THE DRAMATIC ENTERTAINMENT.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 249, 18 August 1874, Page 5

THE DRAMATIC ENTERTAINMENT.

The first entertainment by the Cromwell Amateur Dramatic Club was given in Kidd's concert hall on Friday evening Jast. The club has been in existence only since the beginning of June last, so that high expectations were not to be indulged in as to perfection in a first performance after so short a period of preparation. But in this respect, an agreeable disappointment was felt by the extremely large audience assembled. People generally go to amateur performances,—and amateur dramatic performances more particularly,—with a kind of foreboding that they are going to be called on to be satisfied and pleased with something decidedly unsatisfactory and unpleasing ; they are prepared for an infliction which must be borne because of the object in aid of which the performance is given, or some other such reason. And thus they are all the more disposed to enjoy and praise anything in the shape of a success that goes to contradict that original impression ; and in their enjoyment they arc to faults a little blind, and to virtues very kind. Just so it must be with a newspaper critic. Of course, he is not expected to shower praise unlimited on everything and everybody, deserving or not, just because it is an amateur performance ; but he would be wrong to expect, and to be severe if he did not find, the excellence of professionals,—that is, of those worthy of the name. He goes to the performance expecting little, and ought to be as well satisfied as the rest of the public if he is pleasantly surprised, fle is popularly sup-j posed to be fitted in some manner beyond his j fellows to criticise, and although this is not always a true supposition, still the truer it is ! the more lenient should he be. And such a' critic would have found it easy to be lenient on Friday evenirg. No one could look at the sea of faces and note their altogether pleased expressions, nor hear their repeated manifestations of approval, and fail to become imbued with at leasb some measure of their satisfaction ; or if he did so fail, he must have been of a nature saturnine and hypercritical exceedingly. The attendance was one of the largest that ever assembled in the hall. This is proved by the amount of money taken at the doors, a sum of £4O. Visitors were there from all parts of the district. Doubtless the fact that the building fund of the Hospital about to be erected in Cromwell was to be aided by the performance, had something to do with the largeness of the audience, —it must not all be credited alone to the expectation of the treat; but it may safely be said that even'as a matter of " value for money," none regretted their attendance. The duties of stage-manager and prompter were orig'.nally allotted to Mr A. H. Jaggar, a gentleman instrumental in the formation of the club ; but his resignation rendered the selection of another necessary, and it fell on Mr J. M'Eachen, who fulfilled the position in a

manner deserving of all praise, and to the satisfaction of everybody concerned. The curtain rose at 8.30, when Mr R. A, Snook made his appearance, and read the following prologue, which it may be stated was written for the occasion by himself : A. prologue, friends, unneedful may be deemed, Yet with your kind permission, (for to us it seemed As well to greet you on our first occasion With words of welcome ami mutual persuasion,) We take this opportunity to ask Your kind indulgence. Should we task The patience which was freely lent last year, We yet would fondly hope you might forbear To prove by stern and unrelenting test Our humble efforts ; for we do our best. A privileged position we will frankly own ; In sympathetic hearts our trust is sown, And should a novice happily amuse He gains the approbation which he could not Jose. In all the purer influence of Literature and Art, The British Drama, sure, may fairly claim its

part. Does evil gain the victory where good alone should rale ? Then we've failed to play the drama and have only played the fool. And if our evening's programme strive simply to

amuse, We would hope there's space enough the better part to choose. Then, welcome, friends, both good and true, Within these humble walls, For men with lower ends in view, Have met in statelier halls. Ye citizens of good intent, who honour us tonight, A home for sick and indigent will recognise your

mite; Though of the latter there be few within this favoured land, He always rinds enough to do who loves to lend a hand. If love be unity, and unity be strength, Sure love is real wisdom, that at length The future town of Cromwell with gratitude

may scan The day in which the boy became the father of the man. But Charity hath still more glorious beams ; It is itself an end, although a means ; It shares the immortality of man, When virtues here have run their 'lotted span. What though the object of our present care Is help to those who corporal pains must bear, The motive power is still the sacred fire, E'en as our tongues must speak our hearts' desire. I ween that only those who will be blind Can fail to see that Heaven and Earth combined Are bidding us the mystic notes discern, And from their quiet teachings strive to learn That mutual assistance is for each man's good : The bonds which, never break are bonds of brotherhood. Biyt Hospitals alone shall not arise ; The common weal upon a broader basis lies. New Schools and Churches, say do these portend That each and all must with the oth r blend ? Then let us all for good join hand in hand, A strong because a happy and united band. Aly task is done, save one inflection, We fain would ask for your applause ; Forgive, we pray, each imperfection In honour of the Worthy Cause.

