The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-12-09

second performance in the HIGH
School Auditorium tonight the
Elizabeth City Choral Society
has scored a great triumph.
Frank R. >Hufty, director of the
Choral Society made no mistake
IN the selection of this particu-
lar vehicle. The music is simple
and tuneful, the characters are
fitted to the parts and the opera
IS cramned full of appealing
choral numbers peculiarly adapt
ed to chorus recruited largely
from the choirs of the various
churches.
Two months have been consumed in
tlreless rehearsals by nearly hundred
local singers and musicians in the per-
lection of the local production And
then to give the piece the proper color
ana atmosphere a gorgeous wardrobe of
costumes costing more than $1,000 was
rented from the biggest theatrical COS
tuner in America
If Elizabeth City does not pack tie
High School Auditorium tonight and
SHOW its appreciation of the efforts put
forth by the Choral Society then Eliza
peth City musical talent will be utterly
discouraged and Elizabeth City doesn't
j deserve good music Or anything baauti
full y.
The opera Esther" is taken from
the biblical book of that name, The
scenes are laid in Persia in the wear
$40 E. c., according to the biblical mar
ratIve. Ahasuerus or Nerxes is King
OF Persia. After a feast of 1877 davs
Aefxes has quarrel with his wife
Nashti because that lady would not ar
ray herself in her finest imperial for
gerry ana display her charms to the rev
e-lers' lie puts Vashti aside, as an
example to all the other rebellious
wives OF his Kingdom, and seeks anotb-
| ef WIFE, Esther, the cousin and fostar
daughter OF NIordecai Jew. is easily
the prettlest woman in the kingdom
and the fact of her Jewish ancestry
oelng concealed from Ahasuerus. she
becomes queen of Persia.
with his foster daughter married to
the KING, Mofdecai feels himself an i'm
poftant parsonage in the kingdom and
/ hangs out around the palace gate Ha
interests himself in the affairs of s+ato
and pretends to have discovered an at
tempt upon tie kings life and tells
Esther who in turn tells the king. and
two conspirators are hanged
AFTER that NIordecai considered him
self a superior person in the kingdom
OF Ahasuerus and, conscious of his re-.
latlonshlp to the queen, >he looks with
contempt upon one Haman, the kings
prime minister.
Ihe opera opens with gathering in
the palace in which the throng COM
posed of Persians, Jews, queens maids.
court officers, guards, couriers. and a
| chorus of so makes its obeisance to
Haman. Everybody honors Haman ex-
cept Mordecai who sits sneering at the
palace gate
Angered by the offensiveness of Nor
decai, Haman complains to the king.
who gives Haman permission TO set
aside a day upon which all the Jews
in Persia might be slain
Haman plans for the big killing of
all the Jews and builds a galIows rs
feet high upon which to hang Morde-
cal. Then, tho God isn't mentioned in
the book of Esther, Mordecai with Je-
hovah favoring him gets busy and puts
1T squarely up to his daughter Esther
to persuade the king to reverse his or
ders and save the Jews, or she herself
will not escape the slaughter.
Esther succeeds in persuading the
king to cancel his order, succeeds in
having Haman hanged on the very gal
lows which he had built for Mordecai,
has Mordecai installed as Premier of
the realm to succeed Haman, land even
persuaded the Persian monarch to give
the Jews permission to kill so many
Persians on the very day set aside by
Haman for a Jewish massacre The
Jews joyfully killed $4,000 and 800 Per-
slams on the great day and were filled
with joy and gladness.~ This is the
story, a typical old testament narra-
tive.
Mrs. J. w. Foreman plays the role
of Esther, the beautiful queen; J. G.
B. Ehringhaus is king; H. A. BrownIey
is Haman, Larry Ennis Skinner is Nor
decai: Mrs. W. G. Twiddy is Zeresh,
the wife of Haman; Shelton Scott is
the high priest; Miss Margaret Sheep
is the prophecies; Misses Hattie Har-
ney and Virginia Hufty are sisters of
Mordecai. Many others of the city's
best singers appear in the chorus and
minor parts, including Harold Foreman,
tenor; Mrs. Joe Greenleaf, soprano.
and Mrs. l.. E. Skinner, contralto.
Mrs. Foreman who takes the title
role in the opera is easily the finest
soprano in North Carolina, and there
are few good sopranos in North Car
olina. She is fitted for far more diff
cult roles than the vehicle offered her
in this performance, and there are not
enough solo and duet numbers to bring
out her best qualities. Mr.. Ehringhaus
as Ahasuerus is every inch king and
well suited to the part of a youthful
monarch, amorous enough and gracious
enough to grant any prayer of a beau
tiful young queen. Mr. Brownley as
the william of the piece plays the role
well, as he always does, and Mr.. Skin