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THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

flr Pasqt- t v TUESDAY, TV!j. T». TSH3. Mr Howard Vernon, t'le well .viiown oijc'iatic drust, and his talcutcd wife, Mi^s Ynu.d cle Loitte. aie in town, passing thrcujrh from the north on loute to the Australian side. Madaine CLira Butt and her husband have evidently a very high opinion of the Gamson Hall for conceit pw poses. Tlioy wrote the following m the "Hall Testimonial Book" after their concert on Wednesday evening: — "One of the >cry best halls we have sung- in; delightful." Th>> arrangements for the bookings of the Prinee>&, His Alajestj's, and Alhambra Theatres are now in the hands of the Fuller fiim, and are being executed at the headquarter^ in. Wellington. It is the intention to float the Fuller firm jnto a limited liability company. The thares wiU meanwhile be held by the Fuller family. In this connection I under, stand Mr Walter Fuller, recently manager of the Opera House. Christchurch, will be taken into partnership. Mr John Fuller, sen , the well-known silvery tenor, has armed in Dunedin from the north, en louce for his wor d"s tour. Ben F. arrives tlii-» week, and the annual conference will then tuke place in Dun- i edin. The pohev of the firm will be gone j into, and several suggestions ma-re for ( the benefit of vaudeville in New Zealand i West's Picture Show is doing splendid t ", u ,iik =j at Hii Mi|e»ty's Theane. and | MV'l'ir'r Goo smiles the snv! i of the we'! satisfied The pi ture will be with us foi thrfe weeks, aftor which a tour | of the Xoith Island Wirths' CVeus finished up in a blaze of glory op Saturday ni^ht to a tentfnl of I spectators, v\ ho levelled in the various | act« provided. The Fl>ing Herberts and j the act of Horr lij,ttv in the '"jungle"' were sufficontiy thril 1 n? to satisfy the most , exacting. A further sensation was afforded I on Saturday evening h\ the pie^ence^ in the <_age of wil<l bei^ts of Miss A'era Pvob-on, who aJdcil gieatlv to the attracincne > of a c!ev ci act. "The- best season we have ever had in DuppJ'H " V.S.-, ihe appi-eciative remark made b\ Mr (Itorgp Wirth, of Wnth's Ciicii- io the w r r er on Saniu'ay evemnG ' We hope (o be round awn ne\t \ car w-iih ne-i ic -. v,l lie Mr Phi i;i Wuth is nor e'ipia'-r ,"i on tip Continrnt I It will v. li rest reader- of th s co'uiin (o I know that. <i r tei .'-i a'^^nco ot two \ears, Mr .loin 1'". y'fiidi'i pui;r:^ lyikinj "nothrr (!"^cent on N^\. Z< a'.ind i n's I : V u-n from a pm i f e sour<>e The "Widow | O'Brien" w;ll~visr the Dominion in Api il | next '\<tb a stiorg- compinv and 1 j n-ew- p-ecos. incli"ln? amcnz--t others -'Tho ■ (iirl from Yepu c ' md "liio Man- i-Tiakers There wll prob blv be a i'\i\j! of the i successful musical comedj, '"The Kai! and th- Cirl " I',, the way. on the ld«t M-it of Join F Sheudan to tlie^e paits, soi"" two vo- r s a^o, the b< st of foiiune did not •< ll<~n tb<~ poni'L.i' comedian. It may not lie foiao ten i.it >c va- m Dunchn that "L.rt ■• C'vl i«. >i"' <l"-A after i '.Nort illness One li.i-~ ■) il\ to pass the httl« grave on the h.llside at th" Southern Cemetery to Lu.', c th» whole sad scene brouaht Vjfltff

home. John F. Sheridan had 1 to lay off for a week to undergo an operation, which proved successful. Better luck was in store for the company further north, and the tour of the Dominion finished up eminently satisfactory. [ The Clara Butt-Kennerly Rumford boom terminated in a blaze last week, and the Dunedin public who scrambled and struggled to hear the great contralto and her interesting husband are now settling down into rational ways of living. The 6cene on Wednesday night beggars description. On entering the hall at a quarter to 8 the huge building was crowded with halfguinea and 5s pations. A few minutes later the doors were opened to admit of the