Gisborne

New Zealand Tablet, 22 December 1910, Page 2121

Gisborne

The annual entertainment by pupils of the Convent School was given in His Majesty's Theatre on the evening of December 2 (says the Gisborne Times), and attracted a crowded house. The first part of the evening was devoted to a concert programme. The Gisborne Orchestral Society, under the conductorship of Mr. M. L. Foster, at once put everyone in good humor right away by the excellent manner in which they played the ' lolanthe ' selection, as an overture. Later on in the evening the society played the ' Merry Widow ' selection, and ' Marcelline,' both numbers being much enjoyed by the large audience, who showed their appreciation by warm applause. The chorus, 'Lily and rose,' by the girl pupils followed, and was brightly sung, the solos being tunefully taken by Misses Dunlop (2), Manning, Neenan, and R. Gordon. The action song, 'Beautiful rainbow,' by the girls, was the next item, and was an enjoyable number, very pretty rainbow effects being produced by the colored bows the performers carried. The action song, Pansy faces,' was another success scored by the girls, the youthful- faces looking very sweet in their pansy settings. ' Japloo baby,' in which the girls were dressed as Japanese maidens and carried tiny dolls, was another dainty action song, which greatlv pleased the audience. The drill by the senior girls, ' Silver star,' was a brilliant spectacular display, and was quite as good as is often seen from a trained opera ballet. The girls marched splendidly and in perfect time, and some most beautiful tableaux were presented by the performers. The audience was delighted by the display, and insisted on the drill being repeated. In 'Sailors, soldiers, and tradesmen' the boys took the stage dressed to represent these characters, and sang and acted capably. One of the most enjoyable items was the duet, 'Mill wheel,' by the little Misses K. Murphy (violin) and W. O'Connell (piano). Though the youthful performers have only been studying their instruments for a little over twelve months, they gave a remarkably good performance. The double-stopping of the little violinist was very cleverly done, while the accompaniment was equally well supplied. Limelight effects were employed with fine effect .while the choruses were bein;r sung. Miss Malone played the accompaniments most capably. The second part of the programme was devoted to the school operetta, 'The Disagreeable Princess,' the words of which are by Edith Swain and the music by Arthur « x? on i" x T he story is a delightful fairy tale, which tells of the battle royal between the good and bad fairies for a princess. For a time the Witch of the Fen has the upper Hand, and turns the daughter of the King and Queen into the most disagreeable princess in the world.' In the end the Love Queen regains her sway over the princess, who meets the Prince Lov-all in the forest, and her own naturally sweet disposition once more returns. The operetta was capitally presented. The costuming, which was the work of the Sisters of Mercy, was very complete, and the mounting of the piece was also splendidly carried out The singing, acting, elocution, and drill shown by the pupils showed that they had been most faithfully trained by their teachers, the Sisters of Mercy, who deserve great credit for the successful and highly meritorious performance given by the children. Many of the scenes were really beautiful, and applause was frequent as the pretty tableaux unfolded themselves. A capable orchestra added "greatly to the success of the production, and the accompaniments were faithfully supplied by Miss Crawford. The. effect of a number of the solos was much enhanced by obligates supplied by Messrs. M. Cuthbert, A. Don, and V. Harre. The cast of characters was as follows: Dramatis Pcrsonfe— King of Enlay, Miss Ivy Neenan; Queen, Miss * Boylan • Princess Marigold, Miss K. O'Connell; Prince Marmaduke' Miss Gordon; Prince Adrian, Miss E. Manning; Nurse Elsie, Miss N. Dunlop; Prince Love All, Miss DunlopSusette, Miss M. Image; Ninette, Miss M. Kenny; Page! Miss E. Manning; Nurses, Courtiers, Maids in Waiting. Immortal—Love Queen, Miss M. Neenan; Fairy of Beauty Miss K. Walters; Fairy of Knowledge, Miss D. Rossbotham \ Fairy Wealth, Miss E. Barry; Fairy Health, Miss M. Hennessy; Fairy Life, Miss L. Bowler*Witch of Fen, Miss J. Dunlop; good and bad Fairies.