PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

Evening Star, Issue 8406, 6 January 1891, Page 2

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

1 Little Black-eyed Susan,' styled ' a musical extravaganza, occupied the boards at the Princess's Theatre last night, replacing ' Fan on the Bristol,' whloh had a successful run, although short. The new piece is very comical, takiDg it all in all, and if one may judge by the initial performance it should be well patronised while it is before the theatre-going public of this City. List night's house was a capital one, the lower portion of the building being crammed, while in the circle there was a good attendance. The play is one which is more interesting than the general run of like entertainments, because it contains numerous references to colonial politics and to several matters which have lately been occupying the mind of the public, suoh as the elections and the "strike." This factor in the play renders it very laughable, and as the jokes introduced are harmless they are readily appreciated. The plot it is not necessary to recount, as it is short and simple, and therefore easily followed. The principal parts are held as under:—Crossbush (a smuggler and afterwards a captain in the navy uuder the name of Crosstree), Mr Sheridan; Susan, Miss Gracie V\ hiteford; William, Miss Stella Tudor; Dame Hatley, Mr Alfred James; Jack the Ripper, Mr Wilfred Carr; Dolly Mayflower, Misß Nellie Arline; Doggrass (a lawyer), Mr H. Imano. Of these Mies Whiteford, Mits Tudor, Mr Sheridan, Mr James, and Mr Carr were the chief actors ; and it ia sufficient to say that they sustained their respective rales in a highly creditable manner. It was not in the acting that the entertainment was given to the audience—as ft matter of faotj there Was Very little acting—but in the incidental vocal items and dances. As, however, there were so many of these, and as almost every one of them met with the heartiest approval, we shall only refer to the chief items. One of these was certainly the medley duet by Miss Whiteford and Mr Sheridan, who were so successful in their efforts that an encore was imperatively demanded. ' Leonore' and ' Alas ! those chimes' {' Maritana') were sung by Miss Whiteford, and in both items the singer was awarded the heartiest plaudits from the auditorium, and was aho the recipient of several bouquets. With Miss Tudor the same lady sang tho duet 'Pretty Little Susie,' in which some very graceful dancing was given ; and ' Moonlight at Killarney,' another duet by Miss Whiteford and Miss Tudor, was rapturously applaudod. Mr Sheridan, it may be said, impersonated a male character for the first time in the colony, and his moke-up was so capital that the audience failed to recognise him when ho first appeared. 'The man that struck O'fiara,' in which he was assisted by Miss Whiteford and Miss Tudor, was a capital item for exciting the risibility of the audience; and tho topical duet ' There's room for some improvement there,' by Mr Sheridan and Mr James, was another contribution ou the same lines. This lastnamed gentleman could hardly be excelled in the rendition he gave of 'The poor washerwoman' —a comic ditty, in which our new members of Parliament were humorously commented on. Mr Imano had very little opportunity tor exercising his powers, but in 'The will o* the wisp' he was heard to advantage, and had the succeeding item not been " rushed on " he would have been encored. The snow ballet and the sailor ballet afforded very pretty scenes and some excellent choruses, and in the latter Miss Mildred Trigge danced a sailor's hornpipe very nicely. * The Bridesmaids ' —the composition of Mr J. A. Robertson, conductor of the orchestra—was rendered by Misses Arline, Trigge, Austin, White, Livingstone, and Fraser. It is a very tuneful melody, and is an item that cannot fail to be appreciated by any audience. Ocher items which are worthy of mention are—' The Smugglers' Silence and Fun.' by the Bovis Brothers ; • Two lovely black eyes,' by Messrs Carr, Imano, and the Bovis Brothers ; ' Home again to Susan,' by Miss Tudor and chorus; a banjo duet, by Miss Arline and Miss Whiteford ; and the English stick dance, by Miss Stella Tudor and Mr John Tudor. The finale was a farce, which afforded amusement to the majority of those present. Mention should bo mado of the orchestral music, and also of the scenery, which is very good, 'Little Black-eyed Susan' is to be repeated to-night. To-morrow night and Thursday night 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' will be staged, after which the company proceed Northwards.