THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 68

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Bt Pasquin.

TUESDAY, August 2*, 1909. Mr Frederick Shipma.n, who is well known in New Zealand, hasjmved in Dvrnedin to make arrangements for a Sort «a»on by Mr J. W. Bengou, ? h who Sas a. high reputation as a cartoonist and humourist. The season which mUjJ for three or four jughte. will probably commence in about a fortnight. There is a possibility of a n«w tWre ■being erected on the site of tho Strand ArcaL, Auckland, destroyed by the recent fire (wires our Auckland correspondent). No definite scheme has yet been formulated, but an Auckland syndicate has approached Mr Arthur Myers's representative on the subject. At present the matter has gone no further than r suggestion on the part o£ the sy,ndicate that a theatre should be built, and that they should undertake to •lease the same for a certain number of years. The terms proposed are under consideration. It ia not generally known that at the termination of his en/gageme-nt with the Meynell and Gunn Company, at present inlaying " Lucky Durham " in Dunedin, Mr Harcburt Beatty will joir the Nellie Stewart Company. Owing to the xecent floods in Victoria the New Zeala-nd tour of J'Tlie Englishman's Home " Conapany, which was to have begun shortly, has been postponed. No further word has -been received concerning the proposed building of a picture theatre in Dunedin. The matter will probably" remain in abeyance until the erection* of the theatre in Wellington. The members of "The Hypocrites" and " Lucky Durham " Company, who have been in possession of His Majesty's during tho past fortnight, conclude their Reason this (Tuesday) evening, and on Wednesday depart for Invercargill, where four nights will be played, the company taking their final departure from the Bluff on Monday next for Hobart, en loute to Melbourne, j One warm evening last week T was talking quite seriously to an esteemed theatrical manager. The subject? Future attractions for New Zealand, and the Dominion as a show country. Said he — and • this with weight of long experience and a -pulse on ~the trend of things— "Attractions in New Zealand will be fewer than they have been for some year or two past. Already one big firm has announced its intention of confining its operations to Sydney and Melbourne, with one company touring the Common wealth. The reason? Heavy transports from Australia to New Zealand with big shows and freight. Fares, too, in New Zealand. The

expenses of a recent show were from £700 to £800 per week. That takes some getting back. . Despite the good business done, 1 doubt," continued my informant, "whether it will show a , profit at the end of the tour. The North Island is all right, for, quite apart from Auckland and Wellington, ihere are half a dozen sub-towns «equaliy good for trwo or three- nights within easy travelling distance. It would pay some managers to play the North Island only. The South Island is unfortunate. Not only are Ohristchurch and , Dunedin not as good show towns as Auckland and Wellington, but the siib-towns^ are much poorer than those of the" North Island. For instance, Timaru, Oamaru^ and Invercargill are not so. good; in comparison as, say, Palmerston North, Wanganui, Gishom&, and Napier. The West Coast dannot be considered for big shows owing to the excessive cost in' transport. Oh, ye< when the railway goes through, but meantime tihey must stand. Dunedin is still the- worst of the -four centres."" I tried to look pleased. I had heard" this, before, and it was becoming a proverb. "I don't know why," continued th© urbane manager, " but there it is. Ask other maua.gers. Climate? Well, perhaps v Not that it is ' always raining in> Dunedin,' for there is truthfully less rainfall ,in Dunedin than in the centres- of the North Island* • .-But tb» Jwrfe. is wanner; ite people more "genial and warm-iblooded, and they enjoy themselves. It really appears a crim* to enjoy oneself in Dunedin. Scotch? 'Maybe-. Yet I believe there is more money" to the individual in Dunedin than in any of the North Island centres. Yes, the place is col-id. That's how. They hang on to- it. Oh,_ yfifi, they're frugal all right; critical, too. Tou oan hear it when standing outside the theatre as the audience buttons up its individual greatcoats.* No, they .won't stand nfor the indifferent show. I admire them for that. But some-tinaes they won't support the good shows, and I blame them for that. * Bland Holt's company played here for seven weeks, and turned them away nightJy. What's the secret? Three, two, amd one. Why cannot other managers play to 3s, 2is, and! Is? Some of tha-m could well enough, but there wouldbe nothing in it for the 'big shows at those prices. • Besides, in the majority of instances the big shows are honestly worth the prices charged. Dunedin alone of the centres appears to object to the higher scale. It wants gcod old ' popular prices ' all the time." "With toys and supper thrown- in," I remarked 1 , exasperated. If Dunedin is .roally the worst show town of tho four centres one shudders to think what is going to happen when the Hugh WaroVG-race Palotta Company, at His Majesty's, clashes with the Nellie Stewart Conapany at the Princess. Once on a day Dunedin could stand up to a Brough show at the Princess, a Williamson musical comedy «t Hia Majesty's, Fitzgerald's Circus on, the Reclaim, a bazaar in the Garrison Hail, and sundry other shows in divers .places. I will not be surprised to see Dunedin pack His Majesty's and' the Princess during . the tenancy of the Hugh Ward Company and that of Miss Nellie Stewart. Managers will then have to beat round for another reason to prove that D-unedin is the " actor's graveyard." But is it? Perhaps it's the actors. -Who knows? Have they ever thought of that? Johnny Fuller's visits to Dunedin are always of the flying- order, and the latest onfl wa3 no exception. The young manager flew down on Wednesday and departed again, for Wellington, on Friday. The business was of no particular interest to the public, but Johnny dropped the hint that vaudeville wouJd certainly start at Christmas, opening in Wedlingtorj, the company travelling thence to Christchurch and Dunedin. Mr George BuHer, with Allan Hamilton's "ir^seage from Mars " Company, drops a line on the eve of the company's departure from Christchurch advising that the company had a fine Grand National season. The company is off to do the Wpst Coa^t. after which seasons in Nelson and Blenheim are outlined, thenoe following towns to Bluff, whence the company sails for Melbourne on Sept-amber 27: — Aehburton. Monday. September 20; Tamaru, Tuesday, September 21: Balclutha, Thursday, September -23: Gore, Imday, September 24. Miss Nellie Stewart's brilliantly successful tour .through the North Island will be brought to a close in Wellington on Saturday next. On Monday Miss Stewart and her powerful supporting company will commence a, brief season in Christchurch, after which "Sweet Nell of Old Drury'-'. is to be staged at Oamaru on Friday, September 10, and an 11-night season will be inaugurated at the Princess Theatre, Dunedin, or Saturday. September 11. The opening production will be David Belasco's romantic drama '"Sweet Kitty Bellairs," and during her brief stay here, Misg

