Dra Matic And Musical

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 120, 18 October 1902, Page 7

Dra Matic And Musical

By Footlight.

DIX'S Gaiety Company, at the Theatre Royal, is remarkable this week for the sparkling nature of its business. There are several persons on. the bill whose "turn" it would be silly for to miss. For instance, there is the trio of Harvey Boys, with flkitrJike faces, a quaint conception of comedy, and a really fine idea of using their fists. You know, of course that usually when a person on the stage "smacks" another person that the report of the smack is supplied from the wings sometimes before and sometimes after the assault. The Harvey boys smack each other with tremendous vigour, and ultimately, when they ha,ve used up all thear jokes they fall-to with the gloves, and give quite a scientific •exhibition. The third Harvey is a small boy, with a large, natural whistle, and he siffles very mellifluously. He refuses to be encored. • » * Mr. Fred. Lloyd, whose face seems somewhat familiar, belongs to the "society" order of entertainers. He neither talks slang, or wears wall-^aper waistcoats, and his fine mobile countenance is chiefly used for interjecting amusing items in correct Enelish. '"Peter Piper," etc., etc., is his best effort. Mr. Miller Fraser, the clarion tenor, is perhaps responsible for the loudest applause. His fine voice is heard to great advantage in Scotch songs. He has a hearty manner of dealing out sweetness, and appears to -enjoys himself equally with the audienoe- • * * Clarke and Cowan, who are not bad hands at unearthing a hidden lauo4i, are humourous in an item "The Model Prison," where the convicts are threatened with expulsion, etc. The laugh I refer to searched around until it found six dozen others. Even the two detectives, who always lean over the back of Dixs dress circle, probably looking for "two-up" players, were heard to smile. Sam Rowley and Geo. Bemtley, in their own, element, which consists of more or less pointed satire, with music or without, hold up their end with success, and Miss Jennie Johnston and Miss Pearl Lovell. the latter from whom "it's so hard to nart," are doing their best to merit a continuance of your esteemed favours. The whole show comes to a termination by "Cremation," at 10.15, enabling you to arrive at your Island Bay home before breakfast. • • ♦ The opening of the Musgrove New English Comic Opera Company is being anticipated with keen interest, and, if the advance booking is anj criterion, the Wellington season should eclipse the triumphs of their recent Auckland sear son, where over 3000 seats were booked for the seven nights of the company's ■Bftay. The combination opens at the Opera House to-morrow (Saturday"), in one of the most successful musical comedies seen in Australia for many years. • • • Wedlingtonians will be pleased to -rain welcome their young favourite, Miss May Beatty, in a role in which she has gained universal popularity. Mr. Edward Lauri is spoken of as one of the finest comedians Australia has seen for many years. Mr. J. C. Piddook, the manly baritone of the company is sand to possess a magnificent voice, besides being an actor and dancer of high ability. The remaining principals of the company, which includes Messrs. Foster Courtenay, W. R. Shirley Henry Haslam, and Misses Josephine Stanton, Cissie Neil, Bessie White, etc., come to us with excellent reputations. The box-plan, which is rapidly filling, is at the Dresden Piano Company.^ # # The Wellington Physical Training School and Gymnasium held its sixth annual gymnastic oamrval on Tuesday and Wednesday, in the Opera House, and might be summed up in the one word heard on all sides in the interval "splendid." The newly-imported instructor (Mr. Bennie Dovey), who w ears a leather 1 breastplate besprinkled with many medals, has made the most of the very promising material he has on hand. His lieutenants— senior pupils of the "Gym " are very capable leaders and instructors. The whole of tihem tj orked with such good effect that no hitch occurred. Someone who understands the art of stage-managing was respon-

sable for the fact tihat there were no awkward intervals and no mistakes. Whether on the parallel or horizontal bars, rings or in the mass exercises "without arms," the whole of the pupils, from all alges between ten and fifty, entered into it with a vim. The swelling biceps of some of those young men were a revelation as to what a system can do, and the splendid development of the chilldren is the finest advertisement the "Gym." and its instructor could have. While the several advanced pupils were remarkably clever in tihear trick gymnastics, it must not be forgotten that the school is primariil-" intended far proper and scientific physical culture Order and discipline, so essential in\ every walk in life, is illustrated in the marching exercises. Not one pupil who did not stick his or her chest out to its fullest, capacity, amd take a pride in the exercises. Not one who was behind time or nervous. It instils confidence. • ♦ Tumbling "a la Cragg" was a special and remarkably clever feature. Walking down stairs on the hands was done without a fault, while the various formations of human pyramids were exceptionally smart. Fencing, boxing, and quarter-staff bouts filled in very pleasantly, and the clever little instructor himself did some splendid club work. Rather remarkable is. the "club" swinging in which he uses a couple of glass bowls with live goldfish in for clubs. As the handles 1 are limp ropes, the skill required to keep the water from stalling is unusual. The whole entertainment was excellent. Thei business and fessionail men's class of the Gymnasium made a hiandsome presentation to. Mr. Dover- on Wednesday night. Mr. E. G. Pilcher, on their behalf handed the popular little man a fine diamond ring in recognition of his untiring efforts as an instructor. • • • To show that some of the feats of Sandow are mere "blow," the sturdy Teuton frequently extinguishes a large healthy canidle at a distance of thirty yards with a single expiration of breath. Another "blowhard" feat is to expel a playmgcard violently through the atmosphere until it is jammed hard up against a wall where it is kept glued by a steady pressure of breath for three minutes' Samdow seems to have a, rather strong breath. I hear that an extraordinary fiddle, a relic from the front, has found its way to London, where' it is doing a musichall "turn." The body of the instrument has been fashioned from a meat tin, the finger board and neck from an axe-handle, the bridge is a tent-peg, and the tail a tent-ring. It was the work of an ingenious "Tommy," whose original music-maker had been crushed to death by an ox waggon wheel. (Continued on page 20 )

"Billy" Coffey, the smart, hustling, little man whom you may bump up against on any corner in Wellington, going at the rate of knots, looking for busiinesa and news, is as full of life as ever. For many years he pushed a pen for the sports column of the Wellington "Evening Post," and he infused some of his own enthusiasm into his work. * * * Later, he filled a similar position on the Dunedin "Star," and, not so very long ago his heart turned towards his own Empire City, and he trekked hither. "Billy" joined the press agency firm of Tait and Co., and is buzzing busily around at this moment on business bent you may depend. He has recently decided to let several leading papers in. the ohief cities know something about happenings in Wellington, and has taken a contract as wholesale oorresponidenit. If there is news behind any door in Wellington, "Billy will get it if he has to squeeze through the keyhole. * • • By the way, Mr. Coffey is the representative on the New Zealand Rugby Union for the Canterbury and WairanaT>a Unions, and is a member of the Managing Committee of the colonial union, but his ohief aim in life in the future will be to sutrolv several "great dailies" with piping hot news from the Emioire City.

Amongst the numerous nourishing industries which are springing up in our midst must be numbered the coffee, spice and cordial works of Mr. George S. Fairdhild, started at BAntoul-street. Mr. FaiTehxLd, who, for twenty-five years, was manufacturer for Messrs. E. H. Crease and Son, had the advantages of commencing operations possessed of a thorough, praotioal grasp of his business, and tflie rapid growth in lar estimation of his various articles of manufacture affords convincing proof of tihe skill and knowledge displayed in tiheir composition. If you want good coffee or sauce, or pickles or baking powder, try Fairchild's. You can't go wrong.