"THE GAY GAMBOLS"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 276, 18 August 1919, Page 5

"THE GAY GAMBOLS"

AND THE WELLINGTON PERFORMING MUSICIANS. A fairly large audience greeted the Gay Gambols and the Wellington Performing Musicians at the Grand Opera House on Saturday evening. The gramme submitted by the costume comedy entertainers, who have been assiduously coached by Mr 3. Maud BletsoeBuckeridge, was almost precisely that given the Saturday evening previous in aid of the,funds of the Y.W.C.A., and which yielded such a haudsone sum for that-deserving object. Saturday's performance was given under the auspices of the Wellington Pel-forming Musicians. Under the baton of Mr. J'. I , '. Woodward, this fine orchestra filled the welkin with joyous clamour in the form! of a fantasia on the airs from "Going ; Up," which demonstrated, for the first; half at least, that a little more rehearsal would not have been aniiss. They hardly got the- "jimp" out of the music that.: Hie Williamson orchestra did. As a second seleotion, the orchestra played a rural "jazz" entitled ".Hey, Rube," which introduces the clang- and clatter of the modern trap-drummer's varied appurtenances in rythmical association. l\o modern entertainment would 'be completo without tko seductive etrains of the "Missouri" waltz. It haunts one in the home, the dance room, the vaudeville, the parks, and the theatre. The waltz was played, by the orchestra very nicely, and the . liVc-ly fox u< "By Hscfc," served as a savoury to the Sight musical luncheon provided. As mentioned before, the Gay Gambols repeated a set programme that is now fairly familiar to theatregoers. The headnucl front and central aroh of the Gambols is Albert Russell, whose broad humour and tireless energy aro an invaluable reinforcement to the make-up of the little company. Mr. Russell was the principal performer in such absurdities as "Down by the K001a100, ,, "Jin Joe," "Rip that Melody," in nil of whicli he had the assistance of Mrs. Bletsoe-Buokeridge, Mrs. Winnie Birch-Johnson, Miss M'lncrnie, and Messrs. E. Fuller and G. Peek. He was also tho life and soul of the sketches "The Tram Car" (which was dotted with topical allusions), the comedy sketch i "First and Third," played with Mrs. j Bletsoe-Buckeridge, «nd the rural melange, "Farmer Brown," which .takes u,s buck to our childhood. Solos were contributed by Misses Kathleen Lucasj Eva Sapjford, Mrs. Winnie Birch-Johnson I (who also whistled an obbligato to "The ! tand oi' Love," sung by Mrs. BuckI eridge), Mi6s Queenie M'lnornie, Messrs. i Goorge Peek and E. Fuller. In ono instance tho orohestra accompanied the 6jngors—"Alas! TJioso Chiinos," plaintively sung by Mrs. Buckeridgo. Miss Peg. Foster presided at tho piano, and Ml , . Albert Russell was stago malinger.