SAVAGE CLUB CONCERT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 November 1938, Page 7

SAVAGE CLUB CONCERT

SATURDAY NIGHT’S EXCELLENT ENTERTAINMENT. PLAYS AND SKETCHES WELL RECEIVED. The Masterton Savage Club’s concert in the Opera House on Saturday night attracted a moderately large and highly appreciative audience. The programme gave evidence of much good talent and careful rehearsal. Some delay between certain items might have been avoided with the help of dropcurtains and stage accessories which the theatre lacks. The Savage Club is donating the profits from the concert to this very object and their practical gesture in assisting so ably to improve matters is to be applauded. The club’s orchestra, with Savage C. W. Kerry conducting from the pianoforte, opened the programme with “Les Scaramouches” March (Stanley), and later played O’Connor Morris’s beautiful setting of the "Londonderry Air” and the spirited “Hyde Park” march of Jalowicz. Good balance and tone with more than usual light and shade made a very favourable impression.

The Dramatic Club, under the experienced directorship of Savage J. A. Kennedy, produced several well-acted plays and sketches. "Feast or Famine” gave Savages Carstens and Price an opportunity to converse in most plausible Chinese at the expense of Savage Hancock, while Savages Hancock, Hemmingsen, Kennedy and Handcock did splendid dramatic work in one of the highlights of the programme, “So Much Good.” In “Change of Treatment,” Savages Henry and Price tied for humorous honours and received ample backing from Savage Hemmingsen. "The Second Guest” was probably the most ambitious production of the evening and demonstrated the club’s ability to turn its attention to serious drama. The parts in this difficult play were sustained by Savages Kennedy and Flemming who gave well-polished performances of Major Chailoner and Sir James Lister respectively. “The Green Monkey” provided an admirable medium for some uproarious (farce. Perhaps it was never intended as such, but with Savages Henry, Hancock, and Curtin as amorous sirens the result could hardly be otherwise. These “ladies” of fashion were well supported by Savages Hemmingsen, Flemming, and Barber in effective male roles.

The veteran Savage Harry Hall, was responsible for some excellent vocal humour and amusing patter. Particularly enjoyable was his imitation of an Italian operatic solo, wherein the singer knows only a few words of Italian (mostly musical terms) and invents the rest as occasion requires. This type of song fails dismally except in the hands of an artist, but Savage Hall happily, is an artist. Two beautiful songs, “To the Forest” (Tchaikovsky) and “Passing By” (Purcell) received sympathetic treatment from a baritone already favourably known to Masterton, Savage L. Dilnot Wales. His singing confirmed earlier impressions. Not only has he a fine well-trained voice of rich quality; he has the advantage of musicianly instinct to guide him unerringly in its use.

Savage R. Cottle was in good form with his cornet and played “Friend 0’ Mine” (Sanderson) and “Down the Vale” (Moir), two tuneful solos which found ready favour with the audience. Another instrumental interlude was provided by Savages Hills (violin), Wilson (’cello), and Kerry (piano), who played a bracket of Kreisler’s trios, "Miniature Viennese March” and “Syncopation.” If these players set

out to prove that good music is not necessarily. difficult to appreciate, they certainly succeeded and were obliged to repeat the delightful “Syncopation.” The success of the concert was in no small measure due to the good services behind the scenes of the stage-mana-ger, Savage T. E. Handcock, and the property master, Savage W. G. Perry. The musical director. Savage C. W. Kerry, proved a most able and understanding accompanist who, without obtruding himself, was ever ready with full support for the soloists.