MR WATSON'S RECITALS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17444, 12 October 1918, Page 10

MR WATSON'S RECITALS

. -the tune of Mr Alexander Watson's etay in Dunedin is limited, and only one more of his entertaining recitals will be given. Last night he treated an audience thai went far towards filling the Burns Hall t-o a number of works from the pen of Kipling in f lie first place, and several miscellaneous pieces in the second. The Kipling selections were "The English Flag- 1 ' "M;Andrew's Hymn," "The Ballad of tho Bolivar, T.ho Married Man" (which was given by request), "Guntra Din," "Fuzzv Wuzzy," and "Oonts." Most of these axe exceedingly humorous, but Mr Watson exploited more serious ground, and in whatever department ho essaved to entertain ho was eminently successful. Several of the items enumerated aro familiar to readers of Kipling, and have been rendered still more familiar by Mr Watson on a previous visit. Well as all the Kipling series was received, it was in a humorous direction that the reciter pleased his audience most. A striking point in these recitals was'the way Mr Watson managed to change his voice and methods in order, to identify himself with the individual supposed 'to bo speaking—whether it was tho soliloquising Scotch engineer M'Andrew, the inebriated sailor describing th«j voyage of the Bolivar, or the Tommy in his commentaries on various matters. Tho sscond part of the programme was just as successfully carried out It consisted of J. M. liarrie's "The Courtin' of Tnowhead's Bell," Captain Hopwood's "Tho War-time Trawler," and Jas. Payn's "Mrsß.'s Alarms." Though Mr Watson has now been rcciting nightly for more than a week, he shows no sign of the strain that must have been placcd upon his speaking powers. Mr Watson will make his farewell appearance in Duncdin to-night, when he will present a combined Dickens and popular miscellaneous recital. Selections from "David C-oppcrlield" and "Nicholas Nickleby" will provide the Dickens part of the entertainment. On Monday evening Mr Watson will appear in Oamaru, on his way to Cliristehurch.