Its delivery was greeted with applause, as much for the manner as for the matter. Mrs Aradt and Miss Murray then took their places at the pianoforte, to play the overture, the " Canary Quadrilles." This was a great treat to the audience, and was listened to with much interest and delight. At its conclusion, the curtain again rose for the performance of " Cherry Bounce," a farce of rather a milk-and-watery nature. The whole of the fun turns upon the Handy Andy kind of mistakes made by Gregory Homespun,—the servant of Mr Oldrents, a farmer. The part of Gregory was taken by Mr A. Peach, who was very happy in his rendering of it. His appreciation of the fun-creating results of his blunders was effected in a highly natural manner, and he frequently succeeded in carrying his hearers with him in his amusement. The Mr Oldrents of Mr R. A. Snook was a well-studied performance, and he entered into the spirit of what is at best but rather a poor character with great zest. Two farmers were represented by Messrs R. Brown and T. Gilmour, the principal part of whose work lay in cutting antics on the discovery that, by a mistake of Gregory, they had been treated to a draught of horse-medicine instead of Mr Oldrents' real good old " Cherry Bounce." The part of Gregory's mother, Mrs Homespun, was taken by Miss Marsh, who did what little she had to do very efficiently. . After an interval of ten minutes, a few songs were given. Messrs Pretsah and Johnson, aocompanied by Miss Murray on the piano, sang an exceedingly pretty duet, " Liquid Gem." Then came a highly enjoyable feature of the evening's entertain/)}cut—the singing of Mrs R. Arndt. In her first song, " Home, sweet Home," she succeeded in putting herself on remarkably good terms with the audience, but in her encore song, "Forsaken," she achieved to our mind a greater success. Both songs were sung with an expression that showed a thorough appreciation of the sentiment, and as her enunciation is clear and distinct, the audience were enabled to follow her with interest. Mr A. Peach then sang a Champagne -Charley kind of song, "Dare-Devil Dick," and was rewarded with a request for an encore, when he gave " Pretty Jemima." Mr R. A. Snook i followed with a recitation, the " Results of a [Spirit of Contradiction," which he delivered jin really first-class style. He has a good voice, and enters thoroughly into the meaning of what he is reciting ; in fact, ho perfectly understands the art of elocution, and his recitation was a genuine treat to his hearer l !.

Another short interval took plane, and the farce of "Twenty Minutes with a Tiger"

then came on the boards. This is a farce written, if we do not mistake, for Charles Mathews, who is perfectly at home in such a character as diaries Beeswing, the principal personage in the piece. Charles was on this occasion represented by Mr Robert Brown, than whom it would be hardly possible to select a person who could so'naturally play the part. The character is not one which gives much scope for acting proper ; what is wanted is a mannerism of assurance and coolness ; and as Mr Brown possesses that very necessary qualification, nerve before the public, ho was enabled to perform the part naturally and smoothly, and he succeededin thoroughly satisfying the audience, and keeping them in roars of laughter throughout. His performance is really deserving of all praise; he was thoroughly at home, and every point was brought out with telling effect, without any forcing or apparent study. Mr D. A. Jolly took the part of the "Bengal Tiger," Mr Chili Chutnee, and in him it found an excellent representative. The character is one difficult of performance, being apt to be overdone and so rendered wearisome ; but Mr Jolly is to be complimented on the success he made of it. The other characters in the farce are not called upon to do much, and so there was very little opportunity for criticism. Mr T. Gilmour was Chutnee's servant, Jacob Mutter, and his principal business was to show fear of his master's crabbed humour, and this he managed to do admirably. Arabella, the daughter of Chutnee, was represented by Mrs J. Taylor, who gave great satisfaction in what she had to do, and promised well for the taking of a more important character; while Miss Kelly, as Dolly Mutter, Jacob's wife, fully sustained the reputation she acquired last year, and performed the role with an aptitude and a degree of ease and vivacity that proved her to possess no slight natural talent for the histrionic art. The curtain fell amid loud and continued applause. Mr J oily came forward and returned thanks on behalf of the Club for the welcome they had received at the hands of the audience, and also on behalf of the Hospital Committee for the large attendance. He announced that the very handsome sum of £4O had been taken at the door, while for tickets not represented in the room a further sum of £5 was to hand. This announcement was received with cheers. "God. save the Queen" concluded what was certainly one of the most successful affairs of the sort which ever took place in Cromwell.

Before concluding this report, it is only fair to mention that Mr Kidd gave the use of his hall for the occasion without payment.