ENTERTAINMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1919, Page 5

ENTERTAINMENTS.

DRAMATIC ENTiSKT.U.NMEXT. AN ACCEPTABLE VARIATION. Tho efl'oit ma tie last night at the Good Templar Hull on behalf of St.' Mary's Peace Memorial Pariah Hall proved an acceptable variation o> the ordinary class of entertainment 'oiler xi to the public. Tho presentation oi tw'o of J. M. Hurries plays and a farce by*' (iertJiidi; Page was somewhat of * venture for those who undertook the v»{ sponsibility, but Die Biiecess which at* tended their production, and the onthusiasm with which the large audience applauded the work of the dramatist* showed that they were justifletl iu the opinion of tue public in making the effort.

The first work presented was "The Twelve Pound Look." As Sh Harry and Lady Sims, Mr. John Baillie and Mm. Walter Wnsvon acted splendidly, though there could be n'doubt that in the part of -'Kato' Miss Dora Bedford established herself the popular favorite Her studied suppression of the natural and temperamental • inclinations of the character she acted showed that she had a keen and subtle appreciation of the parr.

In "Rosalind" Mrs. Claude Weston played the dual part of trie actress and her mother, who tor a brief space enjoyed ♦ting "her .eal self" in "comfy* middle life, until a sudden recall by her manager wakened again in her all the iove and ecstatic anticipation of the life before the footlights. As *Dawo Quickly," with whom the 'mother" of the slur actress lodged, Mrs. K. A.' Walker pleyed a most successful part and met with instant rewgnition for Artwork by the audience. Mr. Erie Row*, one of the actress' lovesick swains, who failed to recognise bis idol wto'n seen in "real life," was hardly as natural ahd I successful as tin- ladies," thatlgh be fjletl ' i the somewhat lulficuit r-ie with credit. j The final presentation was a farce en J titled "Pros and Cons," In which were ! set fnrlh the troubles of a society lady I who had married a man who thought j ho had the genius of a poet. Difficulties i arose on account of the wife girting j on having the telephone in her husband's j room, the freouent ringing of the in- I strument, of course, interfering with I the "trnin of 1»U ideas" In the end, j "cparetion is mutually agreed upon. As ' "Brenda" (the Mrs'.T. C. Nicholson ' played the part admirably, and Mr. John ' Baillie was equally successful as the ; poet husband. Mrs D. K. Morrison as i "Mm. Christie," the. mother of "Brenda* ■' was well suited with her part, and'with , semi-hysterical emotions sobbed out her fcelipgs of; .humiliation on account of] her daughter's impending Reparation./ The part of "Evangeline.' a niece of the/ family, who is nomcwlin' of n caraleW mischief-maker, always noting in a book* tho "pros-and cons"'of matrimony an* constantly reminding people of them, was Well placed In the hand* of Miss Betty Crooke, who played with considerably abandon.

The works were produced under the direction of Mr. John Bnillie, who wa« assisted in the stage management by Mr. R. Day. The staging rnd dressing of the play* were excellent. A featuro of the entertainment was the playing of an t.rcnestTa of about 15 performers, under the cenductorship of Miss Constance leathern. The programme opened with an overture em r bracing the Ballet Music from "Rosa-. Brand" (Schubert) and Saint Saens "The „ Swan." . A* .e.ntre octes the orchestra ■*„ played some of the incidental music to dj the "Merchant of Verio*" (Rosse) and f the "Doge's March." Their playing wrt