ALHAMBRA THEATRE

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

ALHAMBRA THEATRE

Considerably over 100 people were compelled to content thrm^eives ■with f-taidmg loom at the Alhambr.T Theatie o.i Situ: day night. The back poition aad iDa-^sages downstmis weic closely packed, and pcoiue -vseio stpndinj> pt the back and seated on the ftep 13 in the dress circle. Mr Fuller has effected very great impiovenipnts to this popular place o[ cnte"tainment. With an c/iteipriso that is dps ri\--ing of encouragement, he has im,jioved the floor and fcttigc and mliodueod the elec:ic ligLi. Tho improvement 1 ? aic- still going on, but even, now a zaoco compact and more com-

fortabie little theatre could scarcely be found anywhere. On Saturday night a first-rate programme was provide!, and there was plenty of evidence that the audience had their fill of c ljoymeiit. The performeis and the numerous pations of the theatre are aupaiently on excellent terms with each other, and not infrequently indulge in reiDartee which geneiaily evokes a ioar ot nicirimcnt. The opening scene, entitled " J appy Japan," was described as a

" picturesque fiist part. The appellation was well deserved. There was a decidely chaiacteristic Japanese colour givea to the whole scene, and the scenic effects were of a superior order. Mr John Coleman, who, when associated with Mes'iis Williamson and Musgiove gained the high reputation he possesses as a comedian, made a great hit in his clever creation, the scarecrow dance. Without doiibt, it is a reniarkab'y clever performance, and, to uss a colloquialism, "it brought the house down." His other sketches were " The Barmaid at Foley's Hotel," ' The Day We Reached Pretoria, ' pad " O'Rafrerty," all of which provided the fullest measure of hilanous fun. The boy juggler, " Fisko, is remarkably adept at sleight-of-hand feats, his jiigj-lirfe with balls being quite equal to anything of the kind seen hore lie met \'ith a highly favourable leception. Miss Lottie Lome confiimed the good opinion that was foimed of her when she made her fi.r°t appeaianue on Wednesday last, m-.fl her rr serio-ccLnic 5 erio-ccLnic solos weie loudly ejicorpd. Mr Chiiies Faniiig, a great fa\oriiite with the audience, achieved the utmost success 11 his comic soiigß and amusing anecdotes, and, like ponie of the other members of the company, had to submit to frequent demands for encoros. Miss Goorgie Dev-oc's singing and dancing evoked a perfect storm of plsurtats, and she found it useless -to attempt to escape the. demands for a repetition of the ?010 " One after tho other. ' Miss Lena Young gave a very charming rendering of the ballad '" Bred in old Kentucky." Miss Coralie ChaiJone also gave on effective rendering of " Only a lose lepf." while Mr Fred Duval secured plenty of applause for his comic song " Ringtail coloured band." What was one of the most interesting features of the performance was the first ap J pearance of an ecce.itric singer and dancer who rejoices in tho name of Sivroni. The gentleman has only recently arrived from Home, having come out to Australia under engagement to Harry Rickards. After his Melbourne sea&on he was secured by Mr Ftiller, and without doubt he will prove one of the biggest

diaw "of any of the artists that have yet appeared at the Alhambra. His song entitled '" Beijg Born" was peculiarly amusing, tli3 vocalist producing notes iescmblmg nothing so much as those of a saxophone. Needless to my. it was emphatically reJemanded. He also ■n c-nt tin ough what is described as an Indiarubber dance, in which he goes through uictesquo movements which Pie quite umq.ie.