PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19615, 20 October 1925, Page 10

PRINCESS THEATRE.

Set amid the colourful surroundings of a gypsy camp and redolent with the Komany atmosphere, the new revue, “My Gipsy Maid,” presented by the Moon and Morris Company at the Princess Theatre last night, achieved a pronounced success, and a welldeserved one too. As a story it is nothing much (no revues arc for that matter), hut as an entertainment, mingling song, dance, and humour, and even as a character depiction, it was well above the standard. Those two fdn- merchants, Dan Morris and George Moon, were never seen to better advantage, and their appearance together during the early pari of the performance, as two of the “oldest inhabitants,” clad in smocks and happily reminiscent in their anecdotage, was the signal for the turning on of the taps of hilarity among the audience. Old Granfer and Gaffer tottered painfully on to the stage and, after adjusting their brittle old bones to the rickety chairs, proceeded, between quaffs of good, brown ale (or was it winder beer?) to comment, poetically and dnetically, on “How Time Flies!” First they recalled the time “When Nelson fell at Waterloo, one hundred years ago,” and, each seeking to go one better, they recollected Adam,° the man who lost a rib, and then the creation. But, --.of course, they were little fellows then. The burden .of their song, “How Time Flies!” was repeated when reminded the old fellows that it was 6 o’clock. Walter George did some of his best work as Peter Birget, the boss of the camp. Birget was a domineering bully, who ruled the caravan in a way that bullies do when they are given power, but who in the presence of “ “the quality cringed and fawned in ahjfcct scivility. In 6 his wife, was played by Lily Denville, a girl who is given parts that suit her admirably, and to this portrayal she did full justice. Last night marked the first appearance in the company of Linda Dale, who pictured the part of Lucretia, the ftipsy bosss daughter. As is usual in stories and revues of the gipsy' order, there is in the camp a girl from° the outside world who has been reared as one of them, and this particular damsel, ignorant of her birth, suffers under the oppression of the tyrant, though everything is righted in the end. Vera Sewell, convincingly plays the part of the heiress, and Sidney Burchell, as the girls lover is realistic. One of the pet tricks of the two comedians is to carry on a conversation with some invisible individual, who is supposed to be standing beside them, and on this occasion Dan Morris led an invisible horse into view (to use an Irishism) and handed it over to the charge of his bewildered partner, under whose amateur hand it quickly became restive and kicked up a fearful din. One of the chief attractions of this show i= the singing, principally by Vera Sewell, Claude Holland, William Beresford. Linda Dale, and Sidney Burchell, while the ballets were’ responsible also for a large measure of be success of the revue. An improvement all round is to be;noted in the vaudeville programme, of which the new turn is that of Bradley’s Monkey Hippodrome. Those little Simian follows are possessed of an intelligence that is almost human—another argument, perhaps, in favour of Mr Darwin’s theory, and, further, there is among them a humourist. Seated in a row well above, the floor, they are shown on the rising of the curtain to be well equipped with iar.z instruments, which they are fully qualified to handle. One of the troupe plays what seems to be a small xylophone, and his favourite tune is that “Um tiddly um turn,' pompom” flourish, which is given to most jazz music. The “ pompom ” touch is added by a drummer, who has to be vigorously nudged out of a doze by his enthusiastic partner. Meanwhile, a number of monkeys perform various feats of agility in front of the orchestra (not the one controlled by Mr Stokes), and the skill and case with which they swing round the trapeze and turn somersaults on a tight rope is really remarkable. The remaining turns are stopovers, though they have lost none of their freshness. The Melford Three present an artistic dance repertoire, their team work especially being commendable, and an eccentric dance adds a touch of comedy to their performance. Eoith Wilbur, the expert in mimicry, moos as well as any Holstein, and, in imitating a five-niece iazz orchestra, ho performs no small feat. The Harris family have won their wav into public favour, and their jazz band has lost nothing of its ardour. Sometimes their music is like heavy artillery in action, but nevertheless there is plenty of fun, and the individual turns are good. The iallcr young lady is an accomplished harpist. A clever comedy sketch is presented by Edwards and Hughes. A young couple about to be married, they receive a charm from a rich uncle in India, and by its aid they seek to pick a winner. Getting into communication with a bookmaker (a friend of theirs), they follow the fortunes of the race by telephone, and give full reign to their enthusiasm. It is a decidedly funny turn.