Newspaper Review “The Girl in a Taxi”

“A show well worth seeing,” was the general verdict of those who attended the Hastings Municipal Theatre last night to witness the production of the musical comedy “The Girl in the Taxi,” by the Hastings Operatic Society.  A heavy shower of rain fell shortly before 8 o’clock, and this, no doubt, had a deterrent effect on the attendance, which, however, was very satisfactory under the circumstances.  It was quite an appreciative audience, and the players received a good deal of well-deserved applause.

DELIGHTFULLY FUNNY.

“The Girl in the Taxi” is purely a musical farce, full of delightfully funny situations, following each other in quick succession, with an unexpected climax in the third act, which straightens out the whole tangle.  The story is set amid the gay life of Paris, beginning in the drawing room of Baron Duvray whose pet theory is heredity, and he boasts that his family has never strayed from the paths of virtue, a fact due to hereditary influence.  Lieut. Rene, who is in love with Jacqueline (the Baron’s daughter), then arrives on the scene to ask the Baron for his daughter’s hand.  This the Baron refuses, but eventually accepts a bet that if he is found by Rene, in some Peccadillo, his consent will be given.  Rene then meets “modest” Suzanne, the winner of the prize of virtue; and introduces her to Hubert, who in turn is taught by Suzanne how to take his part in the gay life.  Jacqueline is taken to a cabaret by Rene and the Baron who is also an unsuspected frequenter of the same café; the Jaunesse Doree arrives with a girl whom he met in a taxi.  The girl’s husband and also Suzanne’s husband also find their way to the Doree, the latter in an intoxicated but happy mood.  In the café, the couples meet face to face, and how everything is explained away forms the climax of the last act.

SCENES AND DRESSING.

The two scenes, which are the work of Mr. J. Blackert of Hastings, are particularly realistic and pleasing, the cabaret scene being as true to life as possible.  A feature of this scene is the wonderful dressing of the dancing of the dancing girls, and it is no exaggeration to say that this dressing compares more than favourably with anything of the like previously seen in Hastings.   It may be mentioned that the dresses were provided by the girls themselves, and they are to be heartily congratulated on their efforts.  The cabaret scene provides scope for a pleasing ballet featuring Misses Fail, Coulson, Herbison and Watson, followed by a “speciality” dance by Mr. H. S. B. Ribbands.  This act was loudly encored, and thoroughly earned its inclusion in the programme.

CAST OF CHARACTERS.

The cast of characters is a particularly strong one, and the voices of the principals are quite an even lot.

The chorus work was not heavy, but what there was of it, was quite good, the difficult music being capably handled.

The bulk of the work fell on Miss Elinore Richards as “Suzanne,” or “Madame Pomarel,” and she certainly acquitted herself in great style.  She was quite free and easy with  her actions and dialogue, and her splendid voice was heard to great advantage in several solos and duets.  Her duet with M. Pomarel (Mr. C. A. Copland), was fine, the latter possessing a delightful baritone, which blended almost perfectly.  In his part, Mr. Copland, was in a bit of a hurry to get it over, but his “drunk” act was first class.

Miss Dorothy Flinn, as “Jacqueline,” also had a good part, to which she did justice.  Her voice is sweetly pretty, and in the duet with Mr Harry Poppelwell (Rene), was very refreshing.

Mr Poppelwell made the most of his part, his dancing acts, being quite a feature of the performance.  In these he was associated with Miss Flinn and Miss Mildred Fail.

As the Baron Duvray, Mr Leon Fail was good, but his impersonation  would have been much better had he been able to make it a bit more “Frenchy.”  It was without doubt the hardest role of the piece, and on the whole he did exceptionally well and thoroughly pleased the audience.  His partner was Miss Marion Watson (the Baroness), who was a fine success in her dialogue work, her annunciation especially being splendid, and her carriage suiting the part to the ground.

Mr Tom Heighway made a success of his part as Professor Charcot, as did Miss Nellie Coughlan as his wife, or “The Girl in the Taxi.”  Her song in the cabaret scene was excellent and thoroughly deserved the encore it received.

Mr Will Cameron made the most of the part of Hubert, the virtuous son who sighed for the gay life, his mannerisms at times being decidedly funny.

Mr. H. S. B. Ribbands as “Alexis” made a perfect waiter, his broken English bringing down the house.  He was ably assisted by Mr E. J. Calman, as Emile (assistant waiter), Miss Dolly Honnor capably portrayed Mariotte (the maid), and other minor roles were successfully taken by Misses Doreen Ryan (Mimi), May Nelson (Phyrenette), Edna Herbison (Irma), Phyllis Chapman (Fraisette), Mildred Fail (Charlotte), Edna Coulson (Celeste), Messrs D. Maggin (policeman), E. Jackson (cadet). G. Melton (Vivarell), D. Maggin (Paulasson).

MUCH CREDIT DUE.

The work of producer and stage manager fell to Messrs Leon Fail and Harry Poppelwell, respectively, and to them must be given a great deal of credit for the success of the play, for they worked exceptionally hard to secure the desired end.

A large orchestra, under the capable baton of Mr A. R. Don, was also a great feature of the success of the performance.

The performance will be repeated to-night, when it is anticipated that a full house will be in evidence.