School Concert.

Manawatu Herald, 21 December 1895, Page 3

School Concert.

— — — ♦ On Thursday evening the Public Hall waa actually crowded by the public. Counting in the children there mast have been close on 400 persons present. The concert had only been in practice some Ihree weeks yet everything, on the part of the children wont; as woll as it waa possible to be. The first part of the entertainment was under the charge of Miss O'Brien, the assist-ant-mistress of the Foxton school. When the curtain rose after the overture played by Mrs Young and Miss Williams, the audience viewed a large number of children on seats rising tier above tier, on the stage, the boys to the left of the audience, and the girls, all dressed in white frocks with blue sashes, to the right. The following scholars composed the CHORUS. Boys — C. Cummerfield, H. Langley, B. Spelman, B. Langdon, G. Wakefield, W. Sawyers, J. Furrie, F. Walls, N. Gillespie, P. Gillespie, It. Gillespie, A. Shadbolt, J. Westwood, W. Walker, J. Dunn, E. Dudson, G. Rhodes, H. Walker, J. Harria and J. Walker. Girls— N. Cummerfield, V. Gerbes, M. Hennessy, F. Simpson, C. Sawyers, K. Honnessy, C. Wake-field, M. Rhodes, V. Rand, E. Gillespie, J. Imrie, A. Collins, Adeline Collins, E. Liddell, C. Liddell, E. Cteborne, J. Ahcrn, M. Dunckley, E. Ho wan, A. Rand and L Edwards. The singing was very good and time was well kept in the action songs. The small people disappeared after giving ''Dolly's Good-night." We oom.rn.end highly the nice manner shown in leaving the stage, as on descending from the seats each little man took a little lady's hand and gallantly led her to a seat on the floor of the hall. The stage was cleared and then Mi3s L. William 3 sang " Peek-a«boo," supported by a chorus of boys and girls who executed some very fair evolutions between the verses. The performers were, in PEEK-A-800. Girls — L. Williams, G. Hamer, E. Gillospie, A. Collins, C. Liddell, J. Ahem, M. Dnnckley, C. Easton, M. Stansell, F. Simpson, A. Rand and E. Howan. Boya — L. Ingram, J. Furrie, J. Dunn, E. Dudson, F. Walls, G. Rhodes, W. Walker, J. Walker, B. Shadbolt, P. Jenks and li. Gillespie. " Gipsy Jane " was sang by Miss Hamer, who, with Misseg Birdie Sawyer, Alice Purcell, and Letty Williams, were prettily attired as gipsy maidens, with tambourines, and in she chorus went through some neat dancing. The gem of the evening concluded the first part, and this was the " Ten little niggers ." The " make-up " was excellent, the singing fairly good, and the action in strict- keeping with the music. The audience insisted on an encore, the only one in the night permitted, \ as the progrumme was too long. r The little niggers were : ~ NIGGERS, 3. Furrio, J. Dunn, E. Dudson, F. Walls, G. Rhodes, W. Walker, J. Walker, B. Shadbolt, P. Jenks and R. Gillespie. We were nearly forgetting to mention that Mr Lyall sang " Old Jeff" in a creditable manner in this part to give time to some performers to change their costumes. Part II was set apart for the adults. Miss Harley, Miss Symons and Miss Williams gave their SOIO3 in a most pleasing style. Mesdames Aitkens and England sang a duet in their usual cultivated manner. Mr Cook Bang /T he Tar's farewell " in fine form. Messrs Hamer and Stansell contributed each a comic song, which however did not appear to "catch-on." Part 111 was under Mrs W. S. Stewart's able management aud it therefore goes without saying tbat Mrs Jarley's waxworks were a supreme success. A very great amount of labour must have been given to reach the point attained. Mr Fred Young kindly acted as Showman and brought the different loenes before the audience with appropriate remarks. The scholars are to be congratulated on the way they carried out their parts. Below we give the subjects and names of the performers. Each item was given separately and then the whole were placed on the stage at the finish. WAX-WORKS. Old King Cole, L. Stanoell ; . Fiddlers, C. Lamb, E. Osborne and B. Langdon ; Dirty Boy, John Lewis; Dirty Boy's Mother, Birdie Sawyers ; Little Jack Horn«r, Alfred Jenks; Little Miss Muffitt, Bertha Dudson; Sleeping Beauty, Letty Williams; the boy on the burning deck, E. Dudaon ; Little Polly Flindsr?, Maud Gerheß; Little Polly Flinder'a Mother, Mabel Liddell ; Babes in the Wood, Julia Ahem and Ernest Stansell ; Queen of Hearts, Ethel Little ; Knave of Hearts, L. Birohley ; Faith, Hope and Chanty, Edith Collins, Ruby Fraser and Alice Purcell ; Robinson Crusoe, Joseph Gillespie ; Friday, Guy Rhodes ; Little Bo Peep, Elsie Gillespie ; Bluebeard-, W. Thynne ; Bluebeard's Wife, Gertie Hamer ; Lady Barber, Edith Harris ; Man shaved, Fred Walls. At the conclusion, Mr Thynne, chairman of the school committee, thanked the audience for their attendance and moved a most hearty vote of thanks to Mr and Mrs Stewart, Miss O'Brien, the teachers, scholars, and the ladies and gentlemen who had ta\en part in the concert. He believed it was the best entertainment yet given for the school, and was the most successf-jl both in its execution and in its BUCC6BB in attracting such a very large audience as shown by the fact that though the admission had been only one shilling for adults and sixpence- for children, and guch a large

number who had taken part had not, of course, been charged yet over £12 had been taken by the sale of tickets and cash at the doors. Uc desired to express the thanks of the committee to the parents of the scholars who had taken part in the concert for the trouble they must have had in getting their little ones so nicely dressed f';r their parts. He asked the audience to show by their applause that they heartily endorsed the motion. This was done, but owing to the retiring of numbers at the back of the hall, Mr Stewart was unable to return thanks as he intended to have done, and therefore asks us here to do so for himself, Mrs Stewart, Miss O'Brien and the others that the resolution included. Mrs W. Cook, Miss Williams, and Mrs Young assisted by playing the accotnpanymenfcs. Mr Thomas Westwood stood at the receipt of custom. Mr Rhodes took charge of the inner door. Messrs Lyall, Young and Fume did a lot of work behind the scenes. Mr Thynno had charge of the hall generally and succeeded in repressing the display of too much animal spirits on the part of the younger of the audience. The school concert of 1895 will be long remembered as a great success in every wny.