The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-03-25
THE CITY OF DREAMS
BY NORMAL STUDENTS
Continued from page ~

the fountain presented a bit Of fairy
land to US Of the worldly mind which
we have only the opportunity Of see
ing Et from %.i its pages Y;s; Of story book
and butterflies added the touch Of
mystic beauty that completed the ex-
quisite picture.
The gifted Gypsy with his violin Of
the magic music transported the peo-
pie of The Blue Grass Inn from land
of the dull prosaic to garden made
beautiful by the splashing fountain
and hung with festoons of wisteria.
The gates Of the City of Dreams re-
sponded to the song Of Dick and Mary
and swung wide admitting them to
the city Of happiness.
The butterflies that live in such a
garden futtered in and danced about
the fountain waving their beautiful
vari-colored wings to and fro as they
danced. Then the nymphs that dwell
in the fountain, where the little drops
sing happy songs as they fall, came
out and danced in the moonlight
The City of Dreams was Elysium
to those who had come from earth
until "Some Other Girl" destroyed
the harmony for Betty. The Colonel,
jeff, and the Sahara" chorus only
needed julep, which the wonderful
fountain seemed able to supply, to
make perfect the realm Of bliss.
The closing chorus completed the
picture and the curtain fell on one
of the most beautiful and successful
entertainments put on by the Normal
School.
The article written by Clifford Cram
winner of the second prize, follows:
Under the able leadership of Mrs.
Amy Simpson, director of the Depart
ment of Music at the Minot State Nor
NAL School, the Girls Glee Club stag
ed "The City of Dreams, musical
comedy at the school gymnasium last
Friday and Saturday evenings. The
production was success form start
to finish and the audience was de-
lighted on both occasions. The plot
Of the play was simple but highly
imaginative and led to "a climax of
scenery and stage setting in the last
act in which were shown the Golden
Gate entrance to the City of Dreams,
and hanging garden within. From
time to time and fitting perfectly in
to the plot appeared the choruses
singing popular songs and catchy
tunes assisted by the orchestra from
the Minot high school under direction
Of Professor John Howard.
The play opened with chorus and
a dance by Sunshine Mary. jeff
the negro bell hop, answered his hell
with alacrity and delivered all tele-
grams promptly despite the scathing
remarks of the Colonel. Mr.. Van
Fleet will not soon be forgotten by his
friends as he appeared with his black
face and his lusty, "Going Up. The
Colonel, too, with his unquenchablc
thirst and his longing for "the good
old days., not to mention his re-
markable memory in the art of court
ship, was we'll characterized by Mr..
G. D. Colcord.
For the really magnificent stage
setting the school is indebted to Mr..
Everett Davis, director of the Man
ual Art Department, and his corps of
student workmen. The Golden Gate
scene with it's living flowers and the
hanging garden with its playing foun-
tain delighted the beauty loving audi
ence. This scenery was produced en-
tirely at the Normal School.
The magic and charm of the play
are supposed to be entirely under the
spell and control of the gypsy must
clan, with Otto Ellison and his violin,
playing the part, this supposed con-
dition was largely fact.
Mr.. and Mrs. George Mueller as
Spirits" of the Fountain filled the
crowd at once with awe and delight
by their graceful dancing.
The costumes were superb. With
out such complete and appropriate
set Of costumes much of the effect of
the play would have been lost.
It is impossible in any short de-
scription to give suitable credit to all
who made the "City of Dreams"
success at the State Normal school.
Evidently every one of the many COM
mittees did all it could and nothing
was overlooked.
One cannot place the last period to
even such short account mentioning
the Sahara chorus which, called back
for the third appearance by the APP
plause of the audience, gesticulated
it's adherence CT the prohibition laws
and lamented that the condition of
the Sahara Desert had been trans
planted to this country.
Mrs. Amy Simpson is greatly to be
congratulated for the success of the
musical comedy as one of the major
activities of the Department of Music
this season. AS the author of the
play which has had such favorable
initial success, Miss Hazel McCulloch
is deserving of the highest praise and
congratulations.
Fire Of an unknown origin destroy
ed the pool hall and barber shop at
Sanish early this week.