The Colley Entertainment.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 969, 13 August 1881, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Colley Entertainment.

As we expected, McFarlane’s Hall was well filled with a numerous and attentive audience, on Wednesday evening last, in response to the invitation issued by the Gisborne amateurs, in aid of the fund for the benefit of the family of the late Chas. Colley. There was one special and most gratifying feature in the management, and that was the absence of the larrikin element in the gallery. The front floor seats were filled long before the curtain rose, and the ticket holders were allowed the option of going upstairs, an alternative which was largely availed of. For sight and sound the gallery is the best part of the Hall, but we can easily imagine that, in warm weather, the atmosphere is anything but pleasant—as it was, one lady had to retire for a breath of fresh air. The Battery J Band was in attendance, and took part in the programme, the members showing great proficiency, and the Bandmaster good taste in the choice of the music.

An amusing farce, of the conventional 20 minutes’ duration, succeeded to the Band’s overture. It was entitled “ Bumble’s Courtship,” and introduced Mr. Bumble, and Mrs. Corney, two well-known characters which were easily recognised by the readers of “ Oliver Twist.” Messrs. J. Bourke and Montague Smith kept the audience in roars of laughter, during the piece, and the curtain dropped to a well-merited round of applause. The musical portion of the programme, was, taken all round, the reverse of satisfactory, although there were individual portions that redeemed it from utter failure. These we may fairly say belonged exclusively to Madame Stewart. She sang “ The Fairy Answer ” in such a style as to call for a repetition, but the lady sang, instead, “ The Minstrel Boy,” in, if possible, a more perfect manner than the previous one, and left the stage amidst a perfect thunder of applause. Her next effort, which concluded that portion of the programme, was “The Clang of the Wooden Shoon,” supplemented by “ My Darling was so Fair,” in the execution of both of which songs Madame sustained her usual brilliancy of execution. ; Mr. Dufaur, although an old favorite in vocal music, was not happy, either in the choice of his songs, or in the singing of them. This gentleman has a grand voice for choruses, but we must say his solos are disappointing, more particularly where emotion or pathos is required, as in “ Sing Me an English Song.” However, he gave pleasure to some, as he re.tired in anything but a dead silence. For the first time we heard a trio sang by two persons ; or a duet by three, we hardly know which. The “ Gipsies Laughing ” trio, was underlined for Mrs. Berry, soprano, Captain Chrisp, bass, and Mr. Butt, alto, but we heard not a note from the latter. The gentleman appeared to be either too bashful to face the audience (which we doubt), or too much engaged in admiration of the lady on his right (which we do not wonder at) to attend to his voice, the consequence was that the bass and soprano had it all to themselves. It is a difficult thing to get up an artificial laugh, especially to music, so the non-naturalness of the attempt we witnessed is pardonable. Mrs. Berry tried to excite the cachinnatory feelings, but the responses were not such as to render the “ trio ” such a success as the capabilities of the performers led us to expect.

Mr. F. W. Thompson’s recital of “ The Maniac” (net Henry Russell’s), was a great feature in this part of the programme, being of that aensational character which is sure to act upon the emotional part of an audience if tlie delivery is accompanied by the rules and merits of elocution. Mr. Thompson observed both, and gave evidence of histrionic ability rarely seen in amateurs ; he was natural and at ease, consequently he aimed more at depicting the mental sorrows of one stricken with intense agony of mind, than straining after effect, and so produce an empty sensation. But there was now and then wanting a more rigid observance of the particles, without which a mere impassioned emphasis, and suiting the action to the word, fall listless on the ear. The punctuation too, was, in one instance, glaringly incorrect, giving the appearance of the speaker jumping over a semi-colon, as a huntsman would take a dyke. But we will be Mr. Thompson’s apologist. He seemed to be too susceptible of wearying his audience, to do himself justice. He betokened a painful consciousness that his hearers were getting tired, which was not the case, but which hurried on the denouement, at the expense of correctness, and to his own disadvantage. The success of the recitation was none the less emjffiatie, and Mr. Thompson was warmly applauded at the finish. Tlie farce of “ Betsy Baker ” concluded the entertainment. The characters were sustained by Messrs. F, W\ Thompson, F. J. Thompson, Mrs. F. J. Tiwmpson, and Mr. M. Smith, all of who®! were remarkably perfect in their parts, and achieved the great object of farcical acting, ti&mely, to keep the piece from flagging, and not allow the attention of the audience to be diverted by mishaps and delays. Mr.

Smith’s “ get up ” as “ Betsy Baker ” was im-

mense. Mrs. Berry and M rs - Smith assisted at the piano, during the evening.