Stewart will alao stage "Sweet Nell of Old Drury," and " As You Like it" Walter Monk arrived in Dunedin on Tuesday to meet the WarcUPalotta Company, who commence their New Zealand 1 tour at Inverc&rgill on Monday, September 6, with the farcial jomedy, "A Bachelor's Honeymoon.". Mr Monk will -act in the capacity of treasurer, and Mr A-tbert Goldie will be the manager. The following are the approximate opening dates of Mr Hugh J. Ward's Company of Comedians for the coming' ' tour of the Dominion : — Invercargill, Monday, Ssnte/nber 11; Oamaru, Wednesday, September 22; Tlmaru, Thursday, September 23: Charietchurch, Friday, September 24; Wellington, Saturday, October 2; Napiar, Tuesday, October 19; Hastings, Monday, October 25; Dannevirke, Wednesday; October 27; Masfcerton, Friday, October 29; Palmerston North, Monday, November 1; Wanearui, Saturday, November 6; Hawera, -Wednesday. November 10; New Plymouth, Thursday, November 11; Auckland, Saturday, November 13. Mr Hugh J. Ward, who will commence a- toiir of the Dominion in September with his company of comedians, went into management on his own account about four yead-s' ago, and he has not known what failure is. Twice in conjunction with Mr • Jbieorge •Willoughfoy he toured Australia and New^Zsalarfd, 'with such success that He was ' enabled to go -to England ,and ' America in search of talent and new. plays. It is a fact that after an exhaustive Bearch extending- oyor many months, Mr Wardcame to the conclusion that «n all his " travels he could find nothing in any way ahead of the Australian, and- so it has come about that in what was at first intended to be an entirely how company of ■ English artists there are some 61 - oar ' ' oldest favourites, notably Miss Grace Pit-" loita, Miss. Rose Musgrove, Miss Celia G-hiloni, Miss Ruby Baxter, Miss Florence' ' Redfern, Mr Reginald Wykeham, Mr H.J W. Wallace, Mr Robert Greig, Mr W. 8. , Beattie, and Mr Charles Knight. At th« . same time, to lend strength to his combination, Mr Ward engaged several Eng* 1 lish actors of prominence, notably Mr Kernham S. Ryott (formerly a juvenile lead with ' Mr Arthur Bouchier) and Mr Arthur Eldred, who was for a considerable time a member of Sir John Hare* company. "The Fires of Fate" is the latest contribution to the drama, by Sir Arthur Conen. Doyle, and the latest vehicle for displaying; the heroio talent of Mr Louis Waller 'at the Lyric Theatre, London. Primarily the play deals with that old, old argument 4 as to whether suicide is justifiable'- when physical life is a torture, and no hope is held out of recovery. This is the state of Colonel Bgerton, and the argument for and against is carried on by his physician (affirmative) and his spiritual friend and advisee (negative). But reaJly this interesting stato of things is only a prelude to a drama of adventure. All concerned go for a. trip up the .Nile, where the, pain-racked colonel falls in. love with a pretty American, who aleo faißs in "love with him, but Hie man • of pa™ is restrained by his ailment fromdeclaring his passion. Then comes the ro-, - manoe. The party is captured by Der-. vishes, and dragged away out into the desert, after a fierce fight. The men are e<bout to be put to death unless they embrace the " true faith," aaid the women are to become slaves, when, at the- last extremity, Colonel Egerton notes a heliograph in play on a distant sand-hiH. It ' says : " Keep your peoker up !" And they do, until a detachment of the Camel Corpa come to the rescue. Somehow or other, the shook of tho incident cures tile colonel, who at once embraces the lady of his heart. The play looks like scoring a success. An important scheme of improvements at the Sydney Criterion. Theatre, of which the enlargement of the stage only will be bM onoa taiken in hand, will place the Clarke-Meynell-Gunp management during i the next six months in possession of a renovated playhouse that will be as up-to-date as any in the oity (says the Herald>. The ti.sk wall <> f the stage, which is a* present only 33ft farom the curtain-line, will be moved fully 20ft further to the rear, and in this way snao© will be obtained for Mr Oscar Ascho's production of "Tho Taming of the Shrew." The proprietors of the property, the Bank of New South Wales, neve now acquired the two shops in Park street standing between the stag© door and Waikoi's restaurant, together with a good deal of hind at the rear of the t present stage. Mr John Gunn -thinks improbable that the "Cinderella" season*, though in the height of its success, may; have to be terminated about 10 days earlier than at' first "intended, in order to carry, out these structural alterations. Early next ' year the proscenium will be thrown back several €eet»' fche opening wiH be raised: . from its present height of 24±ft to 30ffc, ! giving a better view of the stage from the gallery, and four more rows of stalls 1 will be added to the auditorium. Very shortly tho Criterion will possess a etago in keeping with the greater eize of the auditorium, and will then rank as on* of

