"THE ORIGINALS."

Taihape Daily Times, 7 February 1918, Page 4

"THE ORIGINALS."

A splendid house greeted the first appearance of this talented band of entertainers at the Town Hall last nigbt. The warmly appreciative iiiOi>d ».f the audience acted as an incentive to the girls to. give 01 their best, and they sang and danced with an abandon and spontaniety taut was infectious. The curtain rose appropriately to the strains of "Rule Britannia," disclosing the girls seated in a semi-circle costumed in orange, which, with the dark green background, formed a very effective colour scheme. The opening chord"? went with tunefulness and vigour, followed by the rollicking song, "Pride of the Pier.' ' Miss Denaisen vocalised very sweetly "When the Day," and the next number "I'll make you want me," introduced Miss Wilkinson, the comedienne of the company, who by iier comicalities and humour, was soon on excellent terms with the audience. The next number, a song and dance, by Miss Vera Maybee, proved what a iinished and graceful dancer she is, and the vocal and whistling accompaniment made the number a very acceptable one. A duet by Misses Hillyer and Dennison was very nicely vocalised. Miss Sheila McGregor contributed a very humorous monologue. The next item was a song by Miss Henderson, during which four girls

dressed up as typical Charlie Chaplins made their appearance, and their mimicry of this well-known screen artist fairly brought down the house. "My" Garden," by Miss E. Evans, was sung with simplicity and charm. One of the daintiest items on the programme was the song and chcru"Out in the Wilderness" by Miss Hillyer and company, which was sung with tenderness and pathos. In "My Hear Soul" Miss Eva Sharp was completely successful, her rich contralto voice being heard to great advantage. Miss Henderson, with the assistancc j of the members of the company, now proceeded to extract all the surplus cash from the pockets of the audience as during the singing of the flag song "I'll make a man of you," "The Originals" were let loose on the audience, with the result that £9 Is was addec to the funds of the Navy League. Tie second part opened with the Hawaiian folk song, "Yafea Hula," which was very effective, the company imparting quite the correct local colour. Miss Hillyer 'rendered "I Love You" witn swetness and expression. The appearance of Miss McGregor was the signal for applause, which was later turned to laughter a nd merriment as she recited the story of the interview with the magistrate for an assault on her female rival. This young lady has a keen sense of humour, and a very effective way of expressing it. Dressed as a Dutch girl, and a very charming one, too. Miss Maybee danced a Dutch clog dance in splendid style, and had to repeat it before she was releasee. 'A really charming duet, "Kissing," by Misses Dennison and Evans was followed by a song "Laddie in Khaki," by Miss Sharp, who sang very' sweetly and tenderly, which with "Eventide" was much appreciated A musical interlude "Beautiful Baby Doll," by Misses Maybee and Wilkinson was capitally rendered and well received. "Monterey," by Miss Dennison and company, was a very acceptable item, and the humorous numbers "Flying Dutchman." "You Can't Get away from It," and "Heigho, can't you hear the Steamer?" had the audience in a state of merrinment the whole time. The finale was a musical burlesque on popular operatic melodies, which gave individual members of the company a chance of showing their abilities. The "National Anthem" broughr to a close an entertainment which was merry, breezy and bright from start to finish.

At the conclusion of the performance Mrs. Burmister thanked the Taihape people for their splendid support in helping to raise funds for the Navy League, and stating they would •have great pleasure in showing here on their return home. "The Originals" then gave three cheers for Taihape, which was returned with interest by the audience.