Dramatic And Musical

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 141, 14 March 1903, Page 7

Dramatic And Musical

By Footlight.

fashioned school-mistress, and a lovesick German music-master is capably impersonated, accent and all, by Mr Jonh Denton. The "Strange Adventures of Miss Brown" is shocrt and crisp and full of brightness, and the w hole ot the people in the cast are fitted with parts which are done full justice to. # *• * That breezy laugh-producer, "A Little Bay of Sunshine," was given by the company last nieht (Thursday), and will be a^ain produced to-night (Friday) and tomorrow night That ever-green screamer, "The Private Secretary, will occupy the boards during the last three nights of the season— Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next w eek (Continued on page 20 )

DIX'S Gaiety Company has its foot once more upon its native heath, and the fun ~oes briskly on as of yoie. The films for a vitagraph production of Ah Baba" did not turn up, so the leading tableaux in Mrs. Henry Woods' shocker, 'East Lynne ," were shown with harrowing faithfulness. The audience became enthusiastic as the moving picture story reached its climax. * • * Mr George Bentley, a sterling comedian, with an easy way of tickling the nsibihties of his audience, as the humorous gentleman in evening clothes, or the comic specialist in the rags that are always necessary for the part, handles hi& diverse subjects w ith happy results. Miss Ethel Clifford, the sad-looking young singer with the soulful voice, really had to smile when the audience vociferously re-demanded some of the quaint old sono-s and ballads she so artistically renders "If I Could Blot Out the Past" is a pajthetic little morcea.u well w orth goina; to hear * * * Mr Ernest Hill, the dignified young basso, detonates deeply in the organ-like songs we know so well. ''Out on the Deep" and other favourites are given w ith. power and expression. Mr. Hill has become a favourite. Then there is Rose Devella, the dark and dashing dancer, with "Charlie on the Mash a song that is forgotten in the joy or the succeedme dance, and of course^ the iolly Ida Rcslyn, and little Vera Kearns assist each other in their peculiar line of business. In their Irish sketch, as two "Biddies," with baskets and kaleidoscope stockings, they manage their Hibernian humour with success. M-ss Jessie Thorne, another "dasher " gets through "Cheer, Boys Cheer, and reaches a high altitude with either foot. She also "contorts," and Jack Kearns, the rotund and roystering corn-er-man, sings comic songs to the accompaniment of back "flips," and other things necessary to give humour a nne polish. There are many other bright and able people sprinkled through the programme, and the "lawyers -Clerk, a precedent in legel procedure, fires its farcical shots about 10.30 with gratifying result®. * * * Mr. Frank Thornton and his comedy company, with their repertoire of some of 'the breeziest farcical comedies of recent times are still going strong at the Opera House. The able exposition or ' Sweet Lavender," with which the week opened, gave place to the cleverly absurd "Strange Adventures of Miss Brown." Mr. Frank Thornton, as a gallant light cavalry officer, who marries a girl who is a, ward in Chancery and suffers horribly for his pains, is able to fill every minute with mirth during the whole time he is on. * ♦ The gay, debonair Irish Major, O'Gallagher (Mr. Alexander Bradley), after it has been decided that the youthful wife and ward m Chancery shall return to the select seminary of Cicero House, under the wing of Miss Romney (Mrs. Walter Hill), r-gs the bridegroom up in female attire, and introduces • her" as a new pupil. You can understand that there is some fluttering m the dovecote when the gay captain adopts skirts and a red wig meets his schoolgirl wife, and gets the police on his track for "tampering with a w ard in Chancery." Mr. Thornton is able to make the part ihe plays excruciatingly funny, and when he finally escapes and ••bastes the devil" (according to the Major) out of Sergeant Tanner (Mr. Joseph Wilson), of Scotland Yard, and covers that thick-headed bluebottle with mud, the fun is furious * * * As Angela Bright* ell, the schoolgirl wife, Miss Vera Fordyce instils a waywardness and vivacity into her part that perfectly fits her "lines " She is of charming appearance, and perfectly natural. A dash of tropical passion and colour is infused by the introduction, of Miss Schwartz (Miss Leonie Norbury) from Demerara, whose fiery nature teaches her to love the red-haired •'girl," and to demonstrate affectionately to the horror of the girl wife. * * * Distinctly eocd work is done by Mrs. Walter Hill as the severe and old-

It is said that one of the best tilings a visiting comedian 'got off" Mas tlio stage The same comedian refused to do his turn" because he felt "funny. * * * The tumultuous Charlie Fanmg is sampling English audiences for the first time He is doing good business at Manchester * * * The Broughs are gleaning the golden gram left ove.r by the Indian Durbar, tfter subduing Calcutta they intend to perspire some more at Hongkong. * * * Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew who drew a large crowd here with "When Two Hearts Are Won," are to go to the land of veldt and ko Pl e, after which the - Great Smoke" will enwrap them. * • • That subtly-perfumed comic opera 'Florodora," has dene itself the honour to be translated into French and the language helps it so much that the ' Bouffes Paxisiennes" are rushing it greedily. # Fifty per cent, of Germans underbrass bands. * * * Fred Lauri. in an article ou the prevailing 'sin of actors—extravagance^-re-marks that the acme of «trava«jnt expectation would be to set a hen on a fned egg. and look forward to he! hatching out a boaled chicken. +■ ■* Of course, there are aquatic revels attached to ' The Breaking of the his spine m the dive. * * * Wherahiki Rawei, the Maori entertainer, who is appearing now m Sydney clothed m a mat, is able to draw a big crowd bv his lecture, "The Land of the Maori."" Anything Maori catches on wonderfully in Sydney Those Manawatu Maoris, who recently endeavoured to raise a native theatrical company to go on a tour, ought to have another try. * * * A belated Melba story. It seems that a horny-handed man, with means, was persuaded to come all the way to Wellington to hear the diva. His wile made him. On enquiring the whereabouts of "Misgis Melbourne, he was told that all the Opera House seats wer taken. "Well, that is a bit o luck , she's too high-class fer me. We 11 "be able to go to George Dean s! * - * Mr Alfred Woods, Hall Caine's John Storm the parson who fell from grace to ''Glory," "is an actor of power, who has come right out of his shell on the ' other side" as an excellent, personification of the queer cleric. Maybe the Woods- Williamson Company will bring Glory Quayle and her "Christian to preach the gospel according to Came hereaway when the Australian crowds rush no more. * * * The satirical "Pasquin," on Charlie Carter's habit of tearing himself aw ay from New Zealand: "Charlie Carter, Pollard's late tenor, will be a long while in reaching London at present rate ol pi ogress, for. although he left Wellington by the Indraghin some two months ago since which time the cargo steamer has called at Port Chalmers and the Bluff loading wool and frozen mutton for the Big Smoke, and returned again to Wellington for more mutton and more wool, the tenor singer only FINALLY left New Zealand shores on February 12. being already two months on the voyage! ♦ <■ I wonder what subtle arts the versatile Johnny Sheridan uses to make the people love him? List to what the Don" says of a recent performance ot the "Widow OBrien" in Sydney — Mr Sheridan, of course, was in the bill' as the 'Widow O'Brien,' a part Avhich he has played, on his own confession more than 5500 times in Europe, Asia' Africa America, and Australasia. Gorgeously garbed m a skirt of scarlet silk, 'the widow' on Saturday night had a tremendous reception. It was really what we call a 'demonstration. Un making his appearance, Mr Sheridan was welcomed with a cordiality which could not -have been exceeded had the actor unexpectedly turned up after an an absence of ten or twenty >eais Yet as we know, the comedian has been before the public night after night at the Criterion for more than six months.