NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 278, 14 February 1928, Page 15

NEW REGENT

VAUDEVILLE AND PICTURES The Kwong Sing Wah Chinese troupe, who are appearing at the New Regent < for three more days, must certainly * rank as the most sensational troupe of * Oriental wonder-workers ever staged 1 in the Dominion. Worthily do they up- j hold the high reputation that preceded 1 their opening, for their whirlwind en- j tertainment of almost miraculous feats J has never been excelled by any other ; vaudeville act ever seen on the stage. < Their illusions and mystifying magic j are in themselves an entertainment, but ‘ by no means the strangest feature of , the act. i As jugglers it is doubtful if one has ] ever seen their equal. The contortions . and tumbling of the boys prove them to , be adept acrobats. One Chinese, the., leader of the troupe, is a magnificently- j built man, who performs feats of ! strength which are almost incredible; another rivals the famous Long Tack Sam in his illusions; a third swings ' bowls of water round his head' and with his head, while he adopts all sorts of postures, and finishes off with a spectacular fire-flinging performance; the comedian of the party dives through two frames edged with sharp knives and another fringed with genuine flames. The act is rapid from start to finish and interest in the whole performance does not flag for an instant. Applause is generously and frequently accorded these performers throughout. One of the rare cases in which a title role in a motion picture was given to an actor other than the star of the picture occurred when “William H. Tooker, charactor actor, was cast in the Paramount comedy, “Tell It To Sweeney,” which will be shown for three more days at the New Regent. Chester Conklin and Geo. Bancroft are co-starring in the picture, but Mr. Tooker plays the role of Sweeney. The character he portrays is that of the president of the railroad, on which both the stars are employed as engineers. Sweeney figures in the story by opposing the marriage of his son (Jack Luden) to Conklin’s daughter (Doris Hill). Mr. Arthur G. Frost ably officiates at the Wurlitzer organ, while Mr. Maurice Guttridge and his orchestra maintain the high standard of the Regent's musical programme.