NEW MOON

Radio Record, 21 August 1936, Page 58

NEW MOON

ALTHOUGH Wellington’s Town Hall was patronised by about 4000 people last Saturday night, when the Wellington Operatic and Dramatie Society opened their season of the musical comedy, "New Moon," this show at the Grand Opera House was extraordinarily well patronised. And it’s certain that very few of those who saw "New Moon" were sorry they had gone. The performance generally was really splendid. In such a show it is often difficult to find local enthusiasts who have both good voice and acting ability in sufficiently large measure to carry principal parts off successfully, but Wel-

lington’s amateurs filled the bill with a high standard of all-round performance. The three leading girls, Hilda Webster as Julie, Alma Clegg as Marianne and Ina Small as Clotilde, were all able to maintain a typical musical comedy atmosphere. The first two particularly were blessed with a more suitable style of voice for such a show, but Clotilde made up for this lack of voice in her acting, which had a professional touch about it, combined with an amateur freshness. Julie was played charmingly, with the right amount of carefree romping aboul, and ‘Marianne was as good a lead as one could wish for, and with a little more volume in their singing they would have been excellent. Julie was a dainty foil for the goatish Alexander (Ron Pritchard), whose performance was one of the hits of the evening. His make-up, like that of other males in the first act, appeared exaggerated, but later on this was less noticeable, Russell Laurenson as Robert Misson took the male lead with fine voice-slightly husky, but otherwise excellent for his role. Hig acting on the opening night suggested _self-consciousness, although this did not mar the performance, and furthermore his response both vocally and histrionically in the more emotional scenes made up for the rest. George Power, as the detective or King’s agent. Ribaud, disappointed in several of his appearances, when he resorted to painful melodrama to emphasise quite unecessarily the obvious villainy of the role he played. He spoke his lines most effectively, however, Morice Cachemaille as Captain Duval was a little too restrainedprobably the first-night feeling-but the role was a dignified one, and his performance was generally pleasing. Dudley Alexander and Alex. Barr carried off their smaller interpretations quite well and fluently. Ballets, arranged by Joseph Knows‘ley, were a _ feature of the great spectacle of colour which "New Moon" provides, giving graceful interludes in well-practised movements, The choruses were ragged at times, but in the most effective scenes they never let the principals down. John F, Woodward was musica] director, and carried out that most important side of the show with a nice appreciation for musical comedy requirements. The music itself is well enough known tof need no recommendation. Harison Cook, who produced "New . Moon," deserves high praise for the smoothness of the whole performance, There were only a couple of noticeable technical faults, and the company showed that they had been most carefully and ‘thoroughly rehearsed. It sounded somewhat ambitious of the society to have a nine-night run of "New Moon," but the all-round quality of the opening performance justifies them in such a speculation.