THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 66

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Br Pasqdui.

TUESDAY, SsptembetU, 1909. A passaivger by the steamer^Manuka for M-slbcmrn© ojx Sunday was Mr Abe Moss, of this city, proprietor of Pollard's Opera. Company. Mr Moss is paying a flying trip to Sydney in the interests of his opera company. On the result of this visit depends the future of Po'land's Opera Company Meanwhile, the oompany will fulfil dates already booked up for it through New Zealand. The cabled news of the death in Sydney of Mr Harry Shuie, the well-knowin, comediao, will bs received throughout New Zealand, where he was well known, with genuin-s expressions of regret. For years t!-e deceased character comedian has he-sn coming- to this country, and his has always been a welcome personality. Frequently I have noted that though the- imported comedian, lias ocoupied the star place on the bill and has been engaged at the usual high salary, Harry Shine, th'j Australian, ha? over-shadowed in artistry his English prototype. This was not 6O much that the frequently imported o«3 W colourless co much as that the Australian artist was full of colour. Harry Shine fcas done most things since he -was feet introduced to Australia — how many years ago I hesitate to say, — but ho h*t> done many things well and nothing badly. The late-lam embed comedian macks his last appearance in New Zealand with tfco ' "Humpty-Dumpty" Company 12 months ago. While playing in Sydney with the "Jack and JilJ" Coirpany Shine was taken iH, and nemoved to St. Vincent's Hospital, wh-£<re he died on Saturday evening. The er-thusiaetic reception accorded Miss Nellie Stewart on Saturday evening by the large audience assembled in the. Princess Theatre to welcome "back the favourite muet have been particularly gratifying to Miss Stewart, who had to bow her acknowledgments several times before the idolaters were satisfied. Such a grip on the emotions of playgoers is givein to few, yet Miss Sfcewari has it in the widest sen.'i?. Dunedin audiences are naturally undemonstrative, boat they literally and figuratively broke bounds on Saturday night in their appreciation of the favourite. There is a possibility that two of the .'■atest London, siTcoesses in the musical comedy line vill be staged by an enterprising management in New Zealand shortly. I tarn mot quit© at liberty to divulge the rames of the musical comedies or who is negotiating- them, but if tha efforts now beirog made* to Becure the New Zealand rights are successful the story -will be out in a few days. Mr Fred DuvaS, touring manager for Pollard's Opera Company, Teturnc-.ci from a trip to Inveroargill on Saturday, and on Monday departed for the north to arrange for the return visit of the opera^ comwanv in the North Island. The final performance of Pollard's Opera Company was given at -His Majesty's Theatre on Friday evening, and on Saturday the popular show dropped down to Livercargill, where the company is at present. One or two of the smali towns will be played on the return north, Gor<a on the 17th and 18th and Oamavu on, the 21st.- With new pieces added to their repertoire there is no reason why Pollard's Opera Cfo.mpa.ny should not have" a. long and proapp.Tous run in New Zealand. At pre- i sent it is evident that the playgoing public : want up-to-date operas, and nothing el<*e will satisfy. ' ! Some time ago it was announced in. these columns that Mies Betty Ohls, one time of tihe Merrymakers and now of the "Jacic and Jill ' Company, would terminate her engagement at the end of the New Zealand tour- at Wellington, and would proceed to America on a brief visit to her people prior to visiting London with the idea of doing sketches _j.n the halls. Colour is now lent to this by the possibility of Miss Nancy Maher replacing Miss Ohls a.s Jill and Miss Marie Eaton filling tho role of Fairy for the approaching Sydney season. j Advioa has been received that at the con-clu-ion of the New Zealand tour at Welling- i tan this week the "Jack and Jill" Panio. Company will proceed direct to SyoWy, taking up WilliamsoiT opera dates in that ' city, "The King of Cadonia" Company goimg out west, a tour originally intended I for the pantomime- comnamy. j The remuneration of pantomime artists during- the" lortg weeks of rehearsal before the curtain goes up on the "fire* night" j has always bee-n a subject of consideration. ! It is probably not gene.rally known that the members of a- pantomime company have airvihinp from three to six weeks' arduous rehear.«alß prior to the opening performance, and during that time- the salary list is suspended. It were superfluous to say that this entails c hardship on the members of the profession who have adopted the stage as a means of livelihood, and not from s.