ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1777, 16 June 1913, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS.

"PUSS IN BOOTS." "Puss in Boots" concluded his Wellington frolio on Saturday. There was a packed house, and tho farewell performance was given, with a vim that held tho audience from curtain-rise to curtamfall. To-night tho company appears at Masterton, to-morrow night at Dannevirke, then at; Hastings, and then/two nights at Napier. THE DANDIES. The Dandies staged an inviting programme in the Concert Chamber of tho Town Hall on Saturday evening. Tho same programme will be given to-night. There is no gainsaying that the items are well selected, and they make an sffectivo appeal to tho public. Mr. Athol Tier, the comedian of tho troupe, was irresistibly funny in his sketches, and gained the hearty approval of hw audience'without any apparent effort. When a oomedian showsany effort to bo amusing he ceases in a degree to bo funny; forced fun is seldom laughable. Of the female portion of tho company, Miss Rita i ltzrgerald, a dainty soubrette, appears to lie the favourite. Her 6ongs are both amusing and good, besides'which she is enough to sing them in a manner that can best bo described as "taking. Isext Wednesday the Jlew- Dandies will again change their programme. •THEATRE ROYAL. A strong bill will bo presented by the Brennan-l'uller management at the Ihcatro Royal this evening, when the l'our Musical Avolo9 will make their appearance in Wellington. The Avolos, as Xylophone experts, are said to te the finest that have ever visited Australasia, their rendering of "William Tell a:ad other standard overtures being described as wonderful. The reappearance of I-ellio and Harry Quealy, after an absence of five years, is also announced. Ihese old Pollard favourites have travelled extensively since their last season in the Dominion, and recently at the National Amphitheatre in Sydney they proved themselves just as successful as many imported acts.' Another new turn is that oi Miss Gertie Johns, the popular young Australian soubrette. Miss .Violet men, the'brilliant light comedienne, and her composer-pianist (Alf. Lawrence), Carl Merlyn, Esma Duo, Frank Hawthorne, and that clever and versatile company of Pierrots, "The Crimson Ramblers,"" will present an entirely now programme.

HIS. MAJESTY'S THEATRE. The programme at His Majesty's Theatre commencing to-night contains a costly production,. entitled "Theodora/ , lhe story deals with Andreas, an Athenian, a democrat who holds the Emperor Justinian and his system of government in bitter hate. By a strange coincidence Andreas rescues the Empress Theodora, without 1 knowing her identity, from ail attack by a hostile crowd. The Empress falls in loro with him and. concealing her real rank, parses herself off as Myrta. Whilst his hatred of the emperor ana empress steadily increases, his love for Myrta .becomes greater. Andreas and Maroellus decide • to head a ' rebellion against the emperor, but 'in this attempt Marcellus is killed. Andreas is then captured, and'taken to the royal box, whore he recognises Myrta as the wn-

' The special 34-page Country Life issue of The Dominion, issued oa Soturda) last, involved a • great deal of, careful preparation in' the N Publishing Department, owing to the size of the paper and the large number of copies printed. _ This will be ■ readily understood when it is borne in mind that each runner delivering the papers could only carry something like halt the number which it was customary, for him to deliver, owing to tho weight of the papers being more than double that of our ordinary Saturday issus. -Despite this fact, however,

pxess. Thrust into prison, he is raited Ay Theodora, and a poisoned cup brings death to both of them. The comic items on the programme are "Polly at the Ranch." "Napoleon's Luckstane," and "The Woes of a Kinematograph Operator," while the'latest-Pathe Gazette and a .coloured educational subjcct, entitled the "Devil Fish," are subjects of interest. ' THE PANAMA CANAL. Yielding to popular requests, West's Pictures have decided to give patrons an opportunity of witnessing at the King's Theatre to-night their exclusive series of "The Making of the Panama Canal." The management point out that no pains have been spared to make these pictures as complete an illustration of the Panama ■ Canal as possible. 'Whoever sees' them : )vill leave the King's Theatre'with an 'excellent idea of how stupendous a task is the making of the canal. The reproduction of the Panama Canal pictures is full of interest; and should on no account be missed. A splendid series of the world's latest will support "The Mak-, ing of the Panama Canal," while the music will bo a feature. EMPRESS THEATRE. "Tho Miracle of Speed," a lengthy film depicting many exciting incidents of the 500 miles international automobile race at Indianapolis, U.S.A., mil be shown today and to-night, with the new programme of the Empress Theatre continuous pictures. This race, it i's said, was the most exciting in the annals of motorracing. There were half a million spectators. Twenty-six cbts raced around the.2-£ miles track at liurricano speed—a pace of 82 miles an hour being excoeded. There were some bad smashes also. Nearly a hundred motion-picture cameras were distributed around tho track. At the evening sessions, Mr. R. Jeilkins, described as the American 6peed-king, will givo an interesting: description of tho race, and. explanation of the film while it is being shown. There are several other excellent items.