DRAMATIC" PERFORMANCE AT CAMBRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1634, 23 December 1882, Page 2

DRA MA TIC" PERFORMANCE AT CAM BRIDGE.

The third povtorintuicc oi the Cambridge Dramatic Society came off in the Public Hall, Cambridge, on Wednesday evening last. The performance, which was given in aid of the Public Library Building Fund, notwithstanding the deserving nature of the object, was not such a success, financially, at. might have been expected ; and it may also be s.iid of it that in point of quality, it was not equal to tlie two ptevious performances of the society. The pieces introduced on Wednesday evening were the comedietta " Ruth's Romance" and the comic drama of '• Little Toddlekins." It must be said of the performance, generally, that it was creditably got up, as both pieces were apparently put upon the stage with very careful attention, and every situation throughout indicated that an intelligent supervision had influMiood its presentation. In some cases', however, personal effort was badly wanting, and there was not that individual co-operation among the actors which should characterise pei formances of this kind. The characters in " Ruth's Romance" weie Ruth Cuey, by a lady .unateur ; Cnptain Georgi Wilson, Lieut. Archer, R.N., and Jack Dudley in the person of Mr A. Forrest There i& nothing extraordinarily romantic about the piece, but, instead, it cairies n touch of every-day rustic life about it and is at once both charming and attrac tive. For about the first twenty minutes, Ruth and the inglorious Captain. Georgwore in themselves both the performersand the audience. Not a single pa&s-igv of the opening discourse could be heard, the captain seemingly converting hi' part into soliloquy by reclining in his am chair and conversing with the ta\>le, as if in complete ignorance of the presono" <*' anybody. As the piece proceeded in i.i provement was, however, nnticcaW' Mr Forrest's! representation of J.ir-i Dudley was at once genuine and cn< plete. He maintained throughout h 1 unity of the character, and I.ept <>p stuit'y in view the expivss.ou .»nd '"' meiit oi the fool wiio falls in love ni iu^L and goes in for put mud • ' ' attachment to a snece-hful issue I V representation of Ruth f'arey could no' in many respects have been impro' <-<l upon. She was %\v* beau ideal i>f thai class of rustic beauty who concentrates all the attractions necessary to captivating the Jack Dudley of the nineteenth century. Her dress and style were complete, and she seemed to thoroughly comprehend the nature of her part. Tho comic drama of " Little Toddlekins' seemed the more popular part of the evening's performance. The characters were, Mr A. Forrest as '• Mr Jones Robinson Brownsmith ; Mr G. Dickinson, as Mr Barnaby Babbicombe ; Mr H. W. Moore as Captain Littlepop, and Mr P. Sharp in the lady character of Am,anthis (or Little Toddlekitfs:)'"Su.'siin and Annie Babbioombe were iaken by two lady amateurs. The acting in this pieoe was characterised with .much more "go " than was noticeable in the coine T dietta ; indeed, it may be safd that those who took part in it, with very little exception, were more at home, and got through their parts with .better spirit. The piece itself is a production "of Charles Matthews, aud may he termed a burlesque on every day life. As Bro.wnsuuth, Mr Forrest \va9 almost perfection. In the _ two,, characters »of th,e mjuch married ' man' And ' tlfe amorous youth, he showed how "versatile he is. iMi* Dickinson made his debut more successfully than might have been anticipated : for, as ' the T frail and philosophic , old gentleman, whose amorous faculty is not yet extinct, is to be said that ' he tilled the part with completeness. Mr Moore's Captain Littlepop was a more, decided" hit" th"an,,we ha.ve' yet seen him, make; and hi very few respects 'could his chaVacteF^'Bave'ibeenlainpi'^ved uppn. .Mr Sharp made - .up' f^r , the 'spinster ' ! character;'-, of AnVarithis "< verv^ naturally, and bore hhiiwlf also naturally ?in that.ebnditiqiai / B^a/,stylp,K hbwever, t though,- ft, . OV^Ated .'much humour, culqus.'- 'ippinsters :,at -•* the'-^comparaV

decided success MtmftW' 0 previous performances, still-' fo£ 1 amateurs it wad a very creditabl^iroluction. / Mr Forrest ■ is tevifl^o^wSwift^d^ credit for the uiaune'riii i 'iivhieh^jbe has entertained the Cambridge public since coming vow leaving the (listncfc, his absence will be both fsltninH7i'egr3tfftd£ \ A few members of the, Cambridge band, under Mr Jasl'- Stuart;,'; Wntributed : th 6'"6r r clifestral music ip. a^ple^siug.mannerj!, .; ,:■ /

'.i Mr Geo. „A.ldridg& will, lecture at' Le Qucsnc's Hall, Hamilton, to-monow night on the subject, " Glad tidings of great joy." - |Pe|iderg*are'ravited^r:the!e'riction of Post-office buildmgs-at'ltihikihrafld*T?c'Aroha. Mr W. K. 'Carter ntakes two very im< announcements ( in another icolunin; re1 g.ifding 'his livery stibTc business" 'and ' mu.il co.ichc-s. r „ ,. Ay . A \ .\V,»f One would have thought, says a contemporary, j.thajb wheu ,grea|; ; ladies took to weariiig' armbrfal beariii'gs painted on their dresses and bonnet striiigs the " pride of heraldry" must have ■ "reached 51 *!^ is, ho\vever,;bein^cari % h*d" liiuch farther in France, for not only do gardeners arrange . !flo\Ver-bje!d.s<wishi th£ir< nn'aste^'^ |so^t of arms emblazoned in the middle, but* they ars supplied- with miniature ! shapes of shield or crest in white paper, which they attach 1 with 'a light 'and easily removed paste to growing peaches, apris cots, and nectarines', hnd when the fruit is gathered and sent to table the device stands but clearly in a ; pale tint on \ the deep red or , yejllow skin, and proclaims on whose'prope'rfcy it came' to' perfection.