“The Princess of Poppyland ”

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 4, 30 October 1931, Page 1

“The Princess of Poppyland ”

Fine Production by the Fleur-de-Lys

The Kaitaia Fleur-de-Lys Club staged the operetta, “The Princess of Poppyland,” at the A. and P. hall on Thursday night, 22nd, in aid of the Anglican Church funds. In spite of rather wet and wintry weather, it drew a large and appreciative audience. The theme wasi the opening of the kingdom of Poppyland by the King, the visit of the travelling prince disguised as a student, with his magic casket of Sleep, who of course falls in love with the princess and is opposed by the villain, the Baron Insomnia (Christine Holder), who sets his two noisy retainers, Honk-Honk and PipPip (Hector Kirtlan and Theo Matthews) to steal the magic casket. But they are foiled b'y the prince’s astuteness, the villain is denounced to the king, the prince reveals himself, marries the princess and presumably lives happy ever after. The curtain went up on a pretty picture of eight sleeping “poppies” in a garden (the younger members of the chorus, little Joycelyn Reynolds and Connie Black being delightfully natural), whose slumbers were interrupted by the Court Secretary, the Honorable Fuzzletop (Rex Hicks), whose shattered,nerves were soothed by sympathy of the ladies-in-waiting (Del Puckey and Thelma Moynihan). Enter the princess (Hilda Trill) with her father, led by the bearer (Jessie McKenzie) and attended by her pages (Esme Puckey and Zena Masters), and bubbling over to her sympathetic ladies with surmises about the handsome student (Terry Bradford) and to her father the King (Stuart Matthews) who was as pompous and pretentious as fairy story kings usually are, while the Hon. Dosey, the Court Chamberlain (Bobby Werner) played his bored part so naturally that it threatened to set some of the audience yawning in company. From then on the little play went without a dull moment, the performers acting their parts with spirit, the various songs being well received and the gipsy dance enthusiastically applauded as it deserved. Dorothy Puckey made an impressive Britannia with her shield and trident, and Mr. Bell made a typical John Bull, stolid, self-opin-ionated and dogmatic to the life.

At the conclusion of the performance, Mrs. Trill, the producer, was presented with a bouquet and a round of well-earned applause. The floor was then cleared for dancing, the music being supplied by the Ritz orchestra, Miss Beazley obliging with the .extras.