ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 551, 5 July 1909, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS.

• MEYNELL-GUNN COMPANY. ■ • •' : A crowded house greeted "Miss Hook of Holland" at the Opera Houao on. Saturday night. The bland oynicisni of Hook pere (Mr. Edwin Brett), Miss Lincoln's sprightly performance as Sally Hook —although her enunciation is not clear —and the heroic romance of. Bandmaster Van Vuyt (Mr. Harold Thorley), all delighted the audionco, who. also had time to laugh: with fcho wellgarmented Mina (Miss Orford) and Simon Slinks (Mr. Cromwell/. Quito a lot of .the success was duo to the ballet dancing of Miss Perrin," and the whimsicalities and tumbling of Mr. Payne. . To-night and to-morrow night will be the last two nights of_"Miss Hook of Holland." Special attention is .drawn to the , next production .by the "Hooli of 'Holland". Opera Company of tho pantomime "Cinderella," which will be Bta<*ed for the first time in, Wellington on Wednesday evening next, and thereafter continued for four nights .■ only, with a matinee on Saturday. The staging of such a great production for so' short a period has been brought about by the fact that' this pantomime and company must appear in Sydney at an earlier date than previously'ar-' ranged.. Much' has already, been .heard of tie manifold .'chorus of ' 'Cindrella"r—its delightful and catchy songs—gorgeous dressing and magnificent scenery. Miss Meredith Meredro—principal boy of Messrs. Meynell and Gunn's English Comic Opera Companywill make her-first appearance as the Prince in "Cinderella." According to Australian contemporaries, "Miss Meredro is a fragment of America lent by England' to Australia, with the object, or at all events, the consequence of promoting goodwill throughout the English speaking world. She is a native of Denver City ; and a real Western-born two thousand milesi'west of New' York.,; .She comes.'with' a reputation and acharmiiig personality, a pretty face,, and a clever ringing voice. , . Miss Meredro's . appearance- on the'stage is interesting and varied. She commenced in : vaudeville in America and afterwards studied singing in Vienna, hav'ilig been sent.there free of all cost, through winning a competition open to the whole of the ; States. J - She then migrated to comic opera and grand opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, New: York, whero she was the original flower maiden in ' Parsifal.'- ' About ■three-years ago Miss Meredro paid her first 'visit' to England, and took the leading part in a;musical play, 'The Stunning •Grenadiers. From : that procluction sho was .engaged by Mr:: Arthur Collins to take 'principal; boy' in the ' Babes in the Wood' at Drury Lane-pan-Jomime last year, and this has led to her en-, gagemerit at the same theatre,for:'tho' J first. three years after she appears in Messrs. -Meynell and Gunn's- next year,'s Th.e plans for ' 'Cinderella',' are now open at tbe Dresden. s-'

x THEATRE ROYAL.

Thi-main-feature of the new programme of pictures at the Theatre Royal on Saturday night was, of'course, the film of the ArnstWebb race. . The film, which was taken' by -Mrv J.- M'Donald, ,Government photographer, in the middle of winter,' is a very good one, considering that the* subject is not one that lends itself readily ; to toe making of a biograph picture. Prior to the picture of the race itself, the champion' aad; es-champion were shown in preliminary "trials and on their way down .to 'the river. ~ln the race itself,. Arnst's' da'rk' rowing costume, against -the dark'- surface of, the /waiter, Cat times rendered ■his movements somewhat indistinct, though his position was at all times clearly, to be seen..: movements, on the;other hand, .were Y more easily'distinguishable, and it was seen ; how ho, continually ;. glanced over his shoulder' to ' note*' his opponent's progress. ■pifc.tnre' was gifted with/loud applause by the audience, 'aid. at its conclusion the onampion .'• sculler, was./;among - tho audience, in response to cries for a" speech, rose and thanked those present . for. their, .reception, . ,"I,am sure you will all agree,"/-he said, "that we rowed a good race; and a hard race. In beating \Vebbj r l beat a good man and a good.sport: Wherever I goj-I npver hope to beat a better sport." (Applause.;) , ,Eveii without the "star" picture, the programme Would have been, well worth seeing. Tie oinephone, pictures were: "Home Again, My Cherry Blossom;" sung ..by .Prank Barnes a little indistinctly; with a' Japanese setting for the picture; "My Little Wooden Hut," sung by'-Walter'lifilliir; and '.'The Only ' Bit of English That We've Got," repeated iby request. -One of .the-most, interesting ofcthe kinematograph pictures' was "Tho-Adventiires of de Bergerac, a selection of incidents from the delightful French comedy- of:-Edmund Ris'tand, "Cyrano de Bergerac;'",' Next'-to 'this, film „in .point-lof : .''interest .eame "Culture in ; flung!try, showing the various processes in the culture, dressing,-spinning, and Weaving- of. hemp. Other 'good ; pictures were: "Saved by Love," "The Shepherd's Daughter," and of; the comic ..order, "William s Suicide," "Back, Back'," and "Blind -Jtfan's Buff." The programme will be;-re-peated to-ni2-ht. ■ ..i:..;.-'. .'v.

