AMUSEMENTS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 57, 31 October 1912, Page 5

AMUSEMENTS.

“OUR REGIMENT.” Clover comedy, well acted, excellently mounted—such in half-a-dozen words, is “Our Regiment,” played so successfully last night in tlio Stratford Town Hall by local amateurs, in aid of the funds of the Taranaki Territorial Sports Club. No matter how happy the cast or how good the players, the quality of the play can make • cr mar; “Our Regiment” is distinctly clever, abounding with smart dialogue, neat quips and jests, comic situations, humour unlimited. True, the plot is so very new, but it arouses invest and sustains it “till the last hour of act.” Mainly the story concerns two officers of the Bth Lancers, which famous regiment for the first time on record visits the historic old English town of Mudboro’-on-Slush. A bevy of fair damsels, Miss Maud Ellaby, Enid Thurston, and Olive Dobbinson, greets enthusiastically the arrival of “Our Regiment,” but none of them quite so eagerly as Mrs. Dobbinson, who, though her husband detests the military, yields not even to Mr. Ellaby, notoriously a patron of the army, ' in her infatuation of the red coat and the matrimonial possibilities attached thereto. Enter Captain Featherstone and Lieutenant Guy Warrener, also the Rev. John Talbot, a curate only in name, and, part of the time, ia | appearance. Enid, already in love with ] the handsome Captain, meets with no i ready response, and flirts outrageous- 1 ly with Lieutenant Warrener, who in j Ids desire to keep the heiress “in the Regiment, dji, what!” even consults the commercial atlas and other textbooks, in order that ho may know all about Jamaica, a country in which he thinks his intended fiancee has many interests. Meanwhile, the curate is accepted by Maud Ellaby. Imagine the scene. Mr. Dobbinson hates soldiers,

and his daughter and ward are perpetually in the company of the two officers ; Mr. Ellaby, who adores the military, is faced with a curate for a ne-phew-in-law. How Mrs. Dobbinson pours oil on the, troubled waters, and how a peaceful, joyous calm is created, discretion forbids us to divulge, suffice it to say that three barmy couples bow to the audience before tiie

long farewell. ' Coming to the players themselves. Captain and Mrs. Lampen carry off the palm. The former was irresistible, at times, and created great excitement, especially in the love * scene, where an unfortunate punting accident had caused him to change into clothes that un-made the man. Mrs. Lampen early established herself as a favourite with the audience; bright and vivacious, she was distinctly successful as the heroine rf the play. Miss E. ! Cameron has possibly had less experience than the other players, yet she performed capitally and made a very winsome Maud Ellaby. Mrs. R. Hogg was distinctly good in the minor part of Olive Dobbinson, Mr. Percy Bndd as Mr. Ellaby made the most of his opportunities, putting in some splendid work oil several occasions, ~, Und Mr. T. A. Lonergan was a very fair Batters;‘the butler. A word, of prrtiso is due to Mr. Geo. Bond for his i, meritorious interpretation of the humorous part of the curate. Mr. H.

Cameron looked the part of the “destroying angel” of the Regiment, but M was lacking in what his brother officer termed “ginger.” Last, but by . no' means least, come Mr. and Mrs. . Dobbinson, respectively Captain A. C. Stevens and Mrs. F. P. Umacke. Beta have considerable histrionic ability. . Mrs. Unjacke played superbly, and her efforts, so highly appreciated by the audience, were ably seconded by the irascible, vet down-trodden soldierhater—Mr Dobbinson, alias Captain A. C. Stevens. . :mm Congratulations to the scenic artist, Mr. Will Diamond, to the stage manage,}’, Captain F. H. Lampen, and to the musical Mr. Rogers, for the excellence of their work. “Our ’ Regiment” marched off very smoothly indeed. The scenery, so spick and span, the brilliant electric lighting, and the splendour of the garden scene, with the summer house, a mass of rosI; es, were almost too good to he true. Yet, sad 'to relate, although the people of Stratford had ample warning that “Our Regiment” should not be missed, there were many vacant seats in the hall. It is an unpleasant thought, questioning the patriotism of local citizens, casting reflections on their good judgment, and leaving them in an altogether unenviable position. However, it is possible that to-nieem they will patronise the second pefformanco of “Our Regiment”—there is solace in the thought that merit mav not after all pass by comparatively unrewarded.

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE

This evening a splendid assortment of all-star films is promised by the proprietary of His Majesty’s Picture Theatre. A feature of the programme is the cinematograph recbrd of the Arnst-Barry boatrace, a film which should not be missed. A boatrace always makes an excellent picture, but the march of progress in the cinematographic art has never been so clearly and decisively demonstrated as by this epoch-making picture. Among sentimental .fieart stories, perhaps none is more widely known than that told in the poem by John Townsend Trowbridge, of “The Vagabonds.” A wandering violinist enters a bar-room, followed by his canine companion, RoSer. He entertains the company with Roger’s tricks, and relates his story. The story of the vagabond violinist tells of a “dear girl’s love,” and of how the “wine went round,” and of the blasted home and broken hearl that followed his taking to drink. H< relates how, years afterwards, wi»m a wanderer, he saw her, and bow she little dreamed he had kissed the coir she had dropped to him. He finishes his story by picturing the after scene? of his vagabond life, with Roger as his companion.