui syuaie feet of falling snow, with her tattered shawl diaw n lound hei emaciated foim Stione emotion racked the gods as the comir> man evaded every policeman in the metropolitan force, and asked the girl as a favour to "cheer up" ' While you feel deep down in your heait that the persons who are carivmg on m the good old melodramatic wav should be in a lunatic a^lum if the e\ents weie real the heioine's plaint causes you to sniff and blow your nose in the time-honoui-ed way.

You feel glad when the comic man hops out of the atmosphere, with a couple ot levolveis, and a half-acrp smile, and gives wllamy a trying time. When e\civbocly in th-e play seems to lovo seeing virtue trampled on, and villainy getting money wholesale, you are rejoiced to note their misery w hen somebody upsets their airy castles with a word. You rejoice, too, when the lawyer proves, to everybody's satisfaction, that the girl is leally a peeress in her own right, and that the lawyer will hand her over the deeds of her property, and a free ticket for a coionet if she will call round m the morning. * * * What rapture fills your soul, and how voui feet tintinabulate with ecstacy when she leally does marry him after all, and the villain is sentenced to a felon's dungeon bv anybody who likes to sa" so But the moral is all right. The actors and actresses are all right. The pathos, passion, tears, hopes, fears, and blood are the mixture most people like and they are crowding the Fedelal Hall as that building has not been ciowded for years. Mr. Van Burg has hit the popular taste. * * Miss Carriei Davie, with her dramatic company is going to harrow the feelings of playgoers in the Opera House, commencing to-morrow (Saturday). Most people like their feelings harrowed, and a sensation, in a real nver, containing 70,000 eallons of water, makes most people hue; themselves in anticipation

There are sensations enough in "The Lights of a Great City" to satisfy the most exacting. The cast, is a good one and, from what I have heard of the capabilities of the artistes, a boom is promised. * * • It took but three days for trick-vio-hni.st Geiger to decide that Miss Mollie Bentley, who has just been rousing Dixs Wellington a,udience with patriotic songs, was the only girl for him. * + ♦ The Tiansvaai "Leader" has had the bad taste to refuse to worship at the Wilson Barrett shrine. Hear it on "The Silver King" 'It is futile to disguise the fact that 'The Silver King,' with which Mr. Barrett's name has become indissolublv associated, is the weakest production of his repertoire. . . Man" people probably expected too much, any wav they received too little. . • • . Miss MacCarthy makes a feeble and disappointing Nellie Denver. . . Feeble too is the Jaikes of Mr. Horace Hodges" — and so on until every member of the company gets a pill without a sugar coating. This is a fearful shock when one views the pedestal on which Barrett stood. (Continued on page 17.)

Pianisto Florrio Bums, who agitates the instiumeiit toi Johnny Shendan, and Bert Bradley, also a Shendian, have ju&t been inained on the othei side The Lion Thov'ic at it again samo old trouble." Tlie Lioness "What is it, my deai 3 Tlie Lion "Tlie monkey 's name on the encus posteis is in larger type than tlie elephant's." Tom Pollaid is bound foi Australia to-moiiow (Saturda\) to look for fiesh musical comodv JNi i J C Williamson has a few of the latest Yankee notions, and Tom wants the New Zealand rights. Wouldn't aou think it was easy enough to stung the nonsense together that constitutes the comic song? If your genius luns to that kind of tinner, knock off work and write music-hall song 1 You might do two a week, and get at least one m twelve accepted Sousa the Mai eh King," is marching Ins wa\ short h with his incomparable band He has been a triumphant sufceess m the United States for some yeaas now lam not sure that Sousa will do too well in Wellington. He will have the Newtow n Salvation Army band to contend with * * * Miss Electa Giffoi d, the gifted sopi ino now touring with the "young master," Geiarch. sings in many languages She made her European debut at Amsterdam in Dutch opeia, and sang for eight months in Ivnc soprano parts The statuesque lady's repertory contains tipw ards of tw enty operas Shakespeare does not "go down" in the colonies. Miss Janet Waldorf, who is certainly one of the finest tragediennes seen out heie, fared very badly over her colonial venture. They talk of tendering hei a benelt m Melbourne She 1 is a highly-deserving mark for such a compliment * *• * Mr. Marcus is bringing a very strong Rickaidian Company to New Zealand to augment the talent at Dixs halls of light and merriment Among them are included Derenda a, id Breen, the Jackson Family Fagan and Brvon, Winton, Nora Carr Glyn, Jennie Opie, and the Clarence Sisters. As an e\idence of Philistinism say you hate classic hash in music You "must say this, but must sit with bated breath and listen to bad French and execrable German trying to fit itself to perspiring music. Which hi mas us down to remark that farew piling Dam, at S^ dne\ , hit the audience in its tendeiest spot with simple "Auld Lang Syne " and the "National Anthem " Dunedin scribes, who aie watching every buck of Percy Dixs alteied "Princess" being put into place, use to remark that when that theatre has put on its new bib and tucker it will outdo anything in Australasia. Sydney "Bijon" is perhaps, the sweetest little house this side of the Line, and if the Dunedin "Princess" out-shines that jewel Dunedin maj well put on supeilor airs * *■ Entiepieneui Harry Rickards will live in the future in Suriey on the Ocean or m Melbourne. Han\ is selline up his sticks and is going m foi a model faim m the countn named Harry's hoise sale eventuates soon, and if they do not fetch the puces he e\-pect-s he is to gne the said f ,11m a start with them Australia without its HaJTv will be very much like New Zealand without its Percy

One ot the sinceicst compliments Sn Henry lining can evei ha\e lecened was uttered in m\ healing (says a lepresentative of MAP) at the Menvale matinee The cuitain had fallen upon Waterloo and a tiemendous stoim of annlauso burst forth, necessitating the repeated a|)peaiance of Corporal Giegory Breustei Suddenly, a lady in the stalls leant font aid crying excitedly to tliose near lier ' Don't clap, don't clap It's too much for that -loor old soldioi - it's cruel to make him bow again'" A moment later she had recovered herself, and was once more a quiet, self-iesti amed Knghsh'Homaii