SOCIETY

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 55, 1 October 1881, Page 36

SOCIETY

— The property Baby in " Caste" was a failure. — Mr and Mrs Tom Whcwcll were passengers for the South per Arawata. — The white belltopper is going out of fashion "at home. • — There is some talk of the Ponsonby bachelors continuing to give their dances up to 'Christmas. — Captain Ashby and his bride are expected in Auckland iv December. ■ — Two of the belles of Ponsonby are quite •'gone on the Eov. Spurgeon and have given up dancing for his sake. — The " Gray Lothario " of Newton had better take care. His little game is watched by a jealous female relative. • - — It would be interesting to know how many times Ted Cooper addressed E. W. Burton as " my learned friend" last Sunday night. — The uniform worn by FrcdEarle as D'Alroy fitted admirably, but Tom Henderson's get up was "neither fish, flesh, fowl, nor good red herring." — Next week's Observer will contain sketches of the performance of "On Guard" at the Theatre. — When in the process of time Fred Earle becomes ii happy father it is to be hoped his offspring will have more go in it than the stage baby possessed on Monday night. — The " Jolly Bachelors" gave a farewell party to F. Dawson-Damer last Thursday evening. Their private theatricals proved extremely entertaining. — " Sinbad, the Sailor," dexterously extricated himself from a very knotty situation at the " Jolly Bachelors." He would make the Davenport Brothers blush. — A butcher, and an hotelkeepcr both in full uniform recently figured as the principal witnesses at a wedding not one hundred miles from Auckland. . — Didn't the girls laugh on Monday night when Mr W. Cooper told them with unblushing effrontery that, he did not admire the fair sex. They did not believe him, though. , — The orthodox Hawtrce in " Caste" is a howling swell I " Close clipped hnir, elbows square." dressed in perfect taste and clean shaven, save for a heavy, drooping moustache. — The teachers of Nelson-street school presented Mrs Brabazon with a beautiful silver locket on the occasion of her retirement from the position which she has held for so long a period on the staff. — The elder scholars of the Beresford-street public school held a very pleasant picnic at the North Shore on Monday last. Several of the teachers and some of the friends of the pupils were present by invitation. . — The last Ponsonby "At Home" of the season takes place this (Friday) evening, much to the regret of the members. It is, however,' intended to have a ball to close the season, though whether it will be plain or fancy dress has not been definitely decided. — An amateur performance of "On Guard" and "Box and Cox" took place at the Theatre last night too late for notice in the present issue. We can, however, safely aver that the house was crammed, for on Wednesday afternoon every seat in the dress circle had been* reserved. — A feature of the Auckland Dramatic Society's first performance was the illustrated programmes specially prepared for the occasion by Mr A. E. y?.. Boodle who must not be confused with the "Baby Boodle" whom someone iv " On Guard" .calls a fool. . , — Mrs Carte and- Miss Brewer were great on private theatricals some years ago when the}' were assisted by Mrs Dr Payne, of the Thames^ Miss Davy (Mrs E. Jones) and Miss Simpson (Mrs M. Elliott.) They gave monthly entertainments at "Onehunga, which Avcre much appreciated. . — Captain Webster, of the Albion, is engaged to Miss Annie Quick, the belle of the North Shore. The wedding is to take place shortly ami should prove a most happy one, as the " gallant captain" is one of the best and jolliest fellows that ever trod a plank, while the young lady is as amiable .and accomplished as she is pretty, which is saying a good deal. . —Can there be any truth in the report that a certain aristocratic matron in one of the suburbs is in the habit of half -starving her servants on the leavings of the table, and that mixed potatoes and cabbage, .crusts of bread and miscellaneous scraps arc .all the. unfortunate domestics get ? We hear on good authority that the lady (?) in question is constantly changing her servants, and that every one tells the same sorrowful story. , —Thanks,. Mr Devore, for so kindly and thoughtfully assuring Mrs General Stoddart that, in your opinion, the purely imaginatiA'c skit in last issue on " Hindoo Calisthenics" was intended for her establishment. We know how yo\i hate mischief making and therefore feel sure that it was conscience and not a wicked desire to set a poor old lady by the ears and do us a nasty turn that made you perpetrate such a " tarradiddle." .However, perhaps our turn may come one of these days. —Mr Gordon Gooch's proposal to form an 'operatic class appears to have found great favour in the eyes of the. local amateurs and he has .already received applications for admission from members of nearly every church choir in the place. Either "Lurline" or "The Bohemian "Girl" will be the opera first put in rehearsal, and as the music of both is very tuneful and agreeable 'without being particularly trying to the soloists neither should be very difficult to get up, while the result of a public performance need not be feared. " Lurline" has never been produced in Auckland, nor, if I mistake not, in any other

