ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 517, 26 May 1909, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS.

HARRY RICKARDS'S COMPANY. Tho present season of vaudeville at the Opora House is fulfilling its promise of being a great success. Last evening the crowd was as large as on.any previous night, and quite as appreciative. Cinquevalli, the star artist, continues to astonish onlookers with his feats, notably those in whioh ho manipulates the billiard f ball and the cannon ball. As.tho season is draw--5 ing to a close, those who have not witnessed _ the entertainment have now only a - limited . time in which to do so. »• • THEATRE ROYAL.. Those who enjoy, good pictures will find plenty of interest,in the current series at tho 3 Theatre Royal. The films, which cover a wide • range of subjects, are particularly well shown, <j Among tboso which are worthy of special men u tion are:—"Agriculture in tho Argentina,' 0 "Mary Quoon of Scots,'' and "Moorish Cavalrj i Manoeuvres." Of the humorous films "Motherb in-law Has All the Luck" is extremely mirth- , provoking. The programme will bo repeated t this evening. ;. 1 ■ . THE ROYAL PICTURES. i _ His Majesty's Theatre'was crowded last evenJ ing by picture lovers in search of a good show, 1 and, judging by their appreciation of tho films » run off, they were, not disappointed. "Th< y Gamekeeper's Sons' was perhaps the most popu ;- lar picture,' but that depicting Presidenl } Tnft's inauguration and others were'watchec with close attention. An entirely now pro | : gramme will be given to : night. .. a OLYMPIA RINK. = -Tho busy wheels are still whizzing at th( |! Olympia, carrying merry skaters with untiring J energy. . Night' after night sees' no- cessatior t in the stream of those who seek amusemenl ; in this winter pastime. To-night the firsl - fancy-dress carnival of tho season will be held 1 for. which excellent entries have Been received , Included in tho events are a polo match, fai u and balloon race, musical'chairs, and a scratcl j raco o fone milo, in which all tho champioa i will compete. 0 . .' PIANOFORTE RECITAL. . ' 0 A second pianoforte-recital by Miss Madoioin fc Webbe and Miss Gertrudo Spoouer eventuate! 1 at the Concert Chamber last evening before ai 3 audience not as large as tho merits of thoper j formors deserved, t Miss Gertrudo Spooncr, ii j splendid form, played three attractive move mciits of Tschaikowsky's Concerto in B da minor skilfully, to the accompaniment of Mis Webbe on a second instrument. The pianofort ° music of the Russian composer makes enormou 1 demands on an interpreter's strength am 1 vitality, and that' Miss Spoonor was able to in 0 fuso such emotion and flro into tho two fina - movements, stands to' her credit. The encor i she received was well deserved. Later in;th 3 evening Miss'Spooner gave further evidence o 5 her talent in the bracketed numbers, "Lie . bestraum" (Liszt); "A Haunted H6use" (Mac Dowell), and Chopin's delightful "Tarantella,' tho last-named magnificently played. Miss Webb " sustained'her high repute for intellectual in 3 terprctation in Rachmaninoff's -"Prelude" ,(< f shap minor), MacDbwell's elfin fantasy'Tror ■ a German Forest," and Liszt's mighty "Rhar - sodio" (No. G).' Miss Peggy Bain's violin 1 playing is an object lesson- to students. Sh 1: produces a nice rich tone, and plays with con ) ndence and understanding. Her quality wa t proved in Sohubert's "Ave Maria, in whic! 3 her octave-stopping was clean and true. Sh , was equally successful in the Wilhelmj's adapto l tion of Schubert's "The Bee," in "La Cygno' * (Saint-Saons), Hubay's. "Hejre Kati," and Mot 1 kowekiV'Serenatn. Tho songs of Albert Mallii [ son wore selected as tho-vehicle for tho displa; : of Miss Blanche Garland's pleasant mezzo voice 5 Truth'to tell,, Miss Garland wjis hardly in Mai 3 lihson form last evening. Perhaps she was 3 little, afraid of the task she set. Herself—i 1 showed itself in her want of vocal oertjtudo i ] "Eventide" and "Rosebuds,"'and there^wa . just a suspicion of flatness in the eerie "8100 . Red Ring' song. .