"POSSUM PADDOCK."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17941, 21 May 1920, Page 6

"POSSUM PADDOCK."

—«. To-morrow night, at His Majesty's Theatre, there will be produced the new back-blocks comedy that has set all Australia laughing. Originally staged at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, whero it gained an instantaneous and tumultuous success, it ran for six conseoutive weeks, and was only taken off owing to the theatre having been previously booked. A second booming season was scored at the King's Theatro, Melbourne, where seven weeks' record business was established. Adelaide, and Brisbane fell into line with equal results, and on the company's opting in. v Wellington a remarkable run of 13 successive nights greeted the clever Australian comedy. A capable and specially selected company of typo artists sustain the different characters of the play, prominent amongst wjjom is Mr Fred Macdonald, who will be pleasurably remembered for tis splendid delineation of Dave in the l?ert Bailey production of "Oil Our Selection." Another very successful artist is Mr Jack Kirby, a Dunedin native, who has won golden opinions for his lifelike and humorous interpretation of Hugh Bracken, a New South Wales squatter. This is Mr Kirby's first appearance in Now Zealand since his return from the front, and his many friends •will warmly welcome his return to the city of his birtn. A unique interest attaches to the fact that Miss Kate Howardo, authoress and producer of the comedy, also appears in the cast. A specially fine collection of bush studies come from the studio of Mr Harry Whaite, also two Australian kookaburras add their quota of interest. A company of 16 artists comprise the entire cast, and, to quote the words of a contemporary, "anyone who thinks a good laugh the panacea for all ills should not on any consideration omit paying a visit to the much-talked-of ' Possum Paddock. "