PRINCESS THEATRE

Otago Witness, Issue 2429, 3 October 1900, Page 55

PRINCESS THEATRE

The fact that Dixs Gaiety Company has come to stay is apparently leaching a point of demonstration beyoacl a doubt. On Saturday evening, when a change of programme was announced, the audience begia to ccllcct about the doo^-s of the Princess Theatre at S 45 p.m., and the management were framing money away vi a quarter to 8 o'clock. The " Gaiety Minstrels " opened the programme with what they called their new grand and original first part "With Jack at Sea. The end men— Messrs Kearns, M'Kisson, Hugo, and Leonard, — with Miss Ida Roslya. as interlocutrix, kept the oudiencs amused and entertained "~ until the Stttiuitoii Sisters appeared m their double specialty " Sally's a-commg." Mr Albert M'Kisson was highly successful with the coon song ••'Coal black lady, ' a .id Miss Ida Clarkson, who is really a delightful ballad smger, sang " Annie Laurie " and Comm' thro' the lye. This young lady was the recipient of two elegp.nt bouquets from some of her odmirers. Mr T. Leonard, who coined a new rame fo_- las tir.n, cal'inpr it a " wimnsicette," was irresistibly funny ; while Mr Charles Hugo's burlesque of Walter Bentlcj vs tho fJev. John Storm was leally good. Master Claude Sullivan, whose -t<->ge sobriquet is "The Juvenile Wonder," made a great hit with " The Irish Fusiliers," and, by special rcqupst, sang ' Sherny coon." The seco.id pail of the progr?mme was pretty well monopolised by Mr J. C. Baiu and the new artists. Mr Bam, who is veritabiy a host in himself, reappeared time and again in some of his choicest turns, and his versatility y& a € comedian of a very high Older wa-5 amply clemonstiaiad. " Pedra," whose stage title is '' The Monarch of the Air," is a clever gymnast, and his feats on rings and ropes, ending with o rcmarkrble double someis^ult, fairly breujM (lowa the house. The cleveicsl pGriormn/icc of the evening, however was that given by LiUle Ethel, whose skill as a contortionist is little short of marvellous. While tuliy admitting the merit of the performance there arc many, however, who can haidly appreciate the spectacle of a child tying heiself up in a knot as readily as if she wcie made of rubber. Perhaps the greatest novelty li'tiotiticed on Saturday night was Miss Jessie Thornton's serpentine dance. Dunedin audience.s have mostly to thank kmematographic pictures of Loie Fuller for their ideas "oi thi& effective and bewitching twirling of draiDerj , but now that they ha^e had an opportunity of witnessing the genuine aiticle, tho other thing will probably be at a discount. Mis=i Thovnto_i has thoroughly masteied the seipentine dance, and tho limelight effects accompanying it are capital. One instant the white silk cf the diapeiy enveloping the form of tho donpeuse, and spread out to represent wings, was spangled with a shower cf stars o.i a red ground; the next it would be changed to blue, with beams of light running in all direction?, and so on. The audience grew quite enthusiastic, and loudly applauded each change of design and colour. Submitting to the inevitable letall, Miss Thornton returned, and, spreading her ' wings, ' made an effective background for p. number of portraits of British generals, which were quickly nui through the limelight appa/ntus, to the unfeigned f-stisf action of the audience. After Miss Ida Roslyn had reappeared in a charming coon costume end siuig an appropriate melody, Rexo gave an exhibition of juggling and balancing. The eiitertainmeni concluded with an exhibition given by Prof. Bemaic! and hia performing dogs. The feats performed by these sagacious rnimals were very „ood, ar.d loudlj applauded. Encoies were fiecctcnt during the evening, and it vat. 11 o'clock befoie the cvrtam fell on an enteitannipnt which appeared to thoroughly delight the audience. Next T/ednesda;^ e\cmng Mi&& Ev? Middlcton, one of Australia's lepding contraltos, who has been specially engaged by Mr Dix, v/ill make her fhst appearance.