... OLDEST MINSTREL DIES Alfred j. wentworth. who at 101 was Britain's oldest minstrel, died on December 21 at an old people's home at Charlton Kings. Cheltenham. As a young man, Mr. Wentworth founded a troop of minstrels in his native Wandsworth. They performed in the Isle of Wight during summer seasons, and became known as the Wentworth troop of Royal Osborne minstrels after they had appeared ...

... O.A.Ps' PARTY A concert, arranged by Tiny Ransom, followed the fifth annual dinner of St. Clement's Old Age Pensioners at Lcigh-on-Sca, when some enjoyable items figured in a long programme Artists included Ben Baga, George Price. Al Danner, Cyril Draw, Bill Johnson. Gladys Middlelon, Constance Kent, and Andrew Dawn. The com pere was Arthur Ransom and some 280 old-timers were present. ...

... THREE SHOWS AT WORTHING WORTHING is fo have three summer shows visiting the Pier Pavilion at different times next summer. Usually they have one for the entire season. Clark son Rose with Twinkle will appear for six weeks from the middle of May to June 29. This will be followed by John Berry- man's Evening Stars, with Norman Vaughan and the Burt Twins, both of whom have played Worthing ...

... FLYING VISIT (\N a flying visit to Exmouth was Horace Mashford. remembered lor his appearances in Palace of Varieties and the Exmouth sum mer show. The Follies, last season, and now playing in panto mime at Exeter Royal. After pantomime Mr. Mashford starts rehearsals lor revue, Chase the Blues Away, due to open at Rothcrham. March 5. Conita Dawn and Leslie Gunby. who were with Mr. Mashford ...

... Change Over Fred Jackson, uenerai Manager of Mills Music, announces with great regret Mrs. Edna Rigg- Milner's resignation for personal reasons. She has been with Mills for over a year, and she will be greatly missed by all who have worked, or come in contact, with her. Her successor in the Educa tion Department will be Barbara Hayes, A.R.C.M., who will take over during October. ...

... ROTHESAY BOOKING Rothesay Council have appointed W. Hewson Maw as band leader and organist for the 1957 season. He was organist there last summer. The band will have the organ as a basis and will be augmented by a five-piece combination, with three musicians doubling other instru ments. ...

... PALLADIUM 'THE SLEEPING BEAUTY' VAL PARNELL'S tenth pantomime at the London Palladium, The Sleeping Beauty, devised and produced by Robert Nesbitt. with book by Phil Park and David Croft, who were joined by Cyril Ornadel in composing the original music, is visually beautiful and immensely satistactory in many ways. The story, not the best for adap tation to pantomime, having no Dame and ...

... SCALA 'PETER PAN' EVEN those who do not like the sticky sentimentality of Barrie's Peter Pan will find it worth a visit this year, for Sarah Churchill's interpretation of Peter is a very fine piece of acting for the delectation of the connoisseur. Boyish and boastful, decorative and graceful, moving, whether on the ground or in the air, with the ease of a well-trained dancer (as, in deed, ...

... NEW VICTORIA 'WHERE THE RAINBOW ENDS' NOW nearing its 50th year, Where the Rainbow Ends may, perhaps, with some justification, be described as an integral part of the Christmas scene. Its continued survival is, in fact, a pleasant example of that very English form of illogicality that ables things to survive in spite of themselves, rather than by any in trinsic value. For the play is ...

... FINSBURY PARK 'ALADDIN' LEW and Leslie Grade's colourful version of Aladdin--featur ing vocalist Dickie Valentine--which opened here on Christmas Eve. has, indeed, a wealth of ingredient for the youngsters, but a little disappointment, perhaps, for the admiring teenagers and elders who. naturally, come expectant of I hearing their favourite in. at least. a brief break from tradition to ...

... AYR 'GAIETY REVELS' THE Popplewell family's greatest triumph in nearly 50 years of show business at Ayr, a premier West of Scotland seaside resort, must surely be their current resident seasonal revue Gaiety Revels. This fast-moving modern and colourful show is their brightest and best-dressed in years. Whilst Johnnie Bcattic takes a trick as principal comedian, the show owes much of its ...

... 'MOTHER GOOSE' CAUY CHARI.E'S production of Mother Goose, presented in association with Wilby Lunn at the Regal, Barnstaple, on Boxing Day, j follows the familiar pattern of using a fairy talc story as a background for a number of variety turns. The show, however, is better dressed than many of its kind and some of the scenes are ambitiously set. There are also three individual contributions ...