ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1595, 12 November 1912, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS.

FULLERS' PICTURES. An excellent change- of progrninmo was presented at Fullers' Skuting Rink last evening. "Little Keeper of (ho Light" was ono of,tho best items. Tho story is . of a smalt girt, the grnnd-duughlvr *of a lighthouse-keeper who goes off to thosnore lor provisions, nnd leaves tho little giirl to light the.tamp. While on shore na gets into n lough. quarrel, and incurs tho hatred of a coarse seafaring man, who wishes to continuo the quarrel, and lor that purposo rows across to ;tho lightbouse. There he finds tho little girl just ascending the stairs to light the ln'mp, and as a means of revenge he decides to prevent her, and accordingly ties her up. At this moment the keeper returns, and a fight between tho two men. results in the visitor being thrown over a cliff. A court of inquiry into tho affair is about to convict tho keeper when tho little girl rushes into tho room with a confession from the injured man, which sho has managed to get from him. "Lake of Dreams" is another good film. Two 'children, boy and giirl, aro very fond of reading fairy stories to ono another, and when they grow up, and the toy leaves for college, they swear to be true to their dreams,' and that ho will continue her true knight. At college he gets among a fast, set, and feeling that he is on the downward path he makes up, effort to' right -himself, by going away. The attempt is useless, and he sinks lower. Then he is smitten with remorse, and almost unconsciously ho goes to the lake where he and sho were wont to sit and dream together, and there he finds his sweetheart willing and ready to welcome him back. Other good items are "&. Neapolitan Sketch," "White as.. Snow," "Moon- i shiner's Heart," "Tho Vow of Ysobel," and. "The Stubbornness of Youth" (a really first-class comedy). THEATRE ROYAL. . , Tho weekly change of programme drew a crowded audience to tho Theatre Royal last evening, and the all-round merit of the entertainment fully warranted '-tire liberality with which it was patronised. The Crimson Ramblers, a very capable band of vocalists, occupied the stage during the whole 'of :the first half, and almost every item they contributed was encored, Concerted items and solos, whether grave or gay,, 'were equally well re-'i ceived. The united voices of the company were used with admirably humorous effect in a medley which introduced the various animal cries and noises to bo, heard in a farmyard. Another good .concerted item was the finale, "Here Conies the Chocolate Major." To single-out individual soloists is unnecessary, for *)all ac-• quitted themselves well, anuVall'ivera encored. "Liouteuant Statf/'twho- opened the second half of the. programme, proved hiihsoif a ventriloquist of unusual skill. The dexterity which he displays in manipulating an elaborate. equipment- ; of lay figures and other accessories' greatiy heightens the effect of. his amusing contribution to the evening's entertaijiinent. The male member of. a. pattjt; of two, billed oh the programme as Bow,", was responsible for. some remarkably clover trick cycling. The ..skill with Which he engages in all sorts of pompji-caf-ed evolutions upon a single diliipidatedf! cycle wheel could not well be surpassed. In the latter part of. his'turn the cyclist whirls about-unconcernedly upon a high.' frame surmounting a single wheel. .On this precarious eminence he spin's round and round on a few i'eef of stage-space,; ptnd even coines momentarily to' a halt to salute the spectators, who •applaud his skill. The lady member of the'party is i a dancer whoSe graceful posturing serves, as effective foil to the clever clowning of her. male companion. The ' cyclist comes on garbed as a tramp, His cycling turn-is preceded by some comical tumbling and somersaulting,' in which he shows himself almost as agile nnd deSfcorous as in the management of a ouewheeled bicycle, • The'next item was contributed by a Scotch comedienne, whofigiires oil the programme, as; "Victoria Cross." She kept her audience in ■ aconstant ripple of laughter with songs and jests delivered- in a broad Scotch dialect. The musical.comedy-act,-''with which the Do Re Mi trio rounded'ofMio-' evening's entertainment,' deserved a bet-" ter place on'tho programml. •'■ Oarlrd.a*' clowns and equipped with an assortment of quaint musical '■ instruments:—seats, bottles, .'water-jugs, top-hats, and so forth —they quickly made friends-with their : audience, and their work was as funny as it was musjba,]. At intervals.during; the 1 evening, . .vflliio the stage.