ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1971, 30 January 1914, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS.

''AUTUMN* MANOEUVRES.'' Tho spectacular musical play "Autumn. Manoeuvres," with its gold lneo and splendour, its real humour i»nd freshness, delighted another iargo audience at tho Opera House Last- night. The company is an exceptionally strong one, and tho players are admirably suited to their several roles. Mies Florence Young has a part which she fits quite exceptionally well, and Miss Brmiton can play her part with grace and charm that aro irresistible. Sir. .Phil Smith's comedy is breezy, and the laughs ho provokes aro real ones. All tho other players aro likewise happily placed, and tho performance is an. all-through satisfactory 0110.

On Monday night nest and two following nights the fantastic musical success "'Tile Arcadians," will bo staged. Play-goers will remember that this opera created great enthusiasm when it was staged hero three years ago. It is brimming over with good, wholesome comedy and tuneful music_« ajid tho dresses are ono of its greatest features. Tho funnyisms of Peter Doody, the eccentric jockey, who lived for. a whole day on a earraway seed in order to keep his weight down,'are alone worth a visit to this delightful piece. On Thursday next and two following nights "Tho Chocolate Soldier" will be produced. The plans for the season aro now open at tho Dresden. .

THE EMPRESS THEATRE. Tho leading subject of tho new programmo shown at the Empress Theatre yesterday was the foreign 6py sensational drama, "For Hw Government," a splendid production of the A.B. Company. A notorious burglar, who lives 111 exile from his country, America, is offered a considerable sum .by tho French authorities to obtain from an American inventor tho secret recipe of a new explosive.. The burglar decides ; to 'steal the recipe, and seeks tho aid of a .young Parisian girl,' whom he marries, in order to tako her with him to Americit to carry out his scheme'T The girl is intensely patriotic, and is eager to help her country by obtaining the .much-desired recipe. On arrival in the United States the couple discover that the inventor iS advertising for a governess for -his children. Ifio burglar's wife applies for the position, and is engaged. While in tho house the female spy is to discover where tho inventor has his recipo hidden. The son of the inventor falls in love with the governess, and for tho first timo she realises what genuine love is. Under stress of conflicting emotions, tho governess confesses to her admirer that she- is married, and on disclosing the iiamo of her husband she is astounded to learn that lie is a dangerous and unscrupulous criminal. She then lays bare the fact that she has obtained knowledge of the number that opens the combination lock of her employer's safo for tho purpose of giving it to her husband, so that ho can enter the 'houso and steal from the safo tho recipo for tho explosive. The criminal proceeds to carry oiit his plot, but when.he has opened the safe the police rush in from an 'adjoining raom. The burglar fires at them, and then leaps through the window, but. a welldirected bullet kills him as lie is about to escape. The supporting bill includes "A Royal Romance" (Edison masterpiece); "Wine Industry, at Marsala" (industrial), "In the Land of Cactus" (stirring Lubiu Mexican drama),'"Constantinople's , Monuments" (scenic), "Two Men and a Mule" (third series, Reliance comedy), and others.

THE KING'S THEATRE. ' The last two nights of the excellent programme now showing at tho King's Theatro, in which is. included the picture "A Student of are announced. The full, programme will be screoiied at a, matinee performance to-morrow afternoon at 2.30.

HIS MAJESTY'S. - ■ ' The rain came too late last- night to keep patrons of vaudeville away from His Majesty's Theatre, where such n tine variety programme is offered this week. The principal attraction is the act of tho Carpos Brothers, a duo of sensational equilibrists, but there aro other artists appearing who are worthy of big typo on any programme.

. BRITANNIA THEATRE. At tho Britannia Theatre yesterday tlift "star" attraction was a Western drama entitled "Tho Stepbrothers." In ! this, two brothers aro rivals for the love of a girl. One,, the better char-j acter, is appointed sheriff, and his brother immediately . shows a dislike for ' 'him. Tho girl sees that s.ho really likes tho sheriff, and after many excit-1 ing events declares her lo\'e for him. Before this stage is reached, however; the. othor claimant to her hand gets into serious trouble, but is assisted out of the country by his step-brother. It was a really fine film. "The Light Woman," a Res drama, was a film of more .force. In this a prima donna amuses herself with a young man, who is deeply in love with her. His friend decides to stop the young man's ruin, and makos love to, and succeeds in gaining the love of the prima donna, only to throw it away, when tho young man sees that he has only been played with. The results are disastrous, as the young man sinks to a low life and eventually shoots another man; while the. prima donna's career is ended, her heart being ' broken by tho rejection of her love. "The Old Silver Watch" is another good drama, in which that favourite film actor, Costello, appears as the principal character. Two orphan children, a boy and a girl, are separated when quite young, and grow up under adopted names. They fall together . later in life and a mutual affection is felt for 0110 another, ft is not. suspected they are brother and sister, and a marriage is t about to tako place between them when the relationship is discovered through an old silver watch, which was given to the bo.v'before his mother died. "His LordsEip Billy Smoke" is really amusing, and shows how a.tenderfoot lord from England got on amongst the cowboys of tho West. The New Zealand nnimated views contained many pretty scenes, notably views/of Cheltenham Beach, Auckland, and the Wanganui River, and another Rood scenic film showed Bellagio, in Italy. The programme will be continued to-day.

ORGAN RECITAL. On Saturday evening the City Organist will give another orgau recital on the Town Hall organ when the programme ivill comprise an Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Mendelssohn), a work remarkable for its beautiful poetic conception of the fairy music* "Finale in B flat" (Caesar Franck)./"La Nuit and Clair de Lnne" (Karir-Elert), "Prelude and Fugue" (Bach). Other items will bo by Hofraann, Vesley and John Ireland.