Evelyn Laye at New York

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 852, 21 December 1929, Page 33

Evelyn Laye at New York

ACCLAIMED BY CRITICS ‘ FAIR BEYOND BELIEF” Evelyn Laye, the English musical comedy star, conquered New York when she played the leading role in “Bitter Sweet,” the Noel Cpward operetta.

Her voice, her acting, and her portrayal of the heroine’s role were acclaimed by the most severe of New York’s critics. No less severe a commentator than Gilbert Gabriel declared: New Yorkers found a characterful, distinguished creature, a stately blonde with large

and very blue eyes who does not let her unusually good voice oppress her sense of humour or hinder her true knack of acting, characterising and rising to Mr. Coward’s climaxes. Yet her voice is lovely and thrilling, a wholly independent asset.

Jeritza must have looked and laughed and sung much like this in her young Viennese days. Burns Mantle remarked:

A very lovely lady came to this town last night. Her name is Evelyn Laye and she is the prima donna of Noel Coward’s operetta, “Bitter Sweet.” Littell, like the other critics, found the whole performance most entertaining, and lie wrote: Miss Laye, besides her lovelj ll voice, acts with great humour and spirit, and merely to vat eh her is show enough in itself.

Percy Hammond saw her as the “loveliest prima donna this side of Heaven,” and added:

Fair almost beyond belief, with a happy voice, a serene manner, and a gift of impersonation. Miss Laye sings and acts in a fashion that makes her the most welcome visitor from England since Beatrice Lillie came to town.