ALHAMBKA THEATRE,

Otago Witness, Issue 2391, 28 December 1899, Page 51

ALHAMBKA THEATRE,

Mr Fuller introduced a new vaudville company to his patrons at the Alhambra Theatre on Saturday night, and, notwithstanding that tEe most interesting method of spending Christmas Eve is generally supposed to consist in parading the principal streets and inspecting the displays in the shop windows, the new performers were greeted by a crowded " house. ' Mr Ben Fuller went ovar to Australia purposely to engage a company for the holiday season, and, judging by the entertainment on Saturday, the v.-axworks patron will be well cateroJ for for a long time to come. The priucipal ruembers of the new combination are Mr Martyn Hagan and Miss Lucy Fraser. Both of these are regarded in Australia as first-rate performers, and on' the occasion of their first appearance they provided a quite inexhaustible fund of amusement. Their joint " turn "—" — two musical sketches entitled " Popping ths Question" and "The Lady Barber" — were exceedingly clever, and were most diverting. I Without doubt the sketches constituted the feature of the evening's performance. Miss Lucy Fraser aroused the patriotic sentiment of the audience by her rendering of " The honour and glory of England," while Master ■Victor Hagan, a, tiny lad, known to the company under the sobriquet of "'The Canary," shared in the success by singing a portion of" the refrain,. Mr Martyn Hagan's specialty, " Hooligan's mule," was received with unmis'tokable favour. Miss Ruby Clifford, who possesses a voice of excellent quality, was trebly ercored for her serio-comic items, " Along the , railß " and " Talk about a big responsibility," while Miss Violet Chard was no less successful in her serio-comic item and skipping rope j danco. Miss Mario Woodford, in her song > " Missing from home " ; Mr G-eorge Bentley j in his descriptive song " Moonbeams " ; Messrs j Harry Thomas, George Williamson, Will Crampton, and Alf Bartlett in their negro specialties, and Mr Jack Hagan :n his Irish specialty were all well received, and contributed to the success of the entertainment. A i most amusing farce, entitled "She's Got His 'Hat On," concluded the entertainment.