The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-05-14
RUNAWAYS
DECIDED HIT
First Regiment Band Scores
a Big Success with
Annual Show
BEST EVER DONE BY
BRATTLEBORO TALENT
Strong Cast and Excellent Chorus Pro
vide Evening of More than Usual
Enjoyment-Will Appear Again To
night and Tomorrow Afternoon

| 4
night and Tomorrow Afternoon.
There have been a great many local
talent productions in Brattleboro in the |
course Of the past - or 20 wears, all of |
them ambitious undertakings and most of
them more than ordinarily well done, but
| 1t may be said with no fear of refutation
that the First Regiment bands produe-
tion of The Runaways which was given
tits initial performance in the Auditorium
| last evening before big audience, will /
stand as the best yet in point Of /
all-round entertainment This isn't |
bunk of the kind usually dispensed for
the purpose OF making amateur drama |
ticlans feel kindly disposed to the writing |
fraternity. 1t is the honest opinion of one |
Iwho has seen lot of local shows and |
lwho thinks at least that he tell what |
is good and what isn't.
The Runaways itself IS nothing remark |
able in the way of a dramatic effort-iust |
a sketehy affair with plot enough to fur |
nish an excuse for introducing plenty of |
special numbers. Many local amateurs |
have had better vehicles for the expression |
of their talents, but the cast last night
was an unusually competent one (again
no bunk) the chorus especially we'll
trained the musical selections catchy,
the dances clever and graceful, the cos
tunes harmonious and the stage illusions
extremely effective. Moreover-and this
is a highly important consideration-the
whole thing was over and the audience ON
its way home at 1895 y. m.
One of the most difficult things that
confronts the critic of amateur theat
8 ricals IS the Job of saying something pleas
ant about all of the performers without
: too frequent recourse TO the "soft-soap"
! supply. In this particular case, however,
; the difficulty Is lessened by the fact that
all of those who took part IN last night
performance merit praise. Excellent all
! lround work was what placed the enter
: tainment so far above the average. From
the opening ensemble until the final
;, chorus there was not a dull moment
! While everyone who participated is en-
i titled to share of the credit for this
happy achievement the chief portion nat
i Iurally belongs to Mr.. and Mrs Louis
: Philbrook under whose direction the en-
:, tertainment was produced
! The first principal to appear in solo
) number was Miss Eloise Sanders, who
n played the part of Miss Edna Mason.
{ Her work in this song, In the Garden,
!. was excellent, and the chorus served to
introduce three little tots, Marjorie and
Dorothy Martin and Dorothy Wilkins,
who literally took the house by storm
and were obliged to respond to numerous
eneores. The second number gave that
q old-timer, J. Harry Estey, an opportunity
y to put across the Chin Chin hit, Goodbye
Girls, in a way that left no shadow of
doubt about his ability to "come back.
st The Swing Song, by Frederic c.. Adams
and Mrs Robert Pretlow, showed these
excellent vocalists to unusual advantage
and the effect of the number was height
ened by electrically lighted swings used
he by principals and chorus. Mrs, Frederic
70 II. Sanford made a decidedly favorable
- impression in her opening number, Come
eu on Over Here, in which she was assisted
on by a male chorus of eight, revealing
ne voice of true quality and an attractive
IL stage presence. Hugh Harwood made
= hit with his ragtime rendition of Gasoline
ne /, Gus, done in blaekface, while Mr.. Adams
ne second number, Tale of the Japanee, as
- sisted by the male chorus, was one of th'
! catehiest on the program.
ne ,3 The opening of the second act CAV,
III Mrs. Sanford a chance to do another gooC
bit of work as soloist in The Moon song
ay and this was followed by an alluring SON.
'h' and dance number in which Miss Eliza
ef beth Brasor and eight other young wo
ne men participated The duet, There
Vei Something About You, by Onslow Thomp
70 son and Miss Sanders, was one of tn
n9 most finished bits of the entire evening
an Something Goes Tingle-ingle-ingle, work
not ing with the entire chorus in his inimit
ies able way. This was followed by an ur
lat usually clever exhibition or modern dane
4nt ing by Morgan Sherman and Eunice Phi
MT. brook, after which Mr. Estey and Mr.:
Daisy Wells Walck put on the terpsicho
W rean hit of the night in the form of
Z futurist fox-trot, which literally conyulse
the audience The duet, Same Sort {
in Girl, by Mr. Adams and Mrs. Sanfor
was very satisfactory number, as wa
also that entitled Dixie Land in whic
rye Miss Louise Brockington was assisted b
in chorus of girls in Yama- Y anna costume
is But the musical numbers were not a
1hn there was to the entertainment. Th
be- dialogue added much to its excellence an
sis. in this all of the principals did well.
DIR. III. Crane gave a very amusing rendltio
of of the part of Daniel B. Mason, an irr
the table and peppery individual supposed
have made his money in the bean bus
eek ness His comedy work was especial
lool good in connection with that of NJ
pom Thompson, whose delineation of Perl
ted Perkins was lively enough to be credite
,au- with putting the run in the Runaway
also Mr. Estey was supposed to be a nervo
ken invalid and in this part he was funr
eve enough Mrs. Daisy Wells Walck d
non,
,a (Coutinuad On paoa