- Nevertheless fto nudienc I liked her, and invited another item, Willeby' "Summer Rain." With a littlo more confidenc . and the oxorci6e of greater vocal'control-Mis [ Garland should score in' the Mallinson repei . toiro. She_ has tho> proper, temperament an ■ tonal quality l to specialise in such altogotho i admirablo'songs. Mr. J..F. Carr's pleasing lii i tie tenor voice found'/expression in Raff' ;. "Sorenade," "Wakened from Dreams" (Coi , nelius), and "Four,;by.;tho .Clock," , A.'really-interesting programme was brought t . a -close, hj•tho sparlchnp,fi;ca(;ment:giy<m'to th ,' dainty La ;Coquette - (Arerisky),';'and "L Danza" (Rossini-Liszt) on two' pianos. ■ In r< spo'nso to dn-pnthusiastio'enoore "La Coquette' was'repeated. ' ■'-"-- : , The playing of Misses Webbe and Spooner.i ■ a fine example of what a New Zealand trainini '. can do. It.is on the cards that a branch o i' tho Webbe School of Music may bo started: ii Wellington. Both Miss Webbe and Miss Pcgg; , Bain contemplato settling in Wellington, wher' -. a warm welcome awaits them. ' , . > '~'-.■ ;. "' ■ Y.M.CjL . i " , \ A social in connection with the Y.M.C.A Boys' Department Football Club was held ii tho rooms on Monday evening, when a mos - enjoyable time was spent, soino thirty boy: from tho threo fifth-class teams being present Tho early part of the evening was devoted tc various'games,'and .at eight o'clock the boy: sat"down to light refreshments. During, flu evening .'the popular referee (Mr. Wi Wood gavo the boys an' interesting talk on tho rule: of tho game, which was much appreciated.. Oi Wednesday evening Mr. Wood will give a lee turo on 6occor football to'fifth-class boys play ing the game in Wellington. All fifth-class boy: are tendered a cordial invitation to bo preson at the Y.M.C.A. Boys' Rooms on that occasion ST. JAMES'S SUNDAY SCHOOL. St. James's Sunday School, Newtown, wai packed last evening, when a very "successful entertainment was given in aid of the fund t< erect a-.new building. During the first pari of tho programme musical and other items were given as follow:—Pianoforte duet, Misses Ranc and Keitl; pianoforte solo, Miss Coneland songs, Misses Hunt and Copeland, Messrs, Wright (2) and Morris; flower drill, children trained by Miss Aitkcn; tableau, "Britannia't School," by Misses M'Lean, Hall. Francis, and a number of childron. Tho tableau, during whioh "Tho Red, White, and Blno" was sung, scored greatly with the patriotic audience. The second part of the programmo consisted of a musical entertainment, "Seaside Lodgings," in which'.a large number of young people took part, and which was received with mucli enthusiasm. The entertainment will be repeated next Thursday week. ■ ALLAN HAMILTON'S COMPANY. A : , new company, organised by Mr. Allan Hamilton, will be the next attraction at tho Opera House. The initial production will be Mr. G. R. Sims's military drama, . "In the Ranks," produced hero some sixteen years ago by the celebrated actor, Mr. George Rignold. "In the Ranks" has made, quite a place for itself in tho history of tho modern stage. G; R. Sims and Henry Pettitt collaborated in producing it for the Adelphi Theatre, where it Was staged in October, 1883, and ran.for over five hundred nights, with Charles Warner and Miss Isabel Bateman in tho leading-parts, and E. W. Garden as Joe Buzzard. In Australia this play was George Rigntfld's Boxing Night production in 1887 ( and it then ran till Easter, and still holds tho local record' of eighty-tw.o nights for spoken drama. Mr. Rignold, and Miss Kate Bishop then played the leading parts, with Messrs. J. W. Hazlitt (Gideon Blake), Brian Darlcy (Captain Holcroft), Joo Tolano (Joe Buzzard), Miss Annie Taylor (Mrs Buzzard), and Miss Emily Fitzroy (as a youthful Barbara), in the cast. A feature of the new combination will bo the mounting and dressing of the various pieces, as Mr. Hamih ton, who was for years connected with the Broughs, believes,.as they did, in doing things on. an oxtensivo 6cale. ' NEWTOWN SCHOOL BAZAAR, This afternoon, at 2.30 o'clock, his Worship the Mayor (Dr. Newman) .will formally open the two-days bazaar at St. Thomas's Hall Newtown, which, is being carried- out under the auspices of the, Newtown District Hich School, b :