The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-05-13
CHORAL SOCIETY
COMPOUNDED.
Its. CRITICS
Elizabeth City Amateurs Show
OFF Like Artists In Their First
Pretentious Effort.

Elizabeth City can do anything under
the sun once it has some one to make
up it's mind for it and set it to work.
That fact was demonstrated Tuesday
evening, May 10, when THE elizabeth
City Choral Society presented Balfe's |
opera, The Bohemian Girl. Itwa an
ambitious thing, a bold thing for an ag-
gregation of rank amateurs to attempt.
Raleigh, the musical centre of the state,
home of many good singers and with
many colleges and universities to draw
from, and with the finest auditorium in
the state, never dared venture into such
deep waters. Raleigh laughed when
! news went out that the Elizabeth City
Choral Society would present The Bo-
hemian Girl 1--WE hope Elizabeth City's
ambition has not excelled it's artistry
facetiously Wrote the brilliant para
grapher on the Raleigh Times.
Well Elizabeth City artistry kept
pace with its ambition. The Bohemian
Girl was presented to a packed house
ct the Alkrama Theatre, Tuesday night, |
and home folk and visitors unanimously
proclaimed it a good performance.
Measured by professional standards,
there was much to criticise. The chorus
was stiff; so stiff in fact that a visitor
from Mars could have picked out every
Episcopalian in it. Episcopalians are
rhythmic and not afraid of expression. |
I Methodists and Baptists generally are. |
say the chorus was stiff and unwieldy |
in its movements. But time and conf
dence and enthusiasm will remedy that. |
And then the acting was bad. The |
beautiful love scene in the second act |
was utterly spoiled by the coldness of
the lovers. Mrs. Greenleaf as Airline
seemed willing to do her part, but Har-
old Foreman as Thaddeus made love
like an icicle. AS a lover he is utterly |
devoid of warmth and imagination The
scene was further spoiled by a green
spotlight. Maybe the color of the light |
was suggested by the color of the per-
fOrmance.
And then Larry Skinner as Florstein
spoiled another good role where he
played the part of a drunk. Mr.. Skin
ner probably prides himself upon never
having tasted drop of liquor in his life
and his acting might have been con-
strued as an effort to establish the fact
that he knew nothing about the effects
of alcohol. In other respects he made
the best of difficult part. ~
But not all the acting was bad. II.
A. Brownley as Devilshooy did some Gle
yer work. He played the part of the
Gypsy leader and played it like a pro-
fessional. Mrs. Joe Greenleaf put some
realism in her work and Mrs. A. R.
Nicholson played the part of the Gyp-
sy Queen majestically as BELTS a queen,
but without the dash and fire one would
expect of a Gypsy. Her majestic bear
ing did not even desert her in the death
scene when she was shot down by Dew
ilshoof. She did not crumple up and
fall in a disordered heap as ordinary
mertals do when. they are shot, but fell
maiesticallY like a tree felled in a for
est.
The criticisms are made good natured-
ly and if have been a little bit harsh
it is because I believe the members of
The Choral Society are as anxious to
improve their work and anxious to know
the truth about their work.
And now, having said the Disagree
able, I want to affirm with as much can
dor and sincerity that have never seen
better work by amateurs or semi-pro-
fessionals. Thanks to the Victor talk
ing machine and Red Seal records I
know a little something about good
music. I know enough about it to ap-
preciate grand opera and I have heard
most of the Metropolitan opera stars
both in opera and concert work. And
having familiarized myself with the best
work of the worlds best artists I do
not hesitate to assert that the chorus
work in The Bohemian Girls as rem
dered by The Elizabeth City Choral So
ciety was in a class with professional
work AS much could be said for some
of the duet numbers. In one duet num-
Der in the second act Mr.. Foreman and
Mrs. Greenleaf rose easily into the class
of highly paid concert artists. The
whole performance was a surprise and
a delight to everybody. Mrs. Green :
leaf was the big star of the big pro-
duction Many of the numbers which ,
she sang were written for artists and :
coloratura effects. !
The production of this opera by local =
talent required a vast amount of hard
work upon the director, Frank r. Hufty,
and upon his able assistant, Mrs. Ada I
Burfoot Lester, pianist. Hufty is hard d
task master and used to hard work. But :
Mrs Lester has stood by him thru all e
the trying weeks Of rehearsals, sitting l.
at the piano for hours at time, night
after night Appreciation of her won S
derful work was expressed Tuesday b
night in the presentation of a beautiful S
basket of flowers, a gift from the mem i
bers of the Choral Society. il
Favorable mention should be made of Il
the orchestra work in connection with h
this performance. The orchestra also t
was composed Of all home talent. Eliz- T
abeth City is making musical progress v
instrumentally as well as vocally.-W o