THE THEATRE
" Panama Hattie " At the Piccadilly Theatre.
Vaunt some of my colleagues have so dispraised this new musical show at the Piccadilly Theatre surprises me, for it seems to me an excellent light entertainment. The music is not all up to Cole Porter's remarkable best but it is better than that of the majority of musical plays, and there are at least two excellent numbers, the song, " I've Still Got My Health," and the amusing quintet " You Said It." There is a thorough efficiency about the whole pro- duction which is pleasing and, indeed, one scene in which the three sailors (Jack Stanford, Max Wall and Richard Hearne) hide behind two spies and remove and replace pipe and cigarette, inter- posing their own arms and hands as they talk and gesticulate is one of the funniest and technically most brilliant pieces of comic pantomime I have seen for a long time.
Max Wall is a comic dancer of unusual merit. Richard Hearne's acrobatics are an asset for a comedian who does not overstrain both himself and the audience in his efforts to be funny. Never- theless, both indulged in too many pointless and ugly contortions in the opening scenes. Claude Hulbert was really amusing as a butler and Bebe Daniels is a vivid leading lady. The effect of all of them, including the lively Frances Marsden, would be much improved by the removal of all the microphones from the stage. They are quite unnecessary and merely a bad habit in any theatre
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