more humble half-crown pations, who had waited long and patiently outside, forming a queue from the Garrison Hall to Piince^ street. Then the rush! I have b<?en in a crowd struggling to get admission to a British football match, have witnessed the lushing of a ticket waggon at a big circus, have- been present at a cheap drapery sale, but never have I witnesseJ such a. struggle as those "halfcrowners'" fighting for a ticket of admission to the final Butt concert. The crowd, mostly of the fair sex. literally threw themselves at the box office, which reeled and tottered, and would have been smashed to pieces had the Garrison Hall it•=elf not supported it. Many intending patrons had the very lace and ribbon* lorn off their c'othes in the struggle. In tho end only a very few of the halfcrown patrons gained admission, for the hall was speedily crowded to its utmost holding capacity and the doors were closed. The inspector did 1 his best to control the ciowd, and the aid of the police was evoked to oleck the rush. Some other method of admitting patrons to the cheaper parts of the house will hay« to be devised in the future. Then there was the question of fire. With such a. crowd, in the case of a panic from fire there would be certain to have been some accidents to chronicle, if not something more serious, from the block of people on the staircase. The matter requires the attention of the City Council. In this connection I notice the subject, has been "brought under the notice of the Auckland City Council. Superintendent Wooiley, reporting on the matter, said tho width of exits was controlled by the city by-laws, and this was the only piecaution taken. The great loss of life attending theatre fires was due to panic, and' no width of exit would obviate this. Tne Fire Board contemplates passing a bylaw providing for the stationing of two firemen in each theatre during a performance with sufficient fire hose paid out to reach any part of the stage. Mr Welby Cook, the well-known bareback rider, who arrived in Dunedin last week from India and the Far East to rejoin. Wirth Bros.' Circus, has an interesting tale to tell about the mysterious East. While in the East, in 'addition to performing, he was engaged to purchase elephants for Messrs Wirth Bros., and in this latter connection sagely remarks: "If you have an enemy, send him out to India to buy elephants !" Dunedin has recently been under the lash as the worst show town in New Zealand, but had its detractors done a round °f.tfe shows in the city last week they might ha.ye been inclined to give the subject another thought. At any rate it would ha-ve set them pondering. " Give the Dunedin public what it wants," remarked a wellknown and experienced theatrical manager to the writer the other evening, "and it will prove one of the best show towns in the Dominion." Thie is very true. Dunedin evidently wants a great contralto, a big circus, a fine picture 6how, and attractive vaudeville. Such was the demand last week. The Clara Butt concert was packed to overflowing, the tents of Wirth's Circus swajed with exciting crowds. West's Pictures have drawn the multitude to His Majesty's, while the Princes Theatre has been ciowded to witness the splendid vaudeville show. Gi\e Dunedin what it wants and it will fall over it.