ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1637, 2 January 1913, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS.

' ."GET-RICH-QUICK WALLINGORD." , A bumper holiday audience shook with laughter at the wild absurdities in that lively American comedy, "Qet-Eich-Quick Wahingford" at (lie Opera House last evening; Played at racing speed, the comedy gW9 with u. rush and a unng for'three acts. Tho calm which inevitably follows the storm is tho last act, where the two "crooks," Wallingtord and Daw, have made their own and everyone else's lorhmes, and take much pleasure in,living in luxury with money made "on the level.'' Sterling performances are to be creditedto Mr. Niblo as Wullingtord,'Mr. Uorson Uarkc as "Blackie" i)aw, Mr. K P. Hush .is Eddie Lamb, and Misses Beatrice Hoilowa}-, Enid ifennett, and.Rosalind Smeuton, as tno lovers of that successful trio of manufacturers. Miss .Margaret DaloUwen, too, is excellent as the ■ waitress, .Bessie Meors. Indeed, all the character j'parts, major and minor, -are ■ remarkably well sketched. Tho comedy will be played until, further notice. .-

THEATRE ROYAL. ' : A good programme was staged at th_ Thcatre Royal "Les Eihchs" jwrtormed extraordinary feats of strength, and Phillips.and ilcrritt-sang-and danced ' m their captivating, way.. .Ernest Pitcher, in the assumed role.', of simpletori, - was' particularly entertaining;' Francis E; Curran, tho .marvellous. one-legged.-acrobat; l>erformed: astonishing', feats;' and-''among tho'other artists . were '"•'. ".The National 1 , Duo, Thornton (a juggler),'' and' '.'The ■bight Grotesques." '.'.' ;: - .■ ■ ;; ■''.; 'HIS ;,; ;- ~ A new selection of-pictorial, gems .was sereene'd at Puller and. Sons' new-theatre,;' ill Courtenay Place;; last evening. ' By eight o'clock there : was; 'not/a' vacant; spat, . The ' musical;.. items .proyided -by a strong orchestra, added considerably to' the charm of tho piotures.' "The Maori at Home" was the title of tho first film, and it grtve some interesting glimpses of Maori lifo at .Rptorua. A moving picture programme is hardly complete- without a touch of tho Wild.West in it, and' this programme is no exception. "Outlaw, Yet n Man,", is the title; of a cowboy drama, and jt claims to possess a touch of realism. 'A-well-known outlaw 'holds up" a mail conch, and departs with his spoil.-';A Toward is offered for his capture, and a sheriff and his posse leave to search for the. outlaw. 'A. little' boy, dressed as a cowboy,.'wanders off into the. plains, and gets -lost. The outlaw comes upon the child'just in time'to'savelt.from a baud of Indians. The Redskins give chase: to the outlaw and the boy, and both make for tho bush. Whilst .they arc watching for. the Indians,- the outlaw is'mado. a captive by tho sheriff' and his posse. In the end, however, the outlaw explains tho approaching' danger, and the sheriff releases liim in order'that he may assist in keeping off tho Redskins. .After some fighting the outlaw is killed by an Indian, and the sheriff wanders, sadly, off with the littlo'f boy. Twilight, Love's Old Sweet Song," forms' a very pretty .little photoplay. Incidents purporting to display scenes from ;the life of. tho- great ■ Napoleon, are depicted. As films thoy are very interesting; as history it leaves a great deal to be,desired. Numerous'other new pictures were-shown, and will be repeated again this evening.,

\ THE I NEW .THEATRE, '.Capacity, business was the .rule, at the New ■ Theatre continuous pictures' yesterday, afternoon and .evening. Tho usual entire change to-day will serve to introduce an elaborately .'mounted, drama, . When "Woman Loves." Tho■; management state, that the story is of' a beautiful gipsy'girl, who falls in love with a count, whom sho meets in tho woods 'strolling with ,his fiancee.; 'Later the gipsy becomes a : big success on tho. sta'ge, anil by chance manages to go between the count and.ihis betrothed,'but the gipsy girl's lover "brings about the' punishment of the girl;.' A.fine, series of supporting subjects is promised. On Saturday,, ''A Marriage .will' be introduced.' This work, which- is-by the Nor-1 disk Company, is stated.to'.have achieved a notable success in England.?' ? ■■'/•',' '■ :-'

