PRINCESS THEATRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18591, 27 June 1922, Page 5

PRINCESS THEATRE

The change of programme at the Princess Theatre last night was a bright and varied entertainment, much on the lines of the fare submitted last week. The opening half was vaudeville pure and simple, which made way in the latter part of the evening for George Ward and his American Revue Company. Eix, the crayon cartoonist, was on again, and delighted everyone with his swift and clever pictures and portraits. Frank Whitman, “the dance-mad fiddler,'’ has lost none of his charm, and worked up to the climax of his act with telling effect. It is really amazing what he can do with a violin, and three times he was heartily "recalled. Saunders and Roberts, comedians and dancers, made their first acquaintance with a Dunedin audience. In appearance they are a well-balanced pair of fellows, tall and lithe, and they are certainly exceedingly clever on their feet, and, indeed, off their feet, too, for they can tumble and somersault .with no small skill. The closing part of their act was an eccentric and amusing “burglar” dance. Huley and Bent. English comedians, returned after an absence of nearly two years, and as bride and bridegroom staged an extravagantly comical after the wedding scene that kept people so amused that much of the dialogue was drowned in laughter. There was nothing subtle about the type of humour, and the sketch was practically without a plot, but the jokes were well “put over,” and caught on well, .umerald and Dupre again presented their sketch, “The Bailiff," which is full of ludicrous situations, of which they are quite capable of making the most. The label attached to the revue of the evening was “Not Yet.” It was characterised by a series of very pretty choruses in which the girls of the party displayed beautiful dresses and shapely' figures moving to bright music and song. George Ward as “Jtlefmie Schultz’’ finds himself pledged to marry a girl he- is determined not to marry, and he sets on foot a variety t-f desperate and incredible schemes to extricate him from his dilemma. “Hermie” proved as irresistible as ever and had the audience in such a mood of merriment that he could scarcely open his mouth without eliciting roars of laughter. Charles Sherman, as, “Eddie Harvey,” the man with a wife to get rid of, gave him excellent support, and made no small contribution to the success of the piece. A burlesque wedding scene between “Hermie” and “Kitty Sweet” (Curly Sherwood) was one of the best parts of the revue. The piece gets its name from the fact that Hermies’ friend, “Michael O’Brien” (Maurice Lynch), with whom a plot has been made beforehand, keeps running in with a lighted bomb before he hod got his cue. The agonised _Hcrmio naturally screams “Not yet!” Several of the stage settings were very pretty, and altogether with the dresses and singing and dances of the - choruses made a very artistic and pleasing ensemble “Shadowgraphs” were announced for the finale, but Mr Ward had to come forward and make an apology that owing to a mishap to the lighting that particular scene could not bo staged. The whole entertainment will be repeated this evening.