CRITIC CRITICISED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 77, 2 August 1950, Page 4

CRITIC CRITICISED

Sir, —Having read your recent editorial wherein you went to some lengths to explain that the policy of your paper was one of encouragement towards local activities, it would now seem from your report last Friday on the Repertory Society’s play “You can’t take it with you” that this policy has changed. Even if the performance lacked merit in your eyes, do you not think it would have been more in keping with your editorial comments to have offered praise rather than criticism? After all it was the Society’s initial effort with a cast the majority of whom had no previous stage experience and, as such, it would not have been hard to have, found quite a lot about the production worthy of, and justifying praise. I hope that neither the Society nor the cast will be discouraged by your report and that Whakatane may look forward to a second play which, if it equals the standard of the first production will I am sure pack the theatre again.

Yours etc., “GOOD SHOW.” Whakatane, July 31.

Sir, —In my opinion your critic did not do justice to the Whakatane Repertory Theatre’s production. It was a report such as would be written by someone with pre-conceived ideas but who did not even put in an apearance. I have had considerable experience with the stage in England both amateur and professional, and I consider that the standard was, in the main, equal to the best amateur standards, and often much superior to the provincial touring companies and others that have done this play. Penny, at times, spoke her lines too quickly and with certain others of the cast, did not wait sufficiently long for the laughs to subside. Mr Kirby was perhaps not well typed but fn an amateur society, the wealth of talent is sometimes not always available. Kolenkof did turn his back on the audience when speaking, which is a theatrical sin and which he should have known better, as otherwise he acted well. Mrs Kirby, Essie and Paul were good and natural in both speech and movement. Donald and Rheba enunciated clearly and in a manner typical of their characterisations. Alice and Tony enacted well a rather difficult paijt in the second scene of- act one and were generally good. Grandpa was quite up to professional standard both in chi” acterisation and make-up. The staging, considering limitation of size of stage and number of players was as good as could be, and though very occasional masking was present, this was unavoidable under the circumstances. The offstage effects were qxcellently timed and very realistic. The second night (I went both nights, I enjoyed the first night so much) went better than the first but that is only to be expected. The make-up was better on the second night and altogether, the producer is to be congratulated on an excellent production. I did not notice any tendency to recite. ' Yours etc., A VISITOR. Whakatane, July 29.