THE BEST SHOWS IN LONDON.

Otago Witness, Issue 3842, 1 November 1927, Page 72

THE BEST SHOWS IN LONDON.

“ London’s 12 best shows ” were recently summarised by Mr William Pollock, the dramatic critic. At the time there was no Shakespeare or Shaw or Barria being played. Nor was there anything by Noel Coward,. Pinero, or Ilsen. But there were a dozen pieces which, if not amazingly brilliant, at least provided a good evening’s entertainment. And four of these plays have been secured for Australia and New Zealand by J. C. Williamson, Ltd. The four we are to see in the Dominion are Mr Ben Travers’s farce, “ Thark,” the Drury Lane musical play, “ The Desert Song,” “ Princess Charming,” and “ The Letter.”

“ Thark ” is described by Mr Pollock as a new sort of farce—farce which does not depend upon a man sitting on his hat or somebody falling over the rniture. It was funny because it contained funny lines and funny, situations, and the bedroom scene between the two principal comedians was described as the funniest thing in London.

, Mr Pollock places “ The Desert Song ” on the same level with its record-break-ing predecessor, “ Rose Marie.” It had some splendid chorus work. “ Princess Charming ” was a really amusing and often very tuneful musical play, and it was well on the way towards its 400th performance. Much of its appeal lay in the splendid'work of its principals, artists whom we are no', likely to see in New Zealand.

The fourth play,"“The Letter,” is to be played here by Miss Irene Vanbrugh and Mr Dion Boucicault. It is a play by the versatile Somerset Maugham, and in London Miss Gladys Cooper has been playing the lead. “The Letter” was strong material, 'Mr Pollock said, and Miss Cooper’s part made greater demands on her than almost anything she had ever played before. t Among the other eight are son. that may yet be added to the J. C. Williamson list for next year. Frederick * onsdale’s “On Approval ”is one. “ Spring Cleaning ” and “ The Last of Mrs Cheynej' ” have whetted New Zealanders’ appetites for more entertainment from this brilliant- dramatist. Another is “ Yellow Sands,” a masterpiece of charitcterisation by Eden Phillpotts, who gave us “ The Farmer’s Wife.”