BLUFF NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 25310, 13 June 1935, Page 4

BLUFF NOTES

CHURCH OF ENGLAND ANNUAL BAZAAR (From Our Correspondent.) The annual bazaar in aid of the funds of the local Church of England opened on Monday afternoon in the Town Hall. The stall-holders were: Works, Mesdames Vincent and W. W. Ewart; cafeteria and cake stall, ’Mesdames R. Fowler, A. E. Budd and A. Parsons; sweets, Mesdames C. Hannan, F. Williams and L. B. Edwards; jellies, Mesdames T. Macdonald and C. Wavish; produce, Misses M. Hamilton and A. Woods; bran tub, Miss J. Urwin. The Rev. W. W.- Ewart introduced his Worship the Mayor (the Rev. A. E. Waite) and took the opportunity to congratulate the latter on his election to the Mayoral chair. Mr Waite thanked the previous speaker for the invitation to open the bazaar. The Church of England had an honourable record of 30 years in Bluff, his Worship said, and was well deserving of the public’s support in an effort like the present. He then declared the bazaar open. The entertainment took the form of a play “The Gipsy Countess,” with the addition of musical numbers and ballets. The play was the work -of Mr E. S. Nichol and the young author can be congratulated on a very bright effort which promises well for future work of the same nature. Although, for the sake of added entertainment, ballets and choruses were introduced, the theme of the play was not noticeably interrupted and there was a smoothness throughout that is often lacking in such entertainments. The story dealt with a band of Gipsies, the main interest centring in the love affair of the chief couple’s supposed daughter with an English gentleman; and while this was working on to a satisfactory conclusion delightful song numbers and dancing were introduced. The pretty dressing was a feature of the show, and for this a special word of praise is due to the wardrobe mistress, Mrs R. Fowler, who made a complete success of her part. The ballets, arranged by Miss C. Fowler, were particularly well done, and were fully appreciated by the audience, as were the song scenas in which the effects aimed at were well achieved. The play was produced by Mr E. A. Nichol, assisted by Mr E. Parsons, and the evenness of the production showed the result of painstaking rehearsals on their part. Perhaps the most difficult role was that of “Zonaphone,” the Gipsy mother. In this Miss H. Nichol came through with credit, her performance being sustained right through the play without lapses of any sort As her husband, Mr G. Mitchell acquitted himself well in a part that was different to the usual stage work with which he has been associated. Following the lead of the pair mentioned, the other principals, Misses Preston and Woods and Messrs Hicks and Burtenshaw carried the play briskly along, while Messrs Giles and Derbidge, as Gipsy pedlars, created a lot of amusement, thpir local hits providing the right amount of humour to balance the show. The music of the orchestra did much to make the performance a pleasure to patrons. The personnel was as follows: Mrs J. Walker, jun. (piano), Miss I. Hutton, Messrs B. Mehaffey and H. A. Ferguson (violins), M. Gillooly (cornet), T. Stalker (flute), V 7. Pickard (saxophone). One of the most pleasing items of the evening was the song scena, “Who Made Little Boy Blue,” in which the solo part was allotted to Miss J. Hannan, while tlie various characters in the song were taken by Betty Bradshaw (“Red Riding Hood”), Molly Dixon (“Old Woman in the Shoe”), Gay Hannan (“80-Peep”), Fay Waddel (“Little Miss Muffitt”), Valeria Waddel and Pauline Metzger (“Old Woman’s Children”), Stuart Bradshaw (“Humpty-Dumpty”), Peter Metzger (“King’s Horses”), Ron Waddel (“Boy Blue”), Bruce Rogers (“Jack Homer”). The play was interpreted by the following cast: Miss H. Nichol (“Zonaphone,” a Gipsy mother), Mr G. Mitchell (“Zacariah,” her husband), Miss E. Preston (“Zillah,” a Gipsy maiden), Mr G. Hicks (“John,” her English suitor), Miss F. Woods (“Joan,” an English lady), Mr W. Burtenshaw (“Basil,” her fiance), Messrs G. Giles and G. Derbidge (“Clam” and “Toheroa,” Gipsy pedlars). In addition to the principals excellent work was done in singing, dancing and ensembles by the following assisting artists: Mrs J. Bradshaw, Mrs E. Parsons, Mrs H. Burr, Misses J. Connolly, Z. Nichol, C. Fowler, M. Hawke, P. Doyle, E. White, J. Grindlay, A. Giles, P. Edwards, E. Miller, M. Williams, N. Macdonald, B. Barnes, M. Silvester, Y. Parsons, G. Robinson, D. Edwards, J. Robinson, F. Edwards, Messrs B. Harland, E. White, J. Doyle, J. Cameron, J. Walker, W. Doyle. The items introduced were as follows: Opening chorus, “Gipsy Life,” the company (45 voices); “Mournful Trio,” Messrs Derbidge, Giles and L. Nichol; solo, “Gipsy Moon,” Miss F. Woods; song, “By a Waterfall,” Miss E. Preston (with chorus and ballet and acrobatic display by Molly Dixon); solo, “The Gipsy’s Warning,” Miss H. Nichol; song and chorus, “Riding on a Rainbow,” Mr W. Burtenshaw (with ballet); solo, “Gipsy John,” Mr G. Mitchell; “Inthe Gipsy’s Life You Read,” tire company; song, with chorus, “Play to me Gipsy,” Miss G. Williams; children’s chorus, “Who Made Little Boy Blue,” Miss J. Hannan (with tap dance by Evelyn Cameron, Muriel Fowler, May Lee, Joy Hannan); song and chorus, “Sing as We Go,” Miss E. Preston; duet, “The Gipsy Countess,” Miss Preston and Mr G. Hicks; song, “Songs of the Nile,” Mr M. West, with chorus by Messrs T. West, J. Gregg, B. Gilroy and J. Williamson; final chorus, “The Gipsy’s Life,” the company. For the seqpnd nijjht there was an excellent attendance and good business was done at the various stalls.