MUSIC AND PICTURES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 923, 17 March 1930, Page 14

MUSIC AND PICTURES

CIVICS FINE PROGRAMME “LIVE, LOVE AND LAUGH” During the past three months the Civic Theatre has established an unchallenged reputation for providing distinctive and excellently varied entertainment; and that policy was seen at its best in the programme submitted on Saturday evening. For lovers of genuine orchestral music a rich treat was provided, varied with entertaining talkie items, singing, organ solos, and a big picture—in short, something to suit all tastes. In commemoration of St. Patrick’s Day, Ted Henkel has arranged a collection of Irish airs for the Civic Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra played excerpts from about a dozen Irish national. and folk songs. On the stage, four young folk danced sprightly Irish jigs, the harpist in the orchestra played “Believe Me if AH Those Endearing Young Charms,” anti behind a huge shamrock curtain an old Irish mother worked at her spinningwheel. But quite the most popular item was the splendid singing of little Desmond Casey. Coming up to view sitting on the console of the grand organ he sang in his youthful soprano “Mother of Mine,” and was so warmlv applauded that he had to sing it ail over again. This “Irish Fantasy” is the first of a series of “Melody Classics” to be introduced by Mr. Henkel in the coming weeks, and if they are like the first one they will b€» deservedly popular. The remainder of the first half of the programme includes a Paramount Sound News with a budget of scenes from all over the world, a most delightfully amusing comedy of a vaudeville show entitled “His Birthday Suit.” more music by the orchestra and two very popular organ selections by Fred Scholl. They are the exquisite “Chanson Indoue” (Rimsky-Korsakov) and a potpourri of popular songs dealing with “moonlight and love.” After the interval there is presented for the delectation of Aucklanders an unusual film entitled “Love, Live and Laugh.” It is unusual first because the chief player is a one-time popular comedian of Jewish types essaying a serious role, and secondly because* it has a setting not frequently used in a film—the Italian quarter of New York and the Italian-Austrian front of 191518. Let it be said at once that the player, George Jessel, acquits himself uncommonly well in a very difficult part, and that the whole production is first-class entertainment, with pathos mingling with the humour. The story concerns the love of Luigi, a music-shop assistant in New York's “Little Italy,” for Margharita, niece of his master. They enjoy the life of songs and carnivals with their compatriots until in 1915 Luigi has to go back home to see his father. Then Italy enters the war. and we find Luigi with his regiment in the Alps, see the tragic episode where he loses his eyesight, and follow him through three years of an Austrian prisoncamp. Meantime Margharita believes him killed and marries a charmirg and attentive doctor. After the war Luigi returns to New York and through the efforts of his loyal friend is successfully operated on by Margharita’s husband. The climax is a tense one and is carried through only by some exceptional acting on the part of the principals. There is quite a lot of incidental music in the story, but the most impressive was the singing of an old German song in the trenches by both the Italian and Austrian soldiers on Christmas Eve. Later the Austrians sing a farewell song, and that, too, has the charm of the Continental old world Christmastide. i Lila Lee made an appealing Margharita, David Rollins was excellent as the loyal friend as was Kenneth McKenna as the doctor.