DRAMA GROUP

Wanganui Chronicle, 3 June 1950, Page 8

DRAMA GROUP

(Contributed.) Comedy drama, and farce were skilfully blended to provide excellent entertainment. in the Taihape Town Hall on Wednesday evening when the Taihape Drama Group presented its first 1950 programme of one-act plays. There was a full house and the programme was very well received. Incidental music by the Addis Sisters contributed to the atmosphere of theatre. The first play on the programme, “Daughters of Invention,” by Nora Ratcliffe, told the story of a designing mother whose ingenious laboursaving inventions made life a burden to all around her. As the mother, Mrs. R. Haydon played her role admirably and in spite of the attempts of her two disapproving daughters, Nellie and Angela, played respectively by Pam Gordon and June Lewis, succeeded in remaining an inventor to the end. Acting honours went to Evelyn Ashenden who as Flossie the maid servant had to endure all the inventions, and excellent character work was done by Susan Bilbrough as Miss Feathergill and Pat Wareing as Miss Jamieson, a most attractive lady reporter. The producer was Valmai Brown.

“Dark Brown,” by Phillip Johnson, the second play on the programme was produced by Doris Barton. With the audience still in a cheerful mood as a result of the preceding play, it was not easy at first to build up the atmosphere of intolerable agony and suspense which this story requires. The success of the play in the circumstances was due in no small measure to the sincere and capable acting of the cast, particularly Phyllis Oldham, whose portrayal of the mad Mrs. Persophelous was undoubtedly the best work of the evening. Elizabeth Hudson, as Mrs. Collins, and Olive Corbett, as Miss Tasker, performed well the minor parts* on which the exposition of the play depends and made an excellent introduction of Margaret Seccombe, the over-wrought wife. This difficult role was well sustained until the final curtain. A delightful bit of character acting was done by Dorothy Downing whose interpretation of the part of Bella Crewe, a bright, talkative over-dress-ed young Cockney brought roars of daughter. As Fred Whitworth, her fiance, Don Hayes was restrained and quiet and Ralph Hemingway, as the mysterious Mr. Brown, gave an unexpectedly sympathetic character to the part of a hangman. The programme concluded with a brisk production of pure farce, “Everybody Comes to Mabel,” by Tt B. Morris. Produced by Margaret McLachlan and acted by a cast who never once let the pace of the play drop, this story kept the audience ’ rocking from beginning to end. It all i revolved round the short-sighted, I fussy well meaning Mabel Knowles to whom everybody came with including a dangerously aroused*! Italian female with murderous intent. As Mabel Knowles, Eileen Gordon was excellent, but. had good support from a cheeky maid, played by Shirley Thurston, and an outspoken but equally muddled daughter, played by Pamela Little. One of the most difficult parts, that of Faith Camberley, whose wise words were dropped sparingly into the brew, was played by Patricia Wehipeihana. Marina Thompson and Nancy Gibbs, appearing as two young wives with one husband between them, added a delightfully decorative aspect to the play as well as some charming acting. The wild-eyed Italian, Desdemona Cianvelli, was admirably played by Jackie Welch. Her skilfully devised costume and extravagant gestures gave the finishing touches to a play which was just one round of hilarity. Speaking on behalf of the new society, Mrs. H. McLachlan made an appeal at the end of the performance for members, both active and nonactive. She said it was the intention of the society to build up the facilities for drama in Taihape and later on to present a three-act play. The Taihape Drama Group grew out of play reading activities sponsored in recent years by the Regional Council of Adult. Education. After a course of lectures on practical stage craft by Mr. M. A. Nixon, senior tutor to the Regional Council, the group last year decided to present a programme |of three one-act plays in the Town Hall. The performance given last Tuesday was the second of such performances and with its success the future of the Taihape Drama Group is assured.