Happy 'Minstrel Magic'

Press, 7 April 1979, Page 6

Happy 'Minstrel Magic'

By

HOWARD MCNAUGHTON

“Minstrel Magic ’79,” presented by the Halswell Drama Group. Halswell Hall, April 6,7, 27. Running time: 8 p.m. to 10.15 p.m.

A company of 32 enthusiastic local singers, dancers, and instrumentalists combine in this “Black and White Minstrel” programme; none of them aspire to star pretensions, but the show, conventional in format, nevertheless generates a warmth and congeniality that last evening obviously delighted its capacity audience. In a country where “the night out” almost always has connotations of artificiality, it is extremely refreshing occasionally to encounter a show like this which so naturally seems to reflect the cohesion of a local community.

All the songs are, appropriately, old ones. Several of the voices are of a solo strength, and where there is a weakness the “sing-along” approach spontaneously welds the atmosphere together; the female chorus does some good work, and the men include some good comics and individual voices. Several instrumental and dramatic pieces vary’ the pro.!

gramme; two banjo players show a very acceptable dexterity, a comic playlet draws a lot of laughs through its double entendre, and a silent movie sketch is particularly well done, with a “rewinding” of the film showing the! fat European hero winning harem girl in spite of Arab villain, in reverse. In this piece, there was evidence of careful rehearsal. An immediate audience favourite was “Les Girls,” I

; dancing in 'twenties costumes; however, they were cleverly parodied by “Les Boys,” a group drag act which answered a lot of the questions about the colour of the minstrels raised in the sentimental poem early in the programme. This show certainly does not aspire to great artistry; ■ it belongs most properly to Halswell, and everyone in the suburb should be grateful for its contribution to the comimunity.