ELSIE PRINCE SCORES BIG SUCCESS IN “ MERCENARY MARY.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18452, 1 May 1928, Page 7

ELSIE PRINCE SCORES BIG SUCCESS IN “ MERCENARY MARY.”

MOST AMUSING SHOW AT NEW OPERA HOUSE. “Mercenary' Mary',” the third of the Elsie Prince Company’s musical comedies, was presented at the New Opera House last night and met with the : success. From start to finish the show went with a swing character- < istic of the shows headed by this actress and the admirable Jimmie Godden. The acting of the two principals is the core of the show, and their humour kept the audience chuckling. Besides the catchy music, the production is filled with brilliant dancing of all kinds. \ Every' member of the cast seems to be an expert dancer. Man}' of the ballets and individual dancing numbers were distinctly unusual and a good deal more jazzy than is usually the case. The chorus was particularly bright and the pretty dresses combined with the sunny scenery to make the show a particularly happy' one. Of the acting , of the two principals too much cannot , be said. This seems like lavish praise, but there is no doubt that Christchurch has not for a long time seen two per- ( formers whose work combines so well between themselves and with the rest of the cast. In the first act the audience were continually chuckling, but. in the second act roars of laughter filled the house. ’ Jimmie Godden took the part : Christopher Skinner, the lover, excep- * tionally lacking in intelligence, but very lovable. His lugubrious mien and ( unhappy conversation were at once i accepted as the height of humour by the appreciative house. He was splen- 1 did. His characterisation left nothing J to be desired and the slight lisp he 1 adopted put just the touch on his work < that made it perfect. Elsie Prince, whose personality is re- ] markable, had the crowd at her feet : from the moment she came on the ] stage and made one of the greatest i successes she has so far scored in a part which left her plenty* of scope i for her talent. She is a comedienne par excellence. Her best scene was that in ‘ the flat of her supposed lover, when, in having a little supper, she drinks

too much. If she has a fault it is that while she is on_the stage, all other performers are eclipsed. It is very' hard to keep one’s eyes off the charming •little actress. For a musical comedy there is a very substantial plot which is good enough to preclude the necessity of bringing in little side bits to get off the good things. Briefly', the plot is that Christopher Skinner, married to Mary (Elsie Prince ) k has a grandfather on whom he depends for his income. Grandpa objects for some reason to Mary and threatens to cut Christopher off. Christopher invests his 1 money in the Golden Gutter Oil Co - y. which is apparently' a “frost,” waving no money' left, decides that a bogus divorce must be arranged so that Grandpa will reinstate him. Jerrv Warner (Charlton Morton) undertakes to act as co-respondent, for a monetary consideration. During the progress of the plot, when Mary is in Jerry’s flat. Joan Somers, to whom Jerry is engaged, finds him, and their engagement is broken off. Jerry has also invested his last cent in the oil well. All attempts to lead Grandpa to the scene of the crime fail, and things are in a desperate pass when it is found that the oil well is not a failure and that the shares in it are worth a lot of money. All this ends as it should, with, of course, the reconciliation of all parties and a pretty young bride for Grandpa. Charlton Morton was excellent, especially in parts calling for ability in comedy work. His acting in the flat scene was splendid and brought him the very frequent applause of the house. Nellie Dean, although she has not a very good voice, has a very charming stage manner and makes up with the excellence of her other work what she lacks in voice. She had a lot of rather exacting work to do and did it admirably*. The dancing of Royston M Donnell was received with the greatest applause and the clever evolutions of this brilliant eccentric dancer well deserved the commendation they earned. Elsie Parkes and Leonard Rich proved to be most expert with their feet and on their too infrequent appearances were greeted with enthusiasm. An excellent orchestra was a material factor iri the success of the production and the weird effects produced by the players frequently amused the listeners. Beside many catchy tunes, of which

the most popular were “I'm a Little Bit Fonder of You” and “Honey I m in Love with You,” there was a great deal of very pretty music of a more substantial nature. On the whole, it was a very colourful and amusing show.