ENTERTAINMENTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2417, 4 February 1909, Page 5

ENTERTAINMENTS.

“YIISS LANCASHIRE LIMITED.’

A farce, brimful with laughte; that at first becomes infectious, a) .d then develops into an epiden. c among the audience, is descriptive < f the play, “(Miss Lancashire Limited, ’ ii'hcili ..as produced before a; Large audience a. His Majesty’s Theatre last evening y Miss Florence Baines and her company. The play depends fro its hilarious mirth upon the vaudeville (items, burlesque, and ridiculous situations that occur in tlie attempt of a scheming 'iaivyer to float tlie estate of a Miss Eva Lancashire into a limited company. Miss Lancashire, however, changes places with a servant girl, Mary Ellen Thompson, .aid it (is the latter who is, by mistake. “floated” upon the stock exchange, and laftoriiards “Hound up.” The dialogue is a clever play upon ivords used “on ’change,” and as applied in the “floating” of a woman into a limited company appears grotesque in tlie extreme. Miss Florence Baines is, of course, the Mary Ellen Thompson, iiho, in mistake for Miss Lancashire, is floated. Indeed, Miss Lancashire Limited is Miss Baines, and Miss Baines is Miss Lancashire Limited. The part allows the broadest scope for vaudeville and farcical work, the perpetrating of jokes, and the use of a broad humorous Lancashire dialect, but Miss Baines’ inimitable qualification is her ringing, hearty, natural and contagious laugh. When Miss Baines laughs tlie audience is set laughing, and before a moment has elapsed the whole theatre iis shaking from hilarity. Miss Baines claims to have set London ,laughing, and she is evidently going to repeat ho performance in Gisborne. Anybody who has lost the art of laughing should consult “Miss Lancashire Limited,” for two acts are warranted to cure. Miss Baines has also a fine flexible soprano voice, which she knoivs how to use to captivate her audier ee. .Her -vaudeville mugs “I do like Bummer” and “Style” ii'ere well given, and “Home, Sweet Home” showed that Miss Baines can 'also sing until pathos and expression. Her best number ivas her laughing xmg, and ivliile Miss Baines laugl ed the chorus the audience raided in their seats until cachinnations aceompa mi men t. Air. Bert. Burton has a good part as Moses Gold! ng, a Jew, and on a one-stringed vio> \ played “Violets” and “Alice, where art Thou.” The other principal characters were John Higgins, 'Mr. Jean Dc Lacey; Herbert Fox, a solicitor, Mr. Harry YIoLenuon : and John Henry Thompson, Mary Ellen’s father, Mr. G. MacKenzie; while Miss Muriel Johnstone pila.ved Miss Eva Lancashire. Unfortunately the luggage required for the production was not placed on the steamer at Napier on Tuesday night, and the play was staged with what makeshifts could be found in Gisborne, but the full equipment ivill arrive this morning. . “•Miss Lancashire Limited ’ ivill be produced again this evening, and during the performance Miss Baines wild sing Tosti’s “Good-bye.”