“LIFE BEGINS AT 8”

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 134, 2 March 1936, Page 16

“LIFE BEGINS AT 8”

Stanley McKay Presents Another Programme Very few seats were empty at the New Opera House ou Saturday night, ■when the Stanley McKay Revue Company changed its programme, beginning the last week o£ its Wellington visit with “Life Begins at 8.” Mixing comedy with more sejious items, the company yet made the whole pprformance very sprightly. Music, singing, dancing, dialogue and clowning all came naturally to the members of the talented company, while the stage settings and costuming were both excellent. Ike Delavale was the conspirator-m--ehief and his quips and general fooling were all that the audience wanted of him. His imitation of the broadcasting from Trentham racecourse was one of the highlights of the revue, and his mixture of trotting horses with their racing brethren won a storm of applause. Finally he gave the race to a horse which apparently had not entered. In "Getting Arrested’ and ‘‘The Absent-minded Doctor’ also he was very good. Winnie Edgerton combined light acting with good singing, and was one of those for whose appearance the audience waitcd eagerly. “The Gaieties Musical Trio, in which she” was supported by May Brooke at the piano a_nd Eivy Ferguson on the violin, reached a standard rarely met in a vaudeville company. Elvy Ferguson also gave several solo pieces with much credit. Maggie Buckley, Joe Rox and George Corelli furnished fun with a disarming mischief. Russell Callow, tenor, was, one of the best successes of the revue. Colin and Patricia, the adagio dancers, were all they had been heralded to be. Jerry Keogh, with Phyllis Robertson, in one scene, and Phyllis Lane in another, danced very well, and the boy Reno put two of his clever dogs through their tricks, an item,,not on the programme, which was very welcome. One of the best of all the acts was “Fun on Wheels.” given by the Three Tumbling Alexanders, who wer e making their first Wellington appearance in a trick cycling and tumbling act. One of them later became "Trampo,” the hobo on the slack wire. Not only did lie sleep and- make his toilet on the wire, but he also did some amazing things with buckets and brooms and a large wheel. If was a particularly good item. The bullet deserved a full measure of credit for the success of the programme, which will continue until next Friday. On Saturday the company will give a special “farewell programme.”