CONCERT IN AID OF FUNDS OF CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHOIR.

Western Star, Issue 295, 3 May 1879, Page 5

CONCERT IN AID OF FUNDS OF CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHOIR.

A very successful concert in aid of. above took place in the Oddfellows’ Hall on Wednesday evening. The' attendance in everyi part, of the Hall was good, which jis an assurance that the expectations of the promoters has been fully realised. Rather a remarkable feature of the entertainment; is the, fact that, with one or two exceptions, the. performers were members of the choir, The entertainment was< opened' with an overture, “ Zetobia,” by a powerful orchestra, consisting of piano, riolincello, and four violins. The performance of this piece put the audience in good humor, and when the curtain rose'to the farce of ‘‘.The T/iumping Legacy” the performers were greeted with-applause. ■ The piece is not new to a Riverton audience, it having been played some few mouths ago; but, like a good story, its repetition was thoroughly enjoyed. Eueh character was remarkably .well sustained, and’! it is no exaggeration to say that'the manner' in which it was camell out wohltf *have done no discredit to pro essionals. It was evident, too, that there was a presiding genius in the green room,,:as the dresses were very appropriate. Mr G. (J. Baker’s name appeared in the caste for the character of Phillipo Geronimo, but that gentleman Doing unable to be present, Mr Webber (who performed the character.on a previous occasion) came to the rescue, end we are confident the piece did not suffer anything thereby, as it. would be dilfiuult to excel Mr VVehber’s acting and' general get up, us Geroiiimb. Mr S. S. Myers;as 1 Jerry Omihus,* was decidedly successful, and as the success of the piece hangs almost entirely upon this character, it is due, to that, geiitlomun to say that ho’ displayed an, intelligent interpretation of the •liaracter, and his admirable serio-comic representation frequently colvulsed tbe au.tience. Mrs iters, as doaetia, earner the reputation of being , “nice.young lady” in a sense wider than is unicistood as such in Corsica. Tbe other cnaracters if the piece were ably sustained by i)r Fellbam, s ‘ RuinObgetti,” wbo most people would have ■■ought, judging From his extraordinary get-up, id access to the wardrobes of Drury Lane Or iler Majesty’a"; Mr Broddpk uciedaji * looked iri; genuine .Brigadier;, and Mr 41. Young did .siico ■ to; jjeoni. After a short interval the

' e< rt was introduced by thedioir giving ‘- See die couquwtiqj hero comes,” with good. cticcV*

slight weakness being discernible, however, in the bass part.. “Take me buck to Switzerland." by Miss Hogg,showed considerable .improvement in this young, lady’s previous eff«rts. Mr Hunter give “ Let me like a soldier fail,” >o the accompaniment of Miss L. Howell (piano), and Mr D ekmsoo (violin), and,'as was to bp expected,justice was done to this difficult piece of music, although the sing-r was not in particularly good voice; an enc we was demanded, and “ I’m sitting on the'stile, Mary,’ - was certainly one of the happiest efforts this, gentleman has made for some time. ‘‘lsle of beauty.” by the choir, followed ; after which Miss L. H< well gave Once again," in a manner which provoked an encore. A violin duet, ‘‘ Belle Mahone,” by the Misses Dickinson, showed that these young artistes have made considerable improvement since they last appeared in public. Mrs Bio Tick’s appearance was the signal for applause, and her rendering of When sparrows build,” was such us to fully maintain her character as a vocalist. “Tom Bowling,” by Dr Felthain, followed. A pianoforte jluet. was given by Misses L. Daniel and Small. Mrs Dour sang “ Golden days,” with great taste, 1 and in a manner indicative of a cultivated voice. Thai, plaintive and ever popular Scotch song. “ Auld Robin Gray,” was given by Miss M. M'llar, tlie accompaniment being performed by Miss Millar and Mr'Dickinson. Mrs Irwin is always welcomed by a Riverton audience, and neither her popularity nor her reputation as a vocalist of great merit, suffered ! by her excellent singing of that beautiful song, “ Killarney.” Miss Young sang “ Wouldn’t you like to know.” with vivacity ; after which,, “ Those evening bells " by the choir, brought this part of the entertainment to a close. After a short interval, that racy farce, “ Box and Cox," w,*s put upon iho stage. Here again Mr Myers, as Cox, succ.-e led in keeping the audience in a constant st.i'e of laughter. He. was ably assisted «y Mr J. B. Hornsby, as Box. It would he difficult to say which of these two gentlemen excelled most. They seemed to inspire each other with anima (ion; and both being part perfect, their acting was perfectly free and unrestrained. Mts Myers, as Mrs Bouncer, was equally successful. Her acting in this,as well as in the former piece.’ was quit.- natural, and free from that exaggeration which amateurs too often indulge in It may be mentioned that ha I it not been for Mrs Myers the above farce would not have been per forme I. as, after telegraphing to several places for the book it could not be obtained, and the whole ha I to be written from M'-s Myers’ dicui ion. ‘ The entertainment was brought to a close about 11.30 p.m.,-and although the programme, -which was faithfully carried out, was a,most, .lengthy one, it never lagged. This is, the best pypof. that the management wa. in good bauds, and that the various.details of life entertainment were well looked after. Mr Hunter acted' as - conductor ; Mr Dickinson, leader; Mr:Myers, stage manager; Mrs Hunter, piauisto. . ;.■ - . k