STAGE STALWART

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27092, 28 May 1949, Page 8

STAGE STALWART

"SAM . SMALL” IN PERSON POLISHED AND VERSATILE ENTERTAINER On recordings, on the air and on the screen, Stanley Holloway has built Zealand, but the British comedian demonstrated to a deligHted audience at His Majesty’s last evening that until he has been seen in person his capacities as an entertainer cannot be appreciated to the full. One realises then that Mr Holloway is one - of the stalwarts of the British stage—a trouper who learnt his trade in the days when a comedian had to be able to satisfy an exacting audience without the benefit of a team of scriptwriters, elaborate properties or to-day’s übiquitous microphone. There was nothing forced about Mr Holloway’s performance—it was relaxed, it was polished and it was genuinely amusing. Even the oldest of his familiar monologues and character sketches took on fresh vigour—- “ The ’Ole in the Ark,” and how it was kept watertight;, “Brown Boots,” the story of a Cockney’s social faux pas; “Dan, Dan, the Signal Man,” with the audience supplying the “noises off” for the fish express; “Sam’s Christmas Pudding,” and other incidents in the military career of that beloved character of Mr Holloway’s invention, Sam Small; and “ Recumbent Posture,” the tale of a search for something which never existed. Mr Holloway’s versatility w’as demonstrated by his memory-evoking revival of Albert Chevalier’s “My Old Dutch,” and by his subtle imitation of Maurice Chevalier singing “Mimi.” Between his various items, Mr Holloway kept up an easy running-fire of quips, conversation and banter.

Two hours is a long time for one man to keep an audience entertained, but Mr Holloway made the time pass quickly. Even the sobering effect of the minor earthquake in the first half of the performance was quickly overcome.

His associate was Ossie Cheeseman, who proved a restrained and sympathetic accompanist. Mr Cheeseman, who provided several piano solos in the conventionally florid, if somewhat slapdash style favoured by popular pianists. He also offered four tunes for the piano-accordion—a somewhat blatant instrument at any time, and ill-suited to this particular occasion.