PICTURE RECITAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 993, 7 December 1910, Page 6

PICTURE RECITAL.

. A-DELIGHTFUL ENTERTAINMENT. I Tho audience; which packed the Concert ; Chamber last evening to see and hear the ! picture recital', arranged by Miss Sybil /Johnson -and Mr. J. M. Clark, .' experienced a rare treat. It was no ordinary ; entertainment however one viewed it, and •from -one particular, aspect it . was [singularly beautiful in the poetical appeal jso meaningly conveyed: ' The reference is to the .work of' Miss Sybil Johnson's hands ;and .•brains. ■--This highly-gifted young rlady.set herself tho task of"illustrating jby.moving ;.tableaux the familiar Rubai,:yat of Omar Khayyam, whilst Mr. J. M. ■ Clark, resonant voice arid grave deiroeahour, read '.the flowing lines. That jMiss' Johnson succeeded in conveying a ■very" ' complete understanding, even to those-upon whose ears the fascinating lines beat strange, hardly says enough. There.was positive inspiration in her grouping, and her figures had been' rehearsed to a. state of untrammelled natural-,-ness, and were imbued with the very spirit.of the poem; Miss Johnson took basic symbols a Eool, Youth, Destiny, and Death,-and with these and their followers or attendant groups, she wove a brightly-coloured' pageant,- in-hick, summed ..up life, and its ond,. according to Omar,,most aptly.". If would perhaps be invidious to single'out particular characters for praise where all wero so good, but the'pantomime of the Pool and Destiny: (Miss' Johnson) was - surpassingly good throughout. The art of gesture and pose is the most difficult of all to acquire. With Miss Johnson it is spontaneous. There is never.a, weakness— ; her gestures'are strong,-free, and convincing, i: and her, posing, whilst'always..graceful, is also forceful with .the idea to be conveyed. In a great measure she has imparted a reflection of her attributes to thosb about, and tho result was altogether delightful. • None the less was this the case in. 'Keats'a;"Ode.to.a, Grecian. Urn," where, naturally, the red wine sind" roses of Omar were displaced by cold, white, classic figures, grouped in excellent taste, with "Miss Johnson as the predominant muse'. : Here, ' again, Mr. Clark read the lines ' with a fine,, sonorous charm. The third picture ■ was "Autumn,", and, one might add, its death.' ...Autumn ,-is , depicted',,,by,.a number .of .jolly ... little',. ie.-leaved red figures,, .who ...are,,jostlqd. and.,.tumbled about by two ''boisterous,", filmy; ' grey spirits;.;who' represent, wind..'' Queen Autumn enters .with her train of j dancers; and heralds.aiswe'et'.ligure'in'dull browns and purples—arid'all'do'lier homage. A : ruddy-faced .maid.'fromtthe fields, brings . in her sheaf of wheat, a-statuesqne figure enters with a jar of, wine, another with great jars on her : hijis,.'children with fruit,. and'flowers, , and all are laid at Autumn's feet; Enter a'tiny;'white figure —tho harbinger of winter; the-first snowilake. She -romps ..with .'the-, autumn leaves—it is" great 'fun.' Other ■ whito ' figures—more snow—appear. Tho country ,'maid', sneezes,' .and; the'red leaves get more distant. They touch tho whito ones, and shiver and' shako with tho. cold. .Queen..;.-Auhimn..retires with her train with.shrinking..'dis'dain. But tho lively/red leaves' still sport with the ' wind and the snow, but they die off one by one,, .until ,there iis'.only; one bravo little red-brown leaf fighting for its life. Tho, Snow.. Sisters call. on King-, Winter, and-; a" glistening white v ,; figure - ■;' enters, armed with arrows, which ho' hurls at' the little.red fellow until he.falls down dead. Queen Winter . joins .her . spouse and lords' it over the laud, while tho grey winds whimper and' shiver in the cold. Hero again the pantomime was excellent—each character -acting with precisely the ease, repose, and abandon necessary. How Miss Johnson manages to get • this is mystifying.

.Besides reciting■ for. the first;two moving'pictures, Mr. J. M. Clark recited "How Rubinstein Played" with all his native-' charm of manner' and humour, and, as an encore,'gave that quaint trifle "Mrs. Odson's Funeral."' -He' also-har-rowed tho feelings with "Clarence's Dream," from "Richard III." Miss Christine Picot, another very talented reciter, gave with charm and intelligence Katherine's advice to ■ wives from "The Taming of the Shrew," "Bob Cratchit's Christmas Dinner," from Dickens's

"Christmas Carol," Portia's speech about her suitors from "The Merchant of Venice" (very well' done indeed), "Just Her Way," and 'Titty-Pat and Tippy-Toe" (Eugene Field), pretty bits of. sentiment. Miss Brenda Stock provided the music for the tableaux, utilising somo of Grieg's '.'Peer Gynt" music for Omar, and Mendelssohn's "Spring Song" in "Autumn."