More than 100 people turned out to experience the 2nd of our “Chaplin Nights”, with the CEO Russ Bauer adding a live piano accompaniment to the 1918 war-era classic, “Shoulder Arms”. Australia’s most experienced Chaplin impersonator, Alastair Tomkins, greeted patrons as they arrived, with the Old Teachers College auditorium being more reminiscent of an old vaudeville-style theatre. Mr Bauer researched as many of the original themes (composed by Chaplin) as possible, with around 50% of the soundtrack then being improvised on the spot.
As part of the new “Colours of New England Festival” happening on Saturday 6 April, Mr Bauer is going to show Chaplin’s masterpiece “City Lights” in the Armidale Mall as the next in the Silent Movies series.