ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 644, 22 October 1909, Page 9

ENTERTAINMENTS.

lUCKAEDS'S VAUDEVILLE COMPANY. With four or five star turns, a programme of vaudeville entertainment is something beyond tho ordinary, which probably accounts for the popularity of the Harry Rickards ( Vaudeville Company at. the Opera Houso just now. Sufficient has already been said concorning tho principal features of this excellent ! company to commend it to tho notice of the ' public. The astonishingly". clever exhibition 1 given by lldllc. Rosina Casselli's wonderful I troupe of Mexican dogs and tho acrobatic feats 1 of. the KremUa Brothers iro two items which, i in themselves, constitute an (ntertainment of unusual merit. Tho performance will bo repeated this evening, and. for to-morrow after- , noon, a matinee show, exactly similar to the " evening performance, which will also bo given, is announced. . . , ; 0 THEATRE ROYAL. ■ A really good picture programme has been screened nightly at the Theatre Royal this week. To-night, tho series will be shown for the last time, to give placo to-morrow evening to an entirely new programme, which will include some star surprises for tho audionce. i . HIS MAJESTY'S. ' i ; The-success of the new programme of pic- .'. tures at. His Majesty's Theatre in Courtona'y '. Place is .unquestionable, to judge by the large audience which filled tho theatre last evening, and tho frequent applause which marked public approval of au exceptionally fine picture rho star item is the film depicting tho arrival J pi Dr. Cook at Copenhagen, and his enthu- ■ Elastic reception by the Danish people. An | excellent, film is, the picture drama, ."Tho ■ Mountebank's Son," while. the .balance, of' the h programme copsists of an. attractive series, re-1 • presenting every variety of entertainment, i \ ■', I ■ J . ' -, 1 - ;■- '; ; ! , ■• ■ • STAB PICTURES.,- '->■■•' "•'. [Evidence of the ever-inoreasing popularity of the Star Pictures was amply proved by, the large' and appreciative audience which attended last night's performance at St. Thomas's Hall. Among the collection of beautiful films was:, one dealing with'" the' : rebellious times: of .Louis ' XVII. -... '."The ,' PotterV Dream' is an artistio. study in itself. The potter sleeps near his furnace and dreams Df vases of various nations appearing with their, characteristics in living figures, finally ;rakening up. to find that the clay he was baking has turned out a masterpiece, to his overwhelming joy. "The Fox Hunt"-is a realistic picture, showing the appearance, chasing, and finally the killing of the fox; Among the humorous pictures are "Dr. Malceum. Thin," a process whereby a fat man is reduced of his weight. "Vaccination Against-Injury" is also a most amusing picture, and some very fine scenic views in , colour nre shown. There wilj. be a matinee on Saturday as usual, admission' sixpence to all parts of the house. ■LECTURE IN WESLEY HALL. • ' A jery interesting lecture under the auspices of the Christian Endeavour Society was given by Mr. Thomas Humphries, late Surveyor-' General, in Wesley Hall, ■ Taranaki Street, last evening, the proceeds of which are to be devoted to tho foreign mission fund. Tho subject of tho lccturo was: "The Mountains, Ewers, Lakes and Sounds oi New Zealand." Iho Rov. S. J. Serpell, \yho introduced Mr. Humphries ,to ■ the audience, remarked that thero were not many people who knew Now Zealand so well as ho did—all'tho beauty spots and theromoto places that lew people had ever been near. A very large number of lantern slides were-shown, many of them boing very fino, and Mr. ■ Humphries : accompanied each one with descriptive remarks, anecdotes, and even a Maori legend or two. The views of tho Manawatu: River, tho Wairoa River and Jails, Lake Waikaremoana and tho peculiar formation of. its cliffs, were exceedingly intorcsting, os'was that of a road in the course of construction along tho mountain side. Tho illustrations of the Waitomo Caves interested tho audienco more.than anything else. It-was about twenty years ago'since Mr. Humphries was first in them, and he described how they went along the. underground river in a canoe, starting from'.a pretty little gully and landing on some flats. ]?rom there they worked , their way from tho lowor caves into the upper ones, finally, emerging into the open from a hole in the roof, in exactly. the opposite way to that c .V 10 ,t 0U i rist: , now - ■ Othor views wore those of tho -.Mackenzie Country, taken after a snowstorm, the, Southern Alps, .and tho glaciers. ;■•; WELLINGTON BOYS'. INSTITUTE.. An enjoyable concert was given at,the Boys' Institute',to a crowded ".house "last evening, to assist tho W. 8.1, troop of Boy Scouts to pur-chase-uniforms. Mr. C. l>., ColAneus, Scout Master, was in the chair, and briefly explained the working of the' scout movement. '■ Items were contributed as.follow:—Musical items (3),', members of Turner's Band; vocal solos by Miss M'lllwraith, and Messrs. Kelly, Galloway,' and Master Lambert; recitations, Mr. F. Redgravo nnu • Master Lambert; piano solo, Master W. Jonningsj/ambulance display', scouts' squad.: l ; \ •■, ; ; V.' -PIANOLA; RECITAL. '-",",'.V ; .-.':'' .-A pianola recital .(admission by invitation) attracted,a' large' audienco to 'the . Concert Chamber last evening. 'The recital, which, was arganised by the British and Continental I'iano Company, to display tho'arts nnd graces of the i'hemodist Pianola, was in every ■ respect a delightful ono;: The has. a crisp, Irainan touch, and can'be regulated to produce nil tho required efforts with a delicate nicety' really, remarkable It,was fully tested last Dvening. Attached , - to a Bechstoin grand, ■• it rovellod in the most favoured classics—Cliopin'a "Proludp" (No. 21 and 23), his beautiful "Nocturne".- in :B .flat," and.- tho -bizarre "Crazovionno" of Padorewski, Greig's "Wedding Pay at-Troldhangon,". tho mighty "Sonata Fathetique' of Beethoven, and Liszt's '"Rhansodie" (No;, 12)— a veritablo'feast of all that is best in ; pianoforte music. The '"I'noniodisV' can be played .with much, feeling arid artistic modulation "of/tone, and tempo.. This was emphasised, to a fine 'point in tho accompaniments .which it played. ; Tho contributing nrtists. "were - happily chosen, , Tho surprise 'of the'.evening, was .the:"beautiful vocahsm --'..of Mrs;- : Arthur ■ Mead; a soprano, of rare culture and excellent. tone, which makes her singing a real delight, Sho sang Cha'minade's joyous carol'"L'ete". so charmingly; that she had to sing it all over again, and her encore.effort was bettor than the original. -Her other numbers wore Nevih's "'Twas April," "Who'll Buy Mγ Lavender" (Gorman); and the "Ave Maria" of Gounod. - Mr. ! . H.! H. Tombs played. as a violin solo Wilhelmj's. transcription of .Wagner's Prize Song and the. vivaco movement of Grig's -"Sonata" (Op. 8) in a scholarly manner, and Mr. I'. It. Johnstone-contributed thfe''cello, solo "Elegie":(Van Goons). An intoresting item on tho programme: were ■'• the "records" "Humoroske" (Dvorak) ;and" "Etude de Concert" (Schlpzer), played by. the Steck pianola-piano' (a pianola within a piano), programmed.as "the latest thought, in musical instruments." , -. . ...... , : ,:. ■ .- ■