-'nti mental motives. The pantomime artist is probably harder worked than aniy other member of the profession, and he is sometimes the most helpless. Not through any fault of his own, but because h-e bows the kine-e to custom. Yefc I could wish for him some consideration in respect to salary during rehearsals. The artistes have to lhe daning thece periods of work without pay, and the hardships entailed must, aprveal to the management. I verily believe that if tha matter were legitimately placed before the recently- formed Australian Manaßiare' Association the artistes' wishes would be given every consideration. For some time past Duriedm has lain under the stigma of being the worst show town of the four big centres in New Zealand. This has been too much for our peace of mind, and Dunedin playgoers are hew attempting to prove that the stigma is unwarranted. At any rate 6h« has risen ' to the occasion of the Neliie Stewart and Hugh Ward-Grace Palotta Companies. | Neilie Stewart opened on Saturday night Jo a house packed from floor to ceiling, { and on Monday night Hugh Ward-Grace Palotta Co. had the pleasure of playing to an audience which filled His Majesty's to overflowing. There was not a vacant seat in the building ; all the- available standing room was blocked with people, and hundreds were turned away. Dunedin is a tOwn of moods. * When tho spirit and the show moves it this allegedly Scotch city can carry its hat in its hand 1 with the be3t of them, but if the public don't catch on wild horses and free suppers after tho show won't drag them in. O»ujs to the overturning of a taxi-cab

in Melbourne on Sunday Miss Florence Young, the well-known actress, had one of her ribs broken. A passenger by the Moana, which arrived from Melbourne to-day, was an old friend in the person of Mr J. D. Stoyle, who is well remembered in New Zealand with .Pollard's Opera Company in the dear dead days when Pollard's Opera Company was something to conjure with. Mr Stoyle has been in Melbourne for the past 15 months, and latterly has been associated with the Allen Doone Irish Comedy Company. He has been engaged by the Dunedin Amateur Operatic Society to stage "Tambour Major," which is to go up at His Majesty's in October n«>xt, and will return to Melbourne in the second week in November. " Jack and Jill" is nearing the conclusion of its New Zealand season in Wellington The visit to the Dominion has proved most satisfactory, and the big J. C. Williamson extravaganza has met with a warm welcome throughout its tour Perth will claim its attention after it finishes in Wellington on Friday, September 17, and from there the company will go direct to the west, travelling by train from Sydney to Adelaide, Where they will board the steamer for Fremantle, being timed to open in' Perth on October 1. A beautiful little farm near tho village of Wimilie in the North of Fiance has recently been purchased by Mr Thomas Kingston, who is looking forward to Settling down to the -deKghts of a' farmer -s life when his stage career is-over. At present the villa is in the charge of caretakers, who live rent free, and nuake a living out of the fruit and vegetables which they grow on the land surrounding the House. This has long been Mr Kingston's ideal for the time when he enters upon a well-earned rest, and if he can have an. outrigger handy on some lake or river, he will surely be quite contented -with his lot. In view of the fact that "Aladdin" is to be the next J. C. Williamson pantomime, it is interesting to look back to the year 188Z, when the e?.me subject w-as employed for the Christmas attraction by the firm of Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove at the old Theatre Royal, Sydney, the first to be staged under the direction of the new triumvirate which had been formed a few months previously. Several familiar names figured in the oast of the old-time pro1 duction. Miss jfagigie Knight was the principal boy, and Mies Jessie Grey the j principal girl, while Mr Harry Leston was the dame. The Emiperor was played by Zvlr Richaid Stewart, and the Slave of the Lamp by Miss Docy Stewart, both j members of the theatrical family of which Miss Nellie Stewart is now the outstanding star. The Ho-Fi was in the hands of Mr Arthur Farley, and the Abanazar was played by Mr John Hall. The same pantomime (reviee-d and altered 1 by Mr Edmund Finn, che well known dramatic critic of the Melbourne Punch) was staged again die following year at the Melbourne 'lheatre Royal, and in the second production Miss Maggie Moore appeared as the principal boy, Miss Patbie- Browne as second boy, and Miss Ida Oeborne as the Princess. Mr .Phillip Day, who had just finished playing- Jailces in " The Silver King," with Mr G. S. Titheradge, was the Abanazar, and Mr George Leiteh. filled thedame's part, while Mr Harry Leston forsook the role of the dame for that of the Emperor. The then, famous Matthews family were included as the acrobatic team on both occasions. "The Village Priest," which has never failed to chaTm theatre-goers sine* it was first produoed in Australia some years ago, and the revival of which at the Melbourne Princess Theatre has- brought Mr G. S. Tifheradge forward once more in his original part