part of New Zealand. It is by the composer of ." Maritana" (Vincent Wallace) and is well calculated to please a colonial audience. — The "Apron and Necktie" parties recently inaugurated in Sydney are proving a great success. From private sources we learn that the mistakes made are most ludicrous and often create great amusement. The plan is simply that every lady wears a different coloured apron and as many neckties as aprons are put in a bag, shaken up, and one given to each gentleman as lie arrives. The recipient then puts it on, and the lady who wears an apron of a corresponding colour is his partner for the first waltz after supper. — At the marriage of Mr Gco. Bout and Miss Mary Whitcombe, the bride wore a pretty lavender flowered silk, with satin trimmings of a darker shade. The dress was good style, but a poor fit, being both too short and too tight. Of the bridesmaids the one in cream sateen, 1 rimmed with pale blue, looked the best. The other was dressed in pink sateen which ought, however, to have been a few shades lighter. It had a little real lace about it, but looked more like a ball tlmn a morning dress. — The Cinderella dance at Mount Albert last Thursday evening was, as usual, a. pronounced success. About sixty ladies and gentlemen were present, just enough to dance with comfort. The hall was tastefully decorated with flags, the music was good, the refreshments were excellent, and the floor is one of tlte best in or near Auckland for dancing on, so it is almost unnecessary to remark that all present thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The ladies were, almost without exception, handsomely dressed. Mrs Greenwood wore black silk, with a cream-coloured sash ; Mrs Wai erhouse, blue silk, trimmed with white lace ; Mrs Stephenson, drab silk, trimmed with cardinal ; Mrs Pearson, black satin ; Mrs C. B. Stone and Mrs Wright, black silk ; Mrs J. M. Alexander, drab silk ; Mrs James, grey silk ; Mrs C. S. George, white satin, trimmed with pale blue satin (the handsomest dress in the room) ; Miss James, who looked, if possible, prettier than usual, wore black silk, trimmed with blue silk ; Miss George, white muslin, Avith a blue serge ; Miss Dunnctt, pale blue sateen ; Miss Evans, pink muslin ; Miss Eigby, drab silk, trimmed with black velvet ; Miss M. Eigby, cream sateen ; Miss Plumley, dark brown silk ; Miss Maxwell, pink muslin ; Miss Boylan, who wore white muslin, again earned high enconiuius for the excellent manner in which she played the extra dances Avhilc the musicians were at supper. —The Ball held at the Lome-street Hall on Wednesday night in connection with the Fountain of Friendship Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F. was a very enjoyable affair, although not quite so well attended as was anticipated. During the evening presentations of Avatchcs (from the establishment of Mr A. Alcy) were made to Bros. A . J. Mullins and Taylor by the D.G.M., Bro. J. McCounel. Mr J. Cole officiated as M. C. with his usual efficiency. • — The members of the Newmarket Skating Eink brought a most successful season to a close on Friday evening last. The funds of the club being in a flourishing condition, they decided to have a private invitation party amongst their friends instead of the usual subcription ball generally held on these occasions, and at the appointed hour had the pleasure of seeing the hall well filled with those eager for the fray. The music supplied by Hankin's string band, was all that could be desired, and Mr Mondy acted as master of ceremonies during the evening. Most of the ladies wore plain evening dresses. The following were most noticeable: — Miss Wostwood, black silk decked with garden flowers ; Miss Taite, white dress with blue trimming. Miss A. Fleetwood, black and blue ; Miss Massey, maroon velvet and old gold ; Miss Laman, black silk slashed with real lace and pink trimming ; Miss L. Bruce, black velvet, blue cords and tassclls ; Miss A. J. Westwood, navy blue costume, slashed with blue, and white trimming ; Miss Watt, maroon velvet skirt, jersey body ; Miss Mcnzics, black lustre cardinal cords and collarettes ; and Miss Nellie Kilgour black dress and white ornaments. The committee deserve the thanks of all concerned for their untiring endeavours to make the affair a success. — In the whole range of modern comedy there are no pieces which require more perfect representation than those of the late Tom Eobertson. Nine times out of ten professionals make a mess of them, in fact it was only recently that we had to " slate " the Cardcns for n most despicable performance of " School," and the Lingards for a melancholy hash-up of " Ours." " Caste "is iv some respects the most difficult comedy of the series. There are, it is true, only seven characters, and the scenery is not elaborate. Nevertheless, to be successful the performers must fit their parts like gloves, and every property and accessory, from the kettle in the first act down to the baby in the last, should be a triumph of naturalistic realism. To criticise the performance at the Choral Hall on Monday, would be to break a butterfly on a wheel. Everything went wrong. In places where the audience should have laughed they sat stolid, and when moisture should have been invading their optical organs they giggled inanely. The end of the second act in " Caste " contains one of the most affecting episodes in modern comedy. Wo haA r e seen the audience at the Prince of Wales' Theatre in London mopping their eyes effusively at the sight of Esther D'Alroy, pale and fainting, vainly endeavouring to buckle on her husband's sword. Whether this business took place at all on Monday evening we are uncertain, as the attention of the on-lookers was entirely concentrated on Mr W. W. Eobinson's alarming consumption of sherry. The fact is the company Avero painfully overweighted. They had not even room to move about conveniently, and the scenery which, was of a very hybrid and rickctty description more than once threatened to overwhelm the whole concern. We make this apparently unkind criticism thus boldly because it was apparent to all that the performers were amateurs of more than ordinary merit, Avho will when they condescend to tackle smaller game achieve a genuine success. Moreover, though the performance as a whole was deadly dull, there were sundry bits of very good acting indeed. Mr W. W. Eobinson, as Eccles, made a pronounced hit. Both he and Mr C. T. D. Eobertson (Sam Gerridgc) had caught t*ie spirit of their parts very happily, and on a larger stage

and ■with more room to move about might even have pulled the piece through. Mr Earle undertook the somewhat colourless role of D'Alroy. The part is not a grateful one at the best of times, but he both dressed and played it uncommonly well. The lovemaking might perhaps have been a trifle more ardent, but we defy anyone to spoon properly on the stage when an audience shrieks with laughter at every affectionate movement. Next time Mr Earle disports himself as an amateur actor we hope it may be in a really good light comedy part, such as Jeremy Diddlcr, in " Raising the Wind," Henri, in the " Ladies' Battle," or the hero of "Naval Engagements." He has evidently got the grit in him that makes an Al amateur, and only wants a favourable opportunity to show it. Mr Henderson had a part for winch he was wholly unsuited. Naturally Captain " Tom " abhors a " haw-haw " swell, and it must have been agony to be obliged to try and represent one, even though concealed behind a door-mat-like mass of hirsute appendages. Mrs Carte was pleasing and subdued as Esther Ecclos, but not quite sufficiently sympathetic. The character is indeed a most diflk.-ult and exacting one to play, and so too is that of the sprightly Polly, who, however, found a vivacious representative in 'Miss Brewer. Mrs Daveney was the Marquise, and Mr Coupland played the small part of Dixon. All round the acting was far better than could have been anticipated, but it requires something more than passable playing to make a success of " Caste." It is not a rough and tumble affair like the " Area Belle." The smallest incongruity tells, and one poor actor spoils the piece. The Choral Hall was full, all the furrant--jellyites from Parnell and "Remuera having mustered in force. Next time the company appear in public we hope they will give themselves a chance, for it was quite evident that in an easier play they would have been really successful.