DELIGHTFUL FARCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 110, 30 July 1927, Page 15

DELIGHTFUL FARCE

POLLY WITH A PAST The story of how a clergyman’s daughter impersonated a notorious French home-breaker and how amateur cupids were cured of matchmaking for ever, makes that most delightful farce, “Polly With a Past,” now at His Majesty’s Theatre. All farce or farcical comedy should be able to stand the test of the question, “Might it have happened?” It is essential that the imagination should not have to go toiling over mountain ranges of improbability, even though the stage must be accepted as makebelieve. “Polly With a Past” makes an evening slip by, expecting no effort from the audience, and leaves one with the sense of “at-peace-with-the-world-ness.” The play is ingeniously built up by a series of situations which become extremely amusing in the third act. One felt that Guy Bolton, author of many musical comedy books, had originally intended it to be set to music, but that on second thoughts he called in George Middleton, and between them they turned it into straight comedy. Polly never had a past. It was wholly fictitious, but while it lasted how the women hated her and how the men fell.

Two young men conceived the idea of turning Polly, their cook-house-maid-general. into a French adventuress in order to smooth out the love affairs of their friend. Polly, with thoughts of a musical career, was a daughter of a

parson. She had progressed as far as a servant in a New York flat, when the idea was conceived that she should become an adventuress. Her arrival in the Van Zile home was sensational and spectacular. A French accent, wonderful clothes, no reputation and the information that men had died in dozens for her, set the place agog. But Polly’s adventure ended successfully. Instead of assisting with a young man’s love affair the young man fell in love with her. The final curtain left nothing to be desired by those who are fond of happy endings. Polly’s

past, after a series of ludicrous situations, looked like developing into a fairy-tale after. Miss Kelly took full advantage of every opportunity the comedy offered. She has the light touch so necessary for such a slender piece and a wistfulness which was appealing when serious moments were demanded. HVlton Allen, as the worldly-wise uncle, gave a most accomplished performance. “THE LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY” Great interest centres in tlie first production here on Wednesday night next by Miss Renee Kelly and her talented supporting company of Frederick Lonsdale’s famous comedy-drama “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney,” which attracted record audiences in Melbourne and Sydney for over six months. In the new play Miss Kelly displays wonderful versatility and she depicts the constantly changing moods of the beautiful adventuress with a realism that stamps her as a highly accomplished actress. In the sensational bedroom scene she is a devastating, raging spitfire; in the next she is a slightly-mocking Mrs. Cheyney, laughing derisively at the desperate (and unsuccessful) attempts at society to cover its own sins. Even when the reformed Mrs. Cheyney enters into business as a dispenser of ladies’ lingerie, and her whilom lady enemies (who hate but also fear her), promise her their patronage, she lashes them with her sarcasm. Says one male aristocrat, patronisingly, “Whenever I have a row with my wife, and I have to bring her a present to sweeten her over, I shall come to your shop for it.” “I shall be so pleased to see you every day” is her caustic reply. Frederick Lonsdale it is said has given of his best in “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney,” which says a great deal, as playgoers will remember his clever “Aren’t We All” and “Spring Cleaning” comedies. Mr. Ellis Irvine, a notable English actor, will make his first appearance here in “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney” in the role of Lord Dilling. The plans for the new comedy will be opened on Monday morning One of the most successful stardirector combinations in the motion picture industry was responsible for the making of “The Cheerful Fraud,” the Universal-Jewel production. When William A. Seiter directed Reginald Denny in this vehicle it was their sixth consecutive picture together. As a team both have risen to new success and popularity, although both had been prominent in their chosen professions before.