“NIGHTS AND DAZE”

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22705, 9 May 1939, Page 6

“NIGHTS AND DAZE”

* STUDENTS’ REVUE AT THEATRE ROYAL BRIGHT • AND TOPICAL ENTERTAINMENT “Nights and Daze,” the Canterbury College Revue, which opened at the Theatre Royal last night, and will run again to-night and to-morrow night, is very entertaining most of the l time and sometimes very pointed in its political and topical allusions; at other times it needs a little more liveliness on the part of the actors: but it is very amusing, and should be seen by everyone who looks for novelty. The main attraction is “Nosewipe and the Seven Drips,” based in its music and theme on a film that was notably entertaining; with sudh a good start it succeeds very well indeed, making the most of the theme for a broad satire, mainly on politics, and partly on everything and anything. The revue is marked by some very good ballets by the women students, who have, been carefully trained and are able to offer some excellent dancing, marked by a liveliness and enthusiasm that often gives a very pleasing character to an amateur show. Their costumes have been very well designed, and they dance in settings that are marked by a real sense of theatrical appeal. The opening chorus, especially, with a very good, can-can ballet, is notable for its settings, for its excellent chorus singing,, and for the dancing of the girls in the ballet. It sets .a lively tone for the whole revue, and creates a good impression from the start. ,A few bright sketches and a remarkably good display of gymnastics, lead up to the main of the first half of the programme, “Okay for Noise,” which is about the celebration of the centennial, and an American film company which sends a producer and a glamour girl from Hollywood to make a genuine film about Maoris. Their efforts proceed very merrily indeed. The waltz ballet at the opening of the second half of the programme is outstanding. Gracefully and skilfully performed in well-designed costumes, and |»ood lighting it is a really delightful piece of work. Aifer a sketch, and a very clever one, there is a tense drama about a spy who .gets into Wigram—no, BigRam Aerodrome. She is a, very beautiful spy, very skilled in vamping everybody who has any official secrets to give away. _But she is outwitted —at least she finds she has stolen the wrong document. / The latter part of ’ the revue is very good, containing as well as more tho story of “Nosewipe and the Seven Drips.” This comedy sketch is very well written, and makes its satirical points very well indeed; It is also very well acted, with the result that the audience is thoroughly amused and pleased. The seven drips are Cabinet Ministers; Dopey, who does not know whether he can speak because he had never tried, is the Minister for Public Works. A further interlude, without a title, but carrying the advice in the programme “Forget that tram—-this Is a trimmer,” is a very good and novel one. Based on some very amusing sketches that are well known to radio listeners, it is made to refer, to very topical events, to one, among them, that took place yesterday. With some excellent material the revue could be much better if it hurried along more quickly and the actors were more outspoken and more extravagant •in their burlesque. The speaking of the dialogue, often where it is most pointed, occasionally fails to get the humour across to-the audience. The music, however, provided by Fritz Seymour’s Orchestra, is always pleasing, and is very well selected.