NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 371, 4 June 1928, Page 15

NEW REGENT

“TILLIE’S PUNCTURED ROMANCE” Lions, clowns, elephants, acrobats, axe-throwers and all the gay panoply of the circus are the background for the uproarious comedy, “Tillie’s Punctured Romance,” which is now being shown at the New Regent Theatre. It is a great film, and the crowds who have already seen it thoroughly enjoyed every scene. Nor could the picture be anything but a huge success, because of the calibre of the three chief fun-makers, Chester Conklin, W. C. Fields and Louise Fazenda. “Tillie’s Punctured Romance” is a story of the circus, owned by Horatio Q. Frisbee (Chester Conklin), which because of its glamour entices Tillie (Louise Fazenda) away from home. Charioteers, clowns, lions and caliopes give the little country girl who springs from a colourful past a rousing reception when she runs off to join the circus. Later on it is this same meek Tillie who persuades the circus gods to take the huge show to France, ostensibly because she thinks the doughboys need cheering up, but confidentially because the handsome trapeze artist had such curly hair! W. C. Fields, the juggling star, plays the part of th-.'-t maestro, that major domo of the big top, the ringmaster. Further, he is a ringmaster with ambitions, coveting as he does the very ownership of the circus to such an extent that, among other things, he sews a piece of raw steak into the seat of the pants worn by the owner and then induces him to substitute for the lion tamer. That, of course, is but one of the mean things that he does.

On the stage will be presented Dance-o-mania, a brilliant show of dancing and music, with a pageant tracing the history of dancing from Adam and Eve to the present day, eluding Yvonne Arlen and' Colin Shorter demonstrating present-day cabaret steps. Leslie V. Harvey plays Dvorak’s “Humoresque” and Sinding’s “Rustle of Spring” on the Wurlitzer organ, and the Regent Operatic Orchestra, under the baton of ■Arth’lr G. Frost, plays a burlesque on Lemare’s “Andantino.”