of the Abbe Dubois, has quite a little history attached to it. When it first saw the light of publicity it was being played as a melodrama at a cheap theatre in Paris. Sydney Grundy happened to be visiting the city while it^ was being produced, and went to see it In its then shape it was not by any means up to standard, but Mr Grundy saw in its orude form, great possibilities, and accordingly he purchased the rights of the piece, and after reconstructing and altering it he turned it out as the fine drama full of human interest and intensitj such as wo know it to-day Dear Pasquin, — We have played a phenomenal week here with Julius Knight, opening: on Monday last (September 5). We had over 6000 seats Booked over the 12 nights' season before the curtain went up on the opening night. We dc six plays in 12 nights. Whew ! ! ! Three new ones — possißly that will account for the public anxiety to see us. Anyway we are a big success. '" The Breed of the Treshams" is a fine play, and certainly from *n artistic point of view the best thing "J. JK-" has ever done. I shall be in Dunedin about Wednesday, October 6. With beet wishes,— Yours truly, Chas. M. Bebkelet. The repertoire is as follows: "Breed of Treshams," "Beaucaire," "An Englishman's Home" (one night), "The Sacrament of Judas" (one night), "Scarlet Pimpernel," >; A Royal Divorce." His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland, September 10. Mr Claude Whaite, who has been with A'llara Hamilton's "Message from Mars" Company, passed through Dunedin yesterday. Mr Whaite leaves for Sydney shortly to join Harry Rickards's show, which commences a New Zealand tour under Allan Hamilton's management in Auckland on October 4. Mr Alec. Verne, the well-known theatrical advance agent and manager, succumbed to typhoid fever in Perth last week. Mr Verne was last in Dunedin in June, when he was in charge of the Meynell and Gunn Dramatic Company, which played a reason at His Majesty's. He was born in England, and was educated at one of the big public schools, where he distinguished himself on the cricket field. He came to Australia some years ago, and one of his first visits to New Zea|and was as advance representative to Bostock and Wombwell's circus and menagerie. Since then he has visited New Zealand several times, and always commanded respect by his quiet and courteous manner and sound business methods. .Some years ago Mr Verne sustained a serious accident by falling down an elevator shaft in Sydney, since which mishap he has always had to take the utmo=fc care of himself. He was manager of the Harry Robei<ts-Magpie Moore Company when he died. Mr Verne leaves a widow, who is resident in England. On the stage of His Majesty's, Sydney, after the performance of ''The King of Cadonia," Mr J. Povah, head electrical engineer for Messrs J. C. Williamson, was presented with a tia\ filing outfit by his

fellow-employees. The recipient of the> presentation, with his wife, left by the Seydlitz for a tour of the Old World. It is noteworthy (says the Herald) that he was associated with the first lighting plant installed in - Sydney in 1887 for supplying current to the Theatre Royal. Sinpe 1902 he has had charge of the electrical <Jepartm-ent of J. C. W"illiamsoJ» for all the firm's theatres throughout Australasia His theatrical electric effects reached their highest ingenuity in the "Swing Song" in "Mother Goose," the wheel in "Humpty Dumpty," and the prismatic columns in "Jack and Jill." Mr G. L. Goodman, the senior manager of the firm, made the presentation. Oscar Asche and Lily Brayton have hit the taste of the Melbourne public in Shakespeare, the second production, "Othello," being an enormous success. Some of theIdterari in the Victorian capital. h&Yi3 joined issue with the Anglo-Australian actor on his reading of the text and some of his business, but so far he has made good replies to his critics. It is, however, doubtfu> it alternations in. the text are justifiable, and while old-time actors may - have interpolated business and altered some of the plays of the -immortal bard in the belief that the stage version would ,be improved, that is no justification for an extension or revival of the principle by modern players. Colley Cibber, himself An actor of no meaio -order, practically rewrote "Richard HI, and his version waff always played untiL if memory be accurate, Henry Irving staged Shakespeare's play. The late Wilson Barrett was" a notorious offender so far as "Hamlet" was concerned, and; he cut loose » hornets' nest about his ears in Sydney by his alterations. He attempted to justify them in print, but he found it hard to reply to. one argument against his changes. Says Hamlet, ' u Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother," and one critic claimed that Barrett would have been, on his own arguments, right in wearing a red cloak, because ink is red as well as black ! G. S. Titheradge, who, everyone will rejoice to hear, is again well and strong, has taken a house at Rose Bay, where