- was . being changed,, soiuo amusing motion-pictures were displayed. The programme will be repeated to-night and on following'evenings. _ , THE NEW THEATRE, - ' * A magnificently produced Edison drama entitled "Foul "Play" is tho iirincipal item in the programme shown at the New Theatre last night. 'The scena of action changes many times.' First,.it is in England, then in Australia, then on the high seas, and on a desert island, and then ih pugland again. ; One Arthur Wavdlnw, a gilded wastrel, led his tutor at college into trouble by defrauding him with a forged cheque, -and the tutor was transported for the crime of forgery. He was released on ticket of leave, and ho entered the servic* of a rich-man. It happened ■ that ho fell in love with the daughter of tho honse,' the fiance of his erstwhile betrayer, • who had also oomo to Australia to retrieve- his fortunes. His methods were again evil. He 'dispatched on:.a vessel an alleged- cargo of gold, whioh was really lead, JnsuW it, and arranged to have the-'*ship scuttled. On the ship were the lady and th<> tutor, nnd they .were east up on' a snail island in mid-ocean. They reached England again by their various ways, and the story ends han-pily for them.- Tliftt is to say, tho tutor Was able to prove his innocence, and to prove the guilt of Arthur Wardlnw, who '(escaped his proper retribution by committing Suicide, The picture is splendidly produced. The supporting pictures are a; uniformly good lot, and the programme is in all a, yery fine one. THE KING'S THEATRE. "The Money Kings," the star item, oft tho programme' screened at the King's Theatre for the first time last. erenins is certainly one of the best dramas that Messrs. 'Wests have yet presented in Wellington. .The acting throughout is beyond reproach and the general setting imd scenery of the piece lavish and extravagant, as befits tho main story•• The plot is admirably' oondneted and tho introduction of the hydro-aeroplane is refrcshinglv novel. Briefly, the story of the play is aft follows: The Money King, James Monte-pier, sees an opportunity of securing a contract, for steel if wnt is declared between America and a European Power.. Roy. Brian., in love- with Relon (Mofttopior's daughter) is appointed the U.S.A. representative to the Pent* j Conference. He receives a . Peace draft (and tho steel maehate secures a spy.to i chnngc papers with Brian. overhears the plot and tries to warn Brian, who has sailed for The Hague. Helen secures the right draft and arranges with hor cousin, who is an aviator,',to" deliver the- draft on the steamer by means of his hytlro-aoroplane. James Montpier and his colleagues, who are congratulating them-. pelves on the success of their manoeuvre, ftro dumfonnded pt being outwitted by a dnrlng girl,.who braves alt for the man who loves, "The Thumb Print" is another dfamatio item of merit. A thief stpnls jewels from the safe of a dwelling, leaving a thumb print oh the dressing table cover. A detective finds this clue, also examines tho ground and deduces that the thief wore new boots and limped. He disguises himself nnd follows 'the man who escapes through a window n.ild jumps on a fast moving, train. Tho rtctcotivo nlso boards the-train and'a desperate struggle, on topof the train ends m tlift triumph of justice and the recovery of the jewels. Among the other items,' "The Masseur's Ruse." "Diipin Buvs n Watch," nnd ."Evolutions of a Duck E'tg" nve tho best. On Wednesday night 'West's Melbourne Cup film wilt be Screened at the. King's. SHSRTTS' PICTURES, .' "Fools of Society" is tho litjo of the chief picture is thfl now bill presented in. Shovtts' Thentro last night, ft is a wonderfully vivid representation of a trn(redy, and the acting, though After the Continental method, is remarkably (inc.' The story concern's chiefly two men nnd' ono woman. They were both ill love with her, but she married tho one who was a glittering army officer, but his, affections as a husband ssomed to chill a . good deal." , Then tho lady, beennie interested in the other, and sho wrote Jito a letter wlilofl bos?fcV«d hw inter.

