THE GREAT NICOLA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 45, 23 February 1939, Page 5

THE GREAT NICOLA

WIDE VARIETY OF MAGIC IN NEW SHOW The Great Nicola, the worldfamous magician, with his new troupe of mystifiers, will appear on the stage at the Majestic Theatre shortly. Nicola is accompanied by a score of assistants and technicians and more than 150 tons of illusions and scenic effects. Nicola is supported by a very brilliant cast of capable entertainers, all of them making their first public appearance in this country. Among the outstanding, Nicola mentions Lucila Roberts, a psychic marvel known as “The Girl with the X-ray Eyes,” so penetrating that it is claimed that she can read people's thoughts. Al de Clercq. billed as the “Last of the Hollywood Hillbillies.” presents the best items of his repertoire. that has made him famous in many of the big Hollywood productions. Big Ben, “The Pig Comique,” presented by Sherry and Alf, is without exception the most clever and laughable bit of tomfoolery in the programme. Harry Langdon’s Comeback. Harry Langdon, famous “baby face” comedy star, returns to the screen after four years in Hal Roach’s “There Goes My Heart,” in which Frederic March and Virginia Bruce are co-starred. And it was Nancy Carroll, who is also staging a comeback in this comedy romance, who brought it about. Langdon, who has been working on the Roach 'ot as a gag man for the Laurel and Hardy unit, made his last screen appearance with Nancy Carroll. When Nancy suggested that Langdon should be tested for the role of the minister who marries Frederick Marek and Virginia Bruce. He vras and the role v,as his. Underneath the Arches. Tucked away underneath the arches near Charing Cross, Villiers Street, London, is the tiny Gate Theatre which has done yeoman service for the British theatre since its inception. The journal “Cavalcade ’ describes the work of the Gate Theatre as similar to that performed for Moscow by Stanislavsky; for Berlin by Reinhardt; and for New York by the Guild and Group Theatres. Among its biggest successes may be listed “Victoria Regina,” “Parnell,” ano “Elizabeth.” It is the Mecca of the playgoer who seeks more than the average play; and its director-in-chief is Norman Marshall, whose code is to encourage the author who has something to say. Its current season opened with “Serena Blandish, a dramatised version of a best-seller, in which the leading role was played by Vivienne Leigh, that talented young lady who is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with on the stage and films. Others to be presented included a “School” play on “Macedchen in Uniform’ - lines: Francois Mauriac’s new play, “Asmodee,” and James Laver’s American success, “Of Mice and Men.” The Christmas fare of the Gate is Revue, or “High Jinks among the Highbrows.”