ENTERTAINMENTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 1 September 1925, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS.

THE GRAND, TO-NIGHT. “LEND ME YOUR HUSBAND.” A fneme that is at,, once poignant and striking will be seen to-mght at the Grand Theatre. It is entitled Lend Me Your Husband,” and tells in a convincing manner about society life as it is. Tthe story gradually ascends to i smashing climax. All of these surroundings are handled with ski.J, and make for a production that is at once interesting and lavish.. “MOTHER MACHREE.” A STRIKING SUCCESS. Ould Ireland, her people and their wit and humour permeate the play Mother Machree, presented last night iv the singer-actor Denis Kehoe and his clever and amusing company at the Opera House. The humour of the play was irresistibly smart and clever, the sentiments unfailingly good and true, .Mid the general tone of the play excellent. A large audience listened with interest throughout to the ta’e of Irish life and character, appreciated its many good points, enjoyed to the full its many amuisng scenes and its clever ,gue. It was , altogether a successful production, and fully deserved the enthusiasm with which, it was received. As Dan O’Connor, son ot Mother Machree,” Denis Kelioe achieved a dis-tinct-triumph. His acting throughout was a realisation of the attractive and engaging character of the hero who through all the vicissitudes of life, m the rise from poverty to affluence, remained the same true-hearted young Irishman. His acting was set off by Ins clever artistic singing of the old Irish ballads, some of them to his own harp accompaniment. . • In the character of Mrs 0 Connor, known affectionately to her friends as “Mother Machree,” Helen Fergus had a part that enabled her to show to the full her talent as an actress. Her work, especially in the latter part of the play, when she deplored the absence of _ her favourite son, and then welcomed back the wanderer, was remarkably good and affecting in its simplicity and appealed very sthongly to her listeners. A continuous ripple of laughter was provoked by tre comedy; of the two farm , hands and later butlers, Michael and ■ Fergus, portrayed by Maurice Lynch ■ and Lester Carey. The former was especially funny, and kept the audience in. a good humour throughout by his clever sallies and amusing by-play. 1 The juvenile leading lady ,was I' ran- ’ ccs Kayher as lids© O 33aro. . Sdr beauty was enhanced by the excel'ence ' of her presentation of the part of the • winsortie” Irish girl. She scored a dis- > tinct success.

The other characters, were very capblv sustained by Gwen Dorise, Olive Dunn, Bernard Beeby, Tom Buckley, Clias. Keegan, Ronald Riley and Ross Oreagh. A feature of the musical effects of the nlav was the excellent playing on the harp by Mr Kehoe.,,. Other incidental music was played by. an orchestra under Percy Kehoe, who had composed, selected or arranged the various selecfclo"“THE GIRL FROM COUNTY CLARE.” Front Comity Clare in 18l6; with its elegant sartorial trimmings, to the Canadian/ border line in 1910, with “shootin’ irons,” is the abrupt transition that th© Denis Kehoe Company makes at the Opera House to-niglit. “The Girl from County Clare,’ Maureen O’Neill (played by Frances Kayher), finds herself in the hinterland of Canada, wher© both the men and the trees shoot straight, and her destiny is linked with that of three brothers O’Malley. The comedy is mainly in the hands of Helen Fergus, as Mrs. O’Loughlan, a hoarding-house keeper, i n whose living room the action takes place, and Maurice Lyuoh in. the l’olhi of Terence Dooley, a quiet man till he is aroused, and then——! Several musical numbers are introduced. included among them being solos lby Denis Kehoe and a vocal trio by Frances Kayher, Lester Carey, and Denis Kehoe. Tom Buckley and Aline Dunn introduce the Irish pipes and violin