Kinderspiel.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 389, 22 October 1903, Page 5

Kinderspiel.

[ The kinderspiel entitled " The Happy Family," which was performed in the Alexandra town hall on Thursday evening, Bfch inst, by the children of the local school, may fairly be classed as one of the most successful and most, enjoyable entertainments that have ever been held in the town. Long before the appointed time for opening the doors, a large crowd had gathered in the street in front of the hall, eagerly awaiting admittance to the building ; and, when the hour of 7.30 arrived, the people simply streamed in, so, that in the space of a few minutes every seat was occupied. All the extra seats that could be procured were called into requisition, yet many who had paid for front seats had to be content with standing room at the rear of the hall.

In opening the proceedings, the : chairman of the .school committee (Mr Jas Kelman) delivered a short address, explaining the object of the entertainment. He pointed out the difficulty that the committee had always before them in not having sufficient funds to meet the demands made upon them in carrying out their duties in connection with administering the affairs of the school—this being in consequence of the inadequacy of the allowance made by the Board for the purpose. It was, therefore, necessary to occasionally appeal to the generosity of the public, and he was glad to say that these appeals had always met with a liberal response: He concluded by thanking the audience for their patronage, and also those who had gone to so much trouble in providing the entertainment. The curtain then rose, and displayed a group of about 50 happy smiling children, attired in fantastic dresses suitable to the occasion. The performance then commenced by " Mother Goose " singing the opening lines, and as each of her absent children appeared on the scene and played their parts prior to joining the happy family, the plaudits of the audience made it abundantly appparent that the efforts of the respective performers were keenly appreciated. The solos were, without exception, excellently rendered—one or two being especially good—and the choruses by the Family were given with much gusto and in good time and tune. Indeed, the performance from start to finish indicated that considerable time and trouble must have been spent in its preparation, and the result was distinctly creditable to teachers and children alike. The chief characters were filled as follows :—" Mother Goose," Miss Townshend; " Sinbad,'' Master A South; Sailors, Masters Trevethick, South, Williamson; Robbers, Masters Appleton, Anderson, Trevethick; " Alladin," Master C M'Eachen; "Ali Baba," Master D Hunt; "Dorothy Draggletail," Miss K Sawyers; " Bluebeard," Master H South; " Margery Daw,;' Miss Jean Gloss; " Cinderella," Miss Olive Laidlaw ; " Princess," Miss L Anderson ; "Knight," Master H Timmings; " Miss Muffet," Miss Beryl Hansen. The Alexandra Orchtstra—Messrs Briasco (violin), Thomas (piano) s Bringans (cornet), Cairns (iiute), and Thomson ('cello)— played one to two selections during the evening, and their excellent rendering of the accompaniments added considerably to the success of the entertainment.

The gross takings amounted to .£24.