THE PAYNE FAMILY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIII, Issue 302, 27 November 1889, Page 2

THE PAYNE FAMILY.

Thiß clever family, who have now been travelling through New Zealand for over a year, appeared in Nelson for tho first time last nfght, when tho Provincial Hall w.ia uncomfortably crowded. Their entertain* menfc has to pretensions to bs of a bigh-olass character, but it is,— what from a pecuniary point of view mast be far more satisfactory to the performers — unmistakaably popular. It nUraot* peoplo in crowd e, and having drawn them to tho Hull oc Tbeitre, or wherever it may be, it keeps them amtised and in thoroughly good hnnior for a couple of hours. The three young ladies are all clever aud graceful violinists, and the inerumental performances, which were by far the moat pleasing pars of the entertainment, were listened to with moon satisfaction, and were all of them encored. Inderd this latter may b r ) said of alraoßC every item of the programme, for tho compaDy displayed the ufcmcsc gcod nature, upon which t!io audL ence wero nothing loth to As c clever and exceedingly pretty performance wo muat give fcbe palm to Misa Maud Fajae'n ploying of "The Mocking Bird" oa tLe violin, in which tho chirruping of the bird was most effectively imitated, and was another proof of what may be douo with thia most versatile of instruments. The programme was a lengthy one, consis'.iag nominally of seventeen, but actually, including encores, of 28 item?, bo that wo can scarcely be expected to refer to ell in detail. I he imitation of the bells, eepaoialiy of the muffled peal, ly the voiojs of the company w s cleverly done, and, had la? dir covc-ry nf tho extreme good nature mentioned above b!:eu oiado a that, earlier etngo of the evening, it) no doubt would have had to ba repeated. Miss Lizzie Payne's sinking of ' Barney O'Uay " a3 an encore to " Kathleen flavour een " was prettily and coquebtishly :-unsr, and received rounds of applause In tho vocal and instrumental quartette introduueing the well known Heisaw waltz t,ne voices blondid well with the violins av-<i flute, and proved for au encore tho family gave a performance very (•ffec'.ive, and in reapcuße to tho demoiid ou the hand bell 3 , with which they showed tueoiGelves >o ba quite as much at homo aa p.-it'a theotlur instrutaonte. The trio ''Tnree Litiie Maide," fcora " The Mikado," oauaed an imuaonfio amount of amusement, being v-ry prettily Eung aud act.d. Tbe"Mid- ; ighfc Serenade " oroated muck laughter aud wan followed by a olevor vocal imitation of iho bagpipea by the compeny. Tae first part ended with thu biillnd and chorus " No oae like mother " thoroughly well sung by Mr Rdlph Sieele and the Company. The second part was equally successful aud the or. lls for repetition were quite aa fnqaont, the best vocal performance being "The Flower Girl " by Miss Maud, who lias a very pleasing contralto voice. The instrumental items were, of course, well received, as they deserved to be, and towards the close the audience were convulsed with laughter by what was called the " Cat Duet " by Messrs Steelo and W. J. Payne, in which they very faithfully, though certainly more musically than we are accustomed to hear them, imitated those sweet sounds which so frequently break the stillness of the evening air wheu a couple of members of the feline race give expression to either their animosity or their affection. The programme ended at ten o'clock, and the crowded audience as they left the room were to be heard expressing the entire satisfaction they had derived from an evening with the Payne Family, To night the company will make their second and last appearanoe in town, and to-morrow they will commence fchoir country tour at Richmond,