MADAME MELBA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 50, 27 February 1903, Page 2

MADAME MELBA.

The reception accorded to Madame Meloa oti ber arrival at tho New Ply- ' mouth station by the mail train on Thursday evening was very cordial. In spite of the unfavourable state of the weather, a large crowd aseomMed at the station to pay a tribute of honour . to the world's greatest cinger of tho diy. His Worship the Mayor (Mr E. Dock'ill), accompanied by Mrs Dockrill, Mrs IS. M. Smith, Mrs and Miss Ooimatt, and several members of the Borough Council were preseni on the p'.tform, and when,the lrain drew up I the Miyor boarded the c\r tceupied by Mtdume Melba, and on behalf of 1 lie | ci izens gave her a hearty w leome to New Plymouth. Af'er thcs> present lul beon introduced to tin greit singar, she was escorted to a carriage, j and driven to the Criterion Hotel ami i 1 ih • ch ers of the specta f ors. j On« of the mos- piecing featur sif I tl.e visit is tho fact that Miviime j Me'ba comes to New Plymou'h to ting ) without &ny guarantee of a minimum sum, such as has fix d in other | places. This is not only a flittering . ri"ute to the which our district has made m comi'ctijn with mns : cal mattnrs, hut disp'ays a confidence iD our pub ic spirit that is most gratifying. We feel sure that this confidence will not prove to have baen ! misplaced, and f! at p:- ciical evidence of appieciation of the course taken will be given in the only possible way—namely, by filling tha theatre with an en'husiastic acd warm hsarted auJiarca, who will vie with other assemblages of a like nature in the colony, of doing honour to the greatest of living singers. At Wanganui, town and country united to dj h'in ge to the gifted songstress, the o,j(j a House being filled, and the approaches thronged by people anxious to catch a glimpse of the renowned singer and to hear as much as p>ssible of h. r songs. The applause which greeted Madame Melba on her first appeiranca on tha stage was a spontaneous outburst that only such an unrivalled artista can command, but i'. wis as i.othiug com pi red with th? thunders of plaudits which wra evck->d by her rendering of Tolstoi's "Good-byr," the mtmory of wh ch will be fresh for many years to comti in the memory of those present, It is litt'e wonder tint tie box office was besieged on Wednesday morning ny a crowd eager to secure the halfguinea seats wbii;h were soon all taken up, and late comeis were woefully disappointed. The manag men', wishing to do all in their power to accommodate the public, devoted, their best ■.Mention to overcoming the difficulty and we are pleissd to sat 3 that thosir tillbrSs wera n>t in vain as will be seen by tha following : BOX omOE ARRANGEMENTS. HALF-GUINEA SEATS. After considerable troubta a rearrangtment of the setting has been made, whereby an additiocal number of half-guinea seats were provided, and on reference to the advertisement it will be seen that a few addi ional rows of these seits have been available and can be booked from 9 till 5 to-day. We congratulate the management and the public on tin attainment of this desirable end, which will enible many j to be present who would hive bjen < keenly disappointed at missing the ohauc) of hearing Madame Melba. Wa j may add that the revisid plan will iu ( no way interfere with the bookings which have already been made.