A GRAND CLIMAX

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24460, 20 November 1940, Page 8

A GRAND CLIMAX

CORONATION CEREMONY A TRIUMPH OF SPECTACLE MAGNIFICENT PAGEANT OF QUEENS Dunedin's Queen Carnival has, reached its final stage, and those who, have worked so tirelessly to build up a fund for the assistance of the men of the fighting forces and their dependents have carried their enthusiasm into the accomplishment of a triumph of spectacle. The Ceremony of Coronation, which took place ih His Majesty's Theatre last evening, delighted an audience which filled the house, and it is no exaggeration to say that never before has a more impressively elaborate effect been achieved by local effort. The coronation was undertaken with imagination and boldness, and the extended stage-that was in use last evening accommodated * magnificent sequence of tableaux. ... The atmosphere was created first by the extensive use of Empire flags to drape the auditorium, and it was heightened immediately the curtain rose on a stage impressive in its severe simplicity. A transparent backcloth-. screened the Spirit of Bravery,' a symbolic figure of a sentinel in armourkeeping vigil on the Cliffs of-Dover This is the introduction to the Pageant of England's Queens, a march -of; splendour and brilliance composed round the theme of Great Britain s progress. It is wholly symbolic of the spirit of Britain through the ages. the/ : spirit of Sir Galahad. .■; •■ ■,.'/■ Heralds prepare the jvav -arid tho Master of Law (Mr; Kevin Dun).. anu The Jester (Mr Ken Stewart). ,the former magnificently and imposingly apparelled and able to wear his robe? fittingly, and the latter convincing in costume and manner, received the cavalcade of queens. First came the primitive Boadicea (Miss Gainer Paape). and the procession travelled through the calm peace of saintly Margaret of Scotland (Miss Anita Winkeli. the powerful dominance of angrv and aged Eleanor of Aquitane (Mrs Wakefield Holmes), and the embroiderer" brilliance of the Wars of the Roses depicted bv Margaret of Anjou (Mr. Ralph Sleigh). Then came the oroud dignified Katherine of Aragon (Mis Hugh Sutherland), with her ladv-in-waiting (Miss Peggy Campbell), followed by a breath of the iolly days oi Henry VIII brought by gay Anne Boleyn (Miss Mary Jolly). The pathetic simplicity of Lady Jane Grey (Miss Jocelyn Tapley) was appealing, and all the more so in contrast with the shadow of the ruthless " Bloodv Mary ' (Mrs John McPherson) Mary of Scots (Mrs David Smith) Elizabeth (Mrs R. C. B. Greenslade) with pomp and accompanying. Beefeaters, and Mary of Orange (Miss Winna Johnstone) might similarly have stepped out of the frames of the old masters. A complete change in history was depicted by the presentation of the Stuart queens. A gay litt> court dame (Miss Gladys Crossan) introduced Queen Anne, and the cavalcade ended with a splendid portrayal of England's greatest Queen, Victoria (Miss Marie Flavell). No praise would be too high for the pains that have been taken to do justice to each subject. ■-.-" _..'-.' Each Queen made obeisance to the Union Jack, after which the Master of! Ceremonies conducted her to her dais. The Court ; Jester introduqed" each in. turnand sang for Anne .Boleyn, while Elizabeth commanded a song from one of her Beefeaters (Mr W. Stevenson) and a maid of honour (Miss■'■ Dora Drake). The former sang "The /Yeomen of England" in excellent voice,, and Miss Drake's singing of "When' Daisies Pied" (Faulkes) was ia; delight... There is a team of Henjry ; ,„V 111 dancers and a dainty court tmmuet, and Ngila Slowley dances a sold in the Victorian" style. It is all very imposing and Very dainty in turn,,and>thecurta'iri falls slowly to the strains of. "The Last Post," leaving an impression deeper than the glamour of the frocking—a memory of the spirits from the past who played their parts in the building-up of all that England means. The second half of the programme comprises the coronation of -Queen Mary Pratt. Heralded by the versespeaking choir and the singing pi Songs of the Fleet by the. R.S.A. Choir Queen Airini. in ivory satin robes, ana her retinue make their appearance. Queen Jessie, also beautifully gowned; and her attendants and pages form the second charming group, and then Queen Mary Pratt makes her triumphal entrance. Preceded by her' bevy of countesses and heralded-with fanfares, Otago's Queen Elect is a. regal figure and her queenly robes and huge tram of heavily-embroidered velvet - and ermine complete the tableau of queens 5K MistS of Robes <Mrs A*m*}> gives the scene its final t™ c tht> T.nrd High Chancellor (Mr iyi. Lrd High Chamberlain fMr W J Meade), and the master ui Semonies M (Mr L. Fisher) prepare for the crowning ceremony. Then tne set gains in lavishness from the homage nnlrtbv India (Mrs Allen Gray), t-an-S£ (Mis Barbara Williams). Australia (Mrs Walter Hislop), Africa (Miss Pat Miles), and! New Zealand (Miss Pett. Evans) until all the figures of the Sen 'of history, Otago's 1940 queens, Srincesses, countesses, court *gn tane*, and all the others form a picture that will live long'in memory The presentation is interspersed by carefully chosen "cameo" lines from the poets by the verse : speaking choir music from the past in the form of Steals, rounds and pastoralsi by.Mr Ernest Drake's Choir, while the Spirit of Bravery (Mr Trevor Thomas) and the Returned Soldiers' Choir bring the action into the twentieth century. The music is excellently chosen. For example, the round sung, by womens voices' right at the beginning of the cavalcade is "Sumer is 1 cumin in. which is the oldest known English song, and the beautifully-written round it is. Then the singing of the lovely "Silver Swan " madrigal by Mr Drake b Choir is a joy. It is interesting < to remark that the composer of Mus c When Soft Voices Die," Anderson Tyrei. was in the audience to hear his partsong excellently sung 13,000 miles away from the spot in which it was writThe stage develops in tableau until Mr Thomas's fine, rich voice rouses more enthusiasm, and it reaches a glorious finale when Queen Mary Pratt rises and sings "Land of Hop? and Glory." Her magnificent voice is the perfect climax. The whole performance has been compiled and arranged by the joint producers, Miss Bessie Thomson, of Dunedin, and Miss Helen Gard'ner. of Wellington, and it is a triumph for them. There were small defects .in the presentation last evening, which robbed it of some of its smoothness, but they were inevitable in the first performance of such an ambitious undertaking and should not be repeated. The coronation is to be staged again this afternoon and each evening until Saturday, when there is to be a gala performance.