dainty and completely innocent, presenting a picture of femininity at all times. (The producer informs me that he had little trouble casting the female and villainous roles).

Congratulations to Milner House on a production that had us laughing for over half-an-hour. Congratulations too to the audience who ably responded to the prompting of Chairman Michael O'Brien - Boo! Hiss! Cheer!

`Set a Thief' allowed Paul McNicholl to exercise considerable self-control in avoiding entanglement with Alf and Charlie ("common as muck!"). Vincent Owen in `The Bells' coped remarkably well with a scene in which everything that could go wrong with stage-management and effects did - deliberately, I should add. Debbie Coxon was a true picture of grief in 'Black-eyed Susan', her archetypal Jolly Jack Tar husband being about to be suspended from the yard-arm. We were also impressed by the many characters of Nicholas Brownhill and Philip Vale - all the nice girls love a sailor.

Michael O'Brien held the whole show together, assisted by Mr Jones at the pianoforte.

None of the audience actually threw a rotten tomato or walked out. We all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

`BLACK COMEDY'

by PETER SHAFFER Presented by Challoner House Produced by MN Hen

haw

Set: Andrew Vale, Mark Guilfoyle, Neil Clancy, Richard

Corrigan, Douglas Soares, Patrick Brady Lighting, etc: Liam Reynolds, Andrew Vale Poster: Miss P Franklin

This play, as the title suggests, requires the cast to act throughout as though there were pitch-black darkness caused by a power-cut. That they managed to maintain this effect convincingly was crucial to the success of the play. In this respect Ben Eccles was particularly notable. As Brindsley Miller, he was responsible for co-ordinating much of the action as well as providing some of the comedy's funnier moments. In one section he has to remove and replace much of the furniture which he had borrowed without permission from his neighbour, Harold Gorringe (Daniel Tuohy) while the rest of the cast are in the room but `unaware' of what he is doing because of the `darkness'. This action was especially skilful and provided some very amusing moments.

Brindsley Miller had borrowed the furniture in order to smarten his rooms for the visit of his prospective father-inlaw, Colonel Melkett, well acted in stiff-backed colonial style by Declan Bermingham. As Miller, with the help of his financee (Susan Wood), tries unsuccessfully to impress the Colonel, his former girl-friend, Clea (Louise Shea), enters the scene `unknown' to the others and causes embarrassment to him by getting drunk and providing some hilarious activity with a soda-syphon.

This chaotic situation draws to a close with Harold Gorringe, amusingly played with natural eccentricity

by Daniel Tuohy, realising that his furniture and sculptural work have been taken. Accordingly he chases Miller around

the stage together with the Colonel and his daughter (who have now found out about his former girl-friend), all intent on inflicting physical injury on him. It ends with Schuppanzigh (Neil Clancy), as the electrician, mending the power-cut and so plunging the stage into darkness.

It sounds a chaotic play; it was, in terms of plot and action, but was thoroughly entertaining and well-acted, thus providing a good contrast to the normal obvious House-play comedy.

SPORT

School v Old Boys.

1st Rugby Squad.

Having arrived two days before the official School opening date, the 1st XV squad began the difficult task of getting fit and recognising the shape of a Rugby ball after the long summer vacation. I was very pleased to see the enthusiasm from all those who had turned up. We had fitness sessions twice a day and a game at the end of each