ENTERTAINMENTS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 75, 9 January 1928, Page 7

ENTERTAINMENTS

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE. “OH! WHAT A NURSE!” Syd. Chaplin in “Oh! What a Nurse!” his-new Warner Master Picture comedy, opens to-niglit. Chaplin appears as a newspaper reporter, Avho dives from a ferry-boat to save a girl, and gets picked up by a rum-running tug, and aa t lio is forced into the costume of a bootleg queen in order to divert suspicion from the real culprit. Like any good neAvspaper man, the reporter, with an assignment to cover, does not pause even to change his clothes Avhen he has a job to be attended to. The result is that, in the bootleg queen’s outfit, he runs into a maze of trouble, and, to get himself out of it, seizes a nurse’s costume. From then on, his adventures are indiscribably comical. This is a picture, that affords as much entertainment as one can stand without grievous physical discomfort. It sets out at the start to create laughter, and it keeps it up at ia breathless pace. " The picture Avill be shown again tomorroAV night.

“UP IN MABEL’S ROOM.” The clever American farce “Up in Mabel's Room” Avas presented at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening Jby a company, more richly endowed with talent than is usually the case Avith the touring companies that visit Ashburton. The comedy Avas extremely well received by the audience, though one would not be necessarily thought prudish if expressing the opinion that the dialogue and some of the admittedly clever situations were too highly fraught with, riskiness if not actual indelicacy. There can, hoAvever, be no diversity of opinion in regard to the brilliance of the plot. The alarming and intriguing situations and misunderstandings' followed one another in such quiet succession as to leave the audience breathless with laughter and excitement, The honours of the evening go to Miss Zara Clinton whose characterisation of the unconventional Mabel was Avell-nigh flaAvless. Her chief charm lay in her refreshing coolness and confidence. The brunt of the comedy work fell on the shoulders of Billy O’Hanlon and A. Brandon Cromer and nobly did they bear the burden. The following was the caste of characters (in order of their appearance):— Kruger (Weldon’s Butler), Thomas McDermott; Corliss (Gariy Ainsworth’s Man), A. Brandon Cremer; Jimmy Larch mont, Eric Harrison; Alicia Larchmont (Jimmy’s Wife), Hilda Attenbro; Garry AinsAvorth. Billy O’Hanlon j Geraldine (Garry’s Wife), Sybil Atnohvood; Mabel Essington, Zara Clinton j Martha Weldon, Shirley Cooke; Arthur Weldon, Jack Beattie. The company Avill re-visit Ashburton later when it is intended to produce another farce entitled “Oh Richard, How Could You?”