Carol Lawrence part of very long queue

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32498, 7 January 1971, Page 4

Carol Lawrence part of very long queue

It sometimes seems that just about everyone who has had even one leading role in a motion picture, a television serial, or a stage play automatically qualifies to have his or her own TV spectacular. There has certainly been a long succession of them on New Zealand programmes, and by and large they do not quite come up to scratch.

On Tuesday night it was “The Carol Lawrence Show.” The names change, the format seldom. We must confess we had to find out who Miss Lawrence was, and we should perhaps have known more about her. She was Maria in the Broadway production of "West Side Story.” She is a handsome girl, and she can dance too. But the performance began on a raucous note and the assault on the eardrums was maintained steadfastly almost throughout the entire show. Miss Lawrence was grossly overworked in it. There was Julius Wechter, and his Baja Marimba Band, and while it was satisfactory it did not

make the evening memorable.

The only other guest performers were the Nicholas • Brothers, who rated fair to average with their rather old-fashioned eccentric and tap dance routine. But Miss ’ Lawrence only, perhaps, because she had so much to do with her voice and the all too familiar settings became a little tiresome. Perhaps the best spot on the show was her long and demanding appearance with her male dance ensemble, right at the end. But Tuesday night was saved from failure by "Softly, Softly” which very seldom fails to please this viewer. The reliance of the police on informers has become familiar in this series and for the third time recently there was a hint that someone in the force (in London this time) had tipped off the suspects before the raid. But it was wellcast again, it seemed most authentic, nice Mr Box had a better chance than usual, and one of the strengths of the series was in evidence again; the crime squad failed to get its man. It was not the only unsolved mystery. DetectiveSergeant Dwyer started the evening with his beard and I

I moustache but after a few minutes he appeared without them. And not a word was said by anybody. A pity Mr Barlow was off duty this week. He would not have let the occasion pass without comment.—PANDORA.