it is presumed he will indulge to the full his hobby of floriculture. Perhaps "Tith," as the profession always style him, found the severance from his Melbourne garden to be the greatest shock he experienced ; when deciding to return to England some ! years ago. By the way, Mr Titheradge j will shortly be aeon in Melbourne in an old favourable character, and one in which no | aotor except Joseph Came has ever seri- ! ously challenged his position. The chari acter is the Abbe Dubois in "The Village I Priest." Mr Hawy Rickards's new vaudeville company will commence its New Zealand tour at His Majesty's Theatre. Auckland, on Monday, October 4. Wellington will be visited from October 18 to ,30; one. or two nights will then follow in $he smaller towns of the North Island; a season at His ,- Majesty's; Theatre, Christchurcn, will follow from November 5 to November 12, and the tour will conclude with *. Dunedin j season, commencing on November 13. Miss Ada Reeve, in an article- easkitied "A Word to the Stage-struck," says tbafc she- received £9000 for a season of nine weeks in musical comedy in South! Africa. Despite this, however, she does all she .'can to discourage stage aspirarfts. TBe' only concession that sh-a makes is at the end of her article, and is as follows: — "That there is still room for talent on the stage, I am ready to admit, and a girl with real ability may make her way to the top of the tree to-day just as much as she might have don© so at other periods ; but this is not, and never has been, an easy achievement, although many people appear to think otherwise. To begin with, there ia a great- deal to learn, e-ven for the most gifted, and in the second place all progress is a matter of real hard work. This is where the uninitiated are most apt to go astray in their ideas, thinking as they do that acting and hard "work have nothing to do with each other, the exact opposite being, in fact, the case. My principal advice to girls about to take up acting would be: Never forget that it means hard work, and -that only .real ambition, hacked by patience and determination, will bring you within sight of success." Dear Pasquin, — " Jack and Jill " drew a tremendous house in Masterton. Mr J. C. Williamson has in the past done fine business here, but -it is safe to say that never be-fore has ' such a largo audience packed itself into the Town Hall as rolled up to see the much-talked-of pantomime. The whole "of the dress circle and stalls (ordinary, as well as orchestral) were reserved, and the pit was practically filled at stall price 3. jfPhe crush at the ' dttoi^s was unprecedented, and> it is really something to marvel at that no one was hurt an the rush lor seats thatj took place when" the dcors opened. There- was almo&t -a riot at the pit entrance, there being 6O many desiring admittance and so fewseats available. You have already seen the pantomime, so I will not attempt to describe .it. Suffice it to say that we keenly enjoyed the gorgeous spectacles, the snow and butterfly ballets, the march of the jewels, the faceograph, the surf bathers, the gaant family, the monster rooster, the singing of the principals, and the excellent fooling of Messrs Campbell and Leslie. The skit on the afternoon tea habit ("Yes, I will have, another cup of tea, dear ") was very funny. — Fba Diavolo, Maeterton, September 7. "The Breed of the Treshams" (the play that Martin Harvey, the English romantic actor, in the part of Reresby, "the Rat," lias made so successful in London during the past two years) will be the opening attraction of J. C. Williamson's season, commenoing at His Majesty's Theatre on Thursday, October 14th. Mr Julius Knight in this case will be "the Rat." According to Australian critics, Reresby, the dissolute of fortune, is far and away the finest thing that this favourite actor has ever done in Australia. _Th« period is the troublous time of the Civil War in England between, the Royalists and the Cromwelliain: forces, and the authors (Messrs B. M: Dix and E. G. Sutherland 1 , otherwise John Rutherford), it would appear, have evolved a particularly good play — replete with much stenuous action, clash of amis, and withal a pretty love story. Reresby is, of course, the centra* figure, and it will be with so.mewhal added interest devotees will await Mr Knight in! a part most unorthodox for him, and quite out of the limelight of previous impersonations. A laughable incident occurred at the Theatre Royal, Christchurch, one night Jast week. A young man patronising tho dress circle was in the dreosing-rooiq putr tijog the finishing touches on. hia toileti

when the bell rang, announcing- the rise of the curtain. He promptly thrust hjs ticket into the brush and hurried out to the doorkeeper, presenting the comb as his passport. Referring to the growth of music hall artists' salaries at the annual meeting of the New Tivoli (Limited), Mr Henry Tozcr ' said that salaries were now on the downward grade, and would soon, h© believed, reach a reasonable level.