BRAVO, MR. TRAVERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 420, 31 July 1928, Page 15

BRAVO, MR. TRAVERS

“CUCKOO IN THE NEST” ANOTHER DELIGHTFUL COMEDY “A Cuckoo in tlio Nest,” a comedyfarce in three acts and four scenes byBen Travers. Presented at His Majesty’s Theatre last evening by J. C. Williamson. CAST Suzette Willa Lyndberg Mrs. Bone *. .. Nellie Mortyne Major Bone Cyril Vernon Barbara Wykeham Beth Madkay Gladys .. Jane Comfort Alfred Willie Clifton Margaret Hickett Helene Simon Peter Wykeham Hastings Lynn Noony Alec Alves Mrs. Spoker Minnie Rayner The Rev. Sloley-Jones .. Leslie Victor Claude Hickett. M.P. Basil Radford Chaffeur Victor Fitzherbert Ben Travers is master of a ludicrous stage situation. He has evolved a

tangle in “The Cuckoo in the Nest” which could exist only In farce, but he does it so adroitly that one wishes it might happen in everyday life. There is nothing for it but to cling limply to one’s seat as the laughs go by in formidable waves. It is almost impossible to keep up with them. “The Cuckoo in the Nest” is slick comedy, but not in the American sense. Mr. Travers certainly skates on thin ice occasionally, but he does so with the delicacy of thistledown. However risque his situations might appear at first sight they are adroitly turned to the most delightful comedy and a clairvoyant would need to work overtime c<4 obtain any nastiness from them. The fact that a young married man was forced to spend the night in the bedroom of a wayside inn with a young married woman might have extraordinary possibilities in a French production, but in ‘‘The Cuckoo in the Nest” it just develops into roaring comedy. Sleep Is impossible. The young man vainly endeavours to obtain some rest under the washstand and on the mat, but is eventually forced into the night to rescue a yelping Pomeranian which is the disturbing property

of the woman with whom he has been forced to spend the night. Soaked to the skin he is discovered by the irate landlady and practically forced into the only bed in the room. But who has not read “The Cuckoo in the Nest”? One need only say that the stage production is much more amusing than the book, as the audience discovered to its joy last evening. Mr. Lynn is the ideal farce actor — alive to every absurd situation, never at a loss to embellish some little episode, playing up to every Travers line without unduo exaggeration. His j , fatuous smile is worth a gallon of i spring tonic. Mr. Vernon gave the i excellent performance we had expected t of him. He was the most perfectly “pickled” habitue of a bar and the most inconsequential henpecked hus- I * band we have seen for many a long > day. If !n real life Miss Rayner really j t kept “The Stag and Hunt” Inn, our ; week-ends would be spent there. This : capable actress has the ability to invest ; i her characters with the illusion of i reality. Miss Mortyne’s role of out- ) raged grand dame was a delightful ! ■ piece of work. She has a good sente ’ - of proportion allied to a good sense of t comedy. Mr. Radford, who had only a r relatively small part, believes that c “what is worth doing is worth doing 1 well.” Mr. Victor pilloried the stage curate in the true comedy manner, l His fine character work is always rell--3 able. Miss Simon played her part as i though £.:->© enjoyed it and confirmed 3 the modern belief that the girl of toi day is master of any situation—bed--3 room or otherwise. Miss Comfort dls- ? figured herself in the realism of an 3 unprepossessing character. Miss i Mackay displayed her emotion with i commendable grace. Mr. Alves, Mr. d Fitzherbert and Mr. Clifton made the - most of their character parts. y Next production, “Thark.”