"FRENCH LEAVE."

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 245, 15 October 1926, Page 5

"FRENCH LEAVE."

ANOTHER MURIEL STARR SUCCESS. A good farce is always worth reviving, even though it brings back to the stage of to-day the khaki uniforms that were concerned in that little bit of history that had its curtain eight years ago. The ripples of laughter that ran continuously through His Majesty's Theatre for over two hours last evening, when Miss Muriel Starr and her company played ''French Leave," proved that. W e have a special interest in this comedy, for the author, Reginald Berkeley, was once a resident of Auckland. "French Leave" is a farce, and as a farce it i» great fun. It is one of those war comedies in which the soldier characters rejoic c in a sort of discipline that certainly did not make the good old Army what it is to-day, or was eight years ago, in which majors and lieutenants treat brigadiergenerals with an utter indifference that would seem almost sacrilge in the eyes of the "Gad sir!" generals of tradition, passing them mustard at mess when they ask for marmalade, and the like. In "French Leave," you may remember, the plot concerns the lovely Dorothy Glenister who, prompted by a longing to see her husband, quartered in ■ territory into which no wives are s«p- . posed to enter, a fact of which she is ignorant, come down from Paris and puts up at the French billet which houses Harry, the husband (who is ; brigade-major), the brigadier-general and Lieutenant Gorge Graham. In order to get away with her daring, the girl bribes the landlady to pass her off as a relation down from Gay Farce for a holiday, and develops a French accent as a further aid. The fun begins when both brigadier-general and lieutenant, to say nothing of the interpreter, flirt with the young lady and rave about her, under the very nose of the almost distracted husband, who, perforce, can say nothing for fear of letting the eat out of the bag. The author has worked up some cxi cellent diologue and knows how to t flavour good humour with genuine exf citement. The most hilarious of the i three acts is the second, in which most I of the action takes place in the darkness, with the characters moving about , in the darkness, falling over loose-stair 1 boards and getting into one glorious 1 mix-up. There is a screamingly funny s interlude Uetween the brigadier in pyjamas and dressing gown, and the 2 French landlady, both shrieking at each 1 other and neither knowing what the other is getting at. The house "comes j down" when the brigadier yells in j despair. "My God, she's going to say it al! over again." Miss Starr is an actress who never loses her winsome appeal, no matter what role she is playing. She is quite delightful as the daring Dorothy, and her performance is as natural as could 5 be. You never forget that infectious r laugh of hers. Mr. Harvey Adams L made a perfect English brigadier, one of - those explosive, bent old lads, with grey _ hair, bristling moustache and evertl sarcastic expressions. Kenneth Brampton n was a handsome brigade-major and. as v such, was perfectly cast. Raymond s Lawrence played the lieutenant with an c eye for women. Kyrle Sylvanev. the r interpreter, and Bertha Ballenger. the t landlady. Two very important numbers y of the cast were the comical and Knowu ing orderlies. Corporal Svkes and Rifles man Jenks, played excellently by Fred Coane and Felix Bland. "French Leave" was preceded by a onei act comedy. "Between the Soup and the Savoury." by Gertrude Jennings. This was a slight thing, but it contained a fine little actress in Clarice Kingsley. who earned a round of applause for her work as the poor littl» ''seivv." longing for a young man. Bertha Ballenger made a good cook of the real cook type, and Bebe Scott wa« the parlour-maid, 1- who would make a fortune as a broadi, caster. ) i The programme will he repeated until c. Saturday. n n Monday. "Madame X." [ will be staged.