est on the ovo of tho day on which he was to rido in a steeplechase at a race meeting. In that race he fell and was lulled. Then, in liis pockets, w-iis 'db- ■. covered tho compromising letter which tho husband, a friend of the' d:Tad man,. discovered. There were distressful scenes' between the angry husband, hm} lus unhappy wife, and tho ending, of them all Was even wore distressful.'' A scenic picture of topicpl interest just now is fold of tho life of Bulgarians at .homo in their own villages, and another film gave a Series of glimpses of tho beautiful city of Kio do Janeiro. An -American"drama, "A Wifo of the Hills," with the nowfamiliar Western setting, proved to .be a really interesting story. The comic films were a remarkably amusing lot, and provoked really merry laughter. A.very welcome addition to the attractions at the theatre is the prchestra, which has just been established there. The programme will bo repeated this evening. THE EMPRESS THEATRE. Capital attendances were recorded throughout yesterday at tho Empress Theatre Continuous Pictures when the current pMgrahilno was screened/for tho last time. The new series to-day and to-night will include the A.B. "feature", dfama, "A Kentucky Fetid;" This' is reputed to be a. fmo rendition in which two brothers, are iii love with the same girl. The younger brother returns after- a lengthy absence to find his childhood's sweet' heart betrothed to his brother, The two men aro strongly contrasted, the younger boin^reFihed'and educated; and- although betrothed to the other, the'sir! becomes attracted to the younger. This leads to ill-feeling, but an old feud with neighbours is awakened, ami'■ Pit to ends/the romance in a remarkable mariner. Tho supporting subjects include:. *'A Visit to - Kerwahs,- Ttthis" (travel!,' "In By-gOne Days'* (drama)., "Rhodesiiin Tobacco Industry" (industrial), "Put to the Test" (drama), "Oh- Mother-in-Law" (comedy),, atul others. The now programme will be shown without a' stop throughout to-day, and to-nighL MR". /HORACE HUNT'S' KECiTAL. Mr. Horace Hunt and his -sister Mia Gertrude Hunt, assisted by Miss May Donaldson, added another'concert to thelong list which has' marked this season. Owing to the rather cold evening, the aud'.ojiee was not as large-as it assuredly would have been had the elements been more kindly disposed, but still, there were enough .present, to show an)p!'e; appreciation of the very fine progtijmme-submitted, Mr. Hunt, who- is technically well equip, ped, exhibited his executive'".glrill m ■'it' ividc-raiige of music of a highly' interesting character, At-nong'his. numbers.'-was the Gri«g Sonata (Op. 7), a most, attract ' tive work written in that compeffihg style characteristic! of the great- jfarwegiaa' l composer. Mr.. Hunt's -iaterpreW-Viji. ! rtKHigh very intei'csting, hardly realised' j the quaint Griej sprit witanvhiiii -tfiei sonata is imbued. - His ploying was fluent and graceful, but that pcpuliat atmosphere inherent in all the-composer's works j did notpervade his interpretation' in thai fullest sense. It was, however,, .pleasing to hear the pianist essaying .a. fine' work,"the whole four movements of. whichi.i by the way, were 'played irojn 'menioty-.;] Mr. Hunt caught "the. Grieg ' atmosphere : much more effectively ill the !"M'arch of the Dwarfs," played suhseqiien't'.y as an. encore. In the B major.''Nocturne".of | Ckopin, Mr. Hunt was particularly pleas-.- ) ing-j.;snggiMting tc a nifiety the cool'and i tiusliful spirit of the piece by his cOn--so'entioiis regard for tone-colour/,- The-: "Impromptu' (in A flat major) was ani. other.' evidence of his skill as an inter'preterof the. great pbef-cpmposer. 