INTERTAINMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1650, 1 February 1883, Page 2

INTERTAINMENT.

- „/ ,' ~ '• , , The dramatic entertainment' given by the teachers and- pupils of the school, in aid of the library fund came off at the Oddfellows' Hall, Hamilton -^East,, on Tnesday evening, and, looking at it as a whole, it was a r most ■ creditable performance! ■The-hall-was-well-filled| a large proportion- -of the ' audience being children, whoso behaviour was very commendable, -^hojlfytnUtpn , fjftcing Band, under the leadership of Mr 1 Bell, contributed their services, and played the overtures in a style deserving of great praise, i The first part, , of, the enterta,iument consisted of " Aunt ChartofoeV Maid," an excellent farce, demanding for its suc--ueaa a stuang^a^i. acc^imtperhaps, it is not % well suited to amateurs, but, nevertheless, it '•was'-' produced in a manner which won the hearty approval of J the inudileucol Outside th& category of professionals it would be hard" t»' find a yoiing lady iriore capable of playing the part of Matilda Jones than Miss Laura Salmon.' The impers'onatidn was exceptionally clever, and was consistent 1 throughout. Miss E. M. Scott made a most dignified .and austere Aunt Charlotte, and 1 Miss Murray did" what little she had; to <d<>r in^tlie, most graceful manner. Of tho male characters, the Sparkins'' of Mr R. . Salmon, . for a first attempt, • was everything that epitld be desired. His freedom from 1 stiffness, and his intelligent appreciation , of the .^scope and meaning 'of the' role entrusted tq .him afford good 'grounds' for believing that this young gentleman, jwill.deyelop.ni to a very capable,amaj;cur f actor. The remaining characters Svere 1 taken by Mr Bell and Mr W. Sharp; the former of whom, as of course, h&ojight, t ,inatte the utmost of his opportunity. It is a very disagreeable ottiee,' to , find fault, bu,t we cannot help saying a word in disapproval of the stupid local allusions introduced into the f.iree. J 1 he folly of the experiment was ludicrously apparent when in tho, same breath Matilda Jones talks about the Hamilton bridge and the area steps ! Besides this, "the ' tendency of such allusions is to lower the tone of the performance. We' write tfiis in no unkind spirit, because we hilly * Believe everything wn& tlbrie' with the'lWati intention and a desire" to afford amusement to the audience, an object which was very successfully attained. After an interval, filled up very pleasantly by tho orchestra, the curtain rose on the dramaticjskV.tch, "On au Island," the characters in which were snstained by a lady and gentleman amateur. • This little piece was admirably mounted, with the aid of the Counts Club's scenery, and had "MrCarlyon" exhibited as thorough a knowledge of the text as did the lady who played the" part oi "Miss Garland," the acting would have rivalled the scenic effect. Unfortunately this was not the case. At times too it was impossible to hear a word, aud those in the back seats had to a great extent to guess at the purport f ot the piece. All this does not amount to saying that "On au Island" mi a failure, because it was by no means tluti* , The action of, the performers was all that could be desn*ed,'and at 'those times when the prompter' eoulll safely be dispensed with the nudienc 1 were' treated to some really excellent acting. The effect of the voices of the picnic party leaving aud returning to the ishud was very pretty, aiul'added considerably to the : success of the sketch. In conclusion, we must congratulate , the promoters on the result of the entertainment. There is a great deal of histrionic talent running to waste in Waikato, and occasions like these are admirably suited to rescue some of it from oblivion, aud lead to the cultivation. of an accomplish men t which in after years may afford much delight in hours of relaxation.