PRINCESS THEATRE

Evening Star, Issue 18035, 1 August 1922, Page 8

PRINCESS THEATRE

ALL-'VAUDEVILLE AG AIK. ■TJio return to ell-raudcvilio at tho Princess' Theatre was marked by an exceptionally strong offering of new acts. Xo fewer than six of these- were making their Ijrst appearance- here, and ©very one of them was ft marked success. Xo better act of its land, -for instance, than tho Flying Winskiils lias shown in Dunedin. The troupe consists of three mem, one of whom, is a Chaplin-like comedian who keeps the audience einunciing with laughter m between the bursts of applause that greet, the marvellous stunts of the other ,two, The act is not a long one, but there ia no waste of time. The flying feats are thrilling in tho extreme. Swinging from a trapeze, one of the trio passes to the other end of the stage-wide apparatus', ■and is caught by a second member who ia hanging by the knees head l downwards. This sounds comparatively simple, until it is added that in .the flight through, the .air •twists and turns and somersaults are executed with enso and certainty,' The culminating sensation was the performance of a double somersault, the aerial tumbler being caught by the wrist© as easily and neatly as possible. Indeed ease and neatness are a feature of all this wonderful work. “Charlie Chaplin” proves as good a tumbler as any of the three when lie sets his mind to it. Xovolty is -such arare quality in, vaudeville nowadays that many will place the act of Murphy, Mack, and Co. very high in favor, and they won’t bo wrong in so doing, for it is cleverly conceived and cleverly carried out. The idea of one man acting as another’s reflection in a glasslcss mirror is quaint, to say the least, and the success of tho deception is made possible by the fact that the major (the one deceived) is in that state known among sailors as “ three sheets in the wind.” The simultaneous movements of the two men, one on each side of the frame, cause hearty laughter andevoko admiration for the skill in which they are carried out. Tho sketch, in which a lady assists, is wha t it is claimed (_, a ]j e —a gem of humor. Then there is Maxwell threw, " London's Fashionable Dame.” lie also scored an immediate triumph, largely by reason of his excellence as a comedian, though his dresses were certainly sumptuous—whether it be that worn by tho “ queen of the harem,” - the Duchess Do One Lung,'’ or any of tho other “ladies” he represenU--and he is a quick change. His gagging was really good, while his burlesque opera .stunt, m which he sings soprano, tenor, and baritone, was great. A Dutch song with a yodelling refrain ,particularly look the audiences fancy, and they were loth, to allow this amusing newcomer to leave the staire. I n Tom Leamore’s act there is more tlnin a whiff of -the old times. He takes ns back almost a, generation, when the sung-mid-dance artist was king at tho music halls. Tom sang songs about the village “pub,” about his wedding day. and about his happy little home, sweet home, and paltered in entertaining style. Labs I’acey proved a dainty little dansouse,. sturdy hut shapely, and able to too dance, .step dunce, and float gracefully around' in abbreviated skirts. Considering that she came from a long railway journey straight on to the stage, she was remarkably bright and nimble, and is sure to be-

come a favorite. Another act which was obliged to show immediately on arrival was that of the Milton Brothers. They •demonstrated the art of-skating to some purpose, and imported into their act a deal of real good comedy, one of the brothers being a specially funny fellow. The stop-over acts were Verna Bain, (the young dancer), who presented a couple of fresh dancos in her fresh happy sty! o; I)e Oar,who -repeated his "acrobatic waiter” stunt, assisted by the wee dogjet; and Jack and Sadie Trent. The latter’s offering was entitled ‘The Parson > and the hlaid,’ and tide maid, whose voice is not that of the gonilo sucking dove, must surely have shocked the parson -«vith her lack of mannera. Tiro pair put oversome topical verses, _ and a few, qnippy jokes were well received-To-night tiro already fine brll will be further strengthened ny the addition of JttJle Belinda, who is said to he- a beautiful find exceptionally skilful aerialist.