The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-03-09
ON THE BOARDS.
Presentation Of An amusing Ger
man Play at Punahou.
Scenes from the Works OF German
Poets-Miss Dale Sings schumann
"A Red Letter Evening.

The German entertainment given
at Punahou last night by the pupils
of Miss Hasforth, with the assistance
of a number of others, was one of the
most unique and, at the same time,
one of the most delightful of any
with which Honolulu has been
favored for long time. A very Sc
lect company of something over a
hundred persons were present, in
GLIDING large number of Germans
as well as many others who for one
reason or another feel an especial in
terest in things German. The enter
tainment was, however, well fitted 10
give general pleasure, for the beauti-
fui tableaux and singing made an ap-
peal to eye and ear which everyone
present could appreciate.
"The Sword of Damocles" is very
amusing farce, the humor of which
depends more on the dialogue than
on the situations. President Hos
mer gave succinct account
of the action of the piece and
shortly after the curtain rose.
The characters of the piece are an
eccentric old bookbinder, who is con-
stantly buried in the depths of
science, his very prosaic wife, a
daughter, madly in love with the vii
age schoolmaster, a very mischievous
apprentice and, finally, the love-lorn
schoolmaster himself. The cast was
as follows:
Kleister (bookbinder) ......... .......
..........~..........M MR.. E. M. WALSH
Selma (his wife,. Miss M. A. BREWER
Philippine (their daughter) ..........
......... 80. MISS NELLIE LowREY
Fritz (apprentice). -.....................
........ ........ MASTER VIM. CASTLE
Karl Stahlfeder (schoolmaster) =.
............ .......... Mr.. J. G. WOOD
The curtain rises upon Philippine
and Fritz. The latter has letter
for Philippine which he wishes to ex-
change for kiss; and while teasing
her for this fondly desired boon, the
mother, Selma, comes in and cap
lures the letter. The grief and dis
tress of the afflicted maiden were de-
picted with great spirit by Miss
Lowrey. The mother, personated by
Miss Brewer, puts on her spectacles
and reading the epistle learns the
state of her daughters affections and
the aspirations of the presumptuous
schoolmaster. She summons her
husband Kleister. acquaints him
with the situation and instructs him
as to his duty in the matter, which is
incontinently to clip the wings of
young Cupid. When Kleister learns
however that his little daughter will
undoubtedly cry he loses his taste
for the task, the prospect of which
ne endeavors to say hangs over his
head like the sword of Damocles.
The name Damocles escapes him and
he feels for it the rest of the evening
with tragic pre- occupation which
leads to all sorts of comical
misapprehensions. Finally the
schoolmaster comes in, and in the
course of a stilted lovers speech
stumbles upon an allusion to the
sword of Damocles. This wins his
suit, as the delighted Kleister halls
him as a savior, falls on his neck
and turns over the blushing Philip
pine as matter of course.
Mr.. E. M. Walsh, who played the
role of Kleister, threw himself into
the part and stamped up and down
the stage reaching and scratching
after the evasive word, with such
ardor and with such a judicious
combination of nature and burlesque
that he made the life of the piece
and carried the audience completely
with him. Miss Brewer made a CAPT
tai Selma, especially in the part:
where she was densely impervious tt
the significance Of her husbands
high flights. Miss Nellie Lowrey hac
her role thoroughly mastered, anC
gave it q really dramatic character
Germans present praised Master
VIM. Castles accent very highly anC
spoke of his action as full of genuine
fun and mischief. Mr.. Wood as thu
schoolmaster had little to do, but die
that little satisfactorily.
A brief intermission followed the
play, after which the tableaux ant
Miss Dale's songs were in order.
would be difficult to speak of eithe
too highly. Miss Dale sang Schu
mann's dramatic Ich kann's Mich
fassen NIGHT glauben with great in
telligence. As an encore, she CAV
Nit deinen blauen Augen," b.
Lassen. 1t was an exceptional Piles
sure to hear both of these songs wit
Miss Wings excellent accompani
ment.
The tableaux were five in number
the subjects and order being a
follows
/. "Lotte," from Goethe's Sorrow
of Werther.
2. I" Aschenbroedel."
3. "The Stranger Maiden" ida
Maedchen aus der Fremde), fror
Schiller.
4. "Haide Roeslein with choru
of Miss Hasforth's young pupils).
5. 1.-The Sleeping Beauty"
The tableaux and chorus were pal
ticipated in by the following chi
dren: Annie and Hermann Merton
lilly Hoting, two Spaldings, PAT
Ehlers, Harry Nichols, Bruce an
Catherine Cartwright, Hannah Glad
Charley Rice, Daisy Cartwright
Bessie Homer. Harold and Mario