THE "MATSA "VAUDEVILTE COMPANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2263, 15 July 1897, Page 47

THE "MATSA "VAUDEVILTE COMPANY.

Theatregoers in New Zealand are indebted to Messrs Williamson and Musgrove for the introduction of many well-equipped theatrical combinations. These have mainly been operatic companies, but: the firm, have departed from thia well-defined path in presenting to the public in this colony a. vaudeville company which, after touring with success in the northern cities, made its bow tea Dunedin audience at the Princess Theatareon Monday evening. Dunedin audiences are generally conceded to be cautious in the bestowalof their patronage on companies of whom they have had no previous c-xjerience, and while mauy recognise that atheattical company coming hern nnder the auspices of Messrs Williamson aad Musgrove bears the hall mark of genuine merit, the majority, as a rule, prefer to wait till they have heard the verdict of the presß and of those who preferred to run the risk of being disappointed rather than be absent on a "first night." Under these circumstftoceß the fact thit the dress circle was nearly fully occupied and that the seating accommodation of" the lower part of the house wps tested to its uttnos 1 ; capacity was a matter parbapa For some Rurprise ; but those who had confidence enough in the preliminary announcements to lend their patronage to the company on the opening uight had no cause for regret. The entertainment proved to be one oE more than ordinary merit, and it would nob be overstepping the bounds of moderation if one ventured to pay that as a vaudeville comp&ny it is the best combination of its kind that as yet visited out shores. Bach performer has justly been described as an artist in his or her own particular sphere, so that the combined forces of the company operate towards providing quite a unique vaudeville entertainment. Miss Alice Leamar has won for herself an enviable distinction in the colonies, and her reappearance in Dunedin was the sigual for an outburst of delight. Her performance aff >rded proof that she has lost none of her grace, abandon, and engaging naivete which characterises her movements, aad she danced and generally enacted her P &r t with such skill and charming vivacity as to evoke persistent rounds of applause. She asoumed the part of Penelope (a servant) iv a musical comedy entitled " Fun in the Kitchen," with which the night's entertainment wai opened, and her reprasentation of the typical a r ea maid with a pronounced typical dialect calls for unstinted praise. She sang a dit l y styled "Tcoraladdie," which the audience insisted on being repeated. At a subsequent stage she reappeared in her burlesque specialties, and succeeded iv installing herself into the very best graces of the audience. She gave the song ancldan.ee "American millionaire, ' r and as the audience persisted in its demand for an encore she reappsared and sang the plantation ditty " Looking for a cocn like me-" Mr John Coleman was also accorded a cordial recaption, a>nd his performance during tfco evening kept the audience in a p-^rpstual titter of merriment. The amount of fun which he introduced into the musical comedy ss Pilchsr (the policeman) caused it to "go" wish vim ; but it was ia his well-known ecarecrow dance that he made the greatest hit. Rh daneij" was grotesque in the extreme, aad c cUerl repeated outbursts of unrestrained ' mghtw, while the humorous number he i; trodaced w*f no less a subject for merrimert. Tiie caret: Delevines seemed to be m-xA in i>oiufc of appreciation with the audience. Their acf", entitled " Satanic t-S.-imb-jis," was without doubt a remark?l>la pe-formaii"e. The feats o£ strength and .si.-il were- i^i/iai'.mble no less for their originality t~t~im fee th.s lemarkable dexterity and cfi.' cb v?itk which they were carried out. The/ civ ed their boui -s to be twisted and knocked; abcul in quite an extraordinary fsnhlou, and t'.M audience gave vent to its feeling in &■ remarkably demonstrative fashion. Liittle GnUiver is described as " the fonnieifc man ofc bis iacbe? ia the world,' and the am'ticics; co»diaily endorsed the sentiment. His spasmodic nioveti-ents, his inimitable imitative power?, and the effective by-play ivli.ch fccrotcpiuies his songs all tended to si2.mp his 'jerformanoe as quite out cf ih'.i com mm. Mr Frank Lawton gave an exhibition oi hifl ■vhistling powers by thus wnderitig' t'ce music of Arditi's waltz eong " II Bicio 1 " vt.d the iafcer-mezzo ("Ava Maria") from " C-u?llcri«, Rusticana." Both airi wf>rs whis riod with fidelity and. skill, and the effect wa • evidently not lost upon the audience. The Dels-vines* and the Winterton. sisters went through in act which appeared in the programma'under the comprehensive title of an " interesting, eccentric, instrumental, terpsichoreaii. quintette." The two young ladies are graeefi-1 dancers, and the act' was received, iike :-.1l the oiher contributions of the evetii i-g, with expressions of approval. In Mr j'lrresi. FhSs the company possesses a biritijae who had a sirong sympathetic voice of cveii quality, and who dings with a good deal u\ expression at>« effect. His numbers were "1 love bat tiaee" and "Love's eerenade."

Although the entertainment closed with Mrs Leoni Clarke's exhibition of trained cats, rats, monkeys, cockatoos, &c, this might, in point of originality and merit, very well have been placed first. The sagacity and perfect training manifested by the animals might well be deemed impossible by those who were uot afforded an opportunity of being present at the perform* auce.Cats walked along a rope on which mice, rats, and canaries were perched, and faitidiously picked their steps through their natural enemies, so as to in nowise disturb any of them, and although the sight of a nice plump canary or sleek-looking rat must have caused their mouths to water, they were proof against all temptation, and marched with Spartan firmness by the whole array. The monkeys performed tricks varying from descending from the roof in a parachute to long jumps ; while the cockatoos, white mice, and the other members of the menagerie went through their allotted tasks in a manner which exe'ted genuine surprise. It should be added that the orchestra is a capital one and discoursed some floe music. Performances are to be given nightly during the week. On Friday next Miss Leamar and Mr John Coleman leave to join the Talune at Lyttelton to go to Australia. Their places will be filled by the Lucifers and Mias Angus, who are on board the Talune.