CLEM DAWE REVUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22119, 27 May 1935, Page 12

CLEM DAWE REVUE

ANOTHER FINE PROGRAMME ORIGINALITY AND FRESHNESS Originality and freshness distinguish the new revue, " Town Topics," presented by Clem Dawo's company at His Majesty's Theatre on Saturday night. Comedy is the keynote of the production, but there is some delightful singing and dancing. In a series of brilliant sketches Clem Dawe dominates the performance with his nimble wit and superb buffoonery. He cuts a comic figure whether he is burlesquing a proud motorist with a new " baby " car, a photographer with a difficult wedding group to contend with, an amateur villain seeking " atmosphere," an exasperated tourist who has a " spot of bother " with a telephono, a particularly coy crystal-gazer or a distressed husband whose wife has become a jockey. Mr. Dawe is aided and abetted with considerable gusto by Dorothy White, whoso individual studies also were gems of caricature, Eric Edgley, Les White and Joe Shriner. Then there were the appealing singing of Muriel O'MalleV, Ann Luciano and Ralph Daly, the imaginative dancing of Sid Halliday and Lina Watson, whose reportoire seems illimitable, the violin solos of Gregory Ivanoff, the novelty items of Edna Luscombe and Edna Moncrieff, the charm of tho ballet and the music of Tom King and his orchestra. Particular mention must be of the fine interpretation given of Noel Coward's " Mad About tho Boy," showing the effect of a film hero upon women in various walks of life. Splendid vignettes of life were given by Edna Moncrieff and Edna Luscombe, as tho two schoolgirls; Ann Luciano, as the society woman; Muriel O'Mallev, who was notably good as the streetwalker; and Dorothy White, whose study of tho charwoman was a perfect cameo. Once again the playing of Clem Dawe and his " Rhythm Kings " was enthusiastically received. A cornet solo by C. Bye was greeted with tremendous applause, but time did not permit response to insistent demands for an encore. " Town Topics " will be repeated nightly this week, with a matinee on Wednesday. The final Auckland production of the company's highly-successful tour will commence on Saturday.