-elf to spend its money, but give the public vthat it doesn t want and no town in New Zealand can rival it in staying away. In a chat with Mr Ceorge Wiith the other evening when Heir Batty (billed as "the brave*t man on earth") was entering the "jungle" in which were roaring hon6. brooding wolves, spitting tigers, and growling bears, Mr Wnlh thiew borne interesting sidelights on the triflinvr cost to run a. big circus and menagerie through New Zealand. " Why." said the circus proprietor, "steamer fares a'one run into £1800 befoio we pitch the tents ; then on top of that the New Zealand railways, which 'with our company and freight (and we do carry some with tho menagerie, including six elephantil swa.llow6 up the best portion of £1500. Then look at the n&k we run— a gale -uch as we ha\c cAj.eiienced in N-ew | Zealand, particularly in Wellington, means i a damaged tent and no performance , the i loss of an animal -a tiamed olepha.it, an experience which befell us m We->t \us1 traha mean* a loss of ai.pioJ.chj in<» £2000. Ye« , lurumisr a ciirua i-* no joko. and we have to make (he money quickly to keep things go ing. lalk about ! running a big opera company —whj . it's a Sunday school p;cmc to running a oiicii*" ! | From W. A. Low. tieasurcr of Pollard't I Juvenile Opera Co.. comes to hand an mI teresting souvenir of the company eont-ain- | mc the autographs of each member of the | company together wi<h the following: — j " The first Pollard Company was formed in Tasmania in 1879 l.v Mr J. Pollard sen. It was a purely juvenile organisation, eom1 pos^cl of the Pollard Family. Theic i were from 35 to 4 0 in that compinr. Herbert Salinger \\a« the boy corned-un in those , dava and they wore playing 'Cloches do i Cornoville ' and 'Pinafoic." rh«v peiformed in New Zealand during I£Bl and I part of IPP2. after which they went to Auv ' traha. Tliev relumed to New Zea'a-id at , the end of 1 883 and jilaved to the end of 18C4. wl'on they di-ba'-ded. Another coniIkiin w-vs fo.mrd in 1891. It was th"n that (1-e P.oatrv--. Ma, ion Mircholl. W. S. Perry, j Lih Sienhcn-.. Alf. Stephens, Hariy Ouoaly. Charlie Cailei. C'-sie Samu»!f Charlie Albert Dave O'Connor, Ernie Firz, W. Paid. Florence and Bearr'C" Perry. Connie Buttel. Jeniiio Opie, Alue Edgar, Lulu E\ans. etc.. etc.. came alon^ There was a repertoire of to-ru' 40 musical comedies, including such a variety n^ ' Maritana,' ' Uncl» Tom's Cabin' 'La Poupee,' and 'The Bell- of New Yoik.' the latter hems if><ra uVd ts the bc«t performance in New Zealand whenever it went. \t this i-tage marriacre began to make its inroad~ anrl one by one the several prineinaU d.oppecl cut. The only member of the oSd company wnh the new Juveniles is , Charlie Albeit" now «-tage manager, and I wali-kfiown of old as The Insect in ' FUil

Jonee,' and Mr Harry Quealy, remembered &s Major Foredyke in ' Gay Parieienne.' The new organisation was formed in Christchuroh in June, 1907. In association with Mr Schatz the organisation was undertaken. Tho 40 children were mostly brought from Australia, and their training was begun in Christchurch, where the first performance was given on August 12 in the Theatre Royal, opening with the charming fairy dream play, ' Bluebell in Fairyland.' Since then the company hae added ' His Highness the Bey ' and ' The Isle of Bong Bong ' to its other successes." Sweet Nellie Stewart sends a plaintive note to a chum, and announces her imminent return to Australia. Her health (pays a Sydney writer) prohibits her continuing active work for the present, and her spirits are at low ebb. She says she hoped to crown her laborious career with an antipodean 6ucces c , and so add to Australia's pride in her. Daughter Nancy returns with her mother. Poor pretty Nellie ! She is one of the few footlighters whose goodness and charity need no exaggeration. There are few people who have required kindness to whom she refused it when it was within her reach. Mr Larkin (Mr Harry Rickards's private secretary) died in Sydney on the 29th ult. Mr Larkin had been ill only a week, with gastritis and meningitis. The deceased was a nephew of Mr Rickards. and had been connected with the Tivoli Theatre for something like 17 years. He was married, and leaves a wife and a daughter about eight years of age. During Mr Rickards'a last trip abroad in quest of vaudeville artists Mr Larkip acted as private secretary, a 6 he did on two former occasion*. Deceased was