THE DANDIES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2145, 11 May 1914, Page 6

THE DANDIES

A CAPITAL COMPANY, The crowded audience which welcomed llic Dandies" in the Concert, Climnber on Saturday night nifonW «n---->incing evidence that the little companies of clever people which Messrs. -Mvard .tiranscotnbe liavo been sendin" to New Zealand for the last six y,-«M otter a stylo of entertainment wliien wie public likes. And it is mo less than I lair to the new "Dandies" to say that '■ they are cleverer than any of their pre- ' deccEsors. Especially aro they superior as fun-makers. Mr. Roland floury, the fun-maker-in-chief, is. one of the'most original and versatile purveyor's of comedy of the eccentric sort that has I appeared in Wellington under any nian- '■ agoment. His first appearance Was in 1 a song called "And Then His Lnngua^ ■ I , ailed Him," a number which gave him the best possible opportunity to skew Ins capacity for peculiar pantomimic ■ gesture, on which he relics mostly. Ho. 1 has a mobile face, tho first essential 1 in a comedy man, but his most worf- ; dcrful tricks aro those which las does with arms, bands,- and fingers. One 1 has to see these fingers to realise,what amazingly expressive things lingers can ■ be made to appear when, as tlio song '< went, mere language could do no more. ■ Ho showed most of liis queer, propos- ; terous gesture in an amusing piece of ! foolery described on t-lte -bill as a humorous quartet. His own part was that > of conductor, the. other three sang just enough to make it possible for Mr. Henry to wavo at them 1 his baton, his arms, with the expressive fingers attached, and his long p-roperty-liau . Mira Naomi M'Quain is a eharming sou--1 bretto and comedienne, dainty and < piquant: Only once did she appear alone, and on tbaj occasion the awli-, enco were. very unwilling to let her > go. Her swigs were all witty am] amusing, and she sings them with an irresistible abandon. ■ She is already an assured favourite, and will remain a favourite for as long as the "Dandies" show in Wellington. Her talents are of such a quality and of such variety that she could easily take quite a high place in tmtsitiil comedy on this side of the world. Ouo is at a loss to describe correctly certain of the- otto members of the company. Sometimes they appear purely as vocalists, but all of them take part iit romps or whim, sical concerted items which are on the. programme. F<tr instance, Mr. George Taylor is billed as a light comedian, and ho deserves the description, but lie might also have been called a baritone, for ho can am;! docs siug good songs as well as funny ones. Subject to this limitation, Miss Linda Bradford, Miss Ethel Walker, and Mr. David Lyle may bo regarded as the vocalists of the party. Miss Bradford has a strong contralto voice, Miss Walker is a flexible soprano, and Mr. Lylo has a tenor voice of fair quality, which lie us.es with very good taste. Miss Bradford's greatest success was in. tite song '".To-night," in which, strangely enough, her voice sounded so very inush better in quality than in the concerted items in which she took part. 'Among the concerted items this "Barcarolle," from "Tales o.f Hoffmann," by Miss Bradford and Miss Walker frith .on accompaniment by a liiaie tjuartet, and "Over the Dark Blue Waters" ("Gberea," Weber), by Miss Bradford, Miss Walker, Mr. Lylo, and Mr. Taylor. Mr. Andrew Pace is a. light comedian with a refined method, who sings a clover song or two, and takes quite a big part in the frolics in which sections of the party arc' assoeiataf. Mr, Harry Webster, likewise a comedian, also works ffioro as a member of. the team than as an individual performer. Tlio"ceiictudmg item of their programme on Saturday was a sketch, the scene, a vestaurai.it, m which certain of the people were trying to get«, meal from .the waiter (Mr. Roland Henry), wlio. at 69, or there* abouts, wss still doubtful whether he would turn out clever or mwy. If tltero is one hopeless background for jriiribmaking on tho stage it is a restaurant at meal-time, and yet tlio "Dandies" made tho scotch an exceedingly atnnsing one. It happens that most of tbo fun is Mr. Henry's, but tho other people play up to his eccentricity splendidly. A change of programme is announced for every Thursday.