ALHAMBRA THEATRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13385, 11 September 1905, Page 6

ALHAMBRA THEATRE.

A FIRST-CLASS PKOORAMME.

' ; Tho popularity »f tho programme submitted (it the Alhambra, Thcatro on Saturday evening was evidenced by the fact that at 7.30 p.m. the ' city thwtro • inspector (Mr R. Donaldson) ' stopped tho isale of tickets, and ordered (hat all •. tho doorways a.r<d passages should be kept 1 . clear, so that in the event of any sudden alarm the' largo audience that filled tho building 1 would have rawly means of exit. A very large number of persons who came to tho doors up to 8 j.m. had'consequently to bo refused admission, and a pressman who arrived a . few minutes after tho performance began was inframed by- Mr J. Fuller that there iras no possibility of finding even standing room, and, to get over tho difficulty, Mr Fuller obligingly suggested that he would find" room for tho press behind the scenes. Down a passage- , way, and aloiig mysterious windings, and through an atmosphere of burnt cork, led by Mr Fuller, tho docile pressman accordingly went, and after kicking up against sundry stage properties in tho rear of tho building and bumping up against several industrious sceneshifters, ii vantage point was obtained, and from here, seated on 'some kind of n, etago between a bos and a barrel— the performance was viewed. Some of the performers, as they made thoir exits andi their entrances looked quizzingly at the newcomer, as though they would ask " what is his special line?" but inquiry went no further thau this, and it was possibly. concluded that the member of the Fourth Estate was a "super" who was getting his first initiation into the mysteries of .vaudeville:' Tho first part of the pixgrammo, " The Evening- Party," was curtailed moro than is usual in order to allow of sufficient time for tho'-opecial attractions of Part 2, the principal turns of which wero the first 'appearand) of'" Cleopatra" (a snake charmer). "Bonita" (a.marvellous young lady, who, as a rifle shot, puts William Tell into ilio isliadc), and Oarl Zono (a clever juggler and equilibrist). " Cleopatra" is a fascinating yoiimg lady in" other respects than as a snako charmer—a, good conversationjlist, ono who has travelled over a eorjsiderablo portion of the globo, and a lady who tikes a keen and intelligent interest in all matters concerning reptiles. Prior to her srako turn tho reporter had tho pleasure of a Jew - minutes conversation with her, during which «he removed' from his mind a misconception that tho'snakes had been deprived of their , poisonous fangs; This, sho explained, \ms unnecessary whero the reptiles were under complete. control by a sy-steiu of handling by fascination sby enchantment. "Cleopatra" furthor explained that she had 14 different species of reptiles which sho performed with, and that they included' boa constrictors, pythons and their allied family from South Africa and tropical -America, a crocbdilo fjoin tho- Nile,' and alligators from tho Mfesissipi. An interesting conversation on rcptilia, generally and "Cleopatra's" experiences' with them was broken off by the time'arriving for tho " turn," and tho snake enchantress, who while converging with tho pressman was wrapped in a mantle, threw it off 'ami appeared in tho weird costume in which sho mates her appearance on the stage, and, stepping into a railed enclosure, tho scenes were shifted, and sho appeared before tho audience. A mysterious-looking box of very largo sizo was opened, and from oUt of it 3 depths the enchantress pulled ono after another large boas, (pythons, and numerous other snakes, and, on placing them upon the railing and on the flocr, they glided about and gavo unmistakable evidence of their vitality. Seizing tho largest.of them "Cleopatra" hung them round her neck and waist,\and they crawled over and about her limbs, neck, and head until she presented a weird appearance with heads and bodies of serpents appearing all over her. After this followed other experiments, showing tho power <jf tlio performer over the numerous specimens, and .tho snakes wcrq gathered up and placed in their box. ■ From another box, with the assistance of an attendant, the enchantress threw forth a huge crocodile, tho head of which was securely fastened in a bag, and " Cleopatra," after undoing tho headgear, displayed as' ugly a set of jaws and teeth as tho fearsome would care to look upon, This specimen proved himself to bo a crochety customer, and ru'hcu poked in tho side with a brcom handlo his jaws dcsccnded with a snap that could bo distinctly heard sovoral feet away. Tlio appearaflco of two alligators followed, and thoso " Cleopatra" handled as ona would handlo a pet kitten. Ono of tho alligators is trained, and when a handkerchief was tied oyer his jaw ho adroitly removes it with the aid of ono of his hind paws. At the conclusion of her weird performancs tho enchantress was greeted with hearty applause, aid. sfto returned to the wings, where, in conversation with the reporter, she stated that when she gave up tho stage, and retired into private life, she would always keep a few pet snakes about her residence. "Bonita," tho lady rifio shot, who. is a sister of " Cleopatra's," in her " turn " intm-ematclj*' afterwards, proved herself a marvol as amarkswoman, and for rapidity of sighting and accuracy of aim would be hard to excel. The shattering of ordinary clay pipe bowls, held out at arm's length by'an assistant, smashing pipe bowls placed on tho head of an assistant, shattering moving targets not much larger than haJf-iwrown, and similar extraordinary feats with magazine and Remington rifles are performances which require to bo soon to bo fully appreciated. Tho jugglery of Oarl Zono is atoo of a specially clever order, and makes a good finale to a really first-class programme—oho of tho best that has yet been introduced to tho city by tho enterprising Fullers.