The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1886-01-27 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

STITITTE.  On Monday evening Mr. Edmund Loathes, from London, gave a Dramatic and Poetical Recital in connection with the Claughton Church Institute, in the schoolrooms. There was a very large audience, who greatly appreciated Mr. Leathes' histrionic and elocutionary efforts. As there were several of the reciter's own compositions upon the programme, considerable interest was felt as to the compositional abilities of Mr. Leathes. The first excerpt was from Hamlet, first act, and scenes two, four and five, in which the parts of Hamlet, Horatio, Marceline, and the Ghost were graphically put before the audience in their different modes and intonations. The Prince's wild rage and weird fear were given with great force. The fifth scene was especially good, Hamlet's horrible surp- i3e at the discovery of his father's murderer being shown with true dramatic instinct. "The Miner's Story" is an excellent poem, by Mr. Leatbes, telling in simple language a tale of mining peril and rescue. The rough and ready workman's style was shown by the reciter with ease, and, though the story is no new one, his hearers received it with applause. Mercatio's beautifully fantastic idea of "Queen Mab " was very prettily recited, and another of Mr. Leathes' compositions "An Old Story," in three chapters, "uttered the oft-repeated tale" of young lovers and curet interceptors. The three scenes are Summer, Autumn, and Winter, the beauties of which seasons Mr. Leathes has painted in most faithful word pictures. The pathos of the maiden's death moistened many eyes, and this "Old Story" was the best appreciated—because told best—of the ' evening's programme Clarence's hideous and fearsome dream was given in such a manner as to excite sympathetic shedders. The Execution (Ingolsby Legends), next received Mr. Leathes' attention, and Tiger Tim, with his master, Lord Tomnoddy, received capital treatment, this recitation affording scope for the display of a considerable amount of humour. The closet scene from Hamlet was the next item; the Prince's scathing denunciations of, and fierce reproaches to his mother were spoken with wild passion and deep feeling alternating. The last three selections of the evening were all original composition, and their widely differing styles and ideas demonstrate the scope of the composer's capabilities. " The Emigrant's Stor, " was one of sorrowful interest, telling of hard ventures and harder bereavement. The Four Seasons of Love showed many metaphorical beauties, and gave apposite ideas of the four natural seasons. The story of Angela Jane Cleopatra Macknight, with her vanities and vicissitudes, was one in which a deep fund of natural humour was combined with excellent rhyming powers. Mr. Leathe's gestures, imitative of the purse-proud Macknight completing her toilet, were evidently very life-like, to judge from the reception given by the audience, and were certainly vastly amusing. In conclusion, we must bear tribute to the true Poetic feeling apparent in Mr. Leathes' compositions of the more sober kind, his descriptions of the seasons being, in especial, very beautiful. His dramatic power is well known, though not, unfortunately, so familiar to this county as we should like to see. We trust the Institute will again secuye Mr. Leathes' services for subsequent sessions.