VAUDEVILLE DE LUXE

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 151, 23 March 1925, Page 7

VAUDEVILLE DE LUXE

A GALAXY OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS.

The very best in vaudeville must be tlje verdict on the latest aggregation of artists from the J. C. Williamson. Ltd.. Australian theatres, which attracted an audience that more than filled every seat in the Grand Opera House on Saturday night. The new combination is the most brilliant all-round company seen for a long time, and the applause which rang out from the entire audience on frequent occasions endorsed this impression. In Felovis is presented a juggler who outdoes the most brilliant performers in that category in the memI ory. His skill in balancing and speed (and artistry in juggling ore positively uncanny. Just when one is imagining I that he has done the very last thing in this tricky business, he staggers the imagination by going one better. He is a perfect marvel with the walkingstick, cigar and top-hat, and his astounding dexterity in the manipulation of twirling sticks and a rubber ball is wonderful.. As spectacular as anything is his work with a tall lighted lamp of opal glass, which Felovis not only rushes about as he balances it at the end of a long pole, but perching it on the end of a short stick, he sets the lamp twirling round as he holds the | stick balanced on his chin. He also fools cleverly with the same lamp on the edge of a china plate. Felovis makes no mistakes and never looks for laughter. The Versatile Three—A. A. Hasten, E. W. Mills, and A. Tuch—made the biggest possible hit of the evening. These are coloured folk, instinctive syncopatists, who are imbued with the real spirit of harmony and, the joy of rhythmical jazz music. Each of the trio is a musician, and all three are blessed with splendidly sympathetic voices and ingratiating personalities. They burst into favour in the jimpy song. In Passadena Town," and from that they were simply a riot of glad song and jazz melody for twenty-five minutes—ano then the audience had not heard nearly enough of them. Versatility is their keynote—versatility backed by talent of no ordinary character. In Mr. Tuch the Trio has a banjoist as good as we have heard for ten years His tone is sweet and musical, and his technique is something to wonder at. But the singing was exceptionally good, ranging , from "My Garden of Dreams" to the I gay "Chicken Rag." from "My Monkey Harem in Jungle Town” to tho notouslv funny "Hard-hearted Hannah ' Jt Ain’t a Goin’ to Rain No Mo, with original verses about the All Blacks and other local topics, was rapturously received, and, finally, the Trio sang the , quaint spirituelle * with rather wonderful harmonic and tonal Hayden and Nevard in "Then and present a delightful song scene, which represents, in refined and gently humorous manner, a vocal combat between the old songs and the new. Clothed in purple and fine ;linen, cut in a fashion, to mark the sartorial differences of a hundred years, they argue the point pleasantly. The tenor of the dut is a singer of exceptional sweetness unu has a sound top note at his disposal. One of the happiest inspirations 1n th act was when Mr, 1825 Rose of Summer and Mr. 1925 it at the piano and vocally. -The Daros consist of a trim little aB A lr £ and a big gdod-natured lump of . bra X“ and muscle from Wigan. Grasping the light-weight lady by the ankles he hoists her into the air vertically and places hw on his head, and there standing on one foot, she posrs gracefully, whilst she addresses remarks, bold and saicastic to her only visible means of support. On her hairy perch she varies the going by singing snatches of songs in little voice. As this is not elevation enough, a fifteen-foot ladder i. requisitioned, and with this perched on the muscular one’s forehead and the ladv on the ladder, half-hidden by. tno stage, borders, there is more posing, and comic allusions to one another, and -things in general. The "crocodile walk of the strong man is an ath.etio teat rarelv seen. No vaudeville company is complete without a wire act, anfi this is provided by tho Four Ortons, who cut out all the timid preliminaries, and commence bv rushing over the wire at top speed. They balance on chairs on the wire, jump hurdles, and ono even Indulges in cross-rope skipping, increasing the tempo to "popper" and then "mustard," before bis jumps to the stago. A very neat one-person sketch is cleverly put over bv Miss Ethel New- | man. This is "The Widow,” who sud- ( deniy discoveres through a letter that . the man she has adored and sadly i mourned for; has been a perfidious I wretch, in which predicament she at I once finds consolation with an old sweetheart. The manner in which Miss Newman rigs up an impromptu dress (to take the place of her "weeds”) from a couple of’ table-covers, earner, the app’ause of the gentlemen and the admiration of the ladies present. Jack Hooker and Dorothy Seaward were responsible for a clever dancing act, in which many styles of dancing were vigorously illustrated, and Miss Violet Lestv a Bwmw. displayed some variety j

in tone values in singing first of all a Spanish barcarolle, and then "blackingup” before the audience, gave an impel eonation of a coon singing "Carolina in the Morning." Mr. A. G. Frosts has a good orchestra at his disposal, and his i*ot pourri opening was a really clever arrangement of melodies all the world knows and loves. The Wellington season of the company should be a big GUW3AS.