PANTOMIME.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20175, 2 March 1931, Page 6

PANTOMIME.

"THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILTV" BIG HOUSES AT THEATRE ROYAL Barleycorn .. Nick Morton • Dame Barleycorn •• ?ack Bilde U r Settß .. KHef pSal " Fairy fndustria .. Kathleen Goodall Sammy • • Boy Reno LilyTtho Cow .. Paulasto Brothers Prince Regent .. Kathleen Fallow Lord of Misrule .. t . ATthur Stigant, ju,n. .. Phil Smith. - Policeman .. _ , Demon of Despair . . Brio Bwsb , Fairy Sunbeam .. Edna Moncrieff Specialty £*™% h y >aUow Many theatre-goers have expressed the opinion that the days of the pantomime dame ai)d red-nosed comedian are over. J. C. Williamson's "The House that Jjick Built" shows definitely that they are not. On Saturday, at the Theatre-Royal; they attracted two huge houses—many children and parents in the afternoon and a much older audience at night. Applause was. continuous aid at the last curtain the company bad, to bo\v for some minutes. The old atmosphere was brought back. The audienfce once again experienced that sense of suppressed excitement which it is the supreme function of the pantomime to create—just before the first curtain rises—an excitement independent of horrifying incident in the story, and due rather to an impression one has of being privileged to peep through a parted curtain into an unknown world. The company contains many old favourites—artists who have made mirth for Christchurch audiences times without number. Some of the jokes weic old: many were new, but each produced a laugh, and not a* fejv "hands." The Williamson firm may always be depended upon to give value for money, and ; as usual, the scenery, trucking, dancing and spectacular lighting were very good, The plot is nothing new. . Triumphant virtue is the ;is the case with all good- pantomimes —and it depends ,for its success mainly 'upon , the extraf introduced by specialty artists. Indole they are all 'specialists. The music is- cheery and tuneful dancing varied and clever; Jim Gerald has always exhibited e "flalir for dame work and adds anothoi to his already numerous and long-wort I laurels.' The Paulastro Brothers, ex Ipqrts in animal impersonations, presen an excellent comedy cow, and Miss Per ctval, as Jack Bilder—Miss Amy Bo •chelle being indisposed—plays the bi; Volt, of Principal Boy with gracefu ease. Miss Taylor possesses a personal itv which helps this type of show great ly, and Miss Goodall is an unusually convincing f aify. Nick_ Morton an( Boy Bene use n lot of utter iionsens* to great effect, eombinin« with Jin Gerald in several .pieces of comedy Miss Fellow makes the Prince Kegen a manly and upstanding young charac ter, and Arthur Stigant, jun., witl his henchman, Erie Bushj looks the confounding <}f, allvlaw and»order Pitt Smith, rotund and comical, enter t&e comedy?; section as a humorous con stailfi. and takes/the, opportunity ,o doing all banner of things that woq}< horrify thVtocal or any other real sup erbitendent, '.Miss Moncrieff is air: dainty, amd the Fa&ow ywins d&nci several remarkably ,fine numbers. rtbrnoanV- 'is farttnate in 'possess

HKammber allow "Ihem to* appeajriu vanctiis 'dance numbers without that so often-spoils very ""juvenile turns. Their vegetable'ballet is a credit to them and to the designer of the costumes which represent almost evevy. item in the window of a greengrocers' shop. The luminous ballet, is another striking piece jf work. Jim Gerald and Boy Bene shine 'literally'in an act' called the Mysterious Minor, What each thinks is a ■eflection is the fa6eof tlfe other until ;he dame realises that it is not the ''drop of gin" that i« causing all the sonfusion. Miss Goodall's very tuneJul voice is heard in several solo numjers, one of her best being >he "Fairy foundry." Miss Isobel Mah'on alsq lingßi well.' One"of the prettiest balleta /thfc "Dance of the Seasons," by tfisses MonCrieff, Monaj Zeppel, and Brio Bush.-, 'The settings, too, are berond criticism. In ActlLone of the big scenes is ;ho illuminated swing. Half a dozen nembera of 1 the ballet swing out over .he stalls .while their colleagues dance. jack-Btage, the' swing ropes being feßbooned with multi-coloured i lights. A good, soprano is Miss Taylor whose "just a Memory of Long Ago" brought ler much, applause. Nothing prettier ;han thfc toyshop ballet, has been seen Ixete , for . a.'Jong time. ~ The children ird'the toys'-which include dolls, a Jack-in-the-Box, and many soldiers. The *iJort is most attistic, More expert danctig, though. of a different type', is seen Ballet,'* by Misses Monsrierf, Mona Zeppel, and Brie Bush — She' last-named as a gorilla. '"fheiSouse that Jack Built" company has not only,good dancers, singers, m<l • actors and actresses' among its aUxnberSj it sports a - contortionist or two who are worthy of a place in the best Of 'Vaudeville teams. Swift taplaneing is a 'particularly 'valuable .part j£ the' equipment of the Fallow Twins, ilidJim Gerald is himself no mean exponerit of this fascinating, if strenuous sucti.; For once,-the young ladies of tile thorns wore not asked to put up I ' with the long, formless Screens > of chiffon tiinon," or whatnot that-have come to ba regarded as suitable garments. There are many changes of dress ana each is more striking than the last. Thefe are many 1 others who are well • worthy of notice, and although their names -are aot mentioned theit_work is not passed aver- lightly. . ' Mr Will Bedstone 's Orchestra-is,- as usual, far above the ordinaryandisa Bombinatlon to be listened t<*™ th jeriousne&a.' . Throughout its accomDftriiments are artistic and sympathetic »nd, when required full of the snap that makes a pantomime such a cheery sort jf'affair. -The programme states that the' directors of J. 0. Williamson, Ltd., are giving half the net * profits towards the Primed Miniver's Earthquake .Belief House .'that' Jack Built" will be ■ repeated to-night. -