ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2171, 9 June 1914, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS.

HIS MAJESTY'S tHEATEE. was an exceptionally goad asia.v Oi talent at His Jlajesty's Theatre last evening, and many oi' the tunas were rc-ailj iiigh not to bt? oseellwl anywhere. Of the ue»' turns that of Lyons and Culhtm was of the best kijiil. The versatile Americans were '{into at homo iti a variety of ijerfoim-* e&l>eciaUy line was- their clog (lancntg. As a miinic of e\ eyj*day soand.s the maie member was perfect, while ho SHoiyeit himself a fa.ii- hand at magician's tricks. The dancing of tho euuple was both clever and neat. Dare ami Norwood, Ameiiean strong men, appeared in .some surprising athletic feats,, and the neatness and rapidity' with w . if i t!ICJ tlteif tiJtn c?arnt'd them ivelwleserred nptilattse.' There was none or tho freq-ueutiy seen hc-sittttioii about the turn, but remarkable feats of strengtii followed one lspon tho otsei' until the turn was ooqetuded. It was an exlubitiGn w-all worth seemg. Lo witite, the protean artist,' presented a Sketch eitt-itleil 'Ti'iroiigit the Lobby," in which he impersonated seven coiinie characters in sem distinct voices. His lightning changes made hi-ui a ; . popular favoUKte, and he appeared cquaUy well m the character «>f the young ''buttons" at a hotel, and as an #ld woman, whose (tow of languago was rapid, ii not eonvwoiiig. I'or sterling merit as an entwiaiftment appealing to all, Baitey's posing dogs Would be hard to beat. They sire flow well known tp Wellington audiences, hut the reception given them is increasingly Warm on erery appearajicx;. Tlteir AYclliiigtoii season; will se&tt he concluded, a fact which is to be regretted, for seldom, does such a unique turn appear, in this city, The dogs, tour beauiifu| setters, appear in a semes • of remarkable jmses,, in whWh they stand as if turned to stone. Last- night, TO addition to a number of husiting scenes, they appeared in a pose entitled "Hogk of Ag.es," and tie well" known stedy eotild not have been better®d-. Mr. . Bailey afterwards gave a unique, eshihition stewing the training of tie dogs and the- manner in which they as-sumed their sta.tae-i3a> ptsses. Had tho dogs not -been seen gaWbdlltug about the st«ige tbo audience w#uM have been justified _in supposing that they had been deceived by carved statues in tee wonderful scenes show#; Other- turns

of merit woto those of Ernest in sfiiifs and humour at, tlw piano; Roy H;ei'ie,_H&breiv tiofncdiaii; Veni'ou aacl Sinclair, musical comedy sketch duo; bigfler Tlellomi, accordion plaver *. Mr. J as. o|>ic, vocalist; and Laviuia Tyson, ccntralto vocalist. The performance «'lll Uo repealed this evening. THE KING'S THEATRE. "The Wreck" is not an ordinary shipwreck. It is a wain smash—a celts* sioii between two raiiway engines, head on. In the ordinary coarse of events there would seem tt be tremendous. (Hlheftlty in producing such an occur-* reiiee'in picture form, but yet the Vitasgraph Company has succeeded ill cfot'ilg S'i ;wkl the. result of the eompauy 3 s w«rk was pfaced before patrons of the. King's theatre kst ,tuf;h't. Of all tiie gi'Mt th'iiigs accomplished in the iv.oving picture world to date., this train smasn must surely be ;Oiie .if the toastremarkable.. '' To create ihe seftiro ' tor tho. purposes of the. camera tite eoni|ffliiy had to purcli9.se certain- rolling, stock (including two engines) ami tho expense oi the wlvo.b piroduetion is saSd to be apiii'oximati.% . £'ti)i)0(). At all events, the wreck Jk>s been Well done. It is one of. .the. ii'iost s|>.ect<ael'es over thrwvii on a W'ellington sereeit. An express train, fuli -bf is se.en. I,saying a railway station aad a little later a runaway engine is seen coraiitfl in the opposite direction. The engine-driver the express is known td -!» ufis.obcu - a»d is 6cen to ojer-rttn the danger signal, winie lighting with his firemafl, There- is then liothk'ns left for the spectators to 4o but atvait the collision. ■ Both trains are dashing on at top' speed, tfare is scarcely any distance between them and.-

yes it- seems to '66 several minutes before they crash into each gthe-r. 'then, bath are 10-si in a eloijd ct snipke • and steam, and, when that clears, lsotlxtng remains but a heap ef Tercckagfe. in. wMeii human farms are struggling, The disaster is wotke4 into ' a -powerful drama in' which the host- of tlie gra-pii _ Company's artists, appear. ' '!fhfe. story is of a railroad presicten-t, named Cartyle, and his toe# -Ea-niiteii, and their two sons. Carfyte is a> impressed with Hamilton's Son, Richard, Dial he gives him employment jir the railroad business, and nates the difference between him awd young Carlyle-j a }ie'«r-do-well at college-, Mrs. Garlyle;,. an ■attractive yoHng woman, is, tire railroad president's seeand wife, tad the' stepmother of the ue ! er-do-wc4l. The -plot •follows tl» orthodox lines. Yamm, Var* J.vle gets into trouble and seeks' life stop-mother's help, in order to shield , him. sire -enlists the sM of'young; ■ Hamilton. The elder C'arlyle becomes -Unjustly suspiciims and in a fit or rage warders young lis wilt on; Hence "The Y; ruck"—train collision being devised to kilt yovwg Oarlyle and hrin-g down retributive justice -on the heacl'ofhis father, whose erinte* m nwit' brought to the knowledge of the p«b, lift. Thefo' is a strong programme to support of the feature, film, a verv ' interesting item, hekg Mexican Wat Pictures., secured by the special artist . of the iiuliin Company, I'atho's English Gazette is a chronicle of topical events, and "Alexia's Acrobats" is. a splendid vaudeville number. Other films are "Montana State Fair'' : (sc-cnie), "Courting Betty's Peats" (Keysiono Comedy), and "Mabel's Bear" <ro:nedy). Capital music is supplied by tfaft King's Orchestra. "JUDITH OP BETHL'LIA." A particularly attractive historical picture was introduced to patrons .of the Empress Theatre ■ yesterday, tinder the title of "Judith, of Bethtilia."—a, Kitist vivid and realistic portrayal af Jewish life about fciva centