PRISON CONCERT

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 84, 3 January 1930, Page 2

PRISON CONCERT

ARRANGED BY JUSTICES’ ASSOCIATION AN ATTRACTIVE PROGRAMME 'The annual New Year concert arranged by the Wellington Justices of the Peace Association for the prisoners at the Mount Crawford Gaol was held yesterday afternoon at the institution. Many members of the association word present, and the visitors included several well-known and highly-talented local singers and elocutionists, who contributed the Hems forming the second half of the programme. The function was conducted on behalf of the association by Mr. I. Salek, visiting Justice to the prisons, and registrar of both the Wellington Association and the New Zealand Federation, while Mr. It. Down, superintendent of the gaol, supervised the men’s half of the programme. The concert was given In the prison hall, where a stage had been erected, and the curtain, backdrops, and wings hail been very effectively improvised from tlags, pennants, nnd other fabrics stored in the gaol itself. A feature of the concert was the programme to the men's half of the performance. It was a cleverly designed booklet of four pages, printed in two colours, and was—apparently-designed and printed in its entirety by a member of the institution. The machine used for printing it had been made in prison. The piano oil the stage was presented to the gaol by the Wellington Justices of the Peace Association. The performance began with a medley of two or three popular songs by the whole company, followed by several good vocal solos, two fine cornet solos, a bright aud novel whistling turn, and an excellent Maori song. But the best item of all was a farce which exposed in a droll fashion the dilatoriness of an alleged Darktown Fire Brigade. It had been cleverly writtpn, and was full of genuine humour from the first line to the last. This sketch, in fact, was a great deal better than the average one met with in vaudeville. Elaborate preparations had been made for it, and the props had been cupningly devised. The action had plenty of subtlety, and Included several extremely amusing situations, which followed on, one after the other making first-rate entertainment. As to the actors themselves, they put the sketch through without a hitch, displaying almost professional technique. The watch-house man was a miracle of cleverly-managed absurdity. Such a good performance by. the men put the visitors thoroughly on their mettle, and the second half of the performance began with two tine tenor songs by Mr. Stewart Nelson. The first was Toselli’s “Serenade,” and the second, “I Hear You Calling Me,” Both were admirably sung, and the singer was .well applauded. Mrs. J. F. Woodward and Miss Joyce Woodward were excellent in their duet, “None So Pretty,” and Miss Woodward took for her solo, “Learn to Smile,” from “The O’Brien Girl." Broad comedy was supplied by Mr. A. Brokenshire with his amusing character sketch, “The Parish Room.” Later on In the programme, Mr. Clement May interpreted a story by O. Henry and a story by Stephen Leacock, and a new cluster of Hebrew stories were told by Mr. Seaton, Miss Eileen Higgins was exceedingly attractive in her two songs, “Cigarette” and “Allah.” Mrs. Watson sang a fine bracket of contralto songs, and Mrs. Hollands was in good form for two pleasant solos, • “Love’s Own Kiss” and "Cuckoo.” Mr. S. E. Rodger sang with great spirit in “To-morrow,” taking , for his encore the popular “Captain Mae.". Mr. IT. Phipps was heard in the magnificent song, “Glorious Devon.” The community singing, led by Mr. Arthur Coe, was a great experience. All the men and visitors combined to make “Genevieve'' and “Mother Machrcc” well worth listening to. and quite a number of the brighter spirits sang impromptu parts in harmony with the rest, giving at some places a good choral effect. The accompaniments were played by Mrs. Woodward, Miss Woodward. Mrs. Stewart Nelson., and Mr. Harry Avery. At the conclusion of the concert. Mr. D. Keir, chairman of the association, and Mr. Salek, spoke briefly on behalf of the visitors, and wished the men the compliments of the season. Mr. Down replied on behalf of the men. . „ , , The visitors were: —Mesdamcs Salek, Keir, Watson. Nelsan, and Messrs. I. Salek, D. Keir, J. Goldsmith. 11. Seaton, J. Cairns, and D. H. Edgar, J.P.’s. Cigarettes and light refrestments were supplied by the association for the men.