LADY FROM LOUISIANA

Northern Advocate, 22 June 1925, Page 4

LADY FROM LOUISIANA

:.;! \,\ THOMAS TONIGHT,

'i 1; at the W'nangarei Town Ha.! M E. J. Carroll, the Australian cut • 1 "lieur, will present the latest v-tr: r, M'ss Edna Thomas, the charming "L.- ev from Louisiana," world famous -inger of negro spirituals. Miss The;- mas is said to be the greatest ex-pom-'-it of Creole rjclodies and plantation <or,g'A in tl.e world today. Her voic " ' described as a warm, lovely ine/.i'-. 'id! of powar, with a wealth of tone : . 'ourii'g and virile quality. She has '.< ■<' the weirdly lovely spirituals a lif. 1 study. They have become a part of iier being, and she lives the songs as slie sings them. Her intensity of expression, her conviction that she is, when singing, back at t 7 .e sunny New Orleans of her childhood, listening to the haunting songs sung by the negroes at work in the plantation, is uaid to give to her performances an atmosphere of realism that compels instant attention. As a costume recital ist Miss Thomas is said to be unequalled today, and she is claimed to be one of the highest-paid ai'ists in the world. When Edna Thomas, fresh

from her American successes, made her London premiere, her admirers wondered if she would cause the same stir in London. 111 a firmament of world stars, for ten weeks, afternoon and evening, she held vast audiences spellbound. Her programmes strike an entirely new note. Most people have heard the so-called negro spirituals sung over and over again, but few have heard the real Creole melodies and negro spirituals of slavery days. Many of these songs are miniature plays, and the delightful verbal annotations given to tliem add much to the enjoyment.

Leading American artists will assist. The box plan is at Blanshard's, niiere a large number of seats have already been booked. Two recitals are to be, given, tonight at 8 o'clock and tomorrow night, when there will be a change of programme. 77