"A TRIP TO CHINATOWN."

Evening Post, Volume LIX, Issue 11, 13 January 1900, Page 6

"A TRIP TO CHINATOWN."

THE HOYT AND M'KEE COMPANY. Metaphorically speaking, wo lift our hat to Mr. Harry Conor, our newest American visitor. He is a comedian oi tho first water. No doubt he has been told tho same thing before, seeing that ho has been p.uying tho character oi Welland Strong on and off for the last ten yeo.is, but liis is a case in which an oft-repeated compliment is a compliment indeed. He comes to us with a' reputation of being considered a very iunny man. Ho is all that fancy painted him — and more, humour bubbles from him as water from a spring, in cveiy line he utters, every gesture, every eonlortion oi his mobilo face. Tho American melhoG of laugh-making is not the English method. The atrocious pun, tho conventional low comedy gag, the suggestive tit-bit, the pungent epigram, are not employed — in this piece, al any rate. The smilo is won by a. bewildering and astonishing gift of facial cxprpssion, eccentric attitudinising, odd similes, choice .excerpts of American slang, or tho quaint, dry humour with which Mark Twain, Aitcmus Ward, and other writers have made us familiar, and wherein the laugl; is due not so much to (he iw;tual remark us to tho apparwH afterthought addeci as a- sort of postscript. It must not be assumed that Mr. Conor plays v lone hand in his fun. Ho is first fiddle certainly, ■ but a whole orchestra of funny and entertaining peop.o support him in this extravagant comedy, given the title of "A Trip to Chinatown." Criticism of the piece is to a certain extent defied by tho author's reservation that "whatever the play may be, it is all that is claimed for it." It is a typo oi musical extravaganza, which is new tc this colony, which, lets ofi its jokes and rattles through its "business" like (he tiring of a string of crackers, while The .semblance of a plot flits in and out like the litt.e field mice of a recent pantomime. It is, iv ell'ect, a thing of the moment, without a serious thought in it, and ii incessant laughter is any proof of success, then it succeeded admirably, for the large audience which filled the Operu House last night simply roared from iirsi to last. Early in the night the audience welcomed most heartily the return to these parts of Mr. Wallace BroWnlow, the here of operatic successes as a member of the Royal Comic Opera Cpmpany. It seems a pity that so fine a singer should be wasting his substance in this nondescripl sort ot work — and the same remark may also be applied to others in the cast, whe havo voices of more than average meritj as we had opportunity of judging. Still, it will no doubt be argued that someone has to do this thing, and if it is to be clone at all it must be done woii. Here we are in agreement, and tho present comiptuiy undoubtedly do their work cleanly and well. Mr. Brownlow, besides talcing part in several concerted numbers, sang Sir Arthur Sullivan's musical setting of Kipling's " Absent-minded Beggar." The song Lad only come inlc liis possession the day before, and it was unfair to expect him to do full justice tto it. Stiil, the listeners were given a very fair idea of the stiiring character of the music, and the haunting refrain ol the chorus sung last night .to an accompanying ring of a shower of . coins, will be on everybody's lips before many days aro past. It was encored, and a further recall brought the .singer out with the familiar " Soldiers of the Queen," the audienco taking up the chorus in vigorous style. The "girls" of the company, who are very American in their speech, are smart, clever, and bright in all their work, which, however, is not of an arduous character, and, as before stated, they are good singers. Miss Alleno Crater, who p.ays lue part of a. widow supposed to chapoioiie the parly for the outing, but is really the "high-flyer" oi tho evening san<* .several quaint little bits; Miss Viola Uillete sang "Because" exceedingly prettily, to a laughing accompaniment from the audience in consequence of queer grimace's and attitudes ot' tho leading comedian spread at her ieet ; and Miss Marie Adams took part with Mr. Brownlow and Mr Arthur Pacie (another good singer) in a burlesque of Italian opera, which won au encore. There is a host of other good things winch could be descanted upon at length, did space permit. The admirable chaiacter sketch which, for iustanco, is given by Mr. Sam Marion as the old retainer, and his subsequent agility iv new eccentric dances AVith the Misses Nellie and Lizzie M'Coy, which were recalled again and again ; the equally clever comedy work of Mr. H. J. Ward, as the elderly bachelor avlio was led away by leceipt of o nolo not intended for him ; tho bright performance of Miss Edith Hoyt as Flirt, the gay widoAv's maid ; and last, bub by no means least, the performances of the iincst whistler wo have heard round here (Mr. Frank Lawton not excepted), Mr Tom Browne, avlio not only "whistles everyday tunes like a piccolo, but has accomplished the feat of doublc-uole whistling — that is, he will^ give .simultaneously the soprano and afti>- parts, and

even more, he can whistle two distinct aii-i a'u tho same time. He is aiso ti clover mimic, as his imitation of instruments in a brass band, a circular suav, and a knife-grinding machine at work clearly showed. Altogether those who are in search of a bright and exhilarating enteitainment cannob do better than mako "A Trip to Chinatown."

The Clerk .to tho Jolmsonville Town Board gives notice that ten per cent, will bo added to all rates unpaid after the end of the present mouth. Messrs. J. 11. Bethune and Co. send us the almanao o[ the Sun Fire Office. A social gathering is to be tendered to Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.H.It., at the Berhiimpore State School on Monday evening. The Premier aud other Ministers will be present.