KING'S THEATRE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12533, 20 April 1935, Page 6

KING'S THEATRE

'.‘ONE NIGHT OF LOVE" GLORIOUS SINGING; StJFMIB- » ACTING With its feast of glorious singing, its charming ■story, and the finished acting of all its principals, “One Night of Love,” will undoubtedly stand out as one of finest musical films yet shown in Gisborne. Its premiere presentation at the King’s was at 10.20 on Thursday evening, and despite the late hour there was a capacity attendance, the beholders being entranced. G r, aco Moore, the brilliant Metropolitan rand Opera prima donna, reveals a personality which would win her an important place even without her voice, but the combination of beauty and charm, with thrilling singing, places her in a pre-eminent position. “One Nght’ of Love” is, of courso, Grace Moore. One asks nothing better., The istory traces her rise from a small town girl singing at a competition to prima donna at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, singing, as the film concludes, “Ono Fine Day,” from . “Madame Butterfly.” Artfully, but with considerable effect, the director shows his audience the development not only of his chief character’s fortunes hut her voice- And what a voice! How many international prima donnas could play a perfect Carmen and a perfect Madame Butterfly ? Such a feat requires more than a Covent Garden standard isoprano voice: it requires the histrionic qualities wo ask of first-rank actresses. Grace Moore amazes one with the ease with which she accomplishes her difficult task. She dashes off the “Habanera” from Carmen with wild abandon,, leaving one thrilled by her coloratura work, gives “Thp Last Rose o<f Summer’ ’a poignant sweetness and lays bare the tragedy of little Butterfly in the glorious music of her entrance song and the haunting “One Fine Day.” It is a noteworthy feature of the film that while the music along makes it outstanding, there is 10 suggestion that the story exists merely to introduce the many great operatic excerpts. Actually, the romance olf the singer with the imperious maestro who has forbidden any talk of love to interrupt her strenuous training develops along whimsical and thoroughly en'e-riain • ing lines. This is due parity to the amusing portrayal given by Tu’rlio Carminati, who at one time appeared as leading man to the great Eleanor Duse. His characterise lion or the temperamental inipressario is almost perfect. Then there is Luis Alberni, who is unfailingly humorous as an Italian pianist, Lyle Talbot who makes a very sympathetic although prosaic young American admirer, and the Australian actress Mona Barrie, who acts with distinction as a jealous singer who threatens to wreck ihe young principal’s happiness and operatic success. The plan for the season is at the King’s Theatre, where seats for all sessions are filling rapidly.