ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 21821, 26 September 1932, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

THE REGENT. “AREN’T WE ALL?" LONSDALE’S BRILLIANT FARCE. New Zealand audiences who enjoyed the superb acting of the late Dion Boncicault in “Aren’t We All?”, the delightful stage success from the facile pen of Frederick Lonsdale, the famous English playwright, generally agreed that that accomplished and popular actor scored perhaps his greatest success in this scintillating comedy. The farce, in its picture version, was screened before a large audience at the Regent Theatre on Saturday evening when it instantly found warm favour. Plot and characters are substantially the same as in the stage play but the social habits, for instance, have been brought up to date and the change is even for the better. Essentially British in theme, in settings, in cast and in its very essence, the production sparkles with brilliant wit and shrewdly pointed satire and it is admirably interpreted by an excellent array of talent. The story is that of Margot whose husband, Willie, is obliged to leave her while they are on their honeymoon in the South of France, to return to London on business. Satan finds some mischief for the idle Margot in the form of Karl von der Heyde, with whom she carries on a warm but radically harmless flirtation. Margot returns to London unexpectedly and surprises Willie in the act of kissing another daughter of Eve. She elects to regard her husband’s lapse as a capital offence, and treats Willie as though he were a black spider or something equally noxious. Willie’s father, Lord Grenham, a gay old reprobate, does his best to effect a reconciliation. He fails until the infatuated Karl arrives in London in pursuit of his charmer, whom he believes to be a spinster. After a talk with Karl, Grenham puts two and two together, and obtains the correct answer to the problem. He calls Margot’s bluff, and despite some finished prevarication on Margot’s part that would be a credit to any woman in similar circumstances, a reconciliation is ultimately effected. As the mischievous Margot, Gertrude Lawrence invests the character with an able touch and her gorgeous frocks alone must win the approval of the audience. Owen Nares excellently portrays Willie and is a most likeable fellow, but Hugh Wakefield, as Lord Grenham (Boucicault’s favourite role), really captures the acting honours for he achieves a triumph with his interpretation of the polygamous old rascal, whom he makes a delightful character in spite of his shortcomings. Another excellent character study is given by Aubrey Mather, cast as the Vicar, a good fellow despite his humbug and his liking for “the bottle.” The picture ends, like the play, with the cheerful reflection that we’re all “ruddy” fools, but, for some reason (whether for the benefit of the censor or to spare the sensitive ear of the audience), the last memorable lines written by Lonsdale have been diluted. The Vicar’s shocked repetition of Grenham’s epithet is given as “bl-blooming fool,” a rendering that adds point to Grenham’s amused “Aren’t We All?” The production is highly amusing and very entertaining, and it is unfortunate that to-night’s screening will bring the short Invercargill season to a close for it is a picture that could well be seen twice. The supporting programme, both generous and varied, includes Newsreels, a splendid comedy, a clever cartoon and an interesting Paramount Pictorial.

THE MAJESTIC.

TRIUMPH FOR ELISSA LAND!.

“THE WOMAN IN ROOM 13.”

While “The Woman In Room 13” is not a mystery picture, it furnishes all the thrills of one while still letting the audience into its secret. This unusual drama, Elissa Landi’s newest Fox Film vehicle, which opened at the Majestic oh Saturday, is certainly “something different;” and it demonstrates what a supberb actress Elissa is. Dictaphones, a jealous husband, a revengful ex-husband, an alluring demi-mon-daine, a tenor Casanova, and a stately lady about whom a whirlpool of action centres—these are the principal features of the clever picture. The tale leads swiftly from one emotional peak to another in a manner that provokes plenty of entertainment and thrills. Dictaphones play no small part in the plot, with one of these clever little instruments responsible for the initial success of the rejected husband’s diabolical schemes, and another serving to straighten everything out at the finish. In the story Miss Land! secures a much needed divorce from Ralph Bellamy, and thereby wrecks his political aspirations. When she marries Neil Hamilton, Bellamy plans revenge, and deftly arouses Hamilton’s suspicions of his wife’s innocent relations with Gilbert Roland. Roland is involved with Myrna Loy, and is trying to end that affair and begin a new one with Landi. As a result of Bellamy’s scheme, Hamilton breaks into Roland’s apartment, finds him dead, and sees a woman fleeing down the fire escape. Hamilton is sure the woman is Landi, and at his trial on the charge of killing Roland the various strands of Bellamy’s web tangle matters to an apparently hopeless point. How Landi, after vainly trying to save her husband from prison, finally learns the truth and gets him free forms the climax of this powerful drama. The supports are of the usual Majestic standard, with sporting events featured.