CHILDHOOD AGAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 208, 3 September 1935, Page 9

CHILDHOOD AGAIN.

JUDY JINX AND DAVID

FINE JUVENILE ACTING. Memories of all that was pleasant and sweet and wholesome in the days "when wo were very young," when nursery rhymes and fairy tales were the stuff of our romance, were revived last night at His Majesty's Theatre, where "Judy Jinx and David" opened its season. To say exactly what the production was would be hard. It was something of a pantomime, something of a musical comedy and something or a fantasy; but whatever decision the audience might come to in that regard, on one decision all who saw it would be unanimous: It was well done and thoroughly worth the seeing. The story itself was a fairy tale, and like ail fairy tales, it ended with dreams coining true—just, in fact, as is the project the proceeds are to benefit, a dreain-come-true of a generous Aucklander—<the Wilson home for crippled children, Takapuna. The outstanding feature of the fantasy— let us decide it was that—was not the' finished performance of the grown-ups, who ought to be able to act, but the delightful efforts of the little children who formed the majority of the cast. Only those who have tried to train children know how difficult it is to produce any sort of cohesion in their movements, anil any sort of stage presence. Yet Miss Cecil Hall managed it superlatively. The little dancers naturally were by no means perfect, but the very imperfection, the naive behaviour of the actors was the principal charm of the production. Each knew exactly where to go at any given moment, and exactly what to do. There was never a hiatus apparent, nor a moment of confusion. Perhaps the most popular of the juvenile numbers was "What Made Little Boy Blue?" As the solo was sung and each nursery rhyme brought out, an appropriately and beautifully dressed impersonation in the shape of a little girl or boy, perhaps five years old, would pitterpatter from the wings and stand there in ■the blaze of the footlights, and not one turned a hair. Again no one could forget the sight of a line of bunnies hopping solemnly from one side of the stage —each costume perfect, even to the white bobbing tail. The central figures were Judy Jinx and David; Isabel Henderson and Noel Mabee respectively. The acting of the pair, jierhaps 13 years old, was an impressive illustration of what children may be trained to do. These children actually dominated some of the scenes they were in. _ They were word perfect, and their acting would not have shamed years of experience on the stage. The voice and the presence of the Queen of all the Fairies, Zenda Ready, were well fitted for the part, while Mr. Harry Withers was a most impressive Magic King. His exemplification of his powers, in the form of a number of sleight-of-hand tricks, was also good, and amusing—and well timed to act as a contrast *o the general run of the fantasy. Dan Flood, as the Goatherd, was—well, he was Dan Flood. One found oneself calling Graspe (Norton Hammond) Shylock or Old Scrooge, which iteelf spoke for the quality of his acting. The ballets were good, though not perfect, but even professional ballets seldom are. That of the Magic King's hand maidens was the best. A word should be said about the costuming. There was not a false note or colour tone, and the large variety, necessitating a number of changes, spoke for efficiency "behiijd scenes." The worst that might be said of the production as a whole was that.it dragged a trifle in places, and the best, that it was well done, that it spoke for a great deal of organisation and practice, and that it reflected much credit on the producer, Mrs. Zoe BaHtley-Baxter. The orchestra was under the leadership of Mrs. Eve Miller.