THE BENEFIT ENTERTAINMENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 103, 31 December 1879, Page 2

THE BENEFIT ENTERTAINMENT.

/ohe. Wb?kingmetfsoDrtmatio v -j6ii|J».'l»ii^ ; vV ' not been many' feopths^in- existence, and-' • - yet since its forniati^n if may .-safely boast - •'-•" thafc it has ticen - : tb^i of TenderingfTi3§ .gbocl service m the cause of^charity.' U M ini: twg re,oollec<? aright, Boxingt Night foiirth occasioit i'^n-^irichi:.'ife.'ine'9ib.eiji-? Ri came before, the/ publiel' andvflpon, tWa 6f *;? these it was m. response to an appeal for ~ns- : * : -f trpm the^vidow and theorphni, wbile-•npon^v_t>-the third ft very large sum was handedr over] v .-: 4o the Ceraete>y reiilevod of debt, >/ entertainment of ; Ridfty ; mgbt was?»ot tp^^ succesrfal as t««t previous) ones; bttfc m «t» A ' plapation of thatit -may l^>»*edthat lb^ ; > very late tim£af which theconeert w]to'.ai*^ ■•' finitely sefcttea%pbn, almoit precldded that; ; •-?* amonnt of pr)w|ic.e % 8p necessary^ for. tha- bar •■> mbnious wprlfiii)^ Qfsuchiperfp^ancet^m; ; addition to which, hot a few of tne memoe»^-s -? of the Club apJ|ftTe,d. uppn the.st«j^^r:the/^ fiwt time, Wfton tfie riMpf^p^artain^*;.;: Mr Morga^vrthe indefatigable . •tags.^v manager, caM^ovward :iin^apoloii«a^^ some liberties, whicbi.woold havetob vta^ •with the pMgramine, ■necessitated 'by *a% -. de{e««o« Q f »9«^ «So ;i»d^ptwa^^#«^ *k

