"H. M. S. Pinafore"

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 8, 31 December 1889, Page 2

"H. M. S. Pinafore"

The reception our Marton visitors met in* the Assembly Booms last night ■■■must'have been very gratifying to them; Al though the afternoon was stormy and heavy showers of rain fell almost continuously, there was a fair sprinkling o* ladies aud gentlemen from " np country and the town was well' represented in the reserved .seats and the body of the hall. With commendable punctuality the overture was commenced by the orchestra a^ few minutes after the advertised time. The opening chorus* of the opera went very well, and this may be said of all of them. The singing in these showed that the members had been well coached and drilled. Mr Shepherd as Sir Joseph Porter, was very clever, and 'he acted his part as tho' "to the manner born." We do no injustice to the others when .we say he was " the best man in.the ship." As i "Dick Deadeye," Dr Skerman was a'suc- ■ cess, and he was en rapport with his,judience at once. The part of Captain Corcoran was taken by Mr C. H. Barnett, and he sustained the character -admirably. As " Ralph Rackstraw," Mr Fitzherbert was not quite so successful, and a little more animation would have been an advantage, however, he rendered some of his songs very sweetly and was. applauded. Mr Deighton, "The Boatswain," made the most of his part and he sang with emphasis and spirit. The other mm or.characters require no special meiltion.' The caste of " Josephine" was filled by Mrs C. H. Humphries, .who £ . m her first appearance on the stage, sustained the good impression she at once made. Her singing was admirable, while her conception of the part gave evidence of careful study. " Little Buttercup" was represented by Miss Nicholson, who produced a most favorable impression. The other ladies, " the sisters, the cousins and the aunts" were all excellent, and the bright and effective colors of their dresses when they were grouped on the stage, made a very pretty picture. The scenery, which the troupe brought with them, may certainly be called a . work of art, and the artist, Dr Skerman, deserves credit for his productions. ' The orchestra, under the leadership of Mr W. J. Smith, did their work admirably, and the very valuable assistance they occasionally gave the various singers during the procedure of the piece when there were " weak places " to get over, was observable. Taking the performance as a whole it was very pleasing, and when it is remembered in one of the most interesting parts a perfect torrent of rain was pouring on tbe roof of the building, and filling the auditorium with unexpected and undesirable sounds, a few shortcomings in the parts of the performers was excusable. They had a thoroughly appreciative audience, who were all pleased* and will be glad to welcome " the Gallant Captain and his Grew " on some -future occasion.