much esteemed by all with whom he came into contact. A year's tour of Australia has already been arranged for " Humpty Dumpty " pantomime, to be entered upon a/s 60on as the Melbourn-e season is at an end. It will be in Sydney for Easter, and thereafter the Commonwealth and New Zealand lie before it. The tour will be on very much the same lines as that undertaken by "'Mother Goose" last year, with the exception that Perth \vill, unfortunately, not be visited, owing to the fact that suitable dates at the theatie there are not available. Under present ari-ansrcnwnts the tour will finish in New Zealand in November next, thus giving ampl" time for the preparation of the next Chriotmos pantomime. Dear Pa«qmn. — Mr Edward Montgomery commenced hi 1 * eleventh year on tour at the Town Hall. Wellington, on January 22, when considerably over 2000 paid for admission. The combination opened here for a two-nights' season last night with this result — packed house and thoroughly satisfied audience. jF om here we go to Masterton for the show week, thence to Wanganui for sculling championship week. The repertoire of films is entirely new, and more are due to arrive this vyeek. The present series includes '" The King and Hie Navy." " AH Baba and the Forty Thieve 6," and "La Milo, as Lady Godiva in the Coventry Pageant.'" Regards from Mr and Mrs Montgomery and self, — Yours, etc., J. Matheson, Business Representative Edmund 'Montgomery's Pictures. Opeia House, Palmerston North, February 14. Dear Pafiquin, — J. C Williamson has certainly no reason to complain of the patronage extended to his companies in Masterton. " Brewster's Millions " attracted an overflowing audience to our Town Hall. More than half the seats had been previously booked (the dress circle going in a few hours), and a quarter of an hour after the doors opened money had to be turned away. With such a hoU6O the piece went well. Mrs Robert Brough and Mr Kingston receiving good receptions. The muchheralded yacht scene roused the audience to enthusiasm, the curtain having to be raised acain and again. Mr Williamson's next attraction for local playgoers is the "Blue Moon " Company. Mr Howard "Wrnon's Comedy Company recently pui in a twonights' *ea~on here, business being only moderate. ' A Trip to Chinatown" was the bill, with a small ca.'-t of characters. Miss Vinia. de Loitte wafe warmly welcomed by her main admirers and scored well with all her sons^. The next Town Hall booking is the Photomaton Company, d€-ciih"d as '" the latest achievement of Thomas Edison, combined wtih Theatre of Varieties; introducing life-size figures that give representations of famous English and American artiets. and we'l-known on music-hall 6tages of both place-." Pollard's Opera Company are iunuiiuiK for dates, so we are in for a busy theatrical season. — Youis sincerely, Fr\ Dhvolo. Ma~terton. February 12 Denr Pa<=quin, — After a five-week-,' holiday in Melbourne (where, in spite of the intense heat, we managed to eniov ouii.o>.|\e,.) vve are again on the road Wlult-f the fannlv were rrsfinff in Melbourne I took a run across to Sydney and there made ar'-increments for a complete cleetiieil plant lo be used in conjunction with the m'lsiral poition of our entertainment, and all thioagh this di.-diet we have boon hiirhh onioned by the nross and public in pwt-pi. liner to them *uch an up ■'o-date «<nd vamd entertainment. The encine and dynamo a-e worked from the outside of the h.ill. wpps Nun;; connected (o the Pathe bin-cope m-ide. It lias ever be^n our ol>'" r t to !e,i eno stone untr.ined in piovhliiis ,-om-tinng really first da*- m the wav of ertoi dining our patrons, and it was tha* whi<~h innket* me sco the nece- iiv o f ]■ ceiling pace with the times in pm ehpsirisr the be,t that money could buy in the way of electiioal and mechanical conti ivances. The com pan v now numbers 10 