;,THE ; EMPRESS, THEATRE. : . .The Empress Theatre, continuous , pic---tures wero .attended by:,crbwds.l all. yes?: . torday. r: The customary, complete''cbarigO to-day and :to : night will-bo. headed; ?hy?; "The Castaway," reported-to matio~'triumph of unusual interest.' A , characteristic sensational adventure of the 'Far West, "The Ranchman's Trust," describes the thrilliag experiences of a young Easterner. > Another drama which is assured of popularity is,"Joe, the Wanderer's' Boy," a love story,' in .which a pretty girl disguised as a boy figures'prominently. -The latest Continental news is attractively assembled in "Tho ,i Warwick. Chronicle."' The/comedieS. include "Was,He a'German Spy?", an exceptionally humorous'conceptiou; Spoonv Sam," and "On tho'Tip of His Nose." The Empress ' Theatre full orchestra will contribute now selections as usual this evening.? ■■..','"■■

PEOPLE J S PICTURE PALACE. The People's.Picture Palace,was liberally .patronised-at all sessions yesterday, and in-the evening was crowded to tho doors. The principal ,attraction in a, selection of pictures screened for'the first time was an admirably produced film bntitjed "Tom Butler." It deals with. the adventures of a versatile desperado, who is- first;shown-, effecting a daring' escape from a convict station situated on n rocky coast.,; The: story from this, point is .crammed with seiisaticual.incidents.; Adopting a series,of clever disguises Butler sets, himself to executing vengeance upon,his wife, a yoiing actress,who had earned his hatred by being instrumental in, sending him to ,prison.: The efforts made to track down'the criminal.and his final- capture, provido a further wealth I of' exciting incidents. There aro no dull moments gs the story unfolds, and the film.-takes' a high place' amongst produc-. tions of its.class. Another good picture of tho. dramatic order, • which figures in the programme, is entitled "When Youth Meets Youth.'.' The story,is that of two brothers who love the same; girl. One is moved by, jealousy.-to. plot'against; tho life of.the other,'but'repents-at tlie last Imoment and saves his brother's life, at the sacrifice of his own'/ 'Lighter- faro is supplied in .."The: .Water/Wagon,"..,a Lubin comedy full of funhy. situi.tions, and "Tho Safety Overcoat." ...An,.interesting industrial film illustrates, the' various-pro-cesses in the. manufacture'of'candles-by up-to-date, methods. Still another effective item in tho programme is "Lieut. Rose and his Patent Aeroplane." The samo pictures will be screened to-day, when, as usual, the People's Picture Palaco will bo open from, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

THE ALASKA-SIBERIA PICTURES.'. , A new standard in adventure pictures is set in those taken by Captain IV E. Klein-Schmidt,-who Was appointed to organise tho expedition sent .to Northern Alaska

