1937-08-05 — Page 8

Beverley Nichols

001 NTOS

REVIEWS HIS OWN REVUE!

am writing this article

If only

dinary member of the pablic. I the book! am not an author for the moment.

music were as good as

cans good as

First, a number with the Daff

If only the book

Too highbrow. -Too lowbrow

I do not compose nor sing, nor the music! dance, and it would be a great ad- venture to find myself in an actress's dressing room

I am very fond of the theatre i know nothing whatever about it I have to take my opinions from the

critics.

But the trouble is... .what are those opinions? That they are hon- est opinions I have absolutely no doubt, but they are so astonishing by various that it is difficult to be lieve that the critics have been watching the same play.

And all this is very puzzling to the man-in-the-street.

Is likely to keep people out of t thestre

on

it

The curtain lighted in pale walked Frances quisite (nobody yet demed that), resding a few lines of Words- Is likely to be a roaring success. worth's "Daffodils (and nobody has no critics, Too like Noel Coward. Too unlike yet abused that)... Is Noel Coward. Too like Wilhelmina but I saw nothing very volgar nor Stitch Too unlike Wilhelmina horrible in the words of the s Stitch. Too much about flowers ch she then proceeded to

About Himself-By Himself

Not enough about flowers. Too sing. much dancing. No dancing. Over- dressed Underdressed.

Now I have just been playing a Now the net effect of all this, on little game. I collected all the criti- the average man, is a little confas- cisms I could find of Beverley ing. It is as though he were pre- Nichols's successful new revue seated with a weather report which "Floodlight at the Saville Theatre. read "To-morrow will be a drought, Here are some of them:-

accompanied by torrential rain; Terrible. Flat

temperatures will be far above

with the daffodils, cares what comes after?

We shall have danced to April's laughter

And danced away from April's tears”

the air,

hat's the time it hurts.

could "Happier

Tots "But all I ever see of life is wash

ing out the spots.

It was while I was pondering these things that I met the author, in the interval asked him whe he thought of the

Quite seriously, he said: “I thin critics are the most honest lot men I know. Don't believe people who tell you they are prejudiced... or jealous, or careless. They aren't. They are scrupulously just....... ac- cording to their own lights. Bu.......

I waited.

"But,” continued Mr. Nichols, "that doesn't alter the fact that I don't understand them. It doesn't alter the fact that they utterly and finally baffle me. Not because they don't always like what I do. But be cause-well, let me explain.”

Sparkling. As refreshing as wine. average, and there will be (remember I am no musician) SP was the name of one of the most

Utterly devoid of satire. Satirical to the print of bitter-

ress.

Full of crude jokes. No variety. Thank heavens for a clean show!

THE

frosts."

He drew from his pocket a news- This was sang to a tune, which

paper-cutting. At the head of it peared to please the audience, while eminent critics of the day. A man across a golden background drifted girls in very simple yellow dressesuose name is famous thronghout

the English-speaking world So I went to the show to see for girls who to my uncritical eye)

"Listen," said Mr. Nichols. And myself.

seemed very pretty.

he read In the next seat to me was sitting

The finale to the first aut gave a lady of considerable distinction Miss Frances Day another oppor- herself an authoress.. by name funity of registering ineffable grace, Lady Charnwood. When she was a dignity, fervour ättle girl Wordsworth's nephew, the cerity." Bishop of Lincoln, had blessed and had told her to learn uncle's poem about daffodils.

Let me choose a few items at ran

WORLD GOES BY By “ULYSSES”

(ONTINUING our little chat on sion of pitches and the

necessary

matic-sin-

her, That's fairly definite, isn't it?"

my he

that song,” she said when the cur-

~Wordsworth would have loved "It's definite, and in my • A

tain came down.

46

true"

Mr. Nichols points

recut-

the

Yet, here is what one of the fore ting. "And then" he most evening papers wrote about same critic says that all Hiss Day's this number.....

material (which accen Floodlight brings chorns girls gave her the opportuni member, was put forward in this will agitate for the preventing of on to the stage apparently for the this genius) is "dall that all- and National profiteering among sports-outfitters explicit and deliberate purpose of each of my ideas for her will pro- Unifying Principle and Object in Thus will the e national morale be vulgarising one of Wordsworth's voke hostility and that most of

column yesterday 25

View.

finally stabilised at par. For every loveliest poems.” Many a crime-plotting-plug-ngly, Englishman will be drilled methodi, All very confusin

cally into the highest of all the na- happening upon a cricket field in par- suance of some dark deed, has turntional virtues to Play the GaThere are so many scenes, song? ed from his evil ways and gone and Keep a Straight Bat. We shall straight home and washed behind be a Cadless Nation.

Unity will be finally established. his ears. Many a wayward intel lectual, planning a beard to The Team Spirit, properly dispens-for with a corduroy jacket and clevered by trained exponents from the shirt, has, after watching a few best public schools, will render dis-

shaved his chin and ordered sension

a quiet heather mixture for his Industry will run smoothly, Spring suit. Explain these things the most dis tented worker who can. I cannot.

once he became a cricketer,

I trust I have made it clear that, accept any wage cut than face in future, the cricket team must awful accusation “You've let replace the army as the final source side down!”

of social discipline. -

and numbers in this revue that na turally, I did not like all of them. But I am not talking about my likes

dishes, but about the critics. Utterly devoid of satire." Why

Stop Press: I am t ing

five to

me.

It is true that all Englishmen do two on Huddersfield.

not play cricket. There are coarser

natures who, impervions to the ele

vating influence of the most pukka

of the games, pine throughout the

gel,”

My beautiful,

pres they call

When I am gone they will re what they are losi

stone, you'll find

RSVP.

***I'll give a party in Hell.

“But on all they're

How high can a man live

-

might find

them are vulgar and bitter. âces it means?”?

I had no reply. "I shall never Vue, said Mr. Michols. Work..and for what?

display

ite another re. hard

LOST 1H A WEEK FOR 20 WEEKS

long summer days for the reopening asks a headline. It would be

of the football season with a sad-teresting to know, of course, how ness that is akin to the pip.

But in every social order there must always be a superior class; dominating minority fitted ture to lead the

path of national

On the first

peace pac regarded as

high the standard of living might go after the necessary changes in our economic administration:

But a more urgent question is

to live on

Man

son for lover, shot

THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 5, 1937.