ONE-ACT PLAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 109, 10 May 1935, Page 12

ONE-ACT PLAYS

COLLEGE ENTERTAINMENT

The four one-act. plays presented by pupils and old boys of Rongb'tai College in the new gymnasium last evening gave ample evidence of the keenness with which this function; of college life is followed. Covering widely different scenes and subjects, the plays were without exception' admirably; acted and stage-managed. The first three were produced l)y Messrs. A.'"S; Farqiihar and R. Hogg, and the last> which was acted 'by a cast of old boys and friends^by Mr. E. C. Miller. ■ • . Full of the'scurry and; absurdity of Barries masterpiece,' the interlude of the juniors .concerning "Some Adventures >of Peter Pan in Never-Never Land,"Jcept the audience highly . amused.- The most convincing Villauvof the piece,' Captain Hook, wa's well played by G. Smith.; £.' Constable took the part'of Peter Pan,-and L. .Couib'ear that of '.Tiger Lily, the • Indian maid' who leads her1 braves to "the rescue time and "again. Lan Sinclair made a convincing., Smee, and Lawrence Fitzgerald a ferocious Starkey. W. Conibear acted the,part of Panther. Besides 'these characters, there were a whole host of very enthusiastic extras, who helped- as_ much- as- the principals to make the show" a success. A clever'and amusing comedy; piece,' "Sharp Practice," was very well done, by the older pupils. • The Btory concerned the nefarious trade of a Bly old country couple in imitation antiques. Josiah Bartpn'fA. Knowsley) and his wife (8.-Harvey) made a convincing pair. The'dupes and foils of these two. Chatteris (B. Brasted) and his wife (N. Williams), contrasted -well with the shrewd country people. The only other character, thatvof the-vanman, was played very well, despite the smallness of the part, by G. Tucker. .■■".•; More comic relief was .provided by "The Haunted Bedroom," presented by the, senior pupils, a story, concerning three ghosts who, after trying to clear : ,up-the mystery, concerning their deaths and "disgrace for three hundred years, at last succeeded with the aid of. a very phlegmatic valet. As Basset, the valet. G. Dawson gave a splendid, characterisation. The three ghosts Earl FiUdoodlc-(R. Ward), Anne (G. Cole), and Don -Pedro de Parambo .(F. Parkin), were very conviuc--ing, and added much real amusement to the presentation. J. Oldfield made a. creditable Hon. Reginald Smith. The last play, and the most impressive of the evening, was "The ,Menin Road," a tale of the war and its aftermath. An Englishman suffering from war injuries ,(N. Cathie) has taken a French wife (Miss Kathleen Williams) and settled down at the scene of his last conflict. To. a tourist, an officer of his own-company who also cannot stay away,' he tells ..of the sights he sees on the Menin Road outside, and of the ghosts which'■people'"-it". The fate of the officer is decided that night, and is a strange and moving one. As the officer, R.. Pritchard-threw just that amount of emotion into his, acting to make his characterisation most real. Cathie played his part splendidly, dominating the swing of events to the denouement. H. Guthrie, in the role of a ghost of the'ria'st,^ added to'the eerie realism.of the piece. Others in the cast were G. Dowling:and R: Guthrie. - • ; During the evening, the college orchestra under Mr. E. Meier contributed items, including Schubert's "Moment Musical," Depret's "Chanson de Berceau,',' Schumann's "Sorire d'Avril," and a Brahms "Hungarian Dance." - ■ . • '

The world economic crisis has at last reached African harems, enforcing involuntary monogamy among the French colonial Moslems. Polygamy has been driven out among the poor .by economic forces, while'among the rich and better-educated classes • polygamyhas almost disappeared from choice. Moslem, women can hereafter hope for the same status as Christian women.In Turkey. women • now have ■ equal suffrage, and can hold office.