Presentation.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXI, Issue 6504, 13 March 1896, Page 4

Presentation.

At the close of the opera last night, the performers, together with a number of friends, assembled on the stage for the purpose of presenting Miss Innes, who is leaving for Invercargill, with a handsome framed set of photos of the cast taken in character. Mr E. Towsey (conductor) asked Miss Innes' acceptance of the presentation as a token of the appreciation of the performers of the manner in which she had worked, both on and off the stage, to make the opera a success. He wished her, an behalf of the company, every success, and hoped she would find the photos a pleasant memento. Mr H. Mitchell (stage manager) said that Miss Innes was about to leave their little Sleepy Hollow for an exile in the desert mountains of Invercargill. Possibly in twenty years she would return and find the place transformed into a true Wideawakeville. They would all be old men and women then—that is if the sirls ever would grow old ; "as if a woman was ever any older than she was." At anyrate in the natural order of things they would be paternally impressing on future generations of choruses the impossibility of the new generation ever achieving anything like rhe old 3nd retelling the story of "Rip Van Winkle." And when that story came to be told there would be plenty to spread themselves upon. They would tell of their " Rip " and the great success he scored ; and the plucky way in which " Gretchen" held the bridge on the last night; of "Sara" and "Jacintha," those twin angels who had descended for four brief nights to tread the festive glades behind the cardboard trees ; of the whole adorable chorus ; and last, but far from least, of how " Katrina " had—well to descend from the realms of hyperbola to the homely vernacular with which he was more familiar—" grafted like a brick." He felt sure he but expressed the sentiments of ali in saying that it was largely due to her efforts that the opera had been so successful.

Miss Innes briefly thanked the performers for thier kindness, stating that her work had been a labor of love and that she would find much pleasure in their gift as a memento of a pleasant connection. Three cheers were then given for Miss Innes and a similar compliment was subsequently paid to " G-retchen" (Miss Grave), " Our pianiste" (Miss Diehl), " Rip" (Mr A. Grenfell), " Our Conductor" (Mr E. Towsey), and " the other principals and chorus." The photos which are really excellent " counterfeit presentiments'' of the performers were taken by Mr R. Mahan and reflect the greatest credit on his studio. They are handsomely mounted and framed in a heavy gilt frame.