NANNETTE PLEASES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19830, 3 May 1927, Page 8

NANNETTE PLEASES

MUSICAL COMEDY DE LUXE MISS ELSIE PEINCE’S TRIUMPH. With her audience thoroughly in love with her, Elsie Prince, pretty, chic and i wholly charming, last night sang and danced her way through the three acts I of “No, No Nanette,” to tho accom-1 paniment of much laughter and applause. Tho Opera House was packed with an audience prepared for what it got—a bright, entertaining musical comedy, that must rank as one of tho most enjoyable shows of its kind that has come to these shores. Light, but very tuneful melodics—some of which I are already well-known—clever comedy, gay frocking and colourful settings, all built round a set of circumstances forming more of a “plot” than usage has taught people to expect in musical comedies, go to make up “No, No Nanette”; and the dancing is superb. Each and every member of the big company is an accomplished artist in this branch of the work, and from curtain to curtain Nanette and her friends give vent to their joyfulness in the dance. Miss Prince is so very small, but she is all personality, and with her big eyes and cute mouth—well, she is just Nanette, perfectly. Her speaking voice is pleasant to the car, no less than the surprisingly strong and very true soprano she produced in her song —“I’ve Confessed to the Breeze,” “I Want to be Happy,” “No, No Nanette,” “Tea for Two,” and “Take a Little One-step.” Mr. Jimmy Godden. is a fine comedian,] and he looks it; as the misunderstood husband, whose benevolence to a trio of “ golddiggers” leads him into a tangle, his droll sayings and excellent facial expression made the fun wax fast and furious. Mr. Godden comes from London with a reputation he is enhancing at every performance. With a lean figure that lends itself to comic posturing Mr. Charlton Morton is a good foil for Mr. Godden. As the worried husband’s solicitor he is continually “putting his foot in it,” but eventually does much to straighten things up—assisted by his wife, whose view is that “to keep your husband good you must keep him broke,” and does her best to that end. Miss Elsie Parkes and Miss Nellie Dean act the respective wives with credit, and a good deal of humour is provided by Miss Gladys Hermes, the cook. Nanette’s fiance, well meaning and affectionate but rather intolerant is Mr. Claude Holland, who sings well with Miss Princ| in “Tea for Two.” The trio of “affairs” that cause all the trouble in the first place arc portrayed by Miss Marjorie L’Strange, Phyllis Du Barry and Olivo Grant. Such consistently good dancing has not been seen given for a long time —not since “Little Nelly Kelly”—and Mr. Royston McDonell, who went a long way to assist in the brightness of that effort, made a very good job of his eccentric work in “No, No Nanette,” assisted by Miss Alma Mackie, a graceful little contortionist, Miss Rosie Fitzgerald, Gladys Devereaux, and Kathleen and Allison Fallow. Miss Prince has also a lot of hard work to do in this department. She looks as though she thoroughly enjoys it, and that is one of the main factors in the success of the show—everyone seems glad to be in it. The ballet is a capable one and the orchestra knows its job and its place. Nanette will proceed lightly on her charming way this afternoon and again to-night.