MASONIC HALL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 68, 10 July 1876, Page 2

MASONIC HALL.

On Saturday evening last Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Buyers gave the first of a series of theatrical performances at the above hall, before an audience which was certainly not commensurate with the merits of the entertainment. The curtain rose to the German play of " Ingomar," translated into English by Mrs. Lovell, whose exertions in the cause of dramatic literature are so well and favourably known. The story throughout is beautifully told, and interesting to the last moment. The filial piety of the Greek maiden is placed before the audience in a most striking manner ; even love, the strongest and most irresistible passion of the human heart, is made to yield to duty ; and when appealed to by her barbarian lover, whose savage spirit she at once tamed and subdued, who, in a tone of mental a»ony, exclaims, "Oh, Parthenia, wilt thou leave me?" her simple, touching, answer is, "My parents wait their child." He at once resolved to be her guide, and when arrived in sight of Masselia, her home (from whence she strayed, to offer herself a sacrifice as the ransom of an aged father), in the transport of her joy, the sudden thought recurs that "Here we part But not so : he goes with her to the city; resolves, for her sake, to become a Greek ; abandons even the dress of his favourite band of Allenam ; yields up his sword for the handle of the plough, and doubly earns his- bride. spurns indignantly the offer to betray his countrymen, but makes them at once the friends and allies of the Greeks ; redeems his bride from slavery by the sacrifice of his own liberty ; and, when finally rewarded for all his sufferings, he finishes, "To love I owe tliis bliss." Parthenia replies, "To love and honor." The language, poetry, and dramatic action of this play can scarcely be excelled, if equalled, in the history..of the. modern drama. .■. The r6le of Ingomar, the hero of the piece, was ably impersonated by Mr.-Byers, whilst the rendition of the character of Parthenia by Mrs. Buyers, contributed in no small degree to the success of the play, which went smoothly and well throughout. The entertainment concluded witli '' How to Rule a Wife," and the "Lancashire M|fi." . DuriDg the evening Mrs. Buyers sang several songs, in which she would have been far more successful had the pianoforte accompaniment been correctly played. A symphony should also have been introduced between each verse, in order to relieve the singer from a prolonged strain of the vocal powers. _ In conclusion, we must protest against the unseemly and disgraceful conduct of some of the occupants of the gallery on Saturday evening last. It is simply monstrous to permit the enjoyment of the larger portion of an audience to be marred by the selfish and noisy actions of a few individuals. Towards the close of the performance we noticed that one of the " gentlemen in blue " took up a position in the centre of the gallery, and this had the effect of preserving order till the termination of the entertainment. We understand that the management have taken steps to prevent a recurrence of the annoying proceedings to which we have referred. It is announced elsewhere that a second performance will be given this evening, when that excellent little Irish comedy, "His Last Legs," will--be produced. The cast will include several members of the Oamaru Dramatic Club, and we hope to see a crowded house.