. -/WEST'S PICTURES. >': As a ! triumph of isinematographio art, the dramatic condensation'' of Zola's terrible novel, "Ij'Assqmmoir,'' exhibited under the title "Drink" in the programme of West's Pictures; on' Saturday nighty suggests that we have 1 , .only, begun, to realise the extent 'to. whicli ; ,tliafc, .art- may rival, the stage itself in the representation of magic and comic action: ' The relentless story of "L'Assonu moir," as>.pictured in 'two acts and seven scones, was impressed on the spectators' with a compressed: force, and artistic vividness, the effect of which could scarcely, have been increased by. spoken words. The parts ,were, taken by iivo actors, and the exaggerated gestures and actions of ordinary biographic IlrnS; were completely absent,v withoutthe revelation of being in any degreo less, clear. Coupeau, the pathetic hero of the play, is a\ laughing, open-hearted fellow when he marries Gervaise (lime. Eugenie Na'u), : ' and takes'an oath Vnever- to touch -spirits. The original of the character, .Mr. Arquilleriere, depicts his cheerful bonhomie with engaging, art; But Coupeau and !Qefvaise have enemies of almost incredible , perfidy.: and rancour in the pair, Lantier;(M. Qretillat)' and Virginie . Catherine Fontenoy), arid through their influence :,Coupeaii learns, the taste of absinthe, and soon acquires a craving, for the vicious drug.* The scenes' in the- drrig;shop, ;,at which Coupeau ':is!''pressed;: to' drink' :,by :Virginie,' and reluctantly . obeys, the' exnilaration, followed by a helpless lethargy, which he experiences from; the' spirit, and'.the gradual coarsening ; arid'.:brutalising of his lively, features; with the'.pro'gress'of. his dissipation, are wonderfully and'terribly, portlayed by the actor in the. main part. ■ .Coupeau's male enemy, Lantier, ;is a crafty fellow, : who watches and assists' his downfall, and Virginie brings' her evil influence to bear with .smiling,; fiendish malevolence.;; Under thevspell „of: the drug CoupeaU'is;'blind to .thoir.patent conspiracy, and deaf to the 'entreaties of Bis' wife,: who finally is ■ tempted to join fcim in the weak-; ms's .which • she', cannot make.''him? overcome. In the late' scene,' we -see'- Coupeau, older, arid an. obvious .wreck, receiving his discharge irom'a luriatic'ajsylum," with 'a medical certificate ; that a single drop of .absinthe will now cause his death, but that he may. take old claret. ;< In the Wb act his wife 1 has purchased, a battle 'of cUret to celebrate his retrirn home. While she is .absent, from the room, Virginie reads ,tho certificate, I 'and substitutes a bottle of. absinthe'for the other. Coupeau, left alone in the room,; looks from the absjrtthe tb. the' certificate,\ his mind hovering .between desire, and dread. But the slavery of years leaves' him no choice, even 'when tho danger is death. He 'takes"'the drug, experiences for a moment its'.exhilaration, 'then its . terrible^intoxication 1 ; during which the bottle falls 'to, the floor. , Coupeau, besotted, beastly repossesses himself, of the bottle, and. drinks greedily. , He gambols .or a.ifow moments in a drunken delirium,"and falls dead. His wife, daughter! and others rush in, and the curtain falls, dramatically speaking, on their horror. It is a'very powerful ,-little.- '.play;'; and , one -is ;glad..for\the relief, of a comic filrh which!.follows. -\ Though "Drink",; is deservedly the star item of the present programme of West's Pictures,there [ are'.other items: which , would do , credit to . tlio first position • in, >any>' ordinary.' picture- sho.w.i ~ "The Invaders" , in a '.sort- of . kinematographic' "Englishman's -Home,"- which tells its story with groat spirit. A- foreign; spy makes love to , an 'English.- girl,-.foreign troops, with men's .Miits. and women's dressoj. covering