support. 'The drama- of The-Soovpe-goat in* billed as the opening piece, but the .♦litertainment was commenced with, that gem, from, " Lettne like a soldier fob," 'by Mr. Jones, a stranger, as far as" we. could learn, to Palmerston; ,Th» song, was •ung m 0, which we imagine wa* rather too high to be oqmfortable to the singer, but wo mnit say th'afc he labored uud«r the very great disadvantage of bad accompaniment. In making that remark/ .wet do not allude: to the instrumentalist, but to the instrum ent itself, which was a harmonium. -Tht^ § jng of the roystering DonXeesar is a most trying one, and m saying that Mr. Joiiea was not quite perfection m 'the plece^ he only shared the fate of ; some ver^y excellent yooftlisks who have failed m the same-piece^ That was followed by -the' pretty little' ball»d, " The Letter m the Candle," neither the item nor the name of the _Binger'appearing m the programme ; but at one voluntetr i> worth two pressed men, if we are to judge by the applause which followed its, conolu•ion, the saying has once more been proven. The next item presented was; »v Irish comic aoug, by Mr ; Morgan," i entiLled - "Tbe Broth of a Boyi" which .was 'given m tinab gentleman's bait style. This concluded the first portion* of the-programine, " and after a* snprtinterval, the^ curtain rose upon' 2%« Scapegoat, a comic drama m., one act.. ' The ■~ leading character».-T- " Ignatius Pollyglot " ' and i 1 Molly Maggs "— -^devolved upon Mr.. J. LaneandMiss Richardson., The; gentle; man was never s«en to such advantage, his make-up, bye-play, and (general delineation of the eccentric but.kind-heartedold tutor beine a moat creditable performance. Of li-iM:B.ichardßon we cannot speak^in terms ' <*f Jtoo highj praise, hep •portrayal of >■ thecharacter of the- free-and-easy soi'vant girl being-true to dife, characterise! with a car- > jfcain amount 'of dbaadpn most fitting to the Sersonation, and void of that tendency to eprive the audience of all chance oE hearing the dialogue, which iwa3 her oue defectupori'the last ,oc6a3ioni t -Mrs.; Morgan wai. cast for the character of "Harriett," but gave it up we-bojieve thbsday bafore the entertainment^ and when we say that Miss' kindly undertook the- task at the •leventn houE|-"riihe;-'ii'.:.entitied.U l ;to'-^inuch.- < praise for the. manner' m which she ,sustained the part and became letter perfect. As " Eobin/'iMr.fMfSweeney-had.notniuch-to d«», but what fell to his lot was most creditably got?t'hrottgh,-a.ndrr.he vsamemay be said of Mr.. Hartley's 1 Eustace." After Mr. Farmer, had recited the . serio ; . comic I pieee.M£'«ndMrs: Grabj" theourtain s ; went up. to allow The, I!asi : Coach to com* jupon the scene.* -Be.f ore,., ho we.ver,,it doing # «o^ we wish to say a few words wilh regard, to Mr. Farmer's •loeutioh. tr 'He" has'a .fine' ; cleiir, ringing voict, good and corrept pronuhoiation, withrthe happy faculty of rising ■ and modulating his tones to suit the import /pf his words ,-an4 above all^hoattenrls more to the effect necessary in'the meaning of his ' ; sentences; than to bringing. but markedly thej fact that the last word mv each line-jingles" - m rhyme. -„ This is, perhaps, one of, the mo3t common fauksia recitation, ; many thinking bocau»e the piecq^inaj^happen to i be written m vcrao, it is incumbent upon them to pause at the end of the line soas fo". give effect to the rhyme, rather than bring out the Mlient points by a regai'd jfbr iomphasi^ and- purictujition. ' ."W^here Miv j Farmer ia weak isian' the matter of action,' »nd were he to use negative . action when ' *nd narrative when required, bis Recitations would ,be very nfiic&r better. Aa.;it .wm, the one rapoated movements of fcis arms became monotonous,, and rpajled . tigpn file observer. We make these 'remarks out of no captiqus ; Bpirit; quite the contrary,- it is beciuse we -hold- a very high opinion lef Mr. Farmer's merifc^asfailreciter "that we take; the liberty- qfv.thus; pointedly, - inoticing a defect which we consider was calculated ' to jpija'r. what yptherwise ; would . haviq been a most creditab'Te piece, of elocuRion.v We should also adriao him .to select ieces of less, length, Teuvemberip^'tliat not - nly ; are long selections' most try ing W tlie lemory 'of ; the but yerv of ten to the patience of a ; sometimes [not pyer : . indulgent audience. ' , The JPast C?pt«;A, was i'a ; marked iraprovomenr upon its predecessor, sind trundled along trippingly,' the' various characters liaying.madeabetter acquaintance jirith the aiithor than m the first apiece, ; and consequently the voice of. the- promptejj was not sqpf ton hoard. Miss Richardson again ' jdored a suqcesSj and Miss JQyons, who: ap- ■-.._ peafed for the; fir|t'*fcimer^as "fully equal rto the pcOasibn: a^pd pijpmises to be a ik yaluable acqmsitiqn tp.the Club. jAqothor; menibei-. made his de&i'ti iri''th'e'- J character of Mr. Wh^ebiinks; which was mpst 1 creditably sustained by Mr^ Blackburn. Taken as a jwho{6, 'as we KavjQ said, ihe.. enterfa}ament was not snch a sucqeia. as other, efforts. of Ihe (Club, which, no doubt, wa* owing to the fact of the season and the consequent Jack of -practice/ The! result, 'however, jnust prove to the Club that without; i 6 it 3 jnembera cannot hope tp advance. TKefe is plenty of talent amongst: the assocmtion, : and. 'well* as its^m'erribers have done m the past, ; we feel convinced they are- capable of ' far better things lygfc.-v The house was prowded' : m every 'partf and the Club have the consolation of knowing, that while mproting themselves,- they 'have'' given no small fund! of" entertainment, and gathered together a sum for the widow and I^6 orphan. ' -"*. -A •■Th^ t rh : . -^ ■'■'■■" • • '' '