Dramatic and Musical

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 191, 27 February 1904, Page 14

Dramatic and Musical

By Footlight.

THE three closing nights of the Cuyler Hastings season were marked by crowded houses and much enthusiasm at the Opera House. Hall Game's over-wrought work, "The Christian" — or rather the dramatic version thereof — held the boards for Thursday and Friday nights. Cuyler made an interesting sort of parson, but feminine Wellington felt rather disgusted that he should stifle the tender passion so cold-bloodedly, and then die on the stage after marrying Glory with his last breath, instead of tying the knot in the orthodox fashion, and "living happily ever after." However, he made them feel tearful and unhanny for five minutes by the way in which he wrecked his life. Miss May Chevalier looked a charming Glory. and Mr. Gwenn struck a rich slab of low comedy as the Cockney who is heartily sorry "for those poor fellows in the monkery who are missing such a lot of fun outside." * * * "The Lady of Lyons," on Saturday night, was a gilt-edged bill. Cuyler charmed the ladies with his Claude Melnotte, and in his heroics lifted the men off their feet. Miss Chevalier did very well in, the name part, and dressed it stylishly. Mr. Atholwocd's Col. Damas looked like a retired Indian officer with a temper as fiery as the hottest chutney and a liver more uncertain than a Wellington water supply. The only other part that lingers in our memory was Miss Julia Merton's Mamma Deschapelles, which answered every requirement of the match-making matron who is in a deuce of a hurry to get into high society. Miss Merton, in short, is a capital old woman. And oh. by the way, there was Miss Susie Vaughan's Widow MeLnotte. There is not much in the part, but she made the most of it. On Monday morning the company took train for Masterton, and our country cousins between here and Auckland will be enjoying a real treat for the next week or two. * * * The Dampier Dramatic Company made its advent on Monday night with a sample of the "blood and thunder" drama, styled "The Bush King." It is built up of Australian material, but the fashion of the story is just the same kind of hair-raising sensation that crops up in half-a-million penny dreadfuls, and keeps the villain knocking about the stage to slow and harrowing music, and loweied lights, while suffering virtue goes through no end of horrors. "The Bush King" depicts life m the Australian back-blocks about the time when Ben Hall, Morgan, and Nolan, and the other pioneer bushrangers were bailing up coaches, looting the gold escort, and playing up Old Harry all round. ♦ * * There is a hypocritical nephew, who poisons the mind of the usual confiding father against his own son. There is the time-honoured stormy quarrel betv, een, father and son, ending in the latter getting the key of the front door. Then the precious nephew and a companion spirit, whose sole business seems to be to plan deep-dyed villainy, murder the old squatter, and denounce his son as the murderer. He is arrested, breaks gaol in due course, roams about the country with a price put upon his head, and dodges the whole constabulary force of Australia and all their spies with ridiculous ease.. * * # His mate, Ned the Bushman, helps him in many a tight scrape, and Ned's daughter and another girl (the heiress to broad acres) furnish certain passages of love and jealousy, while "Gmorer Joe," a typical Sydney larrikin, and also a spooney young couple, exert themselves to keep the "gods" laughing between the spasms of crime atid the shocks of sensation. A whole livery stable is turned loose upon this drama, for nearly all the characters ride on and off the stage, and hardly anyone thinks of walking a step. It is furnished with some capital scenery, unmistakably Australian in character, and if the dialogue is not particularly smart, the situations are brisk enough. In the end everything sorts itself out all right. Marriage for struggling virtue ; the darbies for vice. * •* ♦ Mr. Alfred Dampier filled the title role — that of a hard-drinking Australian bushman. staunch and true to his mate, but a fool to himself. His strongest passage was the scene in the

lonely hut, where he believes himself to be denouncing and then, throttling the scoundrel who decoyed away his wife and wrecked his life. Miss Lily Darnpier sustained the part of Elsa (the Bush King's daughter), who is swayed alternately by love and jealousy and Miss Rose Dampier played "spoons" with a young man who does his level best to muddle up things for all and sundry. Mr. Dampier, junior, held the mirror up to nature for the Sydney larrikin (born in the Woolloomooloo gaol, and Fred Benham rode on and off as Police Inspector as if to_the manner born. The piece was capitally staged, and the action was smooth. There were three nights of "The Bush King," and on. Thursday it was to give place to "The New East Lynne," with "The Merchant of Venice" to follow to-night (Friday) * # # Herr Johan, Wielaert, who was in Wellington not long since as musical director of the Musgrove Shakespearian Company, has settled down in Auckland as a teacher of the violin or the pianoforte. Herr Wielaert was formerly solo violinist of the famous Buda-Pesth orchestra, and also has been director of the Nederlansche Opera, Amsterdam * • * One of the three horses lost by the Fitzgerald brothers in a Wanganui fire was a thoroughbred for whom Dan Fitzgerald states that he would not have taken £1000. *■ * * Madame Onra. the clever wire-walker of Fitzgerald's Circus, is wife of Clown Benato, of J;he same combination. * * * Two more of the Pollard girls — Zoe Karkeek and Madge 800n — are leported to have found husbands in South Africa. * * * Mr. Edward Lauri has cabled to Mr. George Stephenson his purchase of Australasian rights for "Frivolity," "The Swiss Express," and "His Majesty's Guest." The comedian will arrive here late in May with about a dozen, English artists for the company, which Miss Ma- Beatty is to join on arrival. * » * Mr. R. Stewart tells me there is not much chance of New Zealand seeing Beerbohm Tree's Comedy Company, now in Sydney, with Maud Jeffries and Julius Knight as the principals. 'The Eternal City" is now in its fourth week and the fine interpretation of Hall Caine's beautifully-produced melodrama is a general topic of conversation among theatre-goers. Tolstoi's gruesome "Resurrection" is to be the next nroduction, and, according to Melbourne accounts, it supplies Miss Jeffries with her greatest part

The attractive warehouse which the Wellington Piano Company has established at the corner of Pipitea and Molesworth streets is a noteworthy addition to the neighbourhood, and its promoters may be congratulated on securing so admirable a site. The company are the sole agents m New Zealand for the pianos of Messrs. Challen and Son, one of the oldest and best makers in England. Their pianos have a great reputation — nearly a century old — for beauty of tone, perfect construction, and great durability. The price, too, is surprisingly moderate, and there can be no doubt that when the value of these pianos is once known they will play havoc with many of the shoddy foreign instruments for which the colony has long been so profitable a dumping ground. * * » The only foreign instruments stocked in Molesworth-street are the peerless ones made by the world-renowned Bluthner, of Leipzig, who shares with Bechstein the prei-emineut position among German makers. The Wellington Piano Company also does a large and rapidly-increasing business in the Virgil Practice Clavier, a toneless instrument of inestimable value to students of technique. Practising rooms for Clavier students have already been, established on the premises, and are being used with encouraging frequency.