THE THEATRE
The Desert Song." At the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Hr distance we have travelled since the last war may be shown of only in such social phenomena as the public interest in Russ:a, Tanning and the Beveridge Report, but also in the character of our
pular entertainments. It will be interesting to see if the present revival of The Desert Song repeats its earlier success, especially as Harry Welchman returns effectively to his original part as the hero of the highly-coloured story. London audiences, I shou'd judge, have become more sophisticated, and this musical play depends on a form of desert romance dating back to The Sheikh and The Garden of Allah. -The music, also, is dated in its lush melodiousness, owing nothing either to jazz or " swing," but, frankly banal, going straight to the heart of the pre-war galter-girl
j .
There is no fault to find with the production or with the cast. Frederic Bentley's jokes are by no means all old. Eleanor Fayre has charm and beauty. Helen Barnes and Olive Rose are more an competent, and there is enough life in the show to delight
Previous page
