CINDERELLA SEASON ENDS

Taranaki Daily News, 26 May 1933, Page 9

CINDERELLA SEASON ENDS

PACKED HOUSES YESTERDAY. Packed houses were drawn at both the afternoon and evening performances of the pantomime “Cinderella,” produced by Mr. Frank Neil’s company at New Plymouth yesterday. Pantomime and winter holidays are traditional English associations, and even in New Zealand, where winter does not chime with the Christinas season, young folk and others are glad to keep up the cheerful tradition, and they did with good'spirit at both performances yesterday. Colour, pageantry, music and animal acting—the <■ well-remembered features of the oldtime panto—were cleverly combined in the production with the modern developments of slapstick comedy and vaudeville specialities to make a joyous occasion for old and young alike from the age-old nursery romance of Cinderella and Prince Charming. With talent to spare for the leading roles of the cast, as well as for the music and dancing, the producer has shown a fine selective sense in shaping the spectacular side of the show to make a special appeal to the young while also providing entertainment that might prove equally attractive to children .of a larger growth. Success in this respect was signified by the enthusiasm which greeted the beauty of the royal ballroom, the fairy glade and the sea grotto scenes and tableaux, and the splendour of Cinderella’s fairy coach. George Wallace, with a roving commission as Buttons, was fun factotum in general to court and castle, discreetly tempering his sallies to the character of the occasion. The. quartet kept up a continuous bombardment of merriment. Josie Melville was a most appealing Cinderella, who danced with grace, sang sweetly and made equally a bewitching maid-of-all-work and a wondrous belle of the ball. The solo singing fell chiefly on Miriam Lester (Prince Charming), whose best efforts of half a dozen songs were “Marching Along,” “Piper of Love” and “All the World to Me.” Cliff O’Keefe scored especially with his “Storm Fiend.”

The tumbling and head-balancing of the Clevere sisters was one of the features of the programme. The Kiddies ballet, a coterie of wee team-dancers, tailing off to a tot of five who shook so merry a leg that a shoe came off, was much appreciated.