FINE FUN

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 430, 11 August 1928, Page 24

FINE FUN

New Travers Farce Pi esented in London FIVE ALDWYCH SUCCESSES “Prepare to laugh all you who enter here,’’ might with justification be a permanent sign outside the doors of the Aldwyeh Theatre, writes a London theatrical critic. “Plunder,” produced there recently, is the latest of a series of farces written by Ben Travers, and once again there was fine fun of the best type. The piece breaks away from the stereotype lines of farce. It is a comic crook play. The plot concerns a cook who married a rich, elderly man by crookery, not cookery. The old man’s granddaughter arrives home from abroad with a young man to whom she has become engaged, to find that all her expected inheritance has been willed to the vulgar woman who had once been her servant. After that there is complication upon complication, with jewel thefts, blackmail, and conspiracy playing their parts, in which the granddaughter’s fiance is more or less innocently involved. Every Line a Laugh Mr. Travers has once more constructed his scenes ingeniously, and once again Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn have been fitted with parts that suit perfectly their contrasted gifts. Nearly every line has its laugh. Nothing is really serious—not even when, in the course of a jewel robbery, a man is killed. After all, he was a crook himself, so no one in the audience had cause to regret his death. Mr. Lynn again shows himself an artist in making inane remarks—intentionally coined by the author—sound better than most lines intended to be witty. And then there is the comic eloquence of his gestures, the comical range of his facial expression. Mr. Walls, in a different kind of part than those he has acted in recent plays, carries the part of the gentleman crook with an air: Mary Brough as the woman who tricked the old man into marriage—actually St was no marriage at all, for she had a husband living—was broadly humorous; Winifred Shotter was a pretty heroine; and Herbert Waring and J. Robertson Hare were among the many others who helped to keep a merry play going gaily from first to last. Five Successes At the end Mr. Walls in a little speech stated that five plays had been produced at the Aldwyeh Theatre during the last six years, and since each had run at least a year they had a very big task to maintain the standard. “You have,” someone shouted, amid applause. “This is the best of them all,” cried someone else. And, personally, I think he was right, comments the critic.

Side by side with the performance of Margaret Bannerman in “Sexes and Sevens” is the study given by Francis Lister —in every respect as perfect as a polished jewel, says a Sydney paper * * * Taking Mohammed to the mountain is how the Australians might describe Allan Wilkie’s venture in playing Shakespeare in the Sydney suburbs. Allan Wilkie is nothing if not courageous, and he will have us all knowing our Shakespeare before he has done with us. Newtown Majestic’s success has justified his new venture. He kicked off recently at Bondi Junction with “The Merchant of Venice,” and has all the week ahead of him to entice the Bondi mermaids to come in out of the wet and see a good show at the Coronation Hall.

All sorts of reasons are being advanced in London for tie succession of flops within the past few months Among them—pictures, the weather, and radio. But the truth seems to be revealed in the simple statement by Charles B. Cochran: “The plays were withdrawn because the public didn’t like them.” STAGE REPORTER JUSTICE FROM EDGAR WALLACE

Anna Pavolva, the world’s greatest dancer for many years, announced her retirement in Paris recently. She toured New Zealand a few years ago

and was accorded a wonderful reception. Pavlova recently danced for short seasons in Vienna and Paris. “Aren’t We All?” which was produced in New Zealand by Irene Vanbrugh and Dion Boncicault some years ago, to be done by the Whangarei Comedy Club. Tlieo. Trezise will be the producer. At the close of the Margaret Bannerman season in Australia—still a good way off, for after “Sexes and Sevens” the distinguished actress will be seen in “Other Men’s Wives”—the attraction at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney, will be “The Patsy.” Grand opera at Her Majesty’s will be followed by “Madame Pompadour” and “The Student Prince” by the company headed by Beppie de Vries on its return from New Zealand.

j There is no more popular i j man in Fleet Street, Lon- j I don , at the moment than | ! Edgar Wallace, and the reason for this is that he has at last done justice to journalists on the stage. His reporter in ''The Squeaker ” at the Apollo TJieatre is for the first time an accurate picture of a normal newsgatherer. On this score Mr. 'Wallace received\ most glowing criticisms. It is pointed out that in “The Doctor's Dilemma” Bernard Shaio drew a village | idiot, and put him, on the staff of a Ijondon daily paper. In real life that young man ivould have had permanent residence in a home for incurable imbeciles, but Mr. Wallace 1 s Scotch li crime ” reporter could “hold his job down” any day in Fleet Street. Is has been repeatedly said that the public is tiring of ''mystery” plays and coldblooded “ shockers” but 'whatever they are tiring of, it is certainly not Edgar Wallace. i