AMUSEMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20492, 10 August 1936, Page 10

AMUSEMENTS

MARX BROTHERS’ COMEDY CLEVER FOOLING AT MAJESTIC The defection of one of their number has made no difference to the boisterous fun which the Marx Brothers inject into their films. The three who appear in “A Night at the Opera”— Groucho, Harpo and Chico—make merry with all the abandon that marked the antics of the quartette associated in previous productions, as those who witnessed the picture at the Majestic Theatre on Saturday discovered. These three possess all their original genius for bringing out the humorous aspects of the ridiculous, a capacity which is well exploited in “A Night at the Opera” as it was in the memorable film “Coconuts.” Foolishness that is really funny is the keynote. Their ability to force a chuckle by an inanity, to induce a laugh by a supreme stupidity, stamps them as masters of comedy, and that comedy is as gay as it is vigorous. The appearance of Kitty Carlisle and Allan Jones as opera singers is distinctly pleasing, and leads to the introduction of several well-staged excerpts from “11 Trovatore,” the “Anvil Chorus” and the “Miserere,” being notable presentations. These two fill their roles excellently, both possessing voices which enable them to do full justice to Verdi’s music.