Maguire and Risley’s Imperial Japanese Troupe

“Night after night at the Academy of Music the saffron skinned and almond eyed protégés of Managers Risley and Maguire absorb the attention of the most fashionable and intelligent portion of the citizens of the metropolis.  The universal question, ‘Have you seen the Japanese?’ receives an affirmative response from the majority of our amusement goers, and it is now time for the management to change the programme, interesting though it may be.  The Japs have hundreds of other feats equally entertaining, to judge from their list.  If they would also change the orchestral pieces, and give the melancholy flute player a chance at some of Liszt’s transcriptions, it would be well.  The ladder, or rather series of ladders; the pyramid of tubs, the rope walking, the bamboo pole, and the flight from the dome to the balcony, are still the leading attractions at the Academy.  ‘Yeou’ and ‘All Right’ are still the countersign.  There will be an entire change of programme to-night.”

“Those Almond Eyed Stranger—the Japs—enter upon the fifth week of their engagement at the Academy of Music tonight.  We dropped in on these ‘foreign relations’ of ours one evening during the past week, and found a goodly sized audience present.  Glancing over the programme we saw the same acts announced as they gave on the first evening they appeared, and the only change that took place on the stage was the balancing upon the feet of one of the performers of a large tub, with little ‘All Right’ in his gymnastic acts inside the tub.  The suspended bamboo pole, the magic ladder and the enchanted ladder, are certainly the best acts they perform.  Their legerdemain business is very badly done.”