NEW REGENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 757, 2 September 1929, Page 15

NEW REGENT

“THE BROADWAY MELODY” “The Broadway Melody” is now in the last few days of its long Auckland season at the New Regent Theatre. Breaking new ground and exploiting new methods of production, this i*€>markable picture presents at the same time both a brilliant spectacle and a human story of endeavour, ambition, disappointment and final success. Enacted against a background of the theatre in New York, the home of revue and musical comedy, the story concerns the lives of three struggling artists, who are striving to make their mark on Broadway, the Mecca of every revue performer in the country*

The first of the three to meet success is a song composer, who also appears on the stage as a ballad singer, and by his influence two girls, who produce an act known as the Mahoney Sisters, are able to gain a footing. Through the whim of a wealthy and powerful producer the two are separated, and while one is singled out for honours, the other suffers disappointment. The efforts of the two girls to help each other, together with a pleasing romance which runs through the production, make a story of rare appeal. As a background the picturesque scenes of large revues provide spectacles of unusual brilliance, while the most striking is “The Wedding of the Painted Doll,” which has been filmed in colour. At the same time a number of musical numbers, specially written for the picture, are sung from the stage in many of the scenes. The programme also includes a number of short talkie features, and new musical selections on the Wurlitzer organ by Arthur G. Frost.