A SUCCESSFUL OPERETTA.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1641, 19 May 1919, Page 4

A SUCCESSFUL OPERETTA.

Quite a successful little operetta, "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe," was acted at St. Peter's Schoolroom, Upper Riccarton, on Saturday, the proceeds being in aid of St. Peter's Young Men's Club". Twice previously had the play been produced, the original performance being so crow T ded that the following evening it was repeated, with similar success, in aid of the Girls' Club. The characters were all so happily cast that one could readily believe they were, as one of their songs explained, "a happy family," all except the old woman herself, who rather resented modernity and the needs of her growing family- causing them to move out of their original old shoe. But she became quite cheered by the return of sundry of the older members, who drifted back from the ends of the earth on her birthday, and gave a short dialogue and song descriptive. of their wanderings and doings. Great credit is clue to Mrs Torke for coaching the players to such perfection, and to the players themselves for the verve and interest they displayed in their parts. Amongst the various onlookers were the Eev. Yorke, Mrs W. Ballantyne, Miss Bowen, Mrs J. A. Holmes, Miss Holmes, Mrs Mrs Isbister, Mrs A. L. Holmes, Miss Williams, Mrs Coop, Mrs Kyle, Mrs J. G. S. Holmes; Mrs Lucas, Miss Lucas, Mrs Ward, Mrs Piper. The cast included Miss Haigas the Old Woman, her sons Aladdin and AH Baba, both taken by Mr Wood; H. Sherwood as Sinbad; Mr Townsend as Blue Beard; Mr Ackerley, Eobinson Crusoe. Her daughters were Little Miss Muffet, taken by Miss Wood; Miss Davidson, as Marjory Daw; Miss Fleming, as Dorothy Draggletail; Cinderella was Miss Bowers;, and Mrs E. Carleton ably accompanied. In all, about £25 or more would be added to the club funds by the performance.