SIR HARRY LAUDER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19476, 11 May 1925, Page 14

SIR HARRY LAUDER.

. ARRIVAL IN DUNEDIN. Sir Harry Lauder, the eminent Scottish sinner and comedian, arrived in Dunedin on Saturday morning by the express from Invercargill. He was accorded a hearty reception by many prominent Scottish citizens, and smiled his thanks when he stepped from the train. The Dunedin Pipe Band, with Lieutenant D. Henderson in charge, was in attendance, and the skirl of the bagpipes greeted the noted visitor and the waiting crowd gave three cheers when he appeared, wearing a typical Scottish Tam-o’-Shanter. Sir Harry came from a fishing expedition in the. Southland district to give a series of concerts in this city. The visitor was conducted by Mr John Hope (president of the Highland Pipe Band) and Lieutenant Henderson to a waiting motor car, which, headed by the pipers, and with a number of enthusiastic admirers walking in the rear, proceeded to the City Hotel. Sir Harry later attended the trotting meeting as the guest of the Forbury Park Trotting Club. OPENING CONCERT. It did not require much of a prophet to forecast what sort of am audience would be present in His Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday night to greet Sir Harry Lauder, the noted Scottish comedian. He met with a rousing reception in making his appearance when the programme was nearing its end. It seemed as if he had been held in reserve to complete and put the finishing touch to a great deal of wonderfully clever matter that had gone before, and if that were the object in withholding him until the programme was three-quarters accomplished it was certainly attained. Sir Harry was unquestionably in good company when ho was associated with the artists who had preceded him. It was, however, evident that the vast majority of the audience had come to see him in preference to the others. There was one very unusual feature about the personnel of the auditory, and that was the number of non-theatre-goers present. So fp.r as the dress circle went there was quite a largo gathering of elderly ladies and gentlemen, not habitues of places of entertainment, who had broken away from an unwritten rule of their lives and com© solely to listen to Sir Harry. That was a very high compliment. There was' also amongst those present a pretty numerous sprinkling of persons from the country, some of whom had evidently been at the trots. The audience, was an unusuuly cosinopolitan one, and all were unanimous on one point, however much they might differ on others, and that was that Sir Harry had compressed within him a fund of humour that appeared inexhaustible. He seems to have been designed by Nature to make people laugh. His appearance, once he is suitably garbed, suggests humour, and his mannerisms never fail to increase the mirth his appearance creates. He gets much of his humour by simple, but very effective, methods, and one is his habit of standing sideways on to his’audience, and when the point of the joke is just about developed, turning and casting a sly, droll glance at those he is entertaining. It is in this and similar ways that he almost invariably puts the coping-stone to his work so wolf commenced. The fact that the Scottish- dialect—an expression more suitable for use in this case than language—lends itself so readilj to humour is a decided advantage to him, and ho uses it with great effect. He rolls some of his consonants and broadens some of his .vowels in a way that makes his utterances irresistibly laughable. He received an ovation when first approaching the footlights to sing ‘‘Lookin’ for a Bonnie Lass,” w-hich met with general approval. This was, however, placed in the shade by his sailor’s .song, immediately following. There is a very taking refrain to the song that quickly caught the ear of those present and induced them_ to join in. Where Sir Harry scored most in this item was in his reference to the regulations, officers, seamen, and marines. No one could nossihly keep a serious face under such conditions. If the song and sketch about the navy were ahead of the good song given at first, the third item displaced both of them in favour. It was n military sketch, and the tout ensemble of the thick-set warrior confronting the audience, with his preposterous get-up, set everybody laughing before a word was uttered. There were, of, course, the customary little satirical nleasnntries about (he officers, and particularly about the big chief the general—with whom (he singer was on particularly intimate terms. *Tlie sketch was a mass -of amusement, amt was, like the one preceding it, given in character. A fiord sketch was that of a earnenter and joiner, who had not so long before had the misfortune (he did. not regard it in that light) to lose his wife, and Sir Harry lind much to say about the Indy upon whom he had spent a lot of money when assured that her early demise was certain. Innumerable little stories wore toll of the “guid wife” and her domineering -ways. Several other songs were given, and there were repeated recalls at the end. There was one rather amusing incident which showed that Sir Harry has an alert brain and a ready tongue. Some man in the circle called out “You’re no so guid ns you were, Harry,” to which came the rejoinder, “Ah, wee!, I’m getting older now and getting more sense.” In a brief speech at the end of the performance Sir Harry said it was his last tour, but he intended to come back to New Zealand for some fishing. The orchestra, which is controlled by Mr Charles Aves, was very warmly applauded for the way it played the overture, “Lauder’s Lilts o‘ Lang Syne.” It also played Scottish selections prior to the second half of (he programme commencing. Eddie Gray proved very dexterous in his manipulation of clubs and hoops, and wound up a clever performance by juggling with three apples, one of which he reduced to the size of a small marble by the simple process of nibbling at it while the apples were kept in motion in the air. His feats with the hoops were to some extent now and a feature of the turn. W. V. Robinson kept his audience highly amused with a number of well-told stories, and played admirably on various-sized mouth organs. He also, by means of the same instruments, imitated a hand and various animals, and a man getting home early in the morning after imbibing a number of “poultry cocktails,” which it was explained “made you lay where you drank them.” The'Hilo Duo provide some very captivating music by means of Hawaiian instruments, which they play exceedingly, well. They also sing and dance, a native dance by the lady performer being very well presented. In a musical direction (he playing of “The Rosary” by the man was an artistic effort. Lydia Came and Jack Kcllcway gave a very good turn which they introduce with plenty of “small talk.” Their dancing, of which they make a feature, is of a high standard. The lady give a particularly graceful dance, and the two joined in a coster double dance to finish with. One of the outstanding items is the wonderful production by Harry Moore of a large number of articles from paper, his object being attained by merely tearing the rolled-up paper in various places, and in various ways. He produced by this means an iron gate, an Egyptian palm tree, a table cloth, a ladder, and a number of artistic designs very cleverly. The ladder was a work of art. The company will appear again this evening in His Majesty's Theatre. An entire change of programme is advertised for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The plans are rapidly filling at the Bristol. Day sales arc obtainable at the Geyser.