"A COUNTRY GIRL"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 56, 4 September 1944, Page 3

"A COUNTRY GIRL"

POPULAR COMEDY REPLAYED

"A Country Girl" was presented at the Musical Srt° nr SatUrday by the Wellington !Mr SiCs a tanCi maws yon COmPany- The producer was All Lionel Monckton's melodies have their jown distinctive freshness and charm, but" few have held their place so consistently in public H?f n° D h a- S tl? ose In "A Country Girl." Saturday night's- large audience went prepared to enjoy themselves, and if their reaction was any y-uS-st -sffyr. zsr-r s cellent, particularly in the first act and the s:;za ttraclive 'the ««»w^*x It was a treat to see a/real live orchestra in the pit, and under fc'.e direction of Mr W|Vh H" S- eVeDS " led 9* how skilfully and TheLff\&T? C' la% 070S lts responsibilities The vocal wos:in. the solo numbers was fair to good, but the chorus singing in the en"sembles was first class, and did much to bolster up the rather thin rendering of some of the solos, which at times were hard to pick up clin A^ V3°n kept movin& at a *ierrPy clip. As Barry, a sailor with a typical sailor's uu'fe* f ag-ged Ws way throu 6h entertainingfy! RosaSS. HfSSfn 01181!? 11 WaS a nOtable eff°" rtosaleen Hickmott made a charming Marjory. She has a sweet voice, and it was heard to fine advantage in the popular, numbir, "Coo." Laurie Jones played the part of. the dre^sh ak^i ladaT S°W*> convincingly She has stage poise and presence, and a definite flair for comedy. She and Barry were an lnp a!L SU pCCess in their tw° corned^iumbe" PeiOf Cmrny, as the Princess of Bhong was realistic and was especially effective in the lovely solo, "Under the .Deodar." Nan the pert country charmer, was played with verve and vivacity by Joan Sfne, and MaS garet Bnnkman made the most of her uart as the social Mrs. Raikes. Cyril Tilly v!l amusing as the fatuous Sir Joseph Verlt? and the quaint philosophy of Granfer Mummery w« milfnSTw 64 by Fmnk BrimblecoSbe. yßert S, « f had s Carcely the __ sh f _ van P Sn ithf th' Ge°ffrey Ch^n e v, and Ivan Smith, as the Rajah of Bhon" had the figure but hardly the flexibility John HedleynS a a s th Do"glas Verity, the nitwitson of a nitwit father, and William Harvey as Lord difCSl'f 611 thelr sma» "eU, S did Dave \Vyhe as Rube, Trixie Sutherland A n c?e e stenr UrSe ' "d Keitha Bretherton "as^Lady Of special merit' were 5 the ballet who anpeared in four numbers. Daintily and attrac tively costumed they provided dSlghma'iXE ken/ie »n5 t' B°W'- J°an Ralne' Lorena Mac" «. i, d ■ Leah Kerr > were splendid ing tly Girl" wIU be seated this even-