BRILLIANT NEW REVUE

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22201, 18 September 1937, Page 8

BRILLIANT NEW REVUE

! ♦ ! FRANK NEIL’S COMPANY FINE ENTERTAINMENT AT THEATRE ROYAL i The first appearance in Christchurch at the Theatre Royal last evening of Frank Neil's revue. “Three Cheers for the Red. White, and Blue,” brought a •; very refreshing kind of entertainment ito the city, and one which will, if i hs success is to be measured by the : °nthusiast;c reception on the first ; night, receive a very warm welcome i mdeed. It is marked by several out--1 standing acts, which give a really exi ~eptional character to the show, and I .'cave an extremely favourable impression, but at no time does the performi ance fail to maintain a standard that | is unworthy of what must be considi ered the star turns. The members of : the company are all finished artists in , the various kinds of entertainment ; that they have to offer, and in praising them there is no excuse for any I but the highest enthusiasm. In per- | formancc. stage settings, costumes, and I ’he general production, the revue ■ achieves a level which places it fore- ; most among the presentations of this i kind that have come to Christchurch. It would convey little idea of their merit to characterise all the items individually, but rnenticn should be made of some of them, which, if they are outstanding, are none the less re--1 presentable. Perhaps because of the j moments of suspense in which it keeps the audience, the wire-walking act of Con Colieano remains most vividly in the memory. Expecting a fine displav of skill, the audience is nevertheless scarcely prepared for the amazing ability which Colieano displays, and for what he attempts and successfully does. After some skilful introductory movements on the wire , he succeeds in turning a back somersault: but ever then the astonished audience has not seen his utmost skill. He concludes his performance by turning a forward somersault, in which, with the feet preceding the head, he cannot see the wire; yet he lands successfully in a very graceful refutation of any doubts on the possibility of performing this astounding feat. Irene Vermillion is another artist who. in her acrobatic dancing, offers much more than any description could lead the audience to expect. Her act. in which she is supported by the Dart girl trumpeters, is a remarkable exhibition of rhythmic and controlled muscular movement. It is very easy to forget that there is any conscious art in her fine dancing, so natural and spontaneous are her gestures and movements. The closest observation fails to detect any sign of awkwardness or restriction. The singing in the revue is a feature which deserves high praise, but more than passing mention must be made of Bob Parrish, whose rich and melodious voice upholds the high reputation that artists such as Paul Robeson have won for negro singers. Parrish has a vo.ee of outstanding quality and it was only to be expected tha> the audience were insistent in demanding much more from him than the programme could allow. Two other singers who prove very popular art Bernard McCaffery and Natalie Raine. j Some very lively tapping by tht Broadwry Tappers is introduced into .he programme, after a hilarious opening scene, and the skill which is shown elves evidence that there is still much interesting novelty that can be introduced into this fascinating art. A few brisk and highly amusing sketcheswith Charles Norman as the leading comedian, and a ballet act cr two are | interspersed between such outstanding I items as the balancing acts by the ! Hams sisters and the whistling - and j harp-playing novelty by Sisson and ] \cal. Later in the programme there i is the fine adagio dancing by the Ar- i sistos. It can be said that the revue is marked both by novelty and a high standard of performance, and lack# nothing of the variety and surprise which is necessary for a show of this kind.