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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3667, 16 April 1883, Page 2

AA_en will managers of opera and dramatic companies learn their business ? Once more the public of Napier have been "fooled" by the old old stoiy told by an advance agent that "on Saturday so'and so's celebrated company aa-UI arrive, and will open at the Theatre B.oyal jwsitkelg the same evening." Sometimes the " celebrated companies" arrive iv time to "open the same evening," and sometimes they do not. The Mastodon Minstrels, when here "missed the tide," so to speak, and thus disappointed a number of persons A\iio braved the boisterous Aveather to -welcome them, and uoav the same thing is repeated in the case of Miss Lee's company. Macallum's opera company and Simonsen's—Avell, for AA-ant of another name avc may be excused for calling it an opera company too—aa r ere more fortunate in getting landed in time to "appear the same eA-ening," but for the sake of their oavii professional reputation, and in consideration for those avlio Avere obliged (having paid for their seats) to listen to them, it Avas a thousand pities they Avere not better advised. A performance given by-a number of persons, all of them very tired, with a fair percentage suffering a recovery from mal de mer, is not the most inspiriting thing in the .vorld, and cannot fail to create a bad impression—very often an erroneous one—as regards the actual resources of the company. AYe hope this hint _ ill not be lost on managers of companies aa'lio may in future intend A'isiting Napier.