NIGHT OF LAUGHTER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 893, 10 February 1930, Page 14

NIGHT OF LAUGHTER

CIVIC’S BRIGHT PROGRAMME

“CHARMING SINNERS” The reputation of the Civic Theatre for being “the home of fine entertainment” was well upheld on Saturday evening, when a brightly varied programme of music, stage abts, and pictures was presented for the delectation of Auckland—and the Aucklanders who were there enjoyed it. From the first bars of the overture by the orchestra, to the last scenes of the picture, there is something to appeal to all classes. 2s o portion of the programme is allowed to dwarf other sections —rather have several different units been welded into a most satisfying whole. Ted Henkel and his Civic Unit Orchestra set the ball rolling with von Suppe’s spirited and melodious overture, “Pique Dame,” played in their beautiful style. Then Fred Scholl, at the grand organ, earned warm applause with his two pieces, “The Glow Worm” and “Bits of Nonsense,” which featured several popular old favourites such as “Sally in Our Alley” and “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree.” This last tune was then taken up by a Paramount Sound cartoon, and soon the whole audience was “following the bouncing ball” and singing that oldtime ballad.

A gazette with a most comprehensive selection of the world’s news, and an interesting U.F.A. picture, “Poisoned Baggers,” dealing in an absorbing if rather gruesome way with mosquitoes, completes that section of the programme. Then the curtain rings up on Ted Henkel’s latest stage presentation. “Circus Bays,” it is called, and it is a breezy and thoroughly entertaining skit on the popular circus of our youth. Under a typically gay awning there is presented a number of amusing circus items, complete with ringmaster with whip and whistle, “wild” animals of fearsomt mien but remarkable agility, comic clown, circus band, Lady Godiva on her horse (both of somewhat ancient vintage), clown dances by the Civic Ballet, contortionists, and, of course, a trapeze artist.

The sensational trapeze act was by Miss Michell, and was exceptionally good. It gave a real thrill to well over half the audience, who we.re fascinated by this little lady’s graceful exhibition. Her act culminated in a dangerous-looking “neck spin” that was deservedly well applauded. After all, however, “the plays the thing,” and the talking picture, “Charming Sinners,” more than lived up to expectations. The expectations -were unduly high, too, because the film was based on the play, “The Constant Wife,” written by W. Somerset Maugham, one of the finest of modern English playwrights, and the cast includes no less than three major talkie stars. Ruth Chatterton, who has, perhaps, the hardest role, achieved success with such outstanding productions as “Madame X” and “The Doctor’s Secret.” Clive Brook, whose role in “Charming Sinners” is no less arduous, has a fine reputation for work in such notable successes at “Interference,” while William Powell has a prominent niche of his own in talkies because of much sterling work in such films as the Van Dine detective stories.

To say that each of these players are at their best, and that th€> story is a brilliant example in the best London sophisticated society drama style, is almost to damn it by faint praise. It is unbelievingly good. A most notable feature was thp rich full “English” voices by these players —quite free from any suggestion of Americanism. The unfolding of the story kept Saturday’s large audience in a continual state of laughter, far it deals in a most amusing way with the “spanking” of a philandering husband by a very clever wife, who believed that “sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose.”