PLAY PRESENTED

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 141, 11 December 1935, Page 5

PLAY PRESENTED

"BUY A BROOM"

"Buy a Broom," one of E.len Philpotts's colourful, human, and sympathetic plays of the west country was presented by the Wellington East Old Girls' Dramatic Society at the Blue Triangle Hall last night. The performance was an excellent one, and the careless freedom and humour of the gipsies with who/n the play is concerned were convincingly represented by the players. The story is based on a tragic misunderstanding between a gipsy woman and a farmer, and gave the cast many opportunities for expressing depth of feeling and something of the conflict in ideas between those who. sleep under- the stars and those who have a roof over their heads. ~-■

The play opens with the rescue of Gilyan Forester, the daughter of Joseph Forester, a farmer; by a gipsy boy, Sanle Beale, when she, falls in. a quarry arid breaks her "leg. The boy and girl fall in love, but. both Saule's mother and old Forester are; opposed to the marriage because of certain episodes in their own youth which caused them to hate the idea of union between gipsies and farm people. How Gilyan knits both stories together and reveals the tragic- mistakes that have been made forms the climax to a most interesting play. ■'■ ' . ■ ■ . -

The casting and direction of the play were excellent. Mr. W. J. Mouhtjoy, jun.. was responsible for the admirable manner in which the production was staged, while there were some fine pieces of acting by various members of the cast. Gilyan was charmingly played by Gwen Hollings, and. R. Cheyne was effective as Saule. . Marjorie Eberlet gave ' a quiet but convincing performance of the part of Rhoda Beale, the mother of Saule, while M. Solomon's presentation of the talkative old gipsy Aaron Beale was a fine piece of work. Huniour was provided by AJan Howard'in the role of Pedro Palastro, a happy-go-lucky singer whose courtship^ of Harriet Beale, Aaron's daughter,'was amusingly done. Mollie Denton was captivating as Harriet, and her scenes with'Pedro were played in spirited 'fashion. L. J. Maule was dignified Mrr the part of Forester, and- Doreen; " Cunningham played his food-natured- sister Dorcas perfectly. Miriam Cox:andKeith DudRnn,.as the 'children Venus and Bunny Moonev, raised many-a laugh by their precocious remarks. .N. Boatus as the chronic croker. Jeremy Mobney, and L. Crother'.1 asDr. Warden, acted1 well.