CLARKE MEMORIAL HOSTEL.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 November 1920, Page 5

CLARKE MEMORIAL HOSTEL.

LAST NIGHT'S ENTERTAINMENT. AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE. When tlie curtain rose on the "Fair Women" of Tennyson's well-knowtl poem, an extremely pretty. scene was presented to the audience at the Workers' Social Hall, New Plymouth, last night The entertainment was in aid of the Clarice Memorial Hostel. Mr, A. M. Bradbury had ably seconded. Miss Bradbury, who arranged the representation, and had painted a really fin* Betting of a deep wood in the fore- < ground, passing into a glade, with a range of hills in the distance. In front wove arranged the characters, and a mere man may be pardoned for asserting that each girl who took part had all the looks and grace for which the famous, if unhappy, heroines are re- • ti'owned. The tall stately fairness of Helen of Troy, with the darker Greek beauty of Iphigenia, were well set ofT by their white robes, with the hair worn in the ancient Greek style. A contrast wad the dancing prettiness of JephthahV daughter, who sang, and sang well, a verso or two from -'The Lament ot Israel" off stage, and then gave a most graceful dance before telling her tale of her father's wild oath. Cleopatra was a splendid figure, magnificent in Kastern garments and colours, with profusion of jewellery and strings of heads, with her two slave girl attendants, whose saffron gold set off her brighter colors. Cleopatra spoke lines perhaps as well as any, and aH"/,. were good and true to character. Fatf' : Rosamond, in a dress copied from that' worn in the Middle Ages, sat in her bower, sad and quiet, her failjieW contrasting with Cleopatra's "swarthy cheelcs and bold black eyes." The last heroine was St. Joan of Arc, a fine tableau completing the scone. A very, pretty dance, graceful and rhythmic^ 1 opened the scone, to the music of Off«a« bach's "Barcarolle." The dreamer was reclining in tlta background reading old Chaucer. He spoke well, but might speak a little louder, from the back of the stage. The whole was spoken to mpslc admirably played by Mrs. A. W. Webster, and all. the performers are to be congratulated, and a full house should reward them . this evening for the great amount of thought and work given not only to the performance, but to the dressing of the parts. The cast was; Helen of Troy, Mia* > Dew; Iphigenia, Miss Bradbury [who took the part at very short notice, as Miss Earle unfortunately was ill); Cleopatra, Miss D. Watkins; Jepfithah'n i Daughter, Miss 0. Palmer; Fair Rosa* 1 mond, Miss F. AVinfield; St. Joan of Arc, Miss Bemioch; attendants on Cleo* patra, Miss 0. Shaw and Miss G. Bayljf '. Dreamer, Mr. L. Etherington; accompaJti. ist, Mrs. A. W. Webster; prompter, Jur. • R. Day. ? The second part of the programme was a moat enjoyable concert arranged by Mrs. K. A. Walker. Mrs. Moverley'a orchestra played throughout the evening. Mrs. Macdonald sang Mallinson's "Break Into Song," and for a well-merited encore "Long Ago." We do not hear good instrumental music often enoughand it was a pleasure, as the audience warmly testified, to hear Mr. Murphy play the Intermezzo from '"'Cavalloriai Rusticana." Mr. A. L. North was on the programme for two songs, "Lolitft", (Puia) and "To-morrow" (Neale), the latter a fine spirited setting of Masefield's poem, very well sung, and he , was doubly encored, giving also the Maori song of the war, "Kamati," and "The Furniture Sale" and "The Cobbler," two excellent little songs, sung with fine expression. Mr. 11. Morey aecom* panied, and showed that he has mastered that difficult art. Mrs. John Fraser. who has a fine reputation, will sing at to-night's concert, when the hall should be well filled.