“OUR MISS GIBBS"

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 September 1924, Page 4

“OUR MISS GIBBS"

BY OPERATIC SOCIETY.”

A STRIKING SUCCESS

The excellent work done by the Operatic Society in the past, ‘when they have.-won for themselves very high encomiums for their production of such operas as “The Connery Girl” and 'The Geisha,” made their announcement of the staging of the pretty popular and fascinating “Our Miss v Gibbs” looked for with the very.keenest interest and enthusiasm. The |-er-fcirnianc-e last night proved .!ie fact that- their work is such as to se-ure very hearty support from the eopie of the town and district, and to deserve the success they achieved. The Opera House was filled in every part with an audience that showed in no uncertain way their appreciation of a very excellent performance that delighted everybody, and more than justified the forecast of success which had been made.

Although there was at the outlet a slight lack of cohesion anionsst the chorus, this disappeared m a few minutes, and from then they settled down to their work in great siyle and sang with a fine abandon and secured most effective results. For this the mn deal director, Mir F. Ollerenshaw, is lesponsible generally, and lie kept them well under control throughout, with the assistance of a small but very edit unt orchestra.

The story of the opera ’s ' probably well known to most, the plot reyof. mg round the visit of the (•ountrv eon«in of “Our Miss Gibbs,” of Hatreds, to London, the confusion arising out of the mixing of his luggage with that of the amateur criminal, Mugiiie. Pierrepoint, and the professional Slithers, with whose assistance the. former works. The trouble arising out of the fact that the son of an earl engaged to one of his own set has fallen in love will a shop girl, and will marry no -lie else, seemed likely to create coniph an ms, but true love triumphed in the end and all ended happily. The society aspect was further advanced ay the friendship of the impecunious lady o. l ate ion lor Alary and their consequent strained relations witn tne Duchess of Al'nsier. As “Our Miss Gibbs” Ali.-.s Dody Macinn had a part that demands a great deal. She gave a veyy good interpretation, unci her naturalness in acting was quite a feature < I her work.'. She also sang and danced very attractively, and she? brought out the points very well in her singing and acting. She was able to portray the two sides to her part, and to mark quite well the change from shop girl when she entered society. It was altogether very interesting. Her songs 'Mary, ’ with chorus of Dudes, was very attractive. The duets with Timothy and Hughie were also very effectively sung. Into the . part of the dashing society lady Miss Maisie Ekdahl threw herself with rare spirit. Her clear enunciation and her clever acting were features of hey work. She was particularly good in making the many clever hits and allusions, and gave a very good portrayal of the character. One of the best impersonations was that of Mrs Tocker in the pai’t of Madame Jeanne, the French modiste. She had the manner and ways of the lady from Paris off to the life, and her accent and style were really excellent. She showed a marked versatility in her lightning change in tone and style to the Scotch - lassie in sentiment. She certainly scored well. Heir song “Hats,” with the added acting, was a great success..

Mrs McGregor, as Lady Betty, and Mrs , Goodsdn as the Duchess, both acted with a due appreciation of the characters, presented. Mrs McGregor was also successful in her song “Arms and the Man,” in which the double sextette chorus was most effectives In the most amusing character, Hughie Pierrepoint, Fred Smith scored a distinct success. He has an inimitable way with him and a manner that simply brought down the house. His acting was most effective, and in his song “Hughie” he was excellent. He contributed largely to the comedy part of the business and kept things going when he was on the boards. “Yip-i----addy-i-ay” was one of the greatest successes of the evening. t r Plie country cousin Timothy from Yorkshire was portrayed by-Mr Kineton Parkes. He created a lot of amusement by his clever showing of the amazement and wonder experienced by the yokel coming to town‘for the first time, and he scored many good points in his acting and his singing. His duets with Mary and with Hughie, with the by-play demanded of such a character were very good indeed. Mr B turtle kin as the Earl was appropriately dignified and had a manner that was altogether fitting. He gave a capital portrayal o,f the haughty peer, and his relaxing at the end to. accept for his son the girl who loved him was a capital piece of acting. As the peer’s son' Lord Eynsford, Mr F. Low was quite good, and his song “My Yorkshire Lassie” was sung very well. Mr it. Vivian as the crook. Mr M. Osborne as the manager at Garrod’s, Mr Laidiaw as the solicitor, Mr W. T. Johnson as the taxi cabby, each gave a distinctive feature to their part that was quite fitting, and made a great deal for the success of the plot. The dancing and singing of the Irish colleens at the exhibition, and the chorus and solo dance ‘ Moon Fairies,” with Miss M. Lay as soloist, ere capital. The dressing and general effects and lighting were most effective.

The bridesmaids, the dudes, the mannequins and the shop girls were all outstanding features of the performance. All looked extremely well, and sang and acted with a fine sense of wllat was required. Then work throughout was excellent:

The chorus generally was quite good, save for the slight uncertainty on two occasions. They produced a good volume of to.no, and the concerted effect was general tv v ery effective. One of the best numbers was the sextette “An English Gentleman,” by six of the principals. A special word of commendation is due to Master G. Hawkins for his spirited effort as the messenger hoy. He was .quite good. The other minor characters ivere all caoablv taken.

The general presentation of the opera, the dressing and lighting effects, the scenic effects, and the tout ensemble of the production under the control of Mr T. E. Fester were very good, and ref loot the greatest credit on his organisation and attention to detail.

Special mention must be made of the arrangement of the Irish dances by Miss Gladys Moore and the fine display of mannequins’ bats and dresses lent by Oil bred’s. Both were features of the performance. The musical direction of Mr Ollerenshaw and the business management by Mr J. G. Osborne contributed not a little to the success of the evening. The opera adds another to the successes achieved by the society.