NOTHING LACKING IN PRESENTATIONS AT EVERYBODY’S.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18011, 23 November 1926, Page 7

NOTHING LACKING IN PRESENTATIONS AT EVERYBODY’S.

NORMA KERRY AND GRETA NISSEN IN BRILLIANT AND COLOURFUL STORY

The programme that tlic “ Everybody's ” Theatre presents this week lacks nothing in that brilliant, colourful quality that is so dear to the hearts of all romanticists. Both the big features have, their settings in. foreign, sunny lands, -where the bounds of realitv •may'be stretched the tiniest bit. .in order to give full scope to the imagination of the author and the talent oi the artists. The court of Mauriania forms a charming setting for a tense drama whose improbability is offset by its romance and elegance. “The Love Thief,” starring the ever-popular Norman Kerry and Greta Nissen, is a tale of love, diplomacy and all the intrigue of the court of one of those little mid-European principalities which provides just that background that suits best the stirring events portrayed. To avert war with Norvia, a neighbouring power whose rulers have designs upon the rich Mauriania, it is proposed that their Crown Prince Basil shall marry Norinne, Princess of Norvia. Basil is a man whose taste inclines towards the ladies, whom he makes gallant love to indiscriminately, a piquant habit which at last leads him into real love, with no less a person than Norinne herself, who has set herself to gain his affection incognito. Basil baulks at the wedding, declaring that he loves another, arid the court circles are tjirown into confusion. How he is driven out of the army, how he is kidnapped by the enemy, escapes, and rushing to the church, manages to take the place of his brother, who in the meantime has been elected to marry Norinne, and how the whole ends with a happiness that seems impossible earlier in the story forms a theme around which is woven a picture that delights with its artistic skill. The loading roles are admirably taken, and the supporting actors and actresses qualify for the star class.

Lewis Stone, playing opposite Barbara La Ma.rr, ensures the success of the second feature on the programme, “ The Girl from Montmartre.” Starting with a scene from a Paris dive in war time, when an English officer, seeking pleasure outside his accustomed sphere, is enraptured with the grace and beauty of a dancer, drama jumps rapidly to the fore and continues throughout the piece. After a tragic ending to the evening, the Englishman, Jerome Hautrive, meets his dream girl, again while on a sketching tour, of the island of Majorca. The villain, whose part is the conventional but ever-popular role

of deceiver, receives a nasty set-back. The hero arrives at the opportune time, and all turns out for the best. It is a picture that, evokes the highest praise. Everybody’s Select Orchestra, under Mr W. J. Bellingham, played “Porta Westphalia” (Von Blon), “Prelude et. Cortege ” (Debussy), “ Scenes Alsatiennes” (Massenet), “Worther” (Massenet) and “La Boheme ” (Puccini).