AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 305, 24 December 1926, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS.

NEW REGENT THEATRE. The Regent, Auckland's new and magni«.ficent. theatre, will be officially opened at 7.45 this evening by Mr. J. A. Warnock, Deputy-Mayor. The principal picture will be" the Paramount masterpiece, "Beau ■' v Geste," of which a critic says: "The plot marches rapidly to the enlistment o£ the t' three brothers in the French Foreign -J Legion,-each: acting alone, and yet actuated* by the common childhood memory of;» Major de Beaujolais. Then come long:! sequences of stark realism, unlovely sec- .'< tions from the life of the Legionaire, 4 niouiiting "to the devilling by Sergeant* Lejaune, which leads to mutiny inter-T rupted by the attack of the Tuaregs. Not ■ £0r a moment does the interest lag. It T grows in increasing volume to the denouement, two more scenes, and the story hai been told., < Ronald Colman, in the title role, is not permitted to overshadow the : others to the detriment of the story. Hβ gives' a sincere and convincing picture, '. one that adds much to his artistic stature.' Noah-Beery, as the evil genius, is very ft little like his usual self. He is not Beerys playing , just another character. He. Ie Lejaune brought to screen life. A limited amount" of comedy relief is injected by-;! Victor McLaglen and Donald Stuart, and' Normati Trevor is splendid as the major. -J But.it is. unfair to select certain playen for special mention. Each of the cast contributes to the general effect. It is the ensemble which makes the greater impree*: sion.' It is one of the best-balanced casts observed in a long time, notable both for the. absence of poor acting and for the competent assumption of the various roles. 'Much of this credit must go to the director, Herbert Brennon, who has developed hie opportunites to the utmost. . ; The vaudeville side of the programme will ! be provided by Zoe Delphine and Co., who':; will present a spectacular and novel. - dancing act;" and Mies Hilda Nelson, the. English soprano. ■ A special musical programme will be given by the Operatic" Orchestra, under the baton of Mr. Maurice Guttridge. t £ MARIE -BURKE IN "KATJA." The-opening performance of "Katja" in His Majesty's Theatre on Monday will' signalise the reappearance in New Zealand of. Miss Marie Burke and the "Wildflower" Company since the train by which they were travelling to Brisbane wag wrecked-early this year, and, judging by.> the excellent demand for seats, local playgoers have decided to give them a warm" welcdme. A full lighting and scenic re;' hearsal took place yesterday, under the ■ supervision of the stage manager, Mr. H. Nightingale, so that every thing' is in 'i readiness for the opening production.:- . "Katja," it is said, contains all the ele- ?■ ments which make up a splendid night's -s entertainment, including beautiful melo-' dies, good musical numbers, clever dialogue, exquisite frocks, gorgeous stage set-. tings, and a big feature is the genuinely. humorous comedy scenes, which are part [and parcel of the production. "Katja". also,unfolds a- particularly interesting and • I romantic love story. From among its '.numerous musical numbers, perhaps the ' following are the best known and most j popular: "Dancing Together" (Marie. I Burke), "Just for a Night" (Marie Burke . and Herbert Browne), "When We're Mariried" (Thelma Burness and R. Barrett-. . Lennard), "When Love's In the Air" \ (Babette Odeal), "Cruel Chief" (Cecil Kel- ( laway), "Politics" (Herbert Browne), I "I've Planned a Rendezvous" (Herbert j Browne), "If You Cared" (Thelma Burness, and Herbert Browne). Features of , the production are the splendid work of \ the chorus and the operatic orchestra. Only . a limited number of representations can be staged of "Katja," and during the reason "Wildflower" will be revived. . LABOUR PARTY CONCERT. A special Christmas programme will be given at the Labour Party's benefit con--cert in the Strand Theatre on Sunday evening. Mi - . Raymond will give a short lecture on hypnotism, and orchestral selections will be played from 7 to 7.30, after which there will be a varied number of items arranged by Mrs. A. J. Dreaven