RED CROSS REVUE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 199, 14 August 1940, Page 5

RED CROSS REVUE

; '. v\' .«> . ; J ■ HIGH STANDARD OF . ENTERTAINMENT WARM PUBLIC SUPPORT. Packe<f"nbuses attended the Red Cross Revue, produced loc- • ally and presented in the Grand Theatre on Monday and Tuesday evenings in the interests of the Red Cross funds. The whole programme was excellent and as an indication of the talent which exists in this dis-> trict and of which the public sees and enjoys, all too little. The show was the culmination of long weeks of careful rehearsing and preparation and as a result there was little of the amateui at mosphere about the items, the man ner in which they were carried out ►or the intervals between the acts. All taking part had been carefully schooled and gave a really good ac -count selves. The producer.. "Mr- is to be warmly congratulated and Whakatanears sin cerely Tiope that lie will not be averse to assisting again in the future when a further worthy cause presents "itself. In itself, the orchestra of fourteen was something of an for Whakatane and patrons "were unanimous in the hop:' that it would not disperse, but rather continue its efforts and become :an asset to the town. A 'lively assembly scene opened tthe programme, in which the company portrayed f' - 'somewhere in France 4 _e,, with Franch lassies and Tommies dancing and ringing to the well known 'Beer 3Barrel 'Polka* air. A sketch 'Cyril Comes Home Late' •created a good laugh when the ineIforiatcd "hero (?) acted by Mr C D. "Wafer and his long suffering spouse <Mrs Cole) exchanged a few brickbats to the delight of the crowd. Mr Walker is a humourist we hope will soon be on the boards again. JHe was also exceptionally good in it'he "Lancashire poem telling of the ladvenfcsres of Mr and Mrs'Ramsbotitorn sand their son who was \ f ate by Lion at Zoo/ JYlaster Len Broadmore delighted ■"with a cornet .solo 'British Grenadiers' in which he revealed his masfterly style and interpretation. An 'effective item was that by Miss B. )Boswell and Mr Hj Armstrong, 'The vlndian Love Call/ In costume, • against the disc of the full moon, 'the staging was all that could be desired and the harmony most pleasing. A dainty: assembly and chorus -was billed as 'Alice Blue Gown' with Miss M. Thatcher as soloist. The ■costuming and graceful dancing was -an achievement and we would have ■liked to have seen more of it than the time allotted permitted. Mrs "R. H. Larmer is to be complimented on her beautiful rendition of 'On Wings of Song' (violin solo) and later Fritz Kreisler's 'Liebesfreud.' Mrs Larmer is an artist of no mean •qualification and in this her audience appreciated her items to the 'full. Clever entertainment was afforded by the acrobatic interlude, provided, by Messrs Phil Dixon, Molli•son arid B. Hunter. As the clown of the troupe Mr Dixon, was the life •of the act, and had the audience in fits of laughter with his antics and skits. A well rendered solo 'The Lily of Laguna' by Mr H. Armstrong followed receiving well merited applause. The first act concluded with a colourful touch lent by the parade of the 'Toy Town Troops.' Composed the girls neatly attired in red and white uniforms and shakos, and under the leadership of Miss Jean Patterson the parade was well carried out widtf\ precision and smartness very commendable. Mrs H. Tennant -was soloist. The chorus and assembly 'Daisy' "had a. cockney flavouring when three old biddies held the stage in a trian gular gossip till the balance of the ■company arrived. Mr Tony Smith then broke the ice by calling the world on the 8.8.C. His broadcast was characteristic and the local wise cracks brought the house down, particularly the reference to the paving of the Strand with wooden blocks, followed by the sardonic observation that the borough councillors had evidently had their heads together. A duet 'Two Sleepy People' Mrs H. Tennant and Mr C. D. Walker was well staged and received warm applause, as was a solo by Miss M. "Thatcher 'The Magic of Your Life' in which this popular young singer excelled herself. The comic sketch '•'Kiss Me Goodnight Sergeant-Maj-

or' was topical. With Mr Walker again acting the part of the "hooped one' and the chorus supplied by a group of delapidated 'diggers' in undress uniform the item created a lot of fun and amusement. Mrs E. Armstrong discovered an unsuspected Irish brogue in the monologue 'The Rehearsal' and is to be complimented on her work and characterisation. A highlight of the second half was the two-act play by Noel Coward, "Fumed Oak" which might be termed a slice of real life, as was evidently intended by the playwright. Those taking part were Mr A. Boswell (Henry), Miss Carlyle (Doris), Mrs A. Boswell (Mrs Rocket) and Mrs Vercoe (Elsie). The tli eme illustrating the act of a desperate man who after fourteen years of suffering administers a telling ' jolt to his family, was well nterpreted and convincngly told. The skeleton ballet was a clever and effective item, losing any hint of gruesomencss in the surprising reality of the dance and movement lent by the subdued light thrown on the stage. The first sound of a rooster crowing sent the ghostly per formers scampering back to the grave from which they had come. The concert concluded with a well planned assembly scene, depicting the work of the. Red Cross nurses among te wounded Diggers. The soloists for the scene were Dr Fletcher Cole and Mr H. Armstrong. Once again the BEACON adds its congratulations to all concerned not forgetting those who worked behind the scenes under that capable worker and organiser Mr C. W. Good who acted as secretary-manager.