ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1659, 28 January 1913, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS.

OPERA HOUSE. "The Girl in the Train" was again successfully presented at the Opertf House last evening. Many musical plays have be.en more elaborately designed than this light and airy production, but what it lacks in narrative and ordered plot is made good in tho spontaneous • humour ■ and gaiety with which it is invested. Boisterously humorous situations are piled one upon another in reckless profusion and food for laughter abounds at nearly every sta"e in the development of the play. The dialogue of the piece is pleasantly varied with a series of tuneful melodies. "The Girl in the Train" will bo staged- again to-night and to-morrow night, and \ou Thursday will give place to Nightbirds." HIS MAJESTY'S. Something new in pictorial dramatisation was presented at His Majesty's theatre last night in tho film "Oliver Twist." All Dickens' people were there to the life, and the picture Was the more interesting and the more true to the original by. reason of its being set in the very scenes where the events chronicled by the novelist are supposed to have taken place. It is one of the most noteworthy films , that the Messrs. Fuller have over secured,, and it held the attention of the crowd in the big theatre for most of an hour. Another remarkable film depicted a circus story entitled "In the Lion's Den." The liontamer fell in love with the wife of a gym,nast, a lady who was .. herself a wire' dancer. The gymnast was killed by. a fall from a high trapeze. Then the . liontamer's attentions to the widow became irksojne, and there were quarrels and adventures. In the: end the woman was nearlv killed by falling from a tight wire into the lions' ring, and the tamer was killed by an accidental shot. The supporting pictures, comic for the. most part, went to make up a varied and entertaining, program me. The audience was- also greatly interested in the reappearance of : Mr. John Fuller, sen., who sang two oi his old songs, "The Pilgrim, of Love" and "Sally, in. Our Alley." Tlie years havo dealt lightly with the founder of the Fuller Proprietary, and lie still retains almost unimpaired the tenor voice which supplied his reason for visiting New Zealand many years ago. Mr! Fuller, will sing every evening this .week. , ■ THEATRE ROYAL. • ' A new programme, quite bright, and entertaining, -was stajccl at the Theatre Royal last night. Variety, of course, was-plentiful, and so was quality.. The, Brackens gave their first change of what was billed as ."Cycling-juggling extraordinary on wire." Their work was, with-, out doubt, extraordinary in the extreme. How any one can bring tricks to such' a pitch of perfection is beyond the manwho sits tho spectatdrate; The Tit Bits, three very clever juveniles, sang, danced, and. did acrobatic' feats in ' a manner which secured for them iround upon round of applause. New to Wellington were the Fontenoys, whoso singing was'welooined because of its pleasing quality. One of th>} "star",turns of the entertainment the performance of the magician and conjurer who styles himself "Victor the Great." Explanation of what "Victor" does need not bo sought hero: but even to those quite unsophisticated in tho line the mysterious one's work appeals as being particularly clever. and deeply deceptive. Many were doubtless much disappointed because of the non-ap-pearanco of! Eva Mudge, the American quick-change. artist, whom indisposition laid low during the afternoon. Mr.Erickson, the manager of the theatre, explained Miss Mudge's absence, and said that he had no-doubt that she would be able to 'appear to-night. To fill .the brcach, Mr. Erickson rendered several songs _ which were very acceptable. His singing of "'Murphy?' was vigorously encored. Bessie Slaughter"'reappeared,"'.and 1 in her list included "The Lost Chord." Fred Rivenhall, comedian, and The Lyntons.,, sketch artistis, wcro also on the till. ' ■ THE. KING'S THEATRE. "The Mills of tho Gods," a dramatisation of ..a popular American novel, was the star item on the King's Theatre bill last night. The story is ono full of incident and sensation. The central 'figure is that of a middle-aged wealthy reprobate; who, because a girl spurns him, goes'aboijt to ruin the man she marries. His persecutions cause the death of the young wife, and ho almost ruins, the wretched man later, at a time when it seems that the latter's troubles aro over. Vengeance, is slow to overtake him, but in the end his villainy is discovered, and he dies a frightful death by the hand of a poor dupe whom he had used for "one of his most atrocious crimes. The picture is a very fine example of good photography. 1, The •Pathe Gazette for the week is, as usual, a varied assortment of recent incidents in Europe. A clever comic film -tells of the adventures of ft half-witted yonth and two lions, These lions had come'to tho zoo. or to some other permanent abiding place, and Bidoni was instructed to clean their cage. In order to do his work he let the lions out., and he and others had a great many amusing adventures before they could he persuaded to comeback again into cantfvitv. -Other' Sims worthy of mention \vere "The Chateau of Chenonceaux" (scenic). "In the Bear's/Claws" (drama), "Tim" (drama), and a couple of other joke pictures more' than ordinarily funny. .

