GISBORNE SHAKESPEARE CLUB.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3993, 28 July 1915, Page 2

GISBORNE SHAKESPEARE CLUB.

j'FRRIC REM)ISO OF “HAMLET.” J TU;i fir«l public r-'.jsd'lng for this b k- | !C : o;i of t A',o Simkffiji- ur.: vJ no via.* gv- | vu J»,*sfc night afc i i t > 1 y 'Tommy ilaii, ! V7;j( ;i L;i< ; pl.iy of “i J m.v. J' Kit i pj m-iili'i, 'I ho (dub h,;;. now b ru j:» < ■ no. ■ gio/i inl ynar», aa-i 4..-. • j»r. j -font-, Air, M. Q. (J. Pas o, wish one• to un/ioum:;; that tho tve ’k!y r;i o,in;;H urn largely alt'-nde-d, win In tn ~ uh-jh--1) -ns iti'o a .'way.--; v/cJcojik ti. T • ohi-ds (.xuciif.vo h. a*-. foilmvfe :• i'r<- id, .mi, Mr. M. Or. Pus'io ; vic.-pr : binent-,, ,'<)■ sr.H, .J. Row joy and fT. Rurn ?)»•;! ; committc:.-, M Ksr«. .J. A. Sico!, 1, . FAUon iiu.Lir: t Mih. V. . A. Fur.'.is, Si’-vv. ; igbi; linn, wor tary :. nd 1./--usurer, Air. C. (1. Rioor.-. If v/ii-K rather n, hold undortakinj' on l,h<- part of tho club to atP nipt, a irv'i.'i m;r of Kb.'tJcc-.prarc’.H—perhaps too w urUl’n - ■■■on -at,eat. tn.ii 'ly, » work wi.V'ii with tin; master prodirtion.4 of Aeschylus, of Rant -, of (/OoUiOj u.lior-o our niiir and in <•r-.soncc a-; fur beyond our crilieiiuri as an-, the Prophecy oi I'amii allot it’ R .ok oS I'f-oli'oia.st' k, ‘il ain lot,” ray:, Air. Friuuk Harris, “in bis into li<<: uni inroKt morbid brooding, oynioa! ro.f----a.iia.JyK/.i and di Id: ■ oi Id .ob.-li.ii.l, j~, in noli moro l.ypioa! of tins in iiolrr nth or i,vi on t.ii.Tb century than of the I.ooiitii.” And (fo' tiio ray.H: "A Ikmiilifnl, puny and limit niorii! natrr , without flic strength. of n-- -rv.; v.', if-i: makes the lii io, ;• i• >j.b n al)i a Lurdon which il, can ned.h r bear n r tlirmv off; ov" ry duty is holy to him this too hard. '1 ‘lie* ntipariiildo :•> r - (juirofj of Inin not l.lio. in,par-.lnf- i;i itself, but flu- impossible to biiu. Ilo.v liu winds, tiinuy n-gouiy/js, abvuuc and; roooil.'-y <-v r roniuido-d, < v r r - minding li llll -i 1 • 11, and at la'i. almost 10 r-;, bin purpose iroui b r. flu.uo.it.-, ultliouf ovor again r< oov olio;!, lie. peace of mind.” T'.'iir is a li. a pi • of o'ril'ioal analyf.is from tlio mi id of (firmaiiyfi |<r<-aio:- i niur. ['robably mu.uL oi ii. If ci u'i.i; < iirlci'i'l” tile pout, wlio raid: I i:;iv -a, miih I. oi llamli't my,-i' o', if I may m.v tv>” an ! analyaiu;' Ifa; ,:m’. , !m a - . r In 1 say.-,: ‘‘II ain !<d, dm- rol \ an iour;-;'-, 1 .1!, will or oppori, i. n:: ; bit (.very iaoid- < 11 1, k<*lk iiim fbu.'i; n; and il, is carious, and a), i.lte. samo tiniu- strictly natural, lliat, llaiubd, who all ilie play til roll <'li .seem.s reason ’it sell, should lie impelled at last by mere, ai-eident to effect his uhji’et.” I !a«litt (■•ompa.res llamlrl, to Komeo -“Romeo is ilamlet in love. There is the same exnh. lance of passion and sentiment in tlnei one. Ilia! there is of ffioiu'hb and suntiiru'iit in I lie other. Itotli are ahseni, and s liinvolved ; Ijotli live out of llu-in elvr.s in a world of imagination.'’ Ilamlet, like IvUiueu, talks to 1 1 ! ill - self. Ilamhd is aifvays talk ini' a hr* |e:m(i|i of his .spai rhe.s far excreii , tint of any oilier character in llm plays, as “Ila.m'et’’ is loii;'< r than any ollu'r ! 1 1;:y . xc.-'pt “Antony ami Cleopatra.’' Tin-, tael addl'd to thli.'i d itliell I l.y ol ilia alii.- on rental ion eiv n hy .Mr. I’asen last ni;'lit, as most ol t lie pay had to he “cut,” iiK'liidinu; much ol Hamlet's speeches. There is, of course, only oiiii charaet-ar of any eoiiM<|Urnea in the play, I) io ii j.' 11 the readme; pri.s.mled last nivh 1-, liy .judicious euitme and :nI er-lill iiny, enabled 11 1 • ■ mii• 11 «• - i<> have some elinips" ol most of file ciiaraeiers, The east \\as as lollows: Ctamliin. -Mr Nieel Ilamlet -Mr t’asro i-elonius Mr limvlev 11 era t in Mr Marl rum I,aerl es .... Mr Kl heri nirt oil Ifmeucrantr. Miss Tlmnmsiei Ciiildelistern Mi'S llyett A Priest, ... Mr -h <!