Y.A.L. BAND

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 417, 29 December 1932, Page 5

Y.A.L. BAND

OPENSNG CONCEMT young entertainers please Large crowd A VARIED PROGRAMME The 38 memhers of the Young Aus- - tralia League Band who are at present touring New Zealand created a very favourable impression on their first appearanee in Rotorua at the Lyric Theatre last evening, before* a large and enthusiastic audience." Despite the youthfulness of the performers, whose ages rartge from eight to fifteen years, they gave a remarkahly finished performance, especiallv the hand, which played a numher of intricate pieees in a manner which would have done great credit to. an adult band with years of experience. The entertainment took the form of a revue, and comedy sketches, and burlesques were interspersed with acrobatic turns, tap-dancing, and vocal and instrumental items. A ver- - satile perf ormer was Charlie Stanton, tho diminutive eight-year-old drtml- * major, who performed very creditably . in song, tap-dancing, aerobatics and characterisation. Although each item was warmly applauded, the skill of the juvenile band of nearly thirty instrumentalists, under the haton of Mr B. W. Caten gained the greatest measure of approbation. Many of the audience were amazed at the way in which • such young* performers had mastered the intricacies of their . instruments. Opening Items The curtain rose . on a colourf ul camp-fire scene, representing a mijitary camp at night, and the opening items consisted of songs and character slcstches, comedy and burlesque. Those taking the chief parts were as follow: Gordon Kerrish ("Fifty Years From Now") ; Les Keary ("I'm Not All There") ; Roh Newbury, a boy.soprano with a very fine range of notes ("Boon's Prayer"), Colin Groft in a character sketch and tap danqe— '•'Burlington Bertie," Ken Slater ("The Little Shirt My Mother Made for Mo") and Charlie Stanton ("My Baby Just Cares for Me.") Excellettt Violinlsts The next item was a comedy sketch in which "The Captain" (Jim McGowen) gives a glowing aecount of his battle experiences to an unsympathetic audience of scouts (Doug. Hawkins," Les. Keary and Chummy Dawson) Yaughan Ilandley and Leon Cahill are two violinists of outstariding ability and great promisd. Both boys played with really magnificeht tone and i eeling. The former played "Liebesfroud" (Kreisler) with Medeksohn's "On Wings of Song" ag an encore, while the latter played "Czardas" (Monti) and Chant Hihdou (Kreisler). The next item was a clever sketch "The Confidence Trick," and the first half of the programme ended with a bracket of hand numbers — (a) "The Thunderer", (b) Xylophone Solo (Ken Slater) ; (c) "Musical Switch", (d) Song "Ethel" (Charlie Stanton with hand accofnpaniment) , (e) "Our Director" (March).

All-Boy Orchestra The overture, fAnchor's A'*syeigh and the entracte, "Everybody's Wish" were played hy the all-boy orchestra ox ten instruments, which acquitted itself very creditably. A gymnastic and acrobatic display hy a numher oi the hoys was enthusiastically applauded, and after a violin solo By Leon Cahill, another sketch "Life in the School Room" was given. The repartee was excellent, and on the whole the item gave a very refreshing touch to the programme. Goiin Croft and Charlie Stanton were then seen in a double tap dance and duet "The Tall Top Hat," which" was very f avourably reeeived, while Jim Nicol demonstrated that he Bas , a fine soprano voice. A final bracket ^ of numhers by the band was perhaps the most popular item, .and before Ihe audience would allow Mr. Caten's tal- . ented juveniles to depart, he had to give two extra numhers, "Invercargill," and "Albanieo." The other num- , . hers all excellently executed were* ** "Three Blind Mice," "Minstrel Melo- . dies," "Blue Horizon," "Waiata Poi," and "Rule Britannia." The party will repeat their per-.X formance at the Lyric Theatre this ... . evening, and will leave for Hamilton . at 10 a.m. to-morrow. The entertainment is well worthy of support quite apart from the excellence of the programme provided, as the profits are to be devoted to New Zealand charities.