' . . ' 'NEW THEATRE.'/ j The. usual change of programme./took place yesterday at the New Theatre. The new programme, which is an alfy good one, is headed by a Selig drama in two acts entitled "Tho Danites." The "Danites" or "Destroying Angels" aro a hand of lawless men, who for ru old grievance have determined to exterminate the Williams family. They attack the caravans of the family, and all save the mother and her child are shot. Tncy escape > and are rescued by a number of men on their way to their settlement. Tho leaders of the Danites find out their whereabouts, and manage to shoot the boy. The mother, maddened into a frenzv, seizes a gun and seeks vengeance. The Danites disguise themselves, an-l-in their disguise go'to track the last member; of the Williams'family. She, too, has'disguised _ herself, but they pierce through her disguise*and hound her to her death. This picture is well mounted and acted, and should prove very fcpular with the patrons of tho New Theatre. "Lovo on Tough Luck Ranch,' on Es r sanay film, with G. SI. Anderson in the chief fole, is a humorous Western comccly concerning the trials and tribulations of a young couple who elopo end, the troubles which beset them before the knot is finally tied. The Lubin Company is represented bv on excellent drema entitled "An Irish Girl's Love." Kathleen, tho 'belle of an Irish . fishing village, has two ardent suitors in Brian arid Miles Rofkc. When Brian leaves for his annual fishing expedition, Kathleen gives ari'old ring to each of her suitors, saying that sho will marry the one who f rst returns it after the year's absence. On the night before the time elapses there is a great stormi and Brian's boat is wrecked, and he is washed ashore, dead. Kathleen finds the body, and since sho cannot marry the cornse, decides to remain single. Other pictures are "Stout and 'I l.ynne, Spiritualists," and "Simple Simon, Gentleman Detective," both good .comedies.'' EMPRESS THEATRE. "In a Den of Lions," by the Nordisk' Company, is tho title of the feature item on tho new programme screened at the Empress Theatre last evening. Tho story deals with the life of several circus artists, arid graphically depicts the sharp contrasts of their dual lives—before the scenes and behind tho scenes.. The picture ignites one comprehend that tho spectators only seo one side of circus life. .Tho other side, tho real side, where tho artists doit their gaudy garments and become ordinary individuals, is seldom as picturesquo as general opinion holds it to bo. In this particular case the lives of the circus artists aro exceedingly tragic,. Thu chief character in the story is Ulla, a tijhf-rono walker, who, in the early stages of the storv, loses her husband, a trapezo artist. Ho is killed during the performance. Tlio circus, however, must proceed in the usual way, and tho widowed Ulla has to play her part, with a smilo on her lips, as if nothing had happened. . Shortly after her husband's death she is insulted byMaringo, the lion tamer, who in turn is roughly handled by her brother;' About this time the cirpus manager demands a sensational turn. and.Ulla is asked to perform her turn suspended above the lion's den. Sho would like to be able to refuse, but knowing that refusal would mean dismissal, she agrees to carry out the manager's idea''of a wimhHoivM turn, The great night nr. rlvoa, tho liona aro in their c&so with

Maringo, and Ulla's rope is stretched across, the top. Evidently nervous, she loses her balance while half-way across, and is hurled-up on tho lions below. There is a frantic struggle for tho cage gate, and she just manages to slip through bofore an infuriated lion reaches her. Tho uproar in the cage is terrible, and in an attempt to draw his revolver the trainer trips and discharges the weapon into his own breast. "The Strange Story of Elsio Mason" is one of tho best of tho supporting items. -Tho latest Gaumont Graphic is also on the list of items. SEOHTTS' THEATRE. . Tho new programme which was shown at Shortts' Theatre yesterday was well received by patrons. Tho series is well up to tho "high standard set by ito management, and two of the dramas are especially good—"lncendiary Indians" and ''Bobbie's Father." The former deals with the Wild West. Lone Wolf, tho Wader of a band of Indians, is attracted by th© daughter of a settler, but-his overtures are resented, and he is promptly dismissed.- Angered at his treatment ho incites the tribe to massacre the settler and his family,- who (lee to a cabin in the forest for safety. The Indians pursue them and after a long fight fire tho cabin. One of tile party escapes from tho burning hut, and manages to go for help. The boys arrive just in time to save the family and drive off f lie Indians. "Bobbie's Father" is a drama of a different type. Bobby is the son- of Dick Ramsey, a "crook," whose wife begs him to givo up his dishouest life end prove himself a man, but'he refuses, and tho wife leaves him, taking tho hoy. She collapses at the gate of the house where Herbert Ware lives with his sister Bessie. They take tho two in, but Jane dies, and they decide to adopt the boy. Six years later Dick ftamsey attempts to rob the place, but the boyxatches him in the act. Dick is\about to attack the boy when he recognises • him, md instead leaves a note in his hand. In the morning Bobbie tells ■ his story, and Herbert and his sister recognise that tlie burglar is the boy's' own father. Another good dramfi is '"The, Trade Gun iiulleV_ rnd included in the programme is an exceptionally good -'comedy entitled, "T.-« Adventures of a Button." On educational side is an excellent picture of French scenery, arid the P-atho Gaz/Jlto. PEOPLE'S PICTURE PALACE. Tho usual Monday change of prop-ammo .was screened at tho People s Picture Palace' throughout all sessions yesterday. Tho. "star" item at this theatre is a detective drfima, entitled "Plot Mid Counterplot," describing the robbery of 11 mansion and tho novel and ingenious method used by the detectives'in effecting tho capture of the culprits. Another very good production , (by. tho, Essanay Company) is "Tho Redemption of Slivers." In this, case a thief escapes from a constable and makes for tho hills, where he meets a farmer's daughter named Alice, ■ who obtains work for him on her parents' farm Shortly afterwards, when, he is about to be married to Alice, her brother, a policeman, arrives from tho East. He recognises Slivers, who begs to bo allowed to go free. He is allowed ; his wish. Other items which go to make up a very enjoyable programme are: "Bidoni and tho Lions," a comic pli'oto-play by the Cines Company j "Biscuit-Making," an educative film. An excellent comedy is "The Borrowed Umbrella." Smith buys an umbrella. Nellie, who is engaged to Wilson, lends it to him, and when Wilson goes into a certain cigar shop .he accidentally leaves' it there. Later Smith finds out that his umbrella is missing, and asks Nellie, to 'phone Wilson to return it. Wilfon pets the message, but cannot find the umbrella, so ho puts a notice up asking anyone who took- it to- return it. On returning to his room lie finds'to his surprise a' heap ,of umbrellas. He picks out Smith's, ana returns it. This fine'programme will bo repeated again to-day and, to-night.