members, the oxtia artists being Mr Herbert Carroll, society entertainer and vocalist : Mr Leon Com ad, electrical engineer; Mr B Einelheinz. operator: and Mr Irving Webb (late of the Lynch Family) as touring manacrer The family join me in sending their kind retraute to' all New Zealand friend" —l am. voars fniihfullv. Jxo. Black (" All Blacks ). Leoncatha. February 4. Dear Pasqum — A few lines to give \ou an idea how things aie piogre'-sing in the theatrical line in Pvdnpv. I have been out with f'h.irles Vmce it's Diamadc Coinpair a^ his ndvanre aeent. I met a young rhao in Lithgow who belongs to Duneciin. I* happened we w-ere short in our cast, and Mr Vincent, heaving, of Mr Walter M'Tver. interviewed him, and gave him a small part frr the first night, and he is now- playing lead fen- us. I suppose drama. i* about played out in New Zealand. 1 met young Dnris Baker in Sydney a few day« ago. She is longing to be over in Xew Zealand with her old friends again. .She has improved wonderfully, and has , ju-t terminated a lengthy engagement with the Davis Vaudeville Company, and she is now looking forward to a tour through New Zealand again. Mr Johnnie Sheridan has been ill for a few days, and hie place ss&s filled by %ix L»mphier— Youre aiihr

' fully, Alf. Pabke (late of Fitzgerald's Circus). P.S.— M'lver, Will Dyeon, Tom Hedley, Jack Hagan, Will Hollow, and the Lentons wieh to be remembered to you. [ Kind regards to all. — A. P. I It is Mr do Groen's intention to tour New Zealand with his Vice-regal Concert Band of 60 performers towarde tho end oE the year, giving concerts of the seme artistic- class of music which has packed the Sydney Town Hall during the past few j years on every occasion on which this popular band hae played. The band, which ha 6 been in existence for the past 10 years, has an unusually fine repertoire of music, j which includes works on which th* bancj has made their reputation — viz., Wajrner'a grand overtures. " Tannhauser," "Rcinzi," ! " Meiatersinger=," and Ambroisc Thomas's "Mignon," etc.; selections from all the \ grand operas — viz., "La Giaoonda," "La Boheme." "Urn Ballo in Maschera," i "Faust," etc.; Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsodies,'' Raff's "Lenore Symphony," Grieg* "Peer Gynt, Suite," Mejerlx'er's "Le Prophete," the "Coppeha Ballets" of Delibes, and a host of music by such grand composers as Ros«ini. Schumann, Verdi, Bellini. Tschaikowsky, Strelezki, Beethoven, Edwin Elgar, Handel. Berger, etc. And the band: aloo plays popular music, as " The Smithy, in the Wood." 'Turkish Patrol," "March from the Ruins of Athena," etc. This band 1 is the only band on this side of the line that has ever played Tschaikowsky - 6 colossal overture " Solenelle" (1812). Some- members of the above band are playing at His Majesty's Theatre for We6t'6 Pictures witK Mr de Groen's Vice-i-egal Orchestra. The theft of the valuable Stradivariua violin, the property of M. Ysaye. from the Imperial Opera at St. Petersburg, has eet all Russia in commotion. The instrument., which is named Hercules, and on its inner sicle bears the inscription "Anno 1732," has been valued' by connoisseurs at about' £7000. and was inscribed in a special book containing the list of precious musical instruments. It ie supposed that the person who abstratced the violin had no intention of making money, because ho cannot sell it. M. YsAye is taking an action for damages against the Minister of the Imperial Court, under whose direction th« theatre i« run. M. Paderew-ski. who is now paving his seventh professional visit to America, and has met with enormous success, has iust accepted the directorship of th<j War=avr Conservatoire of Music. AlthouKh drawing such enormoxis fees for his recitals, it seems as if this great artist's admirers in tho United States, who arc legion, are somewhat taken away by the severe