ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 22215, 6 January 1934, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

CIVIC THEATRE. THE FIRST (1934) GAINSBOROUGH. “KING OF THE RITZ.” The new 1934 policy at the Civic Theatre, which embraces the screening of all the new British, Gaumont, Gainsborough and Fox releases for the new season, will be inaugurated to-day with the presentation of “King of the Ritz,” featuring Stanley Lupino. It is a delightfully bright and attractive musical comedy full of action and movement, with one or two lilting and popular melodies and a great deal of wholesome and clever humour. It is a Gainsborough production, and reflects the greatest credit on its British producers. The story is a diverting one, dealing with the adventures and misadventures of the major-domo of the Ritz, who spurns for the moment the obvious wholehearted adoration of one of his own class and flies his matrimonial kite as high as a wealthy heiress. He prosecutes his suit with every success, and by strange and curious means becomes the possessor of a title which proves a very effective bait as far as the heiress is concerned. Before taking the final plunge, however, he visits, with his bride-to-be, the ancestral halls which go with his title, and which his betrothed purchases for him. Life among the armoured galleries of castles and beneath the frowning countenances of innumerable ancestors perpetuated on canvas soon palls for the bridegroom-to-be, and he begins to pine once more for the fleshpots of the Ritz. Nothing seems quite what he thought it would be, and in desperation he dons once more the uniform of his calling and flies back to the Ritz and his first love. But before this romantic conclusion is finally reached the story passes through a host of exciting incidents and complications. The humour develops with extraordinary rapidity, and the production moves through its amazing sequences in the most attractively easy and. pleasing fashion. Lupino, of course, is the life and soul of the story. His irrepressible spirits, remarkable vitality, clever fooling, and excellent singing make his interpretation one to be recalled with keen relish. The production has been admirably staged, and the sound is faultless throughout. Although Stanley Lupino dominates the theme and uses every one of his opportunities to such advantage that he keeps himself the centre of interest, he is fortunate in the support that is accorded him by an exceptionally well-selected and entirely competent supporting cast. Betty Stockfield, the Australian star who made her name in “The City of Song,” gives a very diverting characterization of the wealthy young heiress with whom the King of the Ritz carries on his violent affair. She has a good sense of comedy and no lack of personality and consequently gives a very satisfying performance. Hugh Wakefield as the impecunious and rather rakish King of Blitz contributes a lot of comedy to the plot, and others in the cast do everything that is required to make the production a success. There is an unusually interesting supporting programme being shown in conjunction with the “King of the Ritz,” the feature production being the Gaumont British Miniature dealing with Oxford University. All the beauty and solemn grandeur of this great centre of British learning are presented on the screen in the most effective manner. The film is accompanied by excellent announcing which gices added interest to the scenes and conveys some idea of the tradition and history which surround the ancient piles which have stood the weathering of hundreds of years. The news reels are of the usual interesting and varied character and the other features combine to make up a well-balanced and highly attractive evening’s entertainment. The box plans are at Messrs Charles Begg and Co’s., or the theatre.