Stage Transformed into Large Yacht

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 364, 26 May 1928, Page 24

Stage Transformed into Large Yacht

Party at Drury Lane FASCINATING ENTERTAINMENT The great stage of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, was recently transformed into the semblance of a yacht, aboard which 250 theatrical and other celebrities were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. S. B. Joel. Directly the “Desert Song” ended its run on the Saturday night the stage staff of the theatre began building up the yacht Eileen, named after the daughter of the hosts. They worked throughout the night and during part of the following day, and the result was magnificent. One thousand four hundred small electric lights of ail colours, two miles of cable, a steam whistle fed by two boilers, flags that blew in a gentle breeze, lights that provided imitation fog, snow and rain—these were among the many remarkable achievements. There was a gangway from the stage door to the yacht; the attendants were dressed in sea-going uniform and spoke in seafaring terms; and there was even a Customs office. Supper was served on the deck, and the guests or voyagers danced to the strains of a yacht’s band.