MACCABE ONCE MORE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2322, 7 January 1890, Page 2

MACCABE ONCE MORE

The return of that veteran entertainer, Maccabe, to Ashburlon was of course the occasion for a crowded'house, those who have often had the pleasure of seeing and listening to his wonderful performances, together with those who saw and listened to him for the first time last evening being equally delighted. Fre.h, genial, and happy as ever, he has his audience thoroughly en rapport with him from first to last, and renders their enjoyment ali the more perfect in that to all appearance he as thoroughly enjoys the entertainment him* self. His delineations are all so lifelike as to be veritable realisations, his representation of the modem masher being as perfect as that of. the pompous old fogey who flounders through a formal after-dinner speech, or that of the staid old butler with a weakness for eau-de-vie. His best character portrait was, however, perhaps the strolling musician of Ratcliffe Highway, the thoiough-paced poverty-stuck squalid, yet impudeDt, street entertainer whose ragged misery, consumptive cough and rough witticisms^ amid his shiftless wretchedness were depicted to the life. He was equally happy in his sketches of celebrated, musical, composers his imitation of Russell being excellent, while his Irish love-song evoked an encore which wcuM take no denial. Of his ventriloquial performances it may truthfully be said that they have never heen excelled nor do we believe that it is possible to excel them, the ilhjs\on being absolutely complete albe;t without advenftious aid of any sort whatever. The second pait of a wonderfully clever enter ainment, " The Magic Statue," served to introduce the lady-performer Mddle Minnia who is so efficient and charming an assistant in the delightful mhm provided, her poses as " the statue endowed with life " being simply perfect, and undeniably beautiful; while her dancing as a Spanish danseuseapi as a Highland laddie was an exemplification of the pQetry of motion, Mdlle Minnia was greeted with the heartiest applause and her Spanish dance was jenlliusiastically encored. From first to last %e\entertainment thoroughly delighted the audience who went away vowing that "There is -r but one Maccabe and Mdlle Minnia is h's prophetess. ?'