THE MERRY MIDGET COMPANY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 973, 17 February 1910, Page 5

THE MERRY MIDGET COMPANY.

This company of midget artistes, which has been organised by Mr Chas. Pollard, for a tour of the world, will make its debut before the Masterton public at the Town Hall, on Monday next, with the most unique and original entertainment ever offered to the Masterton theatregoers. On their opening night the performance will include one of the most realistic scenic productions of modern times, viz.The famous Battle of Trafalgar and the Death of Nelson. The scene deals with the final episode of Nelson's career in a series of daring and successful tableaux. The curtain rises on the main deck of the "Victory," a group of sailors in the picturesque costumes of the period singing Dibdin's almost forgotten ditty "Swig the Flowing Can," a hornpipe ballet follows, and at the request of his shipmates Tom Maintop favours them with "The Midshipmite." Nelson comes on deck accompanied by Lady Hamilton, and in a touching scene they bid each other farewell. It is well known that before "Trafalgar,"' Nel6on knew that it was to be his most decisive battle, and felt that it was tp be his last. In a vision he sees Britain's ultimate greatness by sea and on land built upon that naval supremacy which be cave his life to establish. By a clever scheme of stage craft the scene changes again to the Victory as she enters into action on the mennrable 21st of October of 1805. Nelson harangues the men, and orders the hoisting of thu famous signal -"England expects that every man will do his duty," even as he was prepared to do his. The guns of the enemy are heard, Collingwood on the "Royal Sovereign" has fired the first shot, and now the "Victoiw"' plunges into the smoke and din of battle, the fatal bullet comes from the foretop of "Redoubtable," and Nelson dies in the arms of his friend, Captain Hardy, trusting in his God and the gratitude of his country. An interesting feature of the little drama is the introduction of Charles Dibdin's songs, which tend to realise the atmosphere of the period, aided by careful dressing and mounting, "Nelson," as played by the Merry Midgets preaches a lesson of practical patriotism as pertinent to the practical politics of to-day, as it was to those of a hundred years ago.