STUDENTS’ REVUE DELIGHTS FIRST-NIGHT AUDIENCE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29192, 30 April 1960, Page 15

STUDENTS’ REVUE DELIGHTS FIRST-NIGHT AUDIENCE

After a preliminary audiencewarming session by the university haka party outside the Civic Theatre the 1960 students’ revue, “Purple Patches Uplifted,” got away to a rollicking start last evening.

The revue, a revised and extended 1 version of the 1934 “Purple Patches”—considered to be the most successful university revue in Christchurch —kept the audience delighted for almost two hours and a half. A compere attired in dinner suit, with his left eye patched in pirate fashion summed up the general trend of the show in his announcement before the curtain rose, “. . . you will see the greatest, most exciting scenes in the world’s history.” There was little satirising of current affairs in this year’s revue—the six scenes were all slapstick interpretations of legendary events. The scenes were, “Nero,” “Henry VIII,” “Rasputin,” “Don Hyphen Juan” in which the mixed love affairs of a Spanish royal photographer were presented, “The Borgias.” and "Guy

Fawkes,” which presented certain New Zealand political figures in the role of drunken conspirators in the vaults of the houses of parliament. The six ballets delighted the audience. In one scene, eerie illuminated skeletons wafted about the stage prompted by a ghoulish red devil. A babies’ ballet, in which husky men attired in napkins, representing children of several nationalities, all offspring of Don Hyphen Juan, and a mixed Scottish, can-can ballet by students from Lincoln brought long and appreciative applause. Other pleasing portions of the revue included the brilliantly devilish Rasputin, the scheming murderous brother of Lucrezia Borgia, the doubtful character of Don Hyphen Juan, and the contortionist ballet by black-booted Russians. The revue ended with a bang when a menacingly smoking garbage can in the Guy Fawkes scene finally exploded. Credit must go to the producer, David Hindin, the musical director, Chuck Fowler, and the ballet mistress, Betty Carnochan, for a night of pleasing entertainment