PRINCESS THEATRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18675, 3 October 1922, Page 7

PRINCESS THEATRE

Although Daisy Jerome has gone from the Princess Theatre, the introduction of four new ads last evening served to maintain the level of the new entertainment at high-water mark. The result is a generous offering of vaudeville of all-round merit, and of sufficient diversity, to appeal to a wide range of tastes. It certainly provided a very pleasant evening’s enjoyment, and was received with many demonstrations of enthusiasm by the largo audience present. The first of the newcomers to appear were the Kilroys, a trio consisting of two adults and a child, who appeared in a juggling and acrobatic specialty and performed a variety of feats with deftness, grace, and skill. Some of the hand and foot balancing work, in which the small boy took an important part, was especially good, and the cleverness of the w'hole turn was recognised and rewarded by hearty applause. Later in ihe evening two members of the trio, under the style of the Kalwas, appeared as wire 1 walkers, but the turn had not proceeded very far when the lady came to grief through falling, and had to retire. She received a severe shaking, but otherwise was not seriously hurt. , Her partner, however, carried ou very successfully, and rounded off a spectacular turn by riding a bicycle backwards' and forwards on the wire. A very bright and breezy offering was that presented by George Hirste and Eva Venton, a duo of comedians from the English stage, who present a clever skit on boarding-house life. Mr Hirste’s style of comedy is strongly reminiscent of the pantomime “dame,” and his representation of the lady in charge of an establishment for impecunious lodgers is decidedly good both in the matter of make-up and in the series of more or less philosophical reflections in which “she” indulges. Miss Yenton. as the young Shakespearean actress m search of a room, revealed herself as a comedienne of much charm and dainty appearance. Her- request for a bathroom in which she could have a bath every morning, and the astonishment created in the inind of the landlady by such an extraordinary demand provided one of the brightest interludes in the little sketch. Before tho turn closed Mr Hirsto showed him self to be a vocalist of-some pretensions. The pair should make themselves very popular in Dunedin. Ernest Delavalo and Lily Vookler, who appeared at the Princess Theatre some years ago, are paying a return visit with a new routine of songs and jokes, and they rattled through .their turn us briskly as ever, and were speedily in the good graces of everybody. Hector Napier, “tho human spider,” is a creature to marvel at, his contortionist feats, which involve tho dislocation of more than- half the joints in his arms and legs, being so remarkable us to make one wonder whether ho will ever bo able to undo the knots into which ho succeeds in tying himself. His turn is staged in a picturesque setting, but after all his feats are more productive of astonishment thgn enthusiasm. Of the clever and entertaining people who remain over from the previous week tho offering of Linden and Berridge, a particularly vivacious duo, is one of the brightest and best. This turn swings along at a brisk, pace from start to finish, and while tho performers occupy tho stage they easily succeed in keeping everybody in the best of good humour. They retired. amidst clamorous applause from an audience that was loth to see the last of them, Carlton and Bosslyn are another bright and sparkling pair who invest their turn with genuine originality and refreshing humour, and whoso offerings, no matter how evanescent, are always exceedingly welcome. These young people are excellent company, and they are deservedly popular. Miss Bella Mora, with her varied numbers and her Scottish, accent, is a well-established favourite with vaudeville audiences, and her reception last evening was as cordial as ever, even if it was partly due to the introduction of nn unrehearsed (ouch of humour owing to tiie imperfect fastening of a refractory kill. The remaining turn on (he bill is quite a bright, offering by Pastor and Merle, “the funny fiddler and tho beautiful contralto.” An important incoming ar+ to-night, will be Count Filinmi, an Italian opera!in baritone, who is preceded by a notable reputation as a vocalist.