CIVIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 850, 19 December 1929, Page 17

CIVIC

OPENING TOMORROW

A state of organised excitement reigns at the Civic Theatre. Every possible effort is being made to have the whole theatre completely finished before tomorow evening and, indeed, there remains very little to do but cleaning up the inevitable debris and putting on those deft finishing touches everywhere. The change that has taken place recently is remarkable. A few days ago no one would ever imagine that this vast theatre would be ready by Friday, but organisation and hard work have achieved wonders.

The opening performance tomorrow will be a brilliant one. Every seat has been booked, but dancers have available a limited number of places in the Winter Garden, from which there is an excellent view of the stage. For these there will be dancing afterward. The programme will commence witli an overture played by a picked band of thirty musicians, followed by a short talkie gazette and then will come Fred Scholl at the Civic grand organ. Mr. Scholl is a master of this instrument, and he has been featured in some of the world's largest theatres. Then comes tne stage show. Dainty ballet girls will trip to Ted Henkel’s stage band. A feature of the show will be the first appearance in Hew Zealand of the international dancers, Ramon, Madeline and Pedro.

There seems to be no doubt that the Civic is about to put on a wonderful entertainment.

The main cinema attraction is titled “Three Live Ghosts,” an English comedy stage success which has been made into an all-talking film with a brilliant cast of English and American players, including Joan Bennett and Claude McAllister, who both appeared with Ronald Colman in “Bulldog Drummond.”

“Three Live Ghosts” is one of the most entertaining’ talking pictures to come out of Hollywood. Everyone will quake with laughter one minute and will thrill with suspense the next as the shell-shocked "Spoofy” and his merry buddies return to Old England only to discover they are supposed to be “dead.” It is not long, however, before all London learns that, if anything, the “ghosts” are very much alive. Matters reach a gripping climax when “Spoofy” breaks into his own home, robs his wife’s jewels and kidnaps his own son, having mistaken himself for someone else.

Although every seat has been sold for the opening performance, booking is proceeding rapidly for the first week of the season.

Luring the morning and afternoon session the Winter Garden will be open. This fine tearooms occupies the whole of the ground floor of the Civic and dainty afternoon or morning teas wil be served during the presentation of the full screen and stage programme.

Clive Brook uses many disguises in his role of the Conan Doyle detective in

"The Return of Sherlock Holmes.” An Austrian violinist, a ship’s steward and an officer’s orderly are a few of his assumed characters. "The Return of Sherlock Holmes” was recently completed at the Long Island studios under Hie direction of Sir Basil Dean.