SCHOOL CONCERT

Southland Times, Issue 21820, 24 September 1932, Page 6

SCHOOL CONCERT

SOUTHLAND BOYS’ HIGH

PLEASING PROGRAMME PRESENTED . SINGING A FEATURE The ability of the pupils of the Southland Boys’ High School to provide a bright and pleasing entertainment was again successfully demonstrated in the Civic Theatre last evening when a varied programme was submitted to a very large audience which was fully appreciative. The offering was a very generous one, including a one-act plav. a gymnastic display and a long series of musical numbers, the programme occupying almost three hours. Singing has been a strong feature of the school entertainments in recent years and since Mr Kennedy Black took charge of this part of the school curriculum excellent progress has been made. He has succeeded in bringing forward some excellent voices and he has trained the school choir of some 300 voices with excellent results. Last night’s musical programme, which, with the rest of the programme, will be repeated to-night, was most enjoyabla. It consisted of numerous solo, duet, quartet and concerted numbers which followed each other in quick succession. It was a bright and pleasing programme with the singing, whether of individuals or of the choir, of a very high order. The choral work was well balanced and three and four-part songs were treated most effectively. Apart from all other considerations, the bovs appeared to delight in their singing and entered willingly into the snirit of the songs reflecting greatly to the credit of Mr Black, under whose direction the programme had been prepared and was performed. The entertainment opened with a selection by the school orchestra followed by a one-act play, “Something To Talk About” written by Eden Phillpotts, a delightful piece of nonsense concerning a burglar’s Christmas Eve visit to the Redchesters, a family of staid county tradition. The characters in the play were all well sustained, the cast being as follows:—The VZolf, D. R. Campbell; Guy Sydney, A. E. Dakin; Preston, P. McNamara; L.ettice Sydney, R. S. Brown; Lord Redchester, D. M. Page; Lady Redchester, R. Buddle; the Bishop, G. F. Anderson. As a violin duet, S. Wood and H. Strang played Toselli’s serenade and .as an encore an arrangement of the sextette from “Lucia di Lammermoor.”

The final half of the programme concluded with a gymnastic display under the school physical instructor, Mr J. Page. This consisted cf figures on the horse and pyramids. From senior to junior boys all showed skill and good training, the tableaux being most pleasing

A further overture bv the orchestra opened the second half of the entertainment, the vocal section commencing with the school song sung by the choir. A bright note was provided by two nautical three-part numbers, “Lighterman Tom,” and the sea shanty “Haul Away Joe,” followed by the song “Thfi Longshoreman,” sung by Clinton Stevens with the choir. A four-part Canadian boat song was sung by the choir, followed by the Captain’s song from “H.M.S. Pinafore” with D. M. Page as soloist. A party of eight of the junior boys were associated in a plantation number “Back to Virginia,” which proved very popular. Twelve of the senior boys provided a humorous number, “A Song about a Crocodile.” Leonard Jones scored a distinct success in an alto solo “Tatters” and an encore number was equally pleasing. A trio consisting of D. M. Page, J. R. Mills and C. C. Stevens were very popular in a comedy number, “A Song about Billy,” and ■were recalled for an encore. A bright foxtrot number, “Baby,” followed, concluding with a comedy turn. Gordon Calder was soloist in the song “A Bachelor Gay,” a party pf nine boys providing the ages of amorous man. The choir, attired in gypsy costume, sang the “Anvil Chorus,” Leonard Jones and Ralph Wesney being the soloists in a further number from “11 Trovatore,” “Home to Our Mountains." The choir then sang the rollicking Cachucha dance chorus from “The In baritone numbers, Percy McNamara proved very popular, his first number, “The Road to Mandalay,” being encored. As a novelty a large party was associated in a scene and sang “Daisy Bell,” which was costumed appropriately to the period of the song with the bride and bridegroom “on a bicycle built for two.” A humorous duet number, “The Twins,” was given by C. C. Stevens and J. R. Mills. Edgar Hannah in a female impersonation, “Mary was a Housemaid,” related the story of the servant with innumerable suitors. A very effective coon finale was provided by the choir with solo and quartet numbers. The choir sang “Poor Old Joe” followed by a juvenile septette in “Little Alabama Coon.” Percy McNamara was the soloist in “Lily of Laguna” and with the school male quartet sang “Don’ yer cry, ma Honey.” Leonard Jones sang “Two Little Girls in Blue” and the quartet was heard in “Stars of the Summer Night.” As an effective finale, the whole choir sang “The Swannee Shore.” The play “Something to Talk /'.bout” was produced by Mr A. R. Dunlop, M.A. Mr Alex. Sutherland was stage manager.

The entertainment will be repeated to-night.