Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1886-02-19
The Merry Makers.


This excellent troupe gave their first
performance at the Hawaiian Opera
House last evening to very good
house. The curtain was rung up
promptly at eight o'clock. The per
Torrance commenced with farce writ
ten by Mr.. Wash Norton, entitled
"The Fellow that looks like me, which
was fairly well acted. Mr.. Wash Nor
ton next introduced his medley of
minstrel songs and jokes, and it is but
fair to say that during the eight years
since he played in San Francisco he
has lost none of his old time vivacity
while he has added greatly to his ex-
ecution. limitations of the snare
drum and the galloping of horses were
given on the bones, and the "Last Rose
of Summer was played upon the
Japanese fiddle until it sounded like
the last rose Of summer before last 1t
brought down the house. Mr.. Norton
After Mr. Mortar had disappeared,
and before the audience had ceased
laughing Mr. H. Norman appeared and
sang "The Wolf" in a clear, cultured
baritone voice and responded to an en-
core. Next followed the wonderful
box trick as performed by Messrs
Maskelyn & Cooke, in London The
box was placed upon the stage and
was examined by Mr. C. E. Williams
and another cabinet maker These
gentlemen inspected the box with the
jealousy of craftsmen, thumped it,
poked it with canes, pressed the sides
for pannels, pulled the ends for open
ings, and ended by standing off and
cycling the box susplciously. The box
was at last tied with long piece of
rope and was covered and placed be
hind the curtain. Time, "A minutes.
Mrs Norton then appeared and prom
ised to get into the box in
less time, re-appearing from the
box in another dress than the one she
wore. The curtain was then lowered
and the two suspicious cabinet makers
were put on guard at the ends of the
curtain to see that nobody helped her.
Mr.. Williams seemed FESTIVE and made
motions as if he could hardly refrain
from peeping under the curtain, but
the presence Of the manager kept him
in check. In exactly two minutes, Mrs.
Norton knocked on the box, when the
curtain was raised, and 10, she was in
side, the box seemingly untouched, the
cover buckled and the rope tied with
many windings. When the box was
united and opened, Mrs, Norton step
ped from it before the astonished
audience. She wore another costume
as was promised. The two cabinet
makers shook their heads sadly and
left the stage.
Mr. Henesy Leroyle opened the sec
ond part with a song and Irish jig, af-
ter which Mr. Wash. Norton again APP
peared in full evening dress, which was
rapidly and wonderfully changed in
sight of the audience, without Mr..
Norton leaving the stage, for FIVE or
six other character costumes, includ-
ing a French officer, an old man OF
sixty years of age, am Irish washer
woman, Yankee old maid, and a
) young lady of the period. Mr., Nor
ton illustrated each character with
song and sketch, greatly to the amuse-
ment of the audience.
r After another song, "The Desert
by Mr.. Norman, and an interval of five
minutes the evenings performance was
, brought TO a close by the aerial sus
pension of Mrs. Norton, presumably
! under mesmeric influences Thi.
rather mysterious performance is aidec
5 or rather hidden by hydro. oXyger
light
Taken as a whole Honolulu has