PANTOMIME AT LOWER HUTT

Evening Post, Issue 149, 20 December 1935, Page 4

PANTOMIME AT LOWER HUTT

Not for many years has there been such a performance in the Hutt Valley as that of "Clawper Snorter," a Christmas pantomime, produced by Assheton'Harbord in the King George Theatre last With -but three exceptions the entire pantomime was performed, by young children, and the smooth working of the show reflected great credit on the producer. The pantomime is original, the.book and lyrics being by Assheton Harbord, also several J of the. ballets, the overture,: and entr'acte. Other ballet music was* composed by Rupert George, ■ who conducted, the small but highly efficient orchestra. ; Both men are Lower Hutt musicians, and this sample of their, work was of very high qualityi 'The ballets, directed ~by Amye Behamine, -were most effective, and full of colour and rhythm: The story centred around Leslie Tremayne, who, like Alice, fell asleep and in his dream visited Wonderland, where he -was ..taken care ofiby the White Rabbit and shown all sorts of happenings' in the land of Sunbeam Fairies, wh,ere knights ventured forth to overpower the dragon Clawper Snorter and find the key to happiness in the form of magical roses. During his visit to Wonderland he .was shown various scenes, including' a review of the seasons, a mother goose book of nursery rhymes out of which' came about forty different - nursery characters,, and a fairy fair. ',Chief among the scenes was the mother goose book, which'toas an excellent piece of production,- with the. seasons scena. running it a very close second.. The costuming was also good. An outstanding performance- was given by P. Lawson, the chief dancer;- who. appeared in half a dozen different characters. Peter Carter and \ Helene 'Henderson, as Leslie andthe White Rabbit, were also clever, and Jean Havil made a beautiful Fairy Queen, and Betty Binning as Bright Eyes and the Gypsy Fortune Teller sang and acted effectively. Charlie Dixon, as Clawper Snorter, provided most of the comedy, and his patter- song, "Clawper Snorter," was the: highlight of the performance. Myrtle Hosie, as the jester, was very good, and Ivan ■ Lawson, representing the nursery rhyme "I Love Sixpence," captivated the audience with his song and tap dance.: Frances Clout made a splendid herald and spoke her lines with dignity. She sang delightfully; The • music of the .pantomime Was tuneful and catchy,. the: ballet music being a welcome change -from the stereotyped music- usually selected for this form of entertainment. ■