CARLYLE FIRE BRIGADE ENTERTAINMENTS.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 473, 5 November 1879, Page 2

CARLYLE FIRE BRIGADE ENTERTAINMENTS.

The entertainments given in aid of the above Brigade on Thursday and Friday evenings last, with one exception, passed of! in a most creditable manner. On both nights the House was well filled, as is usual with all local performances, and the handsome sum of about £3O was realised, which will go a great way, with other donations, towards furnishing the Brigade with the necessary implements required. The programme for the two nights was to have been the same, but owing to one of the performers in the farce of “ A Sudden Arrival ” being called away from Carlyle just previous to the entertainment, and only returning on Thursday morning, this part of the performance rather fell through, and it was decided to put a different farce on the board for Friday. Had it not been for this one hitch, not a word could have been said against the entertainment; indeed, as it was, very great praise was accorded to those who had gone to so much trouble in getting up the affair.

The entertainment opened with a very pretty little drama, entitled “ The Harvest Storm,” the scenery painted for the occasion—representing Burton Farm, the residence of John Garner—showing out to great advantage. The characters were— John Garner, a well to-do English farmer; Dick Darrell, an unscrupulous villian,'who would not stop at anything ; Mr Lynx, a wide-awake detective ; Barker and Nibbler, Lynx’s assistants ; Samuel Lexicon, a very eccentric individual, who is writing a new dictionary, and might always be seen with said book in his hand taking down any words that had not previously reached his ear ; Andrew Radford, a banker’s clerk, who had been accused of robbing his employers, and had made his escape to Burton Farm, where his sister was living ; Charley Cooper and Nat Love), two gipsies of a very light-fingured character ; Mabel Radford, sister to Andrew. The vist of the detectives to Burton Farm was caused by a clue having been obtained as to the whereabouts of Andrew. To make things worse, while Mr Lynx is having a private interview with John Garner, and while Mabel is paying a visit to her brother, who is secreted in the barn, the old farmer is robbed of all his savings, which had been taken from one bank in order to be removed to another the next day. Suspicion is at once directed towards Mabel, and being seen coining out of the barn, she is severely questioned as to why she is there. Refusing to give any information, John Garner makes an attempt to enter the barn, when Mabel places her back, against the door, and implores him not to enter. The villian Dick Darrell is standing by, and he roughly seizes Mabel by the shoulders arid attempts to force her aside, when out jumps Andrew, and brings him down with a fearful crash, much to the discomfiture of that worthy. The whole scene

winds tip as it should do. Andrew is proved innocent, a fellow-clerk having confessed to robbing tlie bank ; whilst the two gipsies were caught endeavouring to make good their escape with John Garner’s nioney, Mabel for Her fidelity,' is rewarded by being .made heiress to Burton Farm, where we have no doubt she lived happily ever after. Tlie whole of the casts were well taken, aiid on the curtain falling, Idiid applailse was accorded 1 . * f ** f >'

In the second part, the parallel bars and trapeze attracted great attention* and so good was the performances of tlie, two gentlemen whocarrieforward, that had they not been known, they would have been taken for professionals. The trapeze feats were equal to anything in that line we have seen, ami brought forth repieated rounds of approbation. Several good dongs were given by old performers, who were rewarded by hearty encores.

The first night’s entertainment concluded with the farce “A Sudden Arrival,’’ which, as slated above, was not a SucceSs. During the intervals, the band—comprising piano, violinj and flute —discoursed sweet music.

On Friday the same programme was gone through,, with the exception of the farce; “ The Dead Alive.” being substituted for “ A Sudden Arrival,,” With this change, everything passed off splendidly, and all who attended appeared to be well satisfied with their evening’s ammusement.