BRILLIANT COMEDY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 188, 10 August 1931, Page 3

BRILLIANT COMEDY.

Bright, breezy and refreshingly humorous, " Canaries Sometimes Sing’* more than justifies the claim that it is the best of the delightful farces produced by Tom Walls and Co. The play opened at the Plaza Theatre on Saturday and it was not long before the “ House Full ” sign was put up outside the box-office. Full of the witty situations and dialogue of the well-known writer Frederick Lonsdale, the action is restricted practically to the coniines of one room while there are only four players, but the results are eminently successful. There is no complicated plot, but the situation, certainly complicated in itself, is that of a “ o, ld friend falling love with an old friend's wife. The cast is as follows:—Geoffrey Lymes, an easy-going Playwright (Tom Walls); Anne Lymes, his highbrow wife (Cathleen Nesbitt): Ernest Melton, the alleged perfect English gentleman with highbrow tendencies Stewart); Elma Melton, his candid and “ earthy ” wifo (Yvonne Arnaud). Canaries are not greatly concerned in the story, the only representative of the bird family being Percy, to whom the semi-henpecked Geoffrey confided the troubles that had resulted from marrying Anne in a moment of rashness. The tension is relieved when the Meltons arrive on a visit to the Lymes home. It does not take the artificial Anne long to discover that the man who would make the perfect soul-mate and understand her peculiarities would be Ernest. The other couple watch the situations with amusement, Geoffrey nursing the faint hope that developments may result in his release from the Insufferable Anne. Ernest, at length, after having endured Anno in her best form for three weeks, comes to his senses, but Geoffrey then finds himself in love with Elma. The husbands Indulge in mutual recriminations over a bottle of brandy, Ernest’s position growing more difficult with less chance than ever of escaping from the clutches of Anne. An effective close shows Geoffrey and Elmer stealing from the house extremely pleased with life while Ernest and Anne, their eyes opened, inform each other of their mutual hate. The same irresponsible Tom Walls dominates the piece, smiling his way through the most embarrassing circumstances. He has won a name for sterling performances and has to his credit the production of plays in which humour of the real British type predominates. Yvonne Arnaud ably seconds his laughable efforts and, cast as the cheery, likeable Elmer, she gives an outstanding performance, having a role almost the opposite of that which she took in “On Approval.” Athole Stewart makes a perfect gentleman of the traditional type, appearing as the perfect ass in moments of stress. With Tom Walls he is paired in some brilliant dialogue which keeps the house in a ripple of merriment. Cathleen Nesbitt also plays convincingly, making herself really detestable in the course of her pursuit of the ideals of the intelligentsia. With a particularly fine selection of “shorts” in the first half, the management of the Plaza has arranged a programme fully in keeping with the Grand National festivities: a programme that is a great depression antidote.