HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1472, 11 July 1918, Page 34

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

“THE BING BOYS ARE HERE!” The titular assertion which has kept theatre-goers agog with excitement for the past fortnight became a fact on Tuesday night, crowds filling every part of His Majesty s Theatre to see for themselves what manner of entertainment the “Bing Boys could be to set the world of entertainment afire. After rocking themselves with laughter for three solid hours, the times when they weren’t lost m admiration, there was no doubt as to the unanimous note of appreciation. The Bing Boys —the lanky gauche Oliver and the fat, smiling Lucifer—set the pace going when, incited by romantic literature, they decide to leave their home town and go up to London to see life taking with them Emma, the family servant. And as Oliver and Lucifer are represented by Mr. Leslie Holland and Mr. Jack Cannot, respectively, and as Miss Minnie Love is Emma, it can readily be imagined that the comedy spark is accelerated to the top degree. How the trio see life is told in a series of “panels” representing every range of entertainment to delight the senses. It is a jumble of gorgeous and ingenious scenes, of quaint and startling dressing, of exhilarating melodies, of exquisite colour schemes and novel ballets, switched on in lightning-like succession and always the element of surprise that allures. Out of the maze of variety one picks the familiar If You Were the Only Boy in the World, and sung by Mr. Cannot and Miss Minnie Love it is uproariously encored. “Good-bye-ee” and “Stop, Look, Listen,” make heavy scores for Mr Cannot, who knows so well now to extract the most out of every ditty. As a delicious contrast to Mr. Cannot’s joviality and attitude of chum miness, comes Mr. Holland s lugubrious touch. He also has a clever little side-show to himself when he impersonates celebrities we have read about but have never seen, and Mr. Cannot gets in some splendid burlesque work in the screen incident. Miss Love reveals her talent for comedy in a burlesque on cloak and sword melodrama, and helps her confreres to a big song hit in “And Another Little Drink Wouldn’t Do Us Any Harm.” Apart from abundance of fun and dialogue are the spectacular portions, including “Firelight Fancies,” with its realistic illumination; “Milly, the Milliner,” supplemented by a chorus of girls with band-boxes, who build up pyramids; “Grandma’s Day,” with its setting of pretty children; the Trellis scene; the Ladder Maze, and the “Chu Chin Chow” ballet, with its wealth of colouring and fantastic costuming—only a few of the wonders of this magnificent production. The eccentric dancing of Miss Maie Baird and Mr. Clyde Cook is another outstanding feature of the performance. Miss Nellie Payne and Miss Myrtle Power are gladdening spirits whenever they appear, making the most of their chances in the restaurant episode. In addition there are other clever people, as Miss Hilda Guiver and Miss Jennie Opie, to give the show further strength. “The Bing Boys are Here” certainly strikes the joyous note all through, which is a reason in itself for a visit. The first matinee will be held on Saturday.

As an instance of the fervour shown in Auckland over the “Bing Boys” advent, the queue at Wildman and Arey’s when the booking opened stands as a record for any outside attraction for the past four years.

Mr. Sydney James has left for Sydney, where he will join Miss Ada Reeve on a tour of South Africa at the end of the month.

“Romance,” “The Willow Tree,” “The Outcast,” “The Cinderella Man” and “Daddy Long Legs” will be included in Miss Kathlene McDonell’s repertoire on her return visit to New Zealand.