'Aio.th.er charming bracket-embra'c'ed''"the ."LieheVl straum" (No. 3) of iisij,' 'the 'striking "Prelude", in,.; C sharpi' -■ tninor of. tho-'! mighty Rachmaninoff, '--■ father',,, geiitly,] ha'q'disd, ami two' , ''Ar.a'be's(j'ues.' ) 'of 'Be-'l busy, beautiful little sketches., shimmers,] ing with opalescent, nielody,...-which -Mr/: Hunt played with a .delicacy- and'feel;ng':| dltegetlie'r"'- charming; As an encore he'.' played-a transcritition of Seiubert's "The., Wanderer," of; which thj. pianist-gave i strikingly good' read'tig. MacDowell, ...theAmerican composer, was represented', by three ■■pretty ciwrpts from ; ..his ,"s,bofe' land Sketches/'; and 'finally GT'4uri?s "Gigue" w-as played with appropriate , yjjaiity. 'MisS.G'ei'tnide Hunt,, a, ; .lighi;' - in attempting the' "Ah* lo so" aria, fisim "The Hfnsic S'htte"; of Mozart, which requires a good deal of temperamental ca;pa- - city'beyond the 'mere 'vocalisation- demands ■ : ed> which remark also applies '.to the "Prayer" from'- Puccini's highly dramatis opera, "La Toscn." The singer was much luipp-'er in ballads, and sang A pretty. "Berceuse," by Hunipordinck, ver.r nr-cely. She also sang a "Lullaby," .by Cyril Scott, a new setting of Shakespearels. lyrics beginnihg: "Take, Oh Take Those tips Away," nnd entitled "Lovc'-s Farewell,' by Mr. Horace limit, "Auf Weiderschon''. (Mall'risw), and "The Imfs Lullaby" (Ncedhain). AKsistanco of an unusually valuable character was given by .-Miss May Donaldso.n, the gifted i-.ioliriist, whose playing is marked'by. fine sympathy, tone, and graceful .phrasing. -; She -.plwed- in an altogothor pieasing marihet..'■the'- 'Romance" from 2), and, for an encore,', a joyous "Precicuse," by Krfiisler, and «ft'..nesr'second appearanoa introduced a new q'oinpbsition. by Sa;nt-bae.us,''"l-« Deluge,' l ' a. coiiima'ndinglv melodious work which ,ii«ile an immediate impression, and sained for Hue (air performer a hearty enfrore., which elicited an attractive interpretation of Schubert's "Ave Marin." Miss Dpnaldson was accompanied .by her sister, and Miss Hunt .by her brotta-r, - - -. THE N.Z. COMPETITIONS, "■ To-morrow at 9.30 a.m. tho Sow 1 Zealand Competitions Society-will commence o fifteen davs' iestival iu. the large 'IWir Hall and the Cmieert ■Chamber. Thene is ■every promise of the festival proving a distinct success. "Already fl .large-'ftunO*er. of season tickets.'', have licen disposed which shows the committee of the society that the public appreciate their actioiv in endeavoiiriiig to tost-er Intent talent iit music, -literature,, elocution, art, etc. The secretary, Mr. Dykes, reports that every thing is well in train, and nil arrange--ments will be practically complete this. evening. To-morrow's liifigrahimo should provo .interesting there teing'e:ct'.ions. folv piano solos under 12, mezzo soprano''andcontralto solos, a Shakespoatetin recital for ladies..(tho "Potion Scene," from "Romeo and Juliet"), n comedietta, entitled "Interruptions, by Mrl J. Culford Bell and party) H humorous quartet by the "Orpheus Quartet, and a now section, a brass quartet, by the City Tramways. Band No! l, 'There is in addition to this a recitation for. boy scouts,, entitled ths "Ballad of John Nicholson." There are large entries for all tlie'so sections, and these will be hoard -during tho day, while the finals will' be heard''in tho : evening, thereby ensuring a vefy Varied and interesting evening's performance. The box plan is at the- Dresden. 2s'o, booking tea is charged. ;

The first lightship off the coast of Eng. land was placed at the Nore, Konti in lS3?v