An Evening with Maccabe.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 85, 7 October 1889, Page 3

An Evening with Maccabe.

♦ " Begone, dnll caro," is tho motto of Mr. Fred. Maccabe's entertainment, and it would indeed bo a man of morose temperament who did not entirely forget the troubles of everyday life under the influence of the veteran's clever and amusing sketohes. After an absence from the colony of seven or eight years, Mr. Maccabo made his appearance at tho Theatro Eoyal on Saturday night before an exceedingly large audience. The building waß, in faot, full to the doors. All olaaBCH of the oommunity were therefrom tho olderly man who in boyhood iistoned to Macoabe in the Old Country, and was eager! to renew the acquaintance, to the young colonial who heard of Maccabe's fame either from his parents or from those who remombered the performer's first tonr of the colony. Very hearty was the recoption given to Mr. Maccabe when he advanced to the footlights. The firßt part of his programme consisted of seleotions from his former ropertoire, beginning w jth the after-dinner speech of Mr. Solemn-side, tho respectable old gentleman " who never has anything to fay, and says it," stammering along uncomfortably for a quarter of an hour without getting boyond his introductory sentence. Next came the representations of a lady-killer, a la Dundreary, who addresses meaningless language to an imaginary young lady, and of an obstinate North Countryman whom Mr. Macoabe met in an English train since his last visit to the colony, and who considers everybody else in the world " tho most obstinate man he ever met " Another capital item was tho imitation of tho celebrated Henry Russell's Btyle of singing the songs of his own composition. By-the-way, Mr. Macoabe introduced an appropriate song with overy separate sketch. But the most effeotive part of the whole programme was the impersonation of the street troubadour of East London— tho ragged waif with consumptive cough of whom Mr. Maccabe has for years been the recognised stage exponent, and in coiinoction with whom the advice about the importanco to a eingor of having a " top note " has passed into a proverb. The oharaoter is one in which the separation between the pathetio and the ridioulous is very slight, but its naturalness as rendered by Mr. Maocabe is undeniable, and the audience on Saturday night heartily roco^nised tho merit of the performance. Ventriloquism was always one of tho veteran's strongest points, and in his display of it on Saturday he showed that be still ranks amongst the foremost professors of tho art. Disdaining the use of the lay figures and heavy moustaches, whioh most of his jnniora in the profession resort to, Mr. Maccabe uses simply a covered iahle, and carries on conversation for a qnarter of an hour with an imaginary individual who aspears to be hidden underneath the folds of the cloth, and another person apparently on tho roof -of the theatre. The deception in both instanoes is most effective. Tbo second part of the entertainment consisted of a comedietta, entitled " The Magio Statue," with jnst enongh plot to introduce a series of oharaoter skotohes and songs and dances. This introduced to the audienoo Millie. Minnia, who showed herself to be a very graceful danoer, her Spanish dance and Highland Fling receiving hearty and merited ro-oalls. Mr. Maccablo "doubled " tho parts of Paul Goodman, a man who has sown his wild oats, and beoomesa kind of philosopher, and Robert, his observant servant. Robert's somewhat cynioal comments upon things in general were humourous to a degree, and kept the audionco thoroughly interested. The piece is brimful with serio-comic songs, and an amusing effect was wrought in one of them — in whioh a disconsolate lover is described as bewailing tho faithlessness of his " Cruel Mary " in the presence of a field of sheep— when Mr. Maccabe invited the audience to join in the "baaing" chorus. To sum up, advancing ago has mudo surprisingly little impression upon the wollrenowned ancertainer, and all who patronise hiß performances oan rely npon being abloto drive doll care away for an honr or two.