CHARITY CONCERT

Radio Record, Volume X, Issue 5, 14 August 1936, Page 58

CHARITY CONCERT

[F you like first-class and varied entertainment — and who doesn’t?-and you live in or near Wellington, you have probably been saving up your pennies for that centre’s Grand Charity Concert for 1936, under the auspices of the National Broadcasting Service. Every principal artist taking part has already been heard over the air from at least two stations, so the quality of the performance is already assured. And through the columns of the "Radio Record" you have been told what splendid work is being prepared by local as-, sistants for music, ballet and chorus. That’s why reservations of seats for August 20 will be an important consideration if you want a good position. Last year the charity concerts were in a large Wellington theatre, but owing to the impossibility of making similar arrangements for this concert, it has been necessary to use the Town Hall, Seven visiting artists will be there: Hileen Boyd (Australian contralto), Thea Phillips (English soprano), Dave Howard (English saxophonist-com-edian), Senia Chostiakoff (Russian tenor), Vincent Ryan (Australian comedian), Dora Lindsay ( Scots comedienne) and Freddy Cholmondeley (English humorist). What more could you want? In case you do want more, be assured that the local people will fill in the gaps mighty well. Ted Parlette’s ballets and specialty dancing numbers are at that stage where rehearsals practically go right through without a stop for corrections -and he and his fellow-tutor, Dorothy Parlette, are not easy to satisfy. That means tip-top dancing, in specially-de-signed frocks, which should make the public proud of the local ability. Frank Crowther’s concert-reyue orchestra knows its stuff, too, and under the hand of one who has spent so many years in just that sort of work, there’s no fear about the music being disappointing. Choruses are another part of the "background" which promises as high a.standard of work as the past has produced, Ticking off the individuals among the visiting artists as baldly as in the third paragraph, hardly does them justice. But what would you? There’s little use in telling you again of their qualities and ability. If you don’t know how good they are by now, then you haven’t been very complimentary to the N.B.S. for their enterprise in bringing

these people across the Tasman for your entertainment. As _ there’s no room in this column to extol their individual virtues at length, your best plan is to turn up at the Town Hall and see whether or not you have had your leg pulled, Yards of comedy work, a wealth of fine singing-and what personalities those three singers have!-and some saxophone playing such as you haven’t heard before will be provided by the touring sextet, all of whom are well and favourably known to the police in Australia-because policemen listen just like ordinary people,. you know. The concert will be relayed by 2YA, and rebroadcast by 3YA.