and Siberia, in. 1011 by the Carnegie Institute. The pictures of animal and bird life he secured are amazingly good, and their quality improves as the wonderful incidents ol the venture develop. The expedition proceeded north from Seattle through Beliring Strait, ana reached Wrangel island, a point only IB degrees south of the North Pole. . i''or museum purposes .tho. camera man kept a bright look-out for bird and animal life. One astonishingly lino picturo was a bird Tookcry at Bogoslof Island, which shows a conical peak of rock so alive with birds that the rock can scarcely b» seen at all, the peak being silhouetted against a beautiful stretch of sandy'beacn.' • Sealions were taken in cohorts,reclining on rocky ledges high above tho sea'. As they are disturbed, theydive by the dozen from a height of thirty; feet into tho. sea. Other intensely-interesting pictures-wero the vast herds of walruses" photographed as they basked on ice-floes. On, one floe •alono there are said to bo Soo,walruses. It is easily believable after seeing tho picture. A party of' Eskimos is, shown hunting the big sen-animals,with lances and guns; skinning the dead ones on the floe, and hoisting their skins into the attendant schooner. The most cxtraordin-, nrily-beautiful view of tho series is the pursuit, of a Polar bear in comparatively open water."■, The' big white bear is seen swimming for. dear life only about twenty , or-thirty feet, ahead of the pursuing cant.' era.' •■•Now.-and' then it dives, and so clear ■is the v water that the photograph shows' ■the' anirrfal", swimming away beneath the ■ surface. vFinnlly the bear is lassooed, and* ■ gets'clear:of vthe line twice before it is, '.captured."•-.'. \ '; '■'Another, .very realistic picture was a rc' ; of "The Charge of the Light.Brigade," in'-which hundreds of men and; 'horses are employed in a graphic and ingeniously., stage-managed representation of•; the great blunder at Balaclava. ;■;'; During "'the evening; Mr; Geoffrey Nye',. 1 manager of the recent tug-of-war carnival, presented gotd medals to. the "All Blacks" football ;tug-of-war contestants.

~/ THE KING'S THEATRE. '•.." The holiday programmo at the King's Theatre,: which -was, screened again last night; attracted a.larga number, of people.;, "Behind the Mask," tho leading item, is an excellent film, ponrtraying various, phases of life,' including a glimpse at the Parisian at- home,, in Maxim's' well-known restaurant. "Light After Darkness" is the second-best item, and if it; was .not 'preceded-by'a"extra-, special item, .would itself be a "star.". "he ! Moonshiner's Daughter" and "Tlio Schianoni Troupe" are also items of the finf-class, and do'much to make tho programme so; popular.. j • •'■'/'■'.'■' SHORTTS' THEATRE. • \ [. 'At Shortts'-Continuous Picture Theatre "A'Sister's Ordeal" was screened, for the last time last evening: Other films which went to make' a very enjoyable programme wero: "Bunny's Suicide," a comic play, with John Bunny in the" title role; "Tho Cub Reporter," Australian Gazette," and a beautiful scenic entitled "Castle, Chamford," ?A\new- wilbbo screened to-day and 'to-night.' •? '■ ■' ■;..■ MADAME KIRKBY LUNN'S SONG . -'.'.,".< ■-. RECITAL, -'-.V-' .?.',: ■An cxtra'.speciaVtreat is promised lovers of song in tho recital to bo given in the Town Hall this evening by that ■ distinguished artist, Mada'mo. Kwkby Lunn. Music lovers will see that tho programme, set out in full in'the advertising,columns, is crammed full of pearls' Of 'song, .which should make: the:recital "onc'.of-the jmost notable ever given-in : Wellington.',Madamo, iunn is to sing the.aria,'"PrintcmpS-Qui. Commence"' from''.' ;Snitit-Saens's' opera,' "Sailison and Delilah,"! the. "Scguedilla"' from "Carmen,"-four; of Brahm's songs,' including tho'.'-'Sapptsche'Ode" and "Von;; Ewiger Licbe,"' ; Sclvub<?rt's "Der Tod uhd; ■ das Madchen" aid'. "Gretchen am Spinn-' ratio," and songs by' ; Richard Strauss, Mai-.: linson, and Lidgey;-Madame.-Lunnwill'.be; assisted by Mr. William'''Murdoch',.'.the brilliant young Australian' pianist, •i.who will play a Debussy group of toim.skctch'cs, including the beautifully\ impressionistic "La Cathodralo Engloutic," aiid;: "Reflets dans'l'Eau." . .. ''■.-'•.•V:'- : .\V.' .-? ■ Tho finarconcert, at which'M;-Andre do ■ Ribaiipierre and Mr. Andrew; Shank 3 will?appear, will be given'!-, on .Saturday evening. ':■■■■:.■■". ■ -V-V?'???...'? :•?"'