FUN AT THE TOWN HALL

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2215, 30 July 1914, Page 8

FUN AT THE TOWN HALL

POPULAR COMPETITIONS

JUDGED BY THE AUDIENCE

A now form of entertainment' was sprung upon -the public at tho Town hall last evening in the, form of miscellaneous musical and dramatic competitions, initiated by tho Australasian Enterprises Company. These competitions ; differ from other entertainments of the kind, inasmuch as the audience is asked to act as judge, an ■ invitation that was eagerly accepted by those prosent last evening. Hough and ready was tho judgment. If a performer did not please, ho was promptly interrupted by cat-calls, interjections, and on occasions were relentlessly-counted out, much. to. tho amusement of everyone savo_ the unfortunate competitors, who received their sentences in moods that varied from white-hot indignation to laughing complaisance. Mr. Alfred Boothman, once a familiar figure on/the dramatic stage', was entrusted 1 with-tho management of the entertainment, and performed his duties with the dramatic dignity of one. accustomed to the glare of tho footlights, lie explained that eight out of. the ten competitions arranged would bo judged by the plaudits of the audience. The performers were all amateurs, lie explaiucd, but it 'would be found that some of them wore as good as. if not better than,.the.professionals. He said that' tlio ordeal of appearing .before a largo audienco required a good deal of courage, and bespoke a fair and square deal tor all.

Dancing the Tango. : a.The programme'opened with a tango danced by four couples simultaneously, arter, which they competed. singly .for tho prize. _ All the entrants-gave a.vory i fair exposition of-tho dancey which was performed with vtho. most' grace and abandon by Miss Jonson and Mr. An--1 ' -Baker and Mr. ■ Carroll also danced well, and received hearty applause. The stage' manager said he was unable to -separate ,the two couples mentioned, and both are' to dance in the final. \ , . '■ . ■

Then followed seven alleged singers, most of whom sought the favour.of the public by extravagant disguises, but the laugh, generally speaking, was against the attempt rather than for any intrinsic : humour, convoyed by the /competitors. The winner was Mr. Vernon, who found favour with the pantomime ditty, ■' tt hoops, Let's Do It Again,'' in which the audience cordially- joined. The attraction in chief; of the. programme were the very .gracefully-executed dances of M. and .Mdlle. 1 Graus, who danced the Corona"- Waltz, - and the - "Marine •bour-Btep,'!, with no little charm. These dances embody, dome ' very .pretty movements, that ate readily adaptable to the ■ball-room.. ; ;

Who,-/' Strut Their, Little Hour." It was tlio dramatic impersonation class that the. audience enjoyed itself more .thoroughly 'than- at any other time., One gentleman competitor elected to deliver the., soliloquy of' King Claudius' from 1 'Hamlet,"but he'made tile, mistake of" endeavouring' at great length to describe the!■'situation in the play which calls for the soliloquy, and long before lie had completed his introduction the audience became restive and proceeded;<to couritMiim out, mucli to his indignation, and lie left the platform 111 high dudgeo;i. After the other competitors had "strutted' their little hour, the stage manager announced that the bnlFled competitor would dehver .tliG . soliloquy,, provided t]ioro was absolute silenc.e'f Thereupon, he entered, struck a pose and beiga'n: "My offence is rank "Awful," said a ribald voice, and tliereupoh' followed -a burst of: laughter and' an avalanche of interjections, which sent King Claudius to 6eek the shelter of the friendly curtain. Miss Doreen recited' Queen Catherine's speech to Henry and .Wolseley, from "Henry VIII;'' conscientiously, but without much : colourV ilr. Wood' delivered some of the 'lines from "The Dream of Gerontius" in'a highly, 'declaratory style, and Miss;lnwobd recited t'ho comic.effusion "Hanging the Curtains.'! By far the bost,attempt was that of Miss Aitcheson,a- j'ourig' lady in hor 'teens, who .With excellent: voice, gesture, and expression recited "Smiting' the' Eock," which earned her the.prize. The clever girl also 1 recited' "Mrs, Skinner" with grqat confidence* and- hot a little humour. Tlio final competition consisted of two men singing chores for. chorus against one another, but as. the supply of each competitor appeared to bo inexhaustible, tho. competition was declared a' hbad-heat' by 'the discreet stag©■ manager., The- competitions will be continued again this evening. ' : '