WILLOUGHBY COMEDY COMPANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3291, 11 April 1917, Page 46

WILLOUGHBY COMEDY COMPANY.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO JONES."

If the success of a theatrical performance is to be measured by the favour with which it is received, then the initial production.of "What Happened to Jones," by the George Willoughby Company on Saturday evening at His Majesty's Theatre' must have been successful indeed.- There was an immense audiience, and one that seemed to be in an appreciative humour, and not disposed to oavil over small delinquencies, of which there were not many. "What Happened to Jones" has been played here before, though it is a good many years since it was seen. ' It is a comedy brimful of fun, with some capital songs of the comio order scattered pretty plentifully through it, and in the hands of anything like a capable company must "go," as it did on .Saturday night. Mr Willoughby as Jones kept the audience in a continual state of merriment whenever he occupied the stage. Ho played the part with tho rollicking freedom and abandon it required, and put an immense amount of spirit into it. His physique was the only thing that told against a very admirable performance. He did not just look the character to the life, but thi3 was amply compensated for by his acting. Mr Albert made a great hit as the professor. He succeeded in completely identifying himself with the class of man he was supposed to represent, and was always highly amusing. His little scenes with Mrs Goodly (Miss Muriel Dale) could not fail to provoke merriment. That good lady is so absorbed at the prospective visit of the doctor that the unfortunate old professor becomes quite a seoondary consideration. That, and a great deal of fuss when the doctor, or rather Jones, does put in an appearance, vrere the main points Miss Dale had t-o make, and she did not miss them. Miss Juno Addell played with charming vivacity as Cissy. She is evidently an acquisition to the company as at present constituted, and made her worth felt both In the direction of acting and singing. Mr Frank Brooke's chief success was attained in his singing, his vocal qualifications being of a somewhat stiperior kind, and ho made a satisfactory Richard Hetherfey.- Miss Edna Seaton did capably what little was required of her as Marjorie: Miss Florence Faning represented Alvina's olephantino playfulness most amusingly, and Mr Harry Hallcy was pompously dignified as Dr Goodly. Tho remaining characters,

which were small, wero satisfactorily taken by other members of tho company. PRINCESS THEATRE. Tho Princess Theatro was not big enough to hold all the people who were desirous of being present on Saturday night, and as a consequenoe many had to be turned away. The theatro had been closed since the previous Saturday night, and tho two-act musical revue, "The Flyaway Girls," produced under the direction of Walter Johnston, was tho attraction for tho re-opening. The first appearance of tho company was mado at a matinee in the afternoon, and the success then achieved was more than repeated in the evening. Hilarious laughter rewarded tho efforts of tho principals to amuse, the dancing and the artistio dressing of tho chorus girls mado an instant appeal, and the stagmg was well in keeping with the motif of tho burlesque, which went with a snap from curtain rise to fall. The story funmakers are Miko M'Cabe (Jack Kcarns), snap from curtain riso to fail. Tho chief funmakers are Miko M'Cabe (Jack Kcarns) who cuts a weird figure in woman's attire, and Jacob Rosenbloom (Gus Franks), and tho eccentricities of these two at times fairly convulsed tho _ audience. Vera Kearns and chorus gained tho greatest success in tho musical numbers with "My Rose of Honolulu," tho dresses of the chorus girls being very effective. The scene at tho close of tho first act, in which the members of tho company are seen in an observation railway car, gliding through a pretty landscape, was loudly applauded, and the curtain had to be raised several times, and that showing tho Jollytania at sea was also lifelike, as was the acting of Mike M'Cabe and Jacob Rosenbloom as two very sea-sick wayfarers. At the finish the rich aunt (Belle Millettc) makes herself known, and her millions clear the dislike by Jacob to his son marrying Molly. There were two interpolated turns. The Lo Grohs, a female and two male performers, v» r ero responsible for a wonderful acrobatic turn. The performance of one of the male acrobats is really astonishing. He walks on his hands, and with his legs literally hanging down behind his ears goes through some marvellous contortions. In fact, he seems to have reversed the order of things, and to be able to use his arms as legs and his legs as arms. The trio gained an instantaneous success. Brull and Hemsley have been here before, but their turn featuring an inebriated Johnny is a musio shop, proved as popular as ever, and the duo were several times recalled.