The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-06-10
AMATEURS SING
LIKE PROFESSIONALS

When one goes to an amateur theat.
rleal production, as a usual thing, ID il
expected that the pleasure for the
main part will be gained by reason OF
his acquaintance with the participants.
And this factor to an extent created
a great part of the interest Of the big
crowd that filled the open air theatre
last Friday evening to witness "The
Chimes of Normandy" rs put on by
local talent under the direction Of J..
A. Epping, for the benefit Of the
swimming pool fund.
Yet an utter stranger could have en-
tered the big amphithestre last Friday
night and have enjoyed to the utmost
the excellent singing of Hood Rivers
men and women. With the exception
OF Otto i. Wedemeyer. who has sung
on the professional stage. all of the
participants were amateurs, yet the So
lolsts and the chorus characters sang
with the technique, abandonment and
snap OF professionals. The usual ANA
teur performance, even il the work is
otherwise prefect, drags, until il soon
wearies listeners. Director Epping, to
use a slang phrase, had put a pep"
into his students, and the songs we're
run through with thrilling "gingeri-
ness"
Mrs. Alberta Jackson Gillian played
the part of SerpOlette with such. a lack
OF self consciousness, that many
thought she had often appeared in such
plays on former occasions, and such a
rumor ran through the crowd Friday
night during intermissions, In fact,
Mrs. Gillian had never sung before an
orchestra nor had part in an amateur
performance until she took the charac-
ter of Serpolette. In solo singing and
IN Characterization she was highly ap.
preciated by the audience.
Mrs. G. H. Sletton, who played the
part of Germane, when she allowed
the volume of her voice to roll out
through the high vault of the open air
auditorium, really astonished Hood
River people. No one realized that
local singer had the tone and strength
of voice that she possesses. During an
intermission Mr.. Livingstone, a cornet-
lst from Portland, who was assisting
the orchestra, said to Mr.. Epping,
Say, Prof., the orchestra men call
Mr.. Epping Prof, Say, Prof, | didn't
Imagine you had any such voice as that
in Hood River. She reminds me of
Rose Bloch Bauer. Mrs. Sletton's sing
ing is very much like hers.
o. I. Wedemeyer, whose aid in the
preparation of local shows has gone far
toward making all local amateur pro.
ductions of the past few years success.
| ful, took the part of Henri, the re-
turned Marquis of Corneville. Mr..
Wedemeyer's part in the performance
was appreciated, as he always is. His
rich, mellow voice is pleasing to the
listener, and his way of playing the
character he depicts lends an interest
to his characterizations.
Charles N. Clarke was Jean Greni-
chaux, the fisherman. at ease in all
the zest of the show. In .the ghost
haunted castle scene, where Mr.. Clarke
was imprisoned in an old suit of mail,
he made one of the hits of the evening
with his droll stage whisper surmisngs
and phil0sophizings, as old Gaspard,
! the miser, who was thought at first to
be the ghost, counted his gold. Mr..
Clarke's earnest work in the Chimes of
| Normandy, as in many other Hood
| River amateur dramatic performances,
had much to do with imbung all par
! ticipants with a zeal that has made the
shows possible.
And X. f. Marquis, as old Gaspard,
in the estimation of most of those who
saw the show, by his exquisite rendi-
| ti0ns of the highly dramatic scenes, did
more towards drawing to concentration
the minds of the spectators than any
one else. His deep rich voice was very
pleasing.
While Geo. R. Wilbur, who played
the part of the Bailli, has often had
parts that brought him into more prom
inence than that of Friday night, his
work has never been smoother. His
acting and his songs were good In
fact there was no roughness in any
part of the play to break the harmony
of the performance
s-When the curtain failed to rise at the
beginning of the second act. the men,
bers of the chorus were forced to walk
across the front of the stage. How
ever, as is often the case, the accident
caused much mirth, and not one per
cent of the audience knew that blum
der had been made
Culver X. Osgood, who has been seen
to advantage in many former plays,
took the part of the notary. W. B.
Small and Walter Isenberg were Mr..
OsgoOd's attendants, one the registrar
and the other the assessor.
Members of the chorus were as fol-
lows: Mrs. j. M. Schneider, Mrs. A.
S. Keir, Mrs. Clyde Arnold. Miss Null
ford, Aldine Bartmess, Mrs. Chas.
Metcalf. Mrs. d. H. brewery, Mrs. c.
0. Huelat, Mrs. Albert Lathrop, Mrs.
Brat2, Mrs. Geo. r. Wilbur, Mrs.
Chas. N. Clarke, Este Brosius, Pete
Schroeder, W. II. McClain, Kay W. Sin
clair, Frank Davenport. Jr., Malcolm
and Allan Button, j. W. pifer, Geo.
Bragg, Aannala Brothers, Kent Shoe
maker and Harry Farrell.
Miss Olive Nepple. daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. G. c. Nepple, was the piano
accompanist. For a II year old girl
Miss Nepple deserves wonderful lot
of credit for her part in the perform
ance.
The local men playing in the orches-
ira, which was augmented by number
of men from Portland and P. |. Pack
ard. of Underwood, were E. A. Kin
i !