AMUSEMENTS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10183, 8 March 1911, Page 6

AMUSEMENTS

THOMPSON-PAYNE PICTURES.

Another crowded house greeted the current programme of pictures at the Foresters' Hall last evening. Of the dramas "Two Little Waifs" was a delightful story of l>ow two, little orphan children went in search of "Heaven', where their Mamma was," and finally found a haven of rest in the home of a wealthy lady who had just lost her only child. The piece called for powerful acting, and the artists concerned, especially the wealthy childless wo■man and the two little waifs, carried out their respective roles in an excellent manner. A typical story of white man's bravery and Indian treachery was told in a stirring drama, depicting life in the days of the early settlement of America, entitled, "A Kentucky Pioneer." The other dramatic studies presented possessed' equal merit and found general favour with the audience. A splendid series of comedies, scenics and comics were shown. The programme will he repeated for the last time to-night.

MISS AMY CASTLES

Miss Amy Castles, Australia's famous "Queen of Song/' makes her appearance in Masterton on her farewell I tour or New Zealand prior to her departure for London, where she is en- ( gaged to appear in grand opera. This | evening Messrs J. and N. Tait will introduce Miss Castles in t role in which she has won great fame both in England and on the Continent, whilst in Australia her concert tour was a great success. Miss Castles will sing this evening Verdi's "A Fors o Lui," from "La Traviata," Tosti's "Goodbye," and Verdi's "Sapor Vorreste," and by special request she will sing "One Fine Day," from "Madame Butterfly," and other numbers. In addition, by request, Miss Castles will sing with 'cello obligato by Mr Louis Hattenbach, "Home, Sweet Home." The Dominion, writing about Miss Castles' first concert in Wellington, says:—"Tltere are not many, if any, i English prima donnas who have sung such roles as 'Madame Butterfly,' and Mimi in 'La Boheme,' and Santuzza in 'Cavalleria Rusticana,' at thirty; yet Miss Castles has done with success. Having caught the fever, it' must for her be grand opera or nothing. After Saturday's concert the latter does not enter into the sphere of our calculations. The concei*t was*. distinctly operatic as far as the vocalists were concerned. Miss Castles, who was given a hearty reception, opened with the beautiful aria 'A Fors e Lui,' from 'La Traviata,' a favourite -with all high-grade sopranos, affording as it does an excellent opportunity of displaying the entire gamut of the artist's vocal graces, whilst still retaining a high degree of melodic charm. Miss Castles Used her fresh, limpid, clear and ringing soprano with delightful freedom in this number. Her voice is still improving. While the texture of her top register has grown firmer without loss of flexibility, her lower register appears to have gained in strength, and expanded in volume. An admirable feature of Miss Castles' equipment is the perfect control she exerts over her voice in whatever work it is called upon to do. Be it a straight run. a chromatic slur, an exhausting cadenza, a prolonged trill with a curly tail, or a leapjto the vo- ■ cal heights, the singer showed the same authorative control —calmly raDoseful in attitude and mein—sure in her art." ,