222
CARL T. SMITH
acceptable to the better parts of the community. There were those who looked with disfavour on the theatre. The behaviour of the habitues of the pit, as well as vulgarities in some of the productions of the day, brought the stage into disrepute among the strait-laced. Attitudes were beginning to change, however; in part this was due to attendance at the theatre of that most moral Queen, Victoria.
As for the quality of the inaugural performance at the Victoria Theatre in Hong Kong, a reviewer said of the actors, "though somewhat behind the great houses, yet they were such as to give hope of good things ere long. It must be borne in mind, that with several of the performers it was their first appearance on any stage". On the other hand, so few were interested in appearing on the stage, it was a matter for concern as "the corps dramatique consists of only eight members it does not auger well for the general diffusion of dramatic talent among the 'aspiring youth' of the colony". At the next performance, the reviewer faced the dilemma of how to criticize amateurs and still not discourage them. He gently suggests that "we may perhaps be allowed to hint, that a little more time and attention would not be ill-bestowed by the performers in studying the characters they assume as some are considerably over-acted. But our wish is not to be censorious".
After this initial burst, amateur dramatics limped for three seasons and then faced death. In 1852 under a heading "The expiring drama" amateurs were invited to attend a meeting at the City Hotel "to plan for a series of productions for the season in order to prevent the demolition of the Victoria Theatre". There was a revival of interest and the season opened in January. It was noted that the new group, which called itself the Victoria Amateurs, was received "with unmingled applause by the fullest and most fashionable audience we ever witnessed in the Theatre or anywhere else in Hong Kong”.
Revived interest in amateur dramatics was necessary if the Theatre was not to be converted to other uses for it was not a paying venture for its proprietor, George Duddell. The Anglican Bishop had offered to lease it from him for conversion into a Sailors Home. Duddell, however, had interests of his own in
222
CARL T. SMITH
acceptable to the better parts of the community. There were those who looked with disfavour on the theatre. The behavior of the habitues of the pit, as well as vulgarities in some of the productions of the day, brought the stage into disrepute among the strait-laced. Attitudes were beginning to change, however; in part this was due to attendance at the theatre of that most moral Queen, Victoria.
As for the quality of the inaugural performance at the Victoria Theatre in Hong Kong, a reviewer said of the actors, "though somewhat behind the great houses, yet they were such as to give hope of good things ere long. It must be borne in mind, that with several of the performers it was their first appearance on any stage". On the other hand, so few were interested in appearing on the stage, it was a matter for concern as "the corps dramatique consists of only eight members it does not auger well for the general diffusion of dramatic talent among the 'aspiring youth' of the colony". At the next per- formance, the reviewer faced the dilemma of how to criticize amateurs and still not discourage them. He gently suggests that "we may perhaps be allowed to hint, that a little more time and attention would not be ill-bestowed by the performers in studying the characters they assume as some are considerably over-acted. But our wish is not to be censorious".
After this initial burst, amateur dramatics limped for three seasons and then faced death. In 1852 under a heading "The expiring drama" amateurs were invited to attend a meeting at the City Hotel "to plan for a series of productions for the season in order to prevent the demolition of the Victoria Theatre". There was a revival of interest and the season opened in January. It was noted that the new group, which called itself the Victoria Amateurs, was received "with unmingled applause by the fullest and most fashionable audience we ever witnessed in the Theatre
or anywhere else in Hong Kong”.
Revived interest in amateur dramatics was necessary if the Theatre was not to be converted to other uses for it was not a paying venture for its proprietor, George Duddell. The Anglican Bishop had offered to lease it from him for conversion into a Sailors Home. Duddell, however, had interests of his own in
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