the best, as it is one of the prettiest, theatres in the Commonwealth. Ben-gough, the Canadian entertainer, who opens his New Zealand tour at the "Wellington Town Hall on Friday, August 27, commenced his Australian, tour in Sydney last May, anil met with instantaneous success. Seldom has a visiting artist received such universal praiae the press as .was accorded the. "brilliant ♦■Canadian. Speajdng of his second entertainment, the Sydney Herald says "Crayon and comedy" en a Beng©u£h programme invariably signifies the application of art to the whimsical, and 'such was the case last night. Bengough affected to follow Dana Gibron's soheme of 6tating a sentiment, and thendrawing up to it, but instead of the Dana Gfbson girl, he illustrated "Oh, How We Love You, Tommy," by a grotesquely ©omic caricature, every line of which consisted of the capital - letters forming the j sentence. The audience become quite fascinated by the ingenuity w.ith which the problem of achieving- the seemingly impossible was 6olved, and the result was greeted with a burst of spontaneous applause." Dear' Pasquin,— The Taylor-Carrington Company ' gave their - final programme of animated pictures before a house that crowded the Masterton Town Hall to it 3 utmost limit. The selection of films was a good* one, and the entertaiiunent was muchenjoyed. - The 'newiy^'organised T.-C. Drar maDiC' Company produce '"Home Rule' here? next month. "The Woman Pays served to. introduce the GeaoK-Marlow Company' to us. There was « good audience. The'/conipany, with one or two exceptions {notably Robert Inman-.as-hero arid Kenneth Hunter as villain), was only fair, and tbe scenery (no doubt owing to the fact that the company sailed: for Sydney next day and ihad probably forwarded the bulk of their luggage to Wellington) was apparently makeshift. The Salvation Army Bioraana Company (more pictures— how they draw!)' had a big three nights ceason. The pictures, with the exception of one or two rather .gruesome 6enes, were really gocd, ?.nd the interspersed vocal items would have done credit to any professional show. Masterton was cut, out of the Nejha Stewart tour, but the "Jack and Jill pantomime will visit us on September 1. The local Amateur Operatic Society are busily rehearsing "Trial "by Jujy> v v ™ ch is to be produced next month. It has been rumoured that one of the old hotel build- • inns closed by the carrying of No-License. >wiu" be turned into a theatre, and devoted to cinematograph entertainments. Ihe "All Star" Vaudeville Company fared rather badly as regards patronage, but put on a very fair programme on the old Christy Minstrel lines. The combination returns here shortly.— Yours sincerely, Fba Signor Caruso has confided to a Parisian journalist that he is paid at the rate of £60,§60 a year . for his singing, and that j this remuneration will continue at least for the next five years.