"SAN TOY."

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18367, 28 April 1925, Page 10

"SAN TOY."

OPERATIC SOCIETY'S PRODUCTION. LAST NIGHT'S SUCCESS.

It is about twenty years since Christj church theatregoers laughed at the i -jokes of Li in Edward Morton's musij cat comedy "San Toy," and enjoyed the tuneful music of Sidney Jones. The I piece was then produced by one of the 3. C. Williamson companies, and the two principals in it were Miss Eose Mu3grove and Mr Claude Bantock, who took the respective parts of San Toy and Yen How. A new generation of theatregoers has since arisen, who know nothing of the delightful fooleries of the piece, and but little of its melodies, with the exception of such airs, perhaps, as"Six Little Wives" and "Ehoda and Her Pagoda," which once heard arc not easy to forget. Indeed, the music of "San Toy" is one of the features of the production, and those making their first acquaintance with it cannot but be struck at its quality when compared with the frothy stuff that does duty in so many of the successes of the present day. _

"Say Toy," which was produced some years ago iu Wellington by the Amateur Operatic Society, under tho direction of the late Mr Tom Pollard, and which was recently produced by the Auckland Amateur Operatic Society, under the direction of Mrs J. j Huline, of Christchurch, was presented at the Theatre Boyal last night by the Christchurch Amateur Opcratie Society, in the presence of a large and appreciative audience. It is an ambitious undertaking i'cr an amateur organisation to attempt, and is, for instance, much more difficult of' interpretation than "Our Miss Gibbs," which they recently produced; it is, as a matter of fact, as hard as anything yet undertaken by the Society. It is to their credit, therefore, that last night's per- : f ormance was acclaimed by the audience as one of the Society's big successes. It is not intended to assert that the performance was perfect. It was not. But such shortcomings as thero were ware only minor'ones, inseparable from a first-night's performance," and did not detract to. any extent from the merit of the show. Occasionally there was a tendency, inevitable among amateurs, particularly those who realise that their talents are above the average, temporarily to forget the characterisation they were acting, and consequently to allow their own individuality to predominate, but such occasions were rare, and on the whole the director has every reason to feel satisfied with the material he had worked on. The principals did not take long to get over their initial nervousness, and there was only one very noticeable instance of forgetting the lines. As a spectacle "San Toy leaves little to be desired. Its Oriental atmosphere lencte itself admirably iu such a connexion, and the scenes were a wealth of colour. The scenery and wardrobe were, considered from all angles, excellent, and provided a feast for the eye. They were previously used in the Auckland Amateur Operatic Society's production. While there are many in the company who have appeared in principal roles before, and who consequently may be expected to carry out their respective parts with the confidence that comesfrom experience, there are several in tho production who have been entrusted with such parts for the first 1 time. Of the latter people it might honestly b<? said that they are a promising lot,, able to carry out their onerous duties without a suggestion of stage-fright, and at the same time to get into the skin of their roles. Among these are Messrs E G. Seed, F. W. M. Cowlfshaw, and C. Harroway, the work of tfie first-named being particularly good. The plot of "San Toy" is of the love of an English officer for the daughter of a Chinese mandarin, and of the experiences the couple go through before they are allowed to marry. There is a lot of Oriental scheming done and for a time San Toy, who is the daughter referred to, passes as a boy. The society is particularly fortunate in respect of its producer, Mr Harison Cook, a gentleman with an extensive experience in Britain. Mr Cook has been associated with the Carl Rosa Opera Company, of London; and the Moody Manners Opera Company, of London, as principal bass, having been with the former company for fifteen vears. He also played with the Royal i Opera, Covent" Garden, for two seasons, singing in German —before the Great War. of course, intervention of which prevented him from playing a season in Stuttgart, _ Germany. He has produced many operas previously, professional and amateur, including "San Tov," and accordingly knows that piece from A to Z. He came to the Dominion to take up sheep fanning., but was prevailed upon to leave his retirement in order to take charge or the present, production, which is his first in New Zealand. Judged by last night's performance it will not be his last. As San Toy Miss Hazel Faiville was an unqualified success, being assisted in the role by a charming manner, which at once put her in the good graces of the audience, a graceful figure and a quiet confidence which enabled her to go through the piecewithout a clip. She spoke her lines with understanding and was as good & S&n Toy as one could wish from such a production. Miss Doris Tankard, as Dudley, tho maid to Sir Bingo Preston's daughter. Poppy, had an important part, which she carried through with no small amount of ability, while Miss Annie Moir as Poppy did all that was demanded by the part in a businesslike manner. Mr E. G.JSeed made a pompous and dignified Yen How. a mandarin, showing a good conception of the requirements of the role. He spoke without a smile or a sign of emotion even when greeting his daughter, who had heen away from him for some time, thus enhancing the reputation Chinese bear in being able to camouflage their deepest feelings. His singing of "Six Little Wives," carried out in conjunction with the ladies, who were the subject of the melody, was exceedingly well done. A heavy ,resoonsrbility devolved on Mr Dan McKivett as the principal fun-maker in the role of Li, and he came through with living colours, being a versatile tower of strength to the company. He possesses a good sense of humour and ne makes his points well. As Captain Bobbie Preston, Mr Frank Morrison looked the part of the handsome English lover of San Toy, and sang in his usnal pleasing manner, receiving fair support from his brother officer, Lieutenant Tucker, in the' person of Mr C. W. Bonaldson. Mr Eex Hobbs was fairly good as the British Consul at Pinka Pong, but Mr P. W. M. Cowlishaw failed to impress as the Emperor. Other roles were taken by Misses Agnes Richardson, Bona Vaughan, Edna Pedder, Ada CowelL Bona Faville, Kita. Hobbs, Julie Lancaster, A. Finnerty, and by Messrs L. E. Clemens, W. C. Mann, A. G. Freear, T>. H. Davis, C. Harroway, C. A. Guy, E. Samson, and W. E. Bateman. In the absence of Mr Claude Burrows," who was indisposed, the role of Fo Hop was taken, at very short notice,

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by Mr Harison Cook, whose work was high-class in every detail. The chorus worked well together, and there were some pretty ensembles. The ballets left nothing to be desired, and were a testimonv to the efforts of the ballet-mistress, Miss Iris Montgomery. With one or two exceptions, there was a good understanding between the company and the efforts of the balletmistress, Miss Iris Montgomery. A feature of the second act was a pas seul, which was danced by Miss Bona Vaughan. Under Mr A. Schnack, the orchestra performed well, and generally there was a good understanding between them and the company. In a production like "San Toy" a good deal of preparatory work is done by people whose efforts are not rewarded by applause, like those_ who appear on the board, yet are indispensable to success if success is achieved. In this category is Mrs G. L. Donaldson, the Society's honorary pianist, who spent much time in playing both for the principals and the chorus prior to the musical director taking over. "San Toy" will be repeated until the end of the week.