"H.M.S. Pinafore."

Manawatu Herald, 17 March 1894, Page 2

"H.M.S. Pinafore."

On Tuesday morning thel'o^fcojß Amateurs went to Ftxl&ogbjf ooach, as dulyj*port*d in our issu* of that 4»t». I%y returned oo Wednesday and $90 and all ex- - pressed tbemsj^e delighted with the Visit, th« way they bad been treated, ana with the drive. Bptlf? days ware splendid and a trip by ' coach was a holiday in itidf. Oar contemporary tht Feilding Star ha* the following complimentary,notice of the performance :—Th«v^ performance last night by the Foxloci Amateurs, of this popular opera, was a success. The Assembly Boom - was crowded with an appreciative audience and applause was frequent and hearty. The whole opera went - from beginning to end without ft hitch, the principal parts being well sustained. Of course there were faults, which are always present in Amateur performances, but, they were not so prominent as we hafA seen them in other similar instances; The brunt of the work, as is often ifaV case, falls on two or three of the.performeis, but those who had been chosen to fill these important parts. proved that they were quite qapable

■<•• . Qt- sustaining the characters they j . had been entrustad v;ith. • The j - opening scene, the quarterdeck of j •■" H.M.S. Pinafore," was very re« i alistically arranged, and one could almost imagine the incident were being enacted on "the bri-jy/' The p~ opening chorus^ wenfc. y er y we ll, *■ but. those following W ere rendered with ; more li^ especially with .=-. the addition o f the " consins and ■- the ann^.». The' part of "Little s*rtKVc\»p " was capitally taken ••■■fc^tiKas Hester Burr. This young UtSj ti&tig sweotly, and h?r arfcion: [ '"' yrjt* qttifce uatura!,*noi; tha lightest ! -- stiffness being discernible. As . ■• . *»»Balptf .Ratkstraw '' Mr W. Cook had rather a difficult part to sustain, but '"he went thrbtrgh with it in a very creditable manner. He threw V- a good deal of life into his piece, „ ... , and his singing was much admired. f \ , the impersonation of "Sir Joseph Porter" was entrusted to Mr J. Stansell, and he made a dignified Lord of the' Admiralty. Mrs,D?rtner, as " Josephine " "" was very successful in her singing; there were some very trying pieces of vocalisation in the various ballads which she; rendered, but she surmounted ail the difficult pagpages in a manner which showed she was an accomplished fnusioian, and obtained her repeated applause from the audience. The prominent roU of Captain Corcoran ! n*s " well sustained by Mr W. T. J Little, who walked the deck as if it were "to the manor born;" He was quite at home with his piece, and, although, not in the best of voice, •-.. sang very well. The character of '? Dick Deadeyo "-.- was taken in a very. Hfe4ike manner by Mr F. R. Young, while all the minor parts- -were well sustained. a?fa«songt>f " The Midship Mite," by Miss Williams; w'& much admired. The quartettes and choruses w«nt very nicely, while the orchestra, withiMrs F. R. Young as pianist, and Mr Edmund- Osbome as conductor (assisted by Mr R. ;F. Haybittle, Mr Bilderbeck, and other members of the Feilding string band), rendered some capital music, and contributed in no small degree to the success of the opera.