THEATRICAL NOTES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 476, 31 May 1890, Page 3

THEATRICAL NOTES.

(FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.)

London, March 22. The title finally fixed on for Sydney Grundy’s Haymarket novelty is “ A Village Priest,” and for Arthur Law’s new play at the Shaftesbury, “ Dick Venables.” The last-named selection does not strike me as equal to the original one of “ The Panther.”

Mr Henry Irving's most conspicuous failures having been made in romantic parts such as “Claude Melnotte” and “Philip,” it is somewhat surprising and disappointing to learn that Herman Merivale’s neiv play to be produced at the Lyceum next September is only an adaptation of Scott’s “Bride of Lammermoor.” Irvin", of course, wants to play “Edgar of Ravens wood ” and cast Miss Terry for “Lucy Ashton.” If he does the result will bo a fiasco, as both are far too mature for the parts. Young Irving should play “Edgar,” and Miss Norreys “ Lucy. _ I remember Fechter performing in a version of this novel at the Olympic. He was, though getting fat, an ideal romantic actor, and could make love better than any of our modern jeune premier, bar perhaps

Terris. , , . Poor old John Maclean, who died suddenly in a shabby Bloomsbury lodging on Saturday, was what is known, as a “ useful actor” of secondary parts. Ho was attached to the Gaiety in the old days when Toole, Robert Soutar, Constance Loseby, and Annie Tremaine were the leading folk, and Nellie Farren only a rising star. When Maclean left the Gaiety he gravitated from theatre to theatre, doing on the whole pretty well, I fancy, and being much liked and respected. R.I.P. The Prince of Wales has been no fewer than four times in the course of the last few weeks to see “ The Gondoliers.” Strange to say, the piece won’t catch on at all in America, though the cast has been twice revised by Mr Carte and his clever wife. They are now cruelly advised to re-christen it “ The Gone Dollars.” Mr Jerome K. Jerome, whoso successes appear to be multiplying, is a very commonplace person to look at, and not specially interesting to talk to. Like the immortal “Bill Smithers,” all right ivhen you know him, but you’ve got to know him first.” People run after Mr Jerome a good deal nowadays, and he doesn’t care to turn himself inside out for every notoriety-hunter’s benefit. “Hands Across the Sea,” which had not much of a run in London, seems to have just hit the Australian and American taste. Henry Pettit has just received a mammoth silver souvenir from Manager Field of the Boston Museum (the Adelphi of the “ hub of the Universe ”), where the melodrama had a run of seventeen weeks. After the Carl Ro3a opera season Drury Lane will revert to melodrama in the shape of an American “blood and thunder” success, called “ Paul Kauvar, in which the popular Billy Terris and the inevitable Miss Jessie Millward are to play leading parts. This is the piece, I understand, which has sixty thrilling situations in five brief act's. The scenic effects are said to be simply hair-raising, and the dialogue full of solemn significance. Literary Notes. Mr Marston has returned home, bringing with him fully half of Stanley’s new book. It will be freely illustrated by M. Rion, who knows Africa thoroughly, and contain three important new maps. “Eric Brighteyes” will be the title of Rider Haggard’s Icelandic romance, to be published in 1891 by the “Illustrated.” The hero is an Icelandic yeoman, of much the same pattern as Mr Hall Caine’s Rev, Jason, and prevails mightily, against the giants and baresarks then infesting the island. He is loved by two women, one of whom works evil spells to enthrall him. He is finally driven to. become a Viking through accidental homicide. The theme must obviously prove not dissimilar to that of “The Bondman,” Indeed, the name “ Eric Brighteyes ” sounds as if it had been suggested by Mr Caine’s “Michael Sunlocks.” The six-shilling edition of Lewis Morris’ complete poems was published yesterday. “ Vanity Fair,” at a shilling, was promised for to-day. William O’Brien’s novel will be called “ When We Were Boys,” and fills a single volume only. Ouida s new story is entitled “Syrtin.” Mr George Du Marnier is writing a novel. Of course it will be illustrated by himself. Zoia’s “Bote Humaine” has proved.the 1 French realist’s greatest success since “Nana.” On the day of publication not far short of 50,000 copies were disposed of by Charpentiers. This firm boast that since they took up Zola they have sold 1,031,000 copies of his books. The sales of “ Nana ” totalled 155,000 ; “ L’Assommoir,” 117,000 ; and “ La Terre,” 88,000. Mrs Oliphant’s “Duke’s Daughter, etc., is a reprint of, “Lady Jane.” which ran through “Longman’s ” some time ago. Mr Ruskin has consented at last to a cheap re-issue of some of his most popular works. “ Sesameand Lilies,” agreat favourite with all classes of Ruskinites, is now obtainable at ss, and “The Seven Lamps of Architecture ” at 7s 6d. The plates in the latter have had to be reduced about a-third, but with this exception they are little, if at all, inferior to those of the larger editions. Mr Allen . has also in preparation 7s 6d re-issues of Ruskin’s “ Arartra Pentelici,” ; “ Ariadne Florentina,” and “ Val D’Arno.” Philistines imagine that Ruskin is a faddist whom only artists of a certain calibre can appreciate. That, in all probability, is because they never opened one of his books, or judge him by his latterday madnesses. Mr Allen declares he sells (on the average) 3,000 copies per annum of “ Sesame and Lilies,” and has done so for years, though the book till lately cost 103 6d, Our Lady Journalists. An article in one of the weeklies draws attention to the significant fact that whereas a few years ago London dailies would not on any consideration have taken a lady journalist on their staffs, nearly all the papers now employ them. Several ladies, such as Mrs Crawford (of the “ Daily News ’), Madge (of “Truth”), Lady Colin Campbell (of the “ World ”), Miss Lowe (of the “Queen”), and' last, but not least, Miss Friedrichs (of the “Pall Mall Gazette”) have, indeed, latterly acquired almost world-wide reputations, and are as well-known by name to litterateurs as Messrs Stead, Hutton, and Greenwood. Moreover, the lady journalist, when fairly successful, often earns more propor- , tionately than her equally popular male confrere. “Truths Madge, for instance, gets £SOO a year for her two column weekly contribution to that journal, besides what she earns on the Daily News.” But then, Madges letter was the first of its sort, and is particularly well done ; in fact, none of the lady s imitators have excelled her. Miss Friedrichs aiso makes plenty of money, and deserves to do so. As an interviewer, she has few male equals ( vide the account of her visit to poor Arabella Goddard in the current “Budget ). Lady Colin Campbell goes everywhere, and according to report is dressed “ free gratis . for nothing” by the smartest of court milliners. She places her copy in all parts

of the world, writing sufficiently, piquaotly j for even the most go-ahead American | prints. Some of you may remember her J articles on “Royalty” in the Sydney “News.” They were well racy, very racy. The “Speaker,” generalising on the subject of the rise of the lady journalist, remarks truly enough that her chief fault is a lack of grammar and punctuation, and a general carelessness of detail. It was the lady reviewer of a religious periodical who wrote of a bishop’s sermons, “This book is full of pithy sentences; ” but corrected her proof so inadequately that when the notice appeared it read, “This book is full of filthy sentences,” and the bishop was wroth. It was a lady also who, on being asked to write an obituary notice within an hour, sent word up to the editor that she “ couldn’t collect her thoughts,” and even the supposed omnipotent editor had to confess he couldn’t collect them for her.