'THE PEEP SHOW'

Evening Star, Issue 18280, 21 May 1923, Page 9

'THE PEEP SHOW'

A TOP-SPEED MISCELLANY.

STRONG IN FARCE AND DANCING

It was to a full house that the company sent across by J. C. Williamson, Ltd, introduced ‘The Peep Show’ at Hia Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday night. The performance was watched attentively from start to finish, the action being so fast'and so much in the nature of a succession of surprises that the audience instinctively kept alert. It may bo assumed that the general verdict was commendatory, since the great crowd saw the show right through, and applauded liberally, trying in the early part of tho evening to enforce encores, and only desisting from such calls when it was lonnd that they were not answered. Towards tho end the people felt thankful to tho management for thus speeding up tho play, since with all tho promptness, and with only a short interval, it was about 10.50 when tho curtain finally dropped. To classify ‘ The Peep Show ’ might bo a puzzling job to colonial theatregoers, for it is hardly a revue of the type that they are accustomed to. Visitors from the Old Country will, however, identify it at once as a good example of tho authentic London revue, which is quite different from the American revue,_ and that means that it is a studious epitome of theatrical and artistic ideas both old and new. For its preparation a thousand oracles must have been consulted. Tho makers have delved into subjects that are nowadays but rarely exploited for stage purposes, finding wcll-nsed material that was known to our fathers and polishing it np effectively, and creating from these and newer sources a delectable compound which is flavored with farce and dancing right up to date. So there is something for everybody. The scheme ns propounded is that an excursion is made to the moon, that the return party bring with them a girl to whom tho earth is as strange ns the moon is to the most of ns, and that the young follow who acts as her escort in the sublunary sphere takes her round to see tho sights and provides her with tho peep show that gives this work its name. The plan grows faint as the action proceeds, but that is the way with most plans of the stage. The important fact is that tho fun goes on wihout any impairment.

Ono of the best bits of legitimate low comedy came at the. cutset, chiefly in the address by the professor who is trying to cajole the crowd to patronise tho rocket which is about to start for tho moon, for Mr George Willoughby has the showman’s manner to a T, and tho merriment that he created was well backed up by the antics of Mr Jack Cannot (whoso jocularity, of the pure London type, 'seems to become richer as _tho years pass by), also by tho ingenious stage device of making the dummy figures of 'the crowd lift their lints in recognition of the professor’s points. Arrived at the moon, the excursionists find things quite jolly. The feature of the hilarity was the very pretty hallct by pie.rrots, and another performance that took on was the duet by Miss Phyllis Beadon and Mr Wm. Greene. Some amusing clowning by Mr Cannot during the return of tho rocket ■ brought screams of applause. Fun oozed j from his finger tips. The landing from j the rocket is in Scotland, at the Castle of ' MT.lnft, the laird of which is a Yankee, rejoicing in tho name of Highland P. i Washington. This part of the adventure j brings about an effective contrast. Ninetenths of the world’s humor is based on the topsv-turvy —the conjunction of fact and fun—and in this castle scene we have Scottish fealty ceremonies serving as a, sober background on which to indulge in , a lot of fun of the sly and quiet kind. Miss Mona Magnet, who had previously given but a glimpse, of her cleverness in ( the departure scone, now fairly revelled ! in the part of the secretary to the laird, leading in the reel and in the conversation, and making points freely by_ her skill in keeping the action well within the limits of Scottish restraint, venturing no further than a wink or a slight twist of speech. Miss Magnet has a nimble wit, and knows thoroughly the value of reservation and the pause. Mention must also be made of tho dance specialty in this scene by Messrs Edgeley and Dawe, and the song ‘Prince of My Heart’ may be accounted as the finest exposition of ' soprano singing heard from Miss Beadon. Mr Wm. Greene did many good things during the evening, none of them better than N Captain Spreckleton’s Lecture,’ descriptive of a polar expedition on a ship that was 750 ft from stem to stem and the same from stem to stem, therefore in all 1,500 ft long, and manned by a crew who took an affectionate farewell of a thousand or more wives at two of the ports called at. Bursts of laughter interrupted the lecture, and the crude comic illustrations took the fancy of many who would gaze in bored silence at the real thing. H a cut is ever made in ‘The, Peep Show,’ this item must bo preserved. ‘The Song Shop ’ took on readily. Twelve old songs were presented in quick succession, one verse of each, the singers appearing in character, most of them apparelled, though for but, a moment’s work, as carefully as if on for a big turn. The audience seemed to bo most taken with Mr J. H. Wakefield's ‘Seventh Royal Fusiliers,’ Miss Magnet’s ‘ln Her Hair She Wore a White Camclia,’ and bliss Daisy Yates’s rushing imitation of Lottie Collins in ‘Ta-ra-ra-boom-der-ray,’ ■whilst Mr J. H. Wakefield’s imitation of the nigeer swell in ‘Lily of Lanna ’ was also very clever as to scheme and development, though ho lost points by wearing black stockings on his arms instead of putting on tho grease. Tho Christy minstrel show was another well-wnrked-up act, made specially interesting by Miss Magnet’s smartness ns Tambo and by the old negro chorus that was now and again heard through the funny business. Tho second part opened with ‘My Lady’s Dressing ’Fable,’ in which the dresses made the appointments look shabby. Miss Phyllis Amery’s dance was the salvation of that act. ‘ Pre-war Land ’ gave Mr Joe Brennan a chance a,s a polite butcher, and a German band did its worst. Miss Magnet and a party of children presented a very pretty and tender little sketch of good type. ‘Down Dickens Street’ was observed with special attention. Somo of the characters got very scant opportunities, the audience having hardly time to identify Sam Weller, Pecksniff, Pickwick, and one or two others before they hurried off; but several were allowed to do something worth while, and applause was freely bestowed on Mr Willoughby for bis impersonation of Micawber, Mr Brennan for hi.-; faithful picture of Tittle Noll’s grandfather, and Mr H. Higginbotham for his delineations of Scrooge and Uriah Heop. The idea is one that might be further explored. The acrobatic specialty act by Mello and Nello was simply anming, every feat of strength being performed slowly and in a manner that quite proved there was no trickery. ‘The Pin.no Next Door’ is a screaming farce capitally played by bliss Magnet and Mr Wakefield, with brief but very important aid by Mr Willoughby. Patrons who propose to leave early should certainly stay to see ■this delightful farce. It is well written and acted to perfection. A Persian scene entitled ‘The Sultan and tho Slave’ is remarkable for the fascinating dance by which the slave endeavors to regain tho love of hor lord, bliss Amery is a most accomplished dancer, and this was her greatest success of tho evening. Tho orchestra under tho direction of Mr Alfred Moulton played in rare stylo all the evening. Tho music is very richly orchestrated and most capably played, a point about it being its invariable relationship with the singing. ‘Pie Peep Show’ is on again to-nght.