Recent experiences have apparently made Shanghai audiences a little suspicious as to the value of variety entertainments, for though there was evidently no restriction whatever on admission to the Theatre on applicant waa furnished with a ticket or the Thursday night (17th), presuming that the
necessary dollars, the stalls were not much more than half full, and the dress circle and boxes wore very scantily occupied, The pitaud gallery, however, were crowded, and all those who did go enjoyed themselves thoroughly. The elements that make up and there is plenty of variety in this Mr. Norton's World, are good all through,
"show," and incessant entertainment. The performance began on Thursday with selection from Bizet's Carmen given on the piano by Mr. Albert Linton, and then the curtain drew up on the manager in ordinary evening costume alone in the centre of the stage. In the deftest manner, and without moving from the stage, or taking any assistance, animate or inanimate, from beyond himself, he transformed himself successively into a French General, a Squire of the old school, an Irish washerwoman, an American school-marm, and a Girl of the Period, each character in its appropriate dress, cherelure and chatssre, soa each fospersonation accompanied by little speech or song or dance. The next scene was the appearance of the Oriental Necromancer, Achmed Ah Bey, with his charming assistant Miss Haida. They are magnificently costumed and their scene is a simple contrast of light and darkness, with none of the gilt and gaudy paraphernalia demanded by inferior magi+ cians, nor are their tricks the stale inventions that wizards innumerable perform in countless drawing-rooms before wondering children at Christmastime. Mr. Bey's magic borrow watch, 00 be if produce a is broad and distinguished; he did. indeed
guinea-pig, but gene 1e soared above these trivialities, and was deservedly great-
bonne bouche. There has never been 9 plauded. "But the next scene was
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.