"FAIR AND WARMER"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22191, 19 August 1935, Page 12

"FAIR AND WARMER"

WELL-ESTABLISHED FARCE NELLIE BRAMLEY COMPANY SPARKLING PERFORMANCE There was a refreshing zest in the characterisations given by the Nellie Uramley Comedy Company in that wellestablished favourite " Fair and Warmer," which opened a season at His Majesty's Theatre on Saturday night. It was a performance compelling in. its gaiety and lightheadedness, and there was no mistaking the appreciation of the audience of Miss Bramley s inimitable style as a comedienne, and of Mr. Owen Ainley's work as her assistant in the art of farce. Sparkling with wit through all its absurdly hilarious situations, "Fair and Warmer" is genuine fun throughout. It has ambiguous situations in plenty, but no one could take either the situations or the characters too seriously. BiJly Bartlett is a very model husband, so perfectly dependable that his wife has become desperately bored. Living in the same block of flats are Blanche and Jack Wheeler. Wheeler confides to Billy Bartlett that he believes in keeping his wife "wondering" about him. His theory is that "once a wife is sure of her husband, she does not know she i s married." • indiscreet confidences lead to a flareup between the two pairs, and Billy < Bartlett and Blanche Wheeler find themselves together, unanimous in a desire to "get even" with their respective wife and husband. It is here that the fun starts in earnest. Owen Ainley s every gesture as the rabbity little husband was perfectly in part, while Nellie Bramley gave a gem of comedy por- | trayal as the demonstrative and tearI fuliv indignant Blanche. The scene in ! which they decide to embark for the I first time on alcoholic seas, their atI tempts to mix a dynamitic cocktail and j the shattering but not unexpected j effects of -this, were farce in the best I style. Noel Boyd was responsible for a ' sound portrayal as Laura Bartlett, Joy ! Langridge was good as the highly im- | pressionable maid, John Cameron I created a sympathetic figure out of Jack I Wheeler, Wilson Ewart made the most • of his part as a temporary distraction i in the heart of Laura Bartlett, while i Moncrieff McCalluin and William Mc- ; Gowan appeared briefly in the last act. j Between the acts, attractive musical i numbers were given by the young Aucki land violinist Harold Taberner and by | Mr. Wilson Ewart, who sang popular | ballades. Miss Dorothea Ryan was I pianist. The performance will be re- ! peated nightly this week.