their uniforms, land- at an, English port, and big "guns are received 'in - cases, _marked "British motor-car;" The workers, in what appears to bo an underground tailoring establishment, are trained ■ foreign, soldiers in disguise. . In due course, tthe, disguise is thrown.off, and the enemy make their, first attack j'on the houW : of .the girl to whom the conspirator made love. The bombardment; of.'the / the destruction of most of its male'defenders; and the release by the girl of a carrier pigeon, with a message summoning" the Territorials, who speedily arrive;,and theV table's, are showing in the best style of moving picture : ait. Among the ' humorous films, "The Gay 'Old Dog,V which depicts the misadventures of a ladyloving fop, is ;far ahead of the usual comic film, in the -excellence of its i acting and the realism of its denouement,' The. other views, serious and humorous,, are up to West's best standard,, and the overtures and accompaniment of Do Groen's orchestra aro a delightful addition. The : programme will- be repeated. to-night.'. . . THE ROYAL PICTURES , The matinee' and evening presentations of the. Royal .Pictures at :His Majesty s Theatre on! Saturday voro very well attended, and, for thi fourth "screening": of the current week's programme that' fact must be takon as < ample proof of the quality and variety of the films. The present series will be screened for two more nights. THE OLYMPIA RINK. Saturday was a raw, chilly day, just the day. to tip. the balance of human judgment in favour of an indoor sport, and sinco there is no .indoor sport to be anywhere compared' with the excitement and exhilaration of roller; skating, the Olympja Rink, in Vivian Street, was well patronised, both during the afternoon and throughout the'evening. ' The push ball was oil the 'floor for the additional diversion of • those expert whirlers who yearned for. more excitement than the conventional "round and round and round," varied by "figure-of-eights" and other marvels of dexterity with~the slippery,wheels. ; '■■■■ BENEFIT CONCERT. The Opera House was fairly well filled last evoning when a benefit concert arranged by the house staff of. tho Opera' House in aid of the widow and seven children, of the late Mr. A. Melville, one of the staff of permanent stage hands, who died recently, leaving his ; 'wife- and family in very .poor circumstances, wais held. The Professional Orchestra kindly consented to supply the programme of last evening, and the result was quite an. enjoyable little concert that reflects credit on all concerned. The • 22. pieces— played with fine 'verve arid precision under the able,, conductorship of Mr. E. Rawlins (leader of the "Hook of Holland" orchestra). Its part of the programme consisted of lie march "Light Cavalry," and thb selections "Dawn of Love;" "Distant Greetings," * and "The Phantom Brigade.''. Miss Baker, the possessor'of a sympathetic contralto voice of good tone and body,' sang "Neafcr My' God to, Thee" and "Tears" acceptably. -Mr. Charles Read,' a robust tenor,' sang' "The Coming of the King',' infringing style. The •accompaniments;were played -Mrs.: Woodword. It' is understood. that a substantial sum was realised for the. distressed family. PUBLIC LIBRARY LECTURES. ' A - free lecture will be given. at the .New,town< Library to-night, by the Rev. 'J. T. Nott, on "The lost lands of long ago."- The lecture will be illustrated with lantern views.