"MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM"

Chronicle (Levin), 15 August 1947, Page 4

"MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM"

COLLEGE PUPILS' CREDITABLE PRESENTATION "All the world's a stage" is one of the most quoted lines- from Shakespearean plays. This was aptly proved last night, when pupils of upe H6rowhenua College presented, Shakespeare's "Midsummer Nlghi's Dream" to a capacity house. This five ac't play is drawn. . around a . ' combination. of Athehian nobility, English craftsmen, fairies, music, iong and dance. Aithough the play is mainly a y. Comedy, there are , parts which reqtiire- a serious determination and ; concentration to be presented in the manner in which last night's performance was conducted. . The play was of a very high standard and is' a credit to the* producer, Mr. N. A. Byrne, principal of the college. The settings, designed by Mr.* M. Smith and executed by him with the help of Wing Young and" Michael Walker, were of a very high standard and gave a touch of reality to the whole production. The reality was ennanced by the lighting effects, which were in charge of Mr. K. Alderson, and which gave . the scenes a natural colouring. The players themselves gave . a most creditable performance on the whole, but perhaps the . most amusing part was that of Nick ; Bottom, played by P. Leddra. His part brought spontaneous laughter from the audience many times. The most diffieult scene occurred _ in the third act, when. Hermia v _ (Maureen Haggerty), Helena (Marie Pescini), Lysander (Bill Dumbell) and Demetris (D. . Lindsay) enacted the lovers' quarrel. This was a serious scene and . the audience was kept tense and alert all the time. Full credit must „ be given to these players for their excellent piece of acting. Scene 1 of the first act opened in the palace of Theseus, Duke of Athens, who was ably portrayed by J. Goodwin, with Theseus' and his bride-to-be, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, played by Jean Ching, in the midst of a love scene. , Standing guard over them are two guards, played by . A. Lee and B.. Arcus. From the palace the scene shifts to the house df an Athenian workman, Peter Quince, who was

presented by D. Lang. Quince nas t-he-job of presenting a play to the Duke of Athens, and to accomplish bhis he gathers in his house five □ther workmen to take part in the play. These workmen were ably played by: Nick Bottom, a weaver, P. Leddra; Francis Flute, a bellows mender, J. Hannan; Tom Snout, a tinker, N. Jones; Snug, a joiner, J. ' Curran; and Robin Starveling, a bailor, I. Jamieson. . In the second act the scene shifted to a wood near Athens, in which the fairies, Oberon, King of Fairyland, Titania, Queen of Fairyland, and Puck, Oberon's mischievous attendant, are . . introduced. J. Norton played Oberon, Betty Stern, Titania, and A.- Arm- , strong, Puck. The fairies were: Mary Steeples, Joan Bagrie, Margaret Maclean, Betty Ching, Peggy Prendeville, Janet McClune and Pamela Marshall. Titania's sprightly attendants were played by Josephine Cameron as Peaseblossom, Josephine Adrian as Cobweb, Lavinia Hayfield as Moth, and Patricia Lindon as Mustardseed. Act three and part of act four are played in the same woods, though at times the scene changes from one part of the woods to another as the cast becomes inVolved in love scenes, violent quarrels and a wild midnight duel between Demetrius and Lsander. W. Stern, playing the part of the overbearing nobleman, Egeus, . appears bewildered at the sudden change of heart of his prospective son-in-law, Demetrius, when the fairies had finished dosing the lovers with love potions. The latter part of act four is staged in Quince 's house and is very short. Bottom caused laughter among the audience with his hail-fellow-well-met characteristies at-this stage. The finale is staged in the palace with the play presented by Quince and his friends. This piece was very well acted and the producer must be complimented for the manner in which he introduced some very amusing effects into a diffieult part. The manner in which the "dead" body of Pyramus (Bottom) handed his sword, with which he has just killed himself, to * Thisbe (Flute) was an excellent amendment to the original lines. Philostrate the Master of Ceremonies, was well played by R. Whelan. Other acknowledgments must go to the following-: Furniture, Mr. E. Lacey and building department, Mr. Hall; costumes and- curtains, Miss Ccleman and the domestic science department; properties and accessories, Miss Chapman-Cohen, *Miss Pettit and Miss Mullon; stage manager, Miss Pettit; choir, Miss Browning; at the piano, Ann Dickson and Alison Todd; business" management, Mr. A. Haley; dancing, Miss Eichelbaum, Miss Chap-man-Cohen and Miss Heather McDonell. „ The presentation will again be given tonight.