criticisms of hi< detractors, who are in the minority. At a Boston Symphony concert he played the " Emperor" concerto. One critic said that he "played parts of it exceedintrly well; but it was not Beethoven, pot a bit of ifr. It was all Paderewski playing — forceful to physical excess here, and appealinglv modest, and effeminate there." Elsewhere thorp was an allusion to the "tired-out feelins;" for vvhich the pianist, one learns, has to thank "the bad meals at th© Americanhotels, and our dreadful railway service '* - At length it is possible to make a definite announcement regard ino^"Pefcer Pan.'* that dainty and most 'whiirK-cal of fairy" stories by .7. !M Barrie to tho _4.u-strai;a.n. premiere of which plavgoere on this sida of the world have been co eage-ly looking forward. That premiere will take place at the Princess TheaVe Melbourne, on April 18 (Foster Saturday), and an additional attraction will mark the occa^ion_ in that it will signalise the return of Miss Tittell Bvune to the scene of so many former triumnh«. In nnticination of "the double fvent" J. C. Williamson booked the theatre 12 months acre, and when Miss Brime lefb on her holidnv trip last year she was asked; to lo«e no ehanoe of fleeing* the two mesfi famous exnonents of the character— Mnuci 4r"ams. in the United Pl L ates; and Pauline Chase, in London. Moreover. sh<^ har) to nres^nr herself to Mr TJarrip in London. fir he inak^.s ir a rule that the af>tre?a rho«en for "Pf<*»r Pin" should be subi'pcb ro his approval. That weip-btv interview i- fli-pr. and Mi«<; Rrnne bis had numerous conversations with Mr Barrie. who h*s civen her evpvy heln in connection with the rer.d insr o f the nart Mi«« Brune leaves for Australia in a week or two. Only 22 pantomimes are beins- produced *hi 6 season in London and <*ii!">urbs ! It is fie smallest number since 1896 But iusfc miacrine what, it means to see every London pantomime, even small as the ni'mh°r is this veer. Then thpre are the theatre- where drama, romedv. musical corned ooera and all sorts of pieces are 1 r-<nsr prnducp.l. And what about the music Inlls and coneprtf,. and all s-^rt* of shows. He or v^ho ho- been to London three >i-i rit'i-- -md prpfend-j to hive «een "evprv- ••} ;n»"; n»" i« rmniifvini? o fellow in the footfi™j of Cnl-I'v^ll. "the Great American ' f P.lnT)t ji">Uor " '*T!r.Vos in tho Woid" V,r. , r l c r f»^ l, XtK t in lvnT-lanrl with 21 the'^'-es. '■ Al.tV'-" Fr||o«e in 15 r.locp« Tl, Ptt ™,i,n " r:r,,lorpil a " i^. ''TKrh W<itti"ff•mi " 1? • "■Rob^nn Cru-oe." °: "Hnwty "Mn-rnt,- ' 7. "\T,tV,er f-ooso " 7: "Sin-ln-1 " f, • '-Tt, rl T?i,;. n a ■CTood.'" S: "Fnvty Tl ip^ r c "4 . '-Tilue^enrd " * "fiofvlv Two <^]-^ C( . "• 3 : •' "Ptics pi Too.: "3" " -TnoV- and Hfo B^'i^etfli 1 - " ?: "'.T-^V *hf Hi-mfc Ti"er '" 2- "H"U-^ <^"t .T-fl- TJi'iU "2-•^-rl '-.To'l. pn,l .Till." '-P.o and '• T > C)OI . pjpei-,;' one each P-or Peter P,r,o v > "VTjirTii^o <S.-»rfl'^ Bei-pharrH, who is io «T>-n-ar &" Prince Diai-min" in a new rendcrin<* of " The rVautv " h«-s. aft^r a tong =eareh. f^nnd a p+air« baby wh^h will not look rH'P'ilous on thp stacp. Rhe hi= pflii-vTKlwr'" l a a o-"th Poroli'nn rasr. r l o ]l Ivalons-Inc tn the children of Mr fr«>or">« p.il] tip American ocei'l'st. <*ho rarr>ec] >"+ n ff in r »r arme. nromising that H "hould sleep in her own bedroom meiT night.

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19080219.2.252.2

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Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 68

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3,909

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES. Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 68

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES. Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 68

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