“THE TEA GIRL” MAKES A HIT.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 970, 8 October 1908, Page 17

“THE TEA GIRL” MAKES A HIT.

When Mr. Thomas Humphreys produced “ The Tea Girl ” in Auckland, the musical comedy was rather severely criticised by a portion of the Press, one Southern writer going to great lengths in his abuse of the play. It was recognised in these columns that there was a great deal of merit in the piece, and with a little pruning and polishing it would, when produced by a professional company, be a great success. The composer writes me that my prophecy re “ The Tea Girl” has eventuated, and the Pollards have scored their greatest success with it. Here is an extract from a Queensland paper, the “ Evening Telegraph,” concerning the proeduction at Charters Towers: — “ A BRILLIANT SUCCESS. “ . . . the best production of the season, and in saying this . . . give the work a prominent place in the realm of musical comedy. ”... there is plenty of fun in the piece, the most humorous situation being the work of the Budda by the ex-coster and his donah.

“ The dialogue sparkles in places, and some of the lyrics are truly poetic, the composer, Mr. Thomas Humphreys, having caught the spirit of them and turned them into most harmonious numbers. The satirical and topical numbers are also good, and the writer of the book and the composer must be congratulated on having produced something which is a step above the trashy stuff that has far too long held a supreme place in the operatic world.

“. . . . There is brightness and cheerfulness from the very opening to the closing of the piece. . the whole piece has been modelled to please, and it has fulfilled its mission. ... If the delight of the audience is an augury, its future is assured in any place where it is staged.”