"HIS SECRETARY."

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18894, 8 January 1927, Page 9

"HIS SECRETARY."

INTERESTING REVELATIONS KVKIt VBO I >\" S, MO Nl> AY.

There is absolutely no truth in the contention that there is 110 romance iu business. Business, we aro ready to ndmit, is probably tho most romantic thing in the world, possibly because tho prosaic extorior gives 110 hint of what goes on indoors, and when the truth is out, the real intriguing picturesqucness of tho commercial world becomes more glamorous iu comparison. Of course, there arc bound to be dissentionts, those who smile, virtually, superciliously, those ' who openly scoff. To be sure, commerce is innocent until proved guilty (although there is really no guilt ia romance, only gilt), but it takes the motion picturo to state a case • and win it, and this it does in "His Secretary," the astonishingly revealing and highly amusing comedy drama to be presented at Everybody's Theatre next week. Many are the interesting little secrets betrayed in this picture, many are the uproariously amusing situations when suspicious wives, plausible husbands, and innocent, and not so innocent secretaries hold tho stage. "His Secretary" treats of a theme which very simply may have been mishandled, a story-which could easjly have become indiscreet and lacking in all.the little'subtleties which arc iiidispensible in such a-pleasantly sophisticated concoction, but thanks to directorial discretion and the sense of proportion possessed by the artists participating in tho play, it is a comparatively restrained piece. Wo aro of tho opinion that , the writer of "His Secretary" must have consulted, with all his twentieth-century prejudices and outlooks in full play, tho Book of Bovolations, , becomo steeped in the informativo stylo of its chapters and verses, then turned his enquiring and facetious eye upon modernity, as represented by a legal firm, and fell to with a rolish. Private secretaries, with "broadminded" chiefs must be tho most worldywiße in existence, but nfter seeiug this picture, wo aro prepared to admit that tho most interesting are the bachelor and his doting and homely secretary. 111 such a pair tho possibilities for comedy acting of the higher order arc immense; they permit of much onesided intrigue; eventually tho situation leads the doting duckling to.her banker, her boautv specialist and her dressmaker. As an afterthought, or an aside, it also brings her late to the office in the morning. As for tho complement of this duo, it sends him frantically to his oculist, and then to the florist. And the secretary, being that motor of illogic and well-thought-out inconsistency, woman, will proceed to smilo upon the janitor, tho liftman, the broadmihded partner, anyone but tho bachelor. Do these things occur in the business world? Assuredly, and "His Secretary" has taken them up, given them the spice of intrigue, and alluro of drama, and tho hilarious inclusion of what the careful and astute world often omits, the aforementioned suspicious wife. "His Secretary" is brilliantly satirical and courteously discreet, a. rarely met with and clever combination. It is all vastly amusing, humour of that rare type which evokes a sheepish grin and a sidelong and uneasy glance to see does she catch the import 01 it all, and a wary and highly uncomfortable movement in the seat-: —these latter promists, of course, depend entirely upon with whom one is seeing "His Secretary. One may be bold and unconcerned—or one may not. The cast assembled to play the leading roles in this production was selected with particular care, both for natural ability and type. In the title rolo is Norma Shearer, an unusually competent actress with a marked inclination to humorous drama. Lew Cody and Willard Louis are the legal firm, tho ono unattached, critical, and altogether too observant, the other describes himself as "broadminded." Mabel van Buren is inimitable as the latter's wife, and Gwen Lee is light and vivacious as his platonic secretary. . ~ The second item on the bill is Puppets, a "vivid, colourful drama of "Little Italy, with Milton Sills playing the leading role. This actor's versatility knows no bounds. In "Puppets" he is romantic, picturesque, sanguinely temperamental, and as in every character he has ever portrayed, he has # fight or two to keep the action merry and fast It is a very dramatic story, with a stark realism in some scenes which makes it powerful fare. Gertrude Olmstead plays opposite him and acts with understanding ana svmpathy. The "Select" Orchestra under Sir W. J. Bellingham, F.S.M., will pI»J a special programme of orchestral music, including the following "The Naval Review (Howgill), "Cossacks Wedding Fete" (Krein); l r " !n Italy' ' (Frlml); "Scenes Neapolitaine (Massenet); opera, "The Snow Maiden Korsakov); Scherzo, "The Flight ol the Bumble Bee" (Rimsky-Korsakov), 7 a '*®- "Valse Triste" (Sibelius) ; entr acte. "There's a Boatman on the Volga aldson); fox trots, ' 'Precious' '(Past.ernac). The box plans are now open at The Bristo Piano Company, where seats may be reseived.