■ Cox A (ieiitletuau Mr ,P it. Cox M a reel lus -Mr \ v . V./Smil!! I terna rile Mr’ltlnore l-'ram-isi-o -M r Spilman Ist <i raved barer Mr W. Samson tlertrude M i-s PyUo Ophelia ... Miss Sil v.vripdit (ihos.t ol llaiulrt's Father Mr Unwell Chorus Ail's \Y. A. Smith The play was “cut" and the r- a imy prodiuas! by Mr. I’aeeo. (If th<‘ ivadine as a win e, we may say that it was well pivoti. Kvi.iciit !y the readers have ear, fully mu.ln i!' their parts, and realised (he ei'.araeI "i's they represented. Mr. Rase.) is known to he an old and a s. rimis s'.udent of. the character el "llamli’t,’' ami lie wave a very peed readme i I the part. lie is perhaps belter in dialogue as with Ophelia a fur "To he or not. to ho" than in solilo<),.y, in which ho did not alawys quite adequately express the u orld-w ea raiess. irresolution, dislike (if action of 1 lamlet, .Mr. I’aseo is a good and practised reader, though ho has a tendency to drop his \ oieo, which r< nders it hard to hoar all his words. Alter all. tlio audience have nothing hut lit,' reading to enable them to understand tlio play; the ear is particularly unaided hy gesture or facial appearance, so the reader's first-duty is to he clearly heard. It is not the place here to criticise the }n'r‘formers- --doubtless the club members will do this to their Itearls' content at the next meeting ot the club, this ('veiling. Here we can only thank the various members who took par: for an extremely inti resting evening. Miss Sievwriglit has gitis of intelligence and ability l 't expression. and lias aided those hy study and practice, and we therefore exp.etod tlio really able reading of the part of tlie il!-starn\l Ophelia.. .Miss Ryko. Kio. is used to the stage ot tho Shakespeare Club, though tho part ot the (juoen is a heavier one than she usually takes, and she took it well. Miss I tiompson and .Miss llyett had small parts, but thoir lines needed study and proper rendering to gel thoir full .'ll'.v:, and they were well east. Resides IJamlet-, the chief men's parts were well sustained by Air. Nieel as tile Krug and Air. Rowley, who gave an oxtvllont rendering of Polonius’ pompons linos and goneral tus.'inrss. Mr. Nieol has a line voice and a very quick grasp of a part. and ahvaya seems to enter wed into the character | of the part he reads; he is one of tile j most reliable and experienced momj I>ts of the club. As the Ghost- of j Ikiiiilet's mnrdv'red father. Air Rowell ! had a ditneult task, and lie performed it excellently. Ho is dowvreo with a really line voice, clear and sonorous: j ho managed it- well and was really im- ! prossivo. The minor characters wore j well sustained. Airs. \Y. A. Smita as i "(.'horns” read short- resnmos of the | parts n<v<\ssari]\- left- out-. Prior to I the reading and at the interval some I most enjoyable music was given by an I instrumental trio, consisting of Mrs. j Morgan. Messrs. Grown and Mar-go-j liomii, and Mr. ('. \ . Harre sang the j pretty song "Thu Flora) Dance.” 1 Tire president, Air. M. G. C\ Pasco, gjtve a s.hort intreduetion. remarking | on tho p-re'scm strength and activity ! ot the enib, and he also spoke on the play itself. iHe stagv was very pretj tily dewratisl. There was a g\x>d atj t-enda.nee considering the wretched. ! wher.

We are a ski'd To say that the oinb is now reading -"The ' fared.yi oi the Shrew.” Meetings atv hola < very AVt'riniesdav evening at 7. to in Adair's Guildirig-s, Gladstone Road, and new members will To welcomed. T-c subscript ion is only ss. Too elite b dobserving of mnett support. At a. inis' when the only theatrical reprrscatutuens are ephemeral piays or pa.nt.oniunes ot literary merit, ;_it ail. it is least," he kept burning.