AMUSEMENTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2716, 22 January 1910, Page 3 (Supplement)

AMUSEMENTS.

HIS MAJESTY’S. [ LOCALFIXTURES. Patho Pictures. —Nightly. February 2,3, 4, s—Scarlet Troubadours. Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion.— Jan. 24 and 1 25. Mr. Allan Hamilton’s Dramatic Com. pany inaugurates a tour of the Dominion at Dunedin on February 4th. In all probability George Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” will follow “The Lion and the Mouse” at the Sydney Royal. Mr. George H. Barnes, who is ahead of the Besses o’ th’ Barn Band, arrived at the Bluff from Melbourne by the Manuka. The tour commences in Christchurch in about a fortnight. The Paris authorities have taken out Bernhardt’s telephone because she acted emotionally for the exclusive benefit of an operator. Here at least is fame for one “hello girl.” At the end of the month Mr. Rickards will sent a company to New Zealand, which is to include Mr. and Mrs. Fitzsimmons. On tour Mrs. Fitzsimmons will sing and appear with her husband in the sketch, “A Man’s a Alan for a’ That.” A new play shortly to be added to the repertory of Miss Nellie Stewart is “When Knighthood was in Flower,” yet in the “Dorothy Vernon” period. This piece has been acquired by the J. C. Williamson company, in addition to “The Lion and the Mouse,” and “The Third Degree,” the two last-named pieces being fine modem dramas, _ in which important present-day questions are set forth in an attractive manner. Miss Margaret McKinney, who sings “The Song of the Soul” in one of the leading productions of “The Climax,” in the States, tells of a small kinswoman with whom she remonstrated for being slothful in her studies. “Why, what will become of you when you grow up.” she said, “if you don’t know anything?” “Don’t worry about that,” the child replied. “I’m. going to be an actress like you.” “The Corsican Brothers” did not prove the success anticipated in Sydney, and the company, headed by Julius Knight, fell back upon that solid stand, by, “A Royal Divorce,” until a new production! is ready. “’Arms and the Alan,” that interesting philosophical play by Bernard Shaw, was to have been played, and was in rehearsal, but has now been shelved in favor of a new play, entitled “The Lion and the Alouse,” which lias had a most successful career ini America. An idea of the extent of the exchequer of the New Theatre, one of the latest hobbies of New York millionaires, may be gained by its desire, unsatisfied, to pay Aliss Grace George £4OO a week for her appearance in the performances there. Aliss George lias agreed, ever, to accept the invitation of the directors to act Lady Teazle, in a revival of “The School of Scandal,” and will, accordingly, suspend hep tour in “A 'Woman’s" Way” for a period of three weeks and become a member of the ensemble of that institution. The extremely novel and beautiful effect, the balloon in. “Aladdin,” roused; an occupant in the stalls to a dangerous pitch the other evening (writes a _Alelbourne correspondent). As Aliss Nance Alakr swayed gracefully directly above his head, he reached out his hand to touch her foot, and then, failing in that made a frantic endeavor to hook her round the ankles with a crook stick. He was just clamoring upon the seat to repeat the experiment when the balloon soared gracefully far out of reach, and Aliss Maher, after smiling a farewell at him, turned her attention to fascinating the gallery. Aliss Fauny Bauer, the young Sydnev soprano whose beautifully trained and exquisitely pure soprano is said to bo used with such telling effect in “The Catch of the Season,” at Her Alajesty s Theatre, Sydney, has had a most interesting career since she left Australia for a European training some seven vears ago. The first two years were spent at- the Alilan Conservatorium, where, amongst thirty-eight competitors from all parts of the world, she won a scholarship entitling her to free edr cation in singing, declamation, tlieorv , and harmony. Her first operatic success v-as as Desdemona in Verdi’s great work, “Otello,” and her next as Violetta, which she played at Bucharest. A student’s course in Germany followed, and she lived for some time in Stuttgart, and received the title of Kammer-Sangerin, or. court- singer, to the Queen of Wurteruburg, who made quite a protege of her. For ■- some months Aliss Bauer continued her studies not- only in sinriim, but also in riolin and organ, and she was a great iavorite with the residents of the town. Then she went to Dublin visiting relations, and her good fortune followed lie r there, for the Countess of Aberdeen took up the young Australian and she sang several times before vice-roy-alty. She has had a most distinguished career in England. A CARRENO STORY. The “Musician” prints this anecdote: The little daughter of d’Albert, Eugenie, is beginning to learn to play, and is under the instruction of her mother, Alme. Carreno. Among her friends is an old music teacher, who is very much interested in the little girl. One day he saw her playing her scales, and interrupted her: “But that is all wrong! I cannot let you play your scales sol” “That is the way my mother plays them,” answered the child. “But your mother is a genius.” “Then whv won’t you let me be a genius, too?'’ Brussels, one of th© operatic centres of Europe, has only just heard. “Madame Butterfly” for the first time. Miss Dorley had the title role, the composer was present, and the opera scored a big success. Why do we hear Liszt’s “Orpheus” so infrequently? When Wagner first heard it, in 1856, he wrote to Hans von Bulow r : “Liszt’s composition has won me quite. It will take the asses—and that- means well-nigh everybody—a long time to dispose of this phenomenon ; to myself lie is clear and- near, even where I stand farther off him, and I have made up mv mind without reserve as to the eminent worth of his creations. At St. Gall, where they hafi prepared a sort of musical festival foi us, he performed his ‘Orpheus’ and ‘Lei Preludes,’ the first of which I consider a- unique masterwork of th< highest perfection.” Mme. Carreno is to tour the Dominion this year.