KISSING TIME

Evening Star, Issue 18503, 10 December 1923, Page 5

KISSING TIME

A PLAY OP LAUGHTER AND SPARKLE. “I Like It;I Like It,’’ is tho burden of one of the many captivating songs in ‘Kissing Time,’ presented before Dunedin theatregoers "for the first time at His Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday evening, and “ I like it”—with added emphasis—was the burden of the remarks passed by the audience as they left the theatre at a few minutes to I'l o’clock. Many, it seemed, liked it better than they had liked ‘ The Cabaret Girl ’; many more liked it just as much; few liked it less. ‘Kissing Time’ certainly has a broader appeal than has tho other play. The humor is not of the subtle type, the , situations are broadly funny, end the music is almost all of tho bright, jinky kind. There is not a musical number, indeed, that does not sot up the desire in the hearer to hum it or whistle it there and then. And there is Alfred Frith, with unlimited scope and absolutely at his best. This popular comedian does a tremendous amount of work, and is (as the ladies put it) “ a perfect scream ” from start to finish. The audience warmly greeted him on his first entrance, looked eagerly for him to make his subsequent entrances, bubbled in anticipation of his jokes, roared with laughter when tho jokes were cracked, and frequently interrupted the course of events with delighted applause. ‘Kissing Time,’ founded on a, French play, has the light Fronchy touch. It is all about light domestic differences, flirtations, and misunderstandings which come right in the end. It is an immediately post-war story, with a distinct, yet light, military flavor. And P. G. Wodehouse fas in tho ease of ‘The Cabaret Girl’) has had something to do with the writing of it. Bibi St. Pol, in the course of his mili-tary-motorist duties, has knocked down without greatly injuring n lady, and, Frcuchmnnlike, made (he subsequent proceedings interesting to both parties. A letter from the ludy—“the littlest woman you ever saw.” he explains in extenuation—. is intercepted by his wife, who, Frenchwoman,like, revenues herself by flirting with her “ godson ’’—adopted under tho correspondence scheme in vogue during the war—who has come along to visit his “godmother” while on leave. Only he isn’t the real godson, but a, soldier-play-wright, who changes places and army books with the real godson. Here, again, trouble arises, for tho pseudo godson unexpectedly meets Iris wife, who immediately proceeds to salvo her outraged feelings by flirting with an elderly colonel, who turns out to bo the young Madam St. Pol’s guardian. And so the highly humorous commlications increase and multiply until the climax comes, and on. explanation is imperative. This is made and accepted by the colonel, and tho curtain falls on a- stage full of singing and dancing and radiantly happy people. Even the much maligned and harassed Bibi smiles.

Alfred Frith, of course, is Bilbi, a humorously meek (or weak) Bibi, who effaces himself and actually changes places with the cook-godson in order not ( o undeceive the colonel, who has caught young madam and the said godson kissing. In the first scone of the second act his comedy works up to a side-splitting pitch, and bis “business” with the fearful and wonderful dishes which ho serves up to the select party, consisting of his wife, her temporary “husband,” and the colonel, had the house in a roar. Two other comedy parts that were excellently taken were those of Colonel Bollinger (by Cecil Kellaway) and Bricheux thy Field Fisher). The former, without unduly burlesquing the character, got quite a, lot ,of fun out of it, while in ungainly French Pollen Bricheaux (Mr Fisher) found a part that suited him down to the ground. His constant search for someone “ with a conversation ” and the frequent, disappointments which always “gave him a pain” were highly diverting. So, too, were the old colonel’s love-making passages with the pretty young Madam Toquot. Cyril Bitehard did not have as much scope as Toquot as ho had in the role of Gripps, hut ho played the part with characteristic flippancy, Madge Elliott was a charmingly lithe and alluring Lucicnne Toquot. A bom coquette was madam, and when to the coquetry were added some wonderful frocks one marvels at the restraint which enabled Colonel Bollinger to content himself with .madam's fingertips when so much more intimate kissing was going on around him. Miss Elliott’s dancing was again one of the gems of the evening. Nell Pn.vnc had quite a hig part a.s Georgette St. Pol, the scornful wife_ of Bibi (“ His heart is weak, mv dear, in which respect it closely resembles his head ”), and she handled it splendidly. Always in the picture and always of it, Miss Payne was a big factor in keening up the smooth pace—and pace is a feature of 'Kissing Time.’ Her clear enunciation, both in singing and speaking, was refreshing, though, ns n, mutter *of fact, the some desirable quality is anparent in the speech of almost crcrv member of the company. Floio Allan (Zclie), Marie Eaton (Lady Mcrivale), Stuart Eraser (Lieutenant Dupenti, and Fred Mack ay (Captain Wentwortn) filled (hose minor parks adequately.

Among the many bright and charming musical numbers were: —‘Some Day Waiting Will End’ and ‘Thousands of Years Ago’ (two hountimrly pretty songs by Madge Elliott, the latter sung with a male chorus); Iwo duels hy Miss Elliott and Cvril Hit-chord, a. quaintly humorous little thing called ‘Joan and Peter’ and the amorous ‘There’s a, Light in Your Eyes’; ‘Women TTaven’t Any Mercy on a" Man,’ Alfred Frith’s big hit; ‘Ma Gherie.’ n. chic ditty hv Yell Payne; and the quartet ‘I Like It.’ Lack Hooker and Renta Nugent won heart? applause for their Apache dance in the second act, Mr Hooker having Dorothy Seaward as a partner in another fine dancing effort Inter in the same act. The chorus ladies and men were not called upon so often os, they were in ‘The Cabaret Girl.’ but when their services were required they were, as effective ns over, especially the ladies, who, with their viinfill movements and stunning frocks, made a nretty and stimulating picture. A commendable feature of both ‘The Cabaret Girl’ and ‘Kissing Time.’ but especially of the latter, in which opportunity was greater, was the thoroughness with which those, members of the east who had the smallest parts, and even the members of the chorus, filled themselves into the scheme of things. There was an absence of Hint casnalnoss that ’s not (infrequently noticeable in visiting companies. Two exceptionally pretty items were the (loral motor car stunt with which Albert Frith’s motor song concluded and the human maypole dance in one of Nell Pavne’s songs.

‘Kisring Time’ will be repeated to-night, for the last time, the company being booked to leave Dunedin to-morrow morning.