"THE MYSTIC MIRROR"

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3470, 24 May 1934, Page 5

"THE MYSTIC MIRROR"

A BRIGHT ENTERTAINMENT. LOCAL MUSICAL CLUB'S •;. PRESENTATION. ' After only a'few weeks of Rehearsal, the Te Awamutu;. Musical.flub presented-the three act musical comedy, "The Myst.c Mirror," to a larga and appreciative audience at the Empire Theatre on Tuesday and it proved to be a good deal better than many of the audience expected, judging by the rounds of applause that greeted the presentation, as it was revealed. Ci'edit for the production lies more with the producer, Mrs Gene Strong; than, .even the principals—and these were really good. The producer must have work ed hard, and had the - fullest cooperation, to have achieved such a fine result. There was a very, capable orchestra, under the baton of Mr E. J. T. Moeller, w.th Miss L. North at the piano and Mrs Biland as leading violinist. Mr L. W.. Spehce had charge of the stage management and lighting effects, and his clever, work also contributed greatly to su'ecess. Mrs Strong was the ballet mistress, and her sister, Miss D. was leader of the ballet, while Mrs ,H. Pearte was the Wardrobe mistress and designer. "The Mystic Mirror 1 ' has to do with events at the seaside resort of Silversea,- where Pearl, the belle of the village, picks up a mirrOr endowed with mystic powers and which is most essential to the .successful machinations of King Torpedo, who eventually obtains possession of both the mirror and Pearl. How he is toiled by Fairy Seafoam and her fairies constitutes the story. The cast of characters was as under: Pearl, belle of Silversea, Miss Giypsy Garvey; Prince Submarine, Geof. Martin; Fairy Seafoam, Miss B. Dunkley; King Torpedo, Dou'g'Speedy; Violet, Betty, and Peggy (Pearl's friends), the Misses Hilda Garvey, Zoe Noonan, and Bertha Bowden; Jack Rattlin, a sailor, George Baxter; Barnacle Bill, Briice Galloway, and his son Billy, Mrs W. MeCread'y. All took their parts remarkably well, and though one or two of the .men were not at their best when singing, the'r speaking voices were good/ arid they kept the dialogue going brightly. The ladies pleased greatly in both singing and speaking parts, while the comedy, chiefly in the hands of Jack Rattlin, Barnacle Bill, and Billy, was lively arid well sustained; in fact, some of the quips and local " hits" were responsible for muc/h merriment. A group of sea fairies—the Misses Z. Noonan, P. Dayies, Peggy Davies, A. Metcalfe, N. Walter, R> Woodward, L. Kerr, G. Westbrook, and B. Bowden—did their parts well, and in one scene especially •called forth a vociferous burst of applause from the audience. The corps de ballet, led by Miss D. Pearte and comprising the Misses M. Cruick=hank, M. Metcalfe, A. Gifford, F. Germann, M. Gillies, L. Cruickshank, V. Bacon, M. Munro, and R. Cole, was most attractive, and the three ballets were spectacular, original, and graceful. Quite a number of others appeared as fisher lads and lasses, while a bevy of small .girls-figured as sea' imps, comporting themselves very creditably. Specialty items included exhibitions" of toe dancing by little Yvonne Gage and Mae Munro, a burlesque sailor's hornpipe by Barnacle Bill and his" son Billy, and a gavotte by the fairies. Taken altogether, the presentation of "The Mystic Mir-ror"--was decidedly good, and well worthy of the large attendance. Experience gained in this production should, furthermore, be Invaluable for future offerings, for several of the entertafners were „ making their first appearance on a stage. . ' - At the close of the performance there were insistent calls for the producer, and when Mrs Stx-ong stepped on to the stage she was accorded an ovation. She thanked . all who had assisted in making the presentation a su'ecess, and expressed her personal gratification at the loyalty and enthusiasm of Club memibers. A large number of floral and other tributes was handed over the footlights to individual members of the cast, and the recipients were heartily applauded. .»-..••