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The Sailor Prince, of course, I mean; To welcome him, may he always be
Found playing on the side of the Royal Navy.
The military groups were at times strengthened by the addition of actresses. Until the time when Hong Kong resident ladies appeared on the stage, the actresses were from visiting professional companies.
Actresses not only provided beauty but at times a necessary gentle touch. The 20th Regiment was performing the farce "Turn Him Out" in 1867, all was progressing well when suddenly one of the players became temperamental and refused to proceed. To soothe the anger of the audience, which was becoming boisterous, the guest actress, Miss Annie Hill, was prevailed upon to announce the suspension of the performance. While a male would have been greeted with hoots and catcalls, the gallantry of the audience gave Miss Hill hearty applause. Some felt, however, that the incident might be a serious threat to the reputation of all garrison performances.
In spite of such fears, the Band Company disregarded adverse publicity and presented themselves to the public. According to a report, there was in attendance "a gay concourse of people, with many ladies and their friends". At times rowdy behavior discouraged respectable patronage. At a performance at the Garrison Theatre in 1867 it was said that "some behaved in a style savoring more of a 'penny show' than a respectable theatre, where ladies form a portion of the audience". Performances put on and patronized by the military were more subject to the plague of rowdyism than those produced by the A.D.C. in the dignified setting of the Theatre Royal at City Hall.
Another hindrance to military performances was the ruling by the military authorities that no placards could be posted announcing productions. In retaliation, some pranksters put up posters over town announcing a forthcoming play by an officer's dramatic group, though no such production was ever intended.
Despite such difficulties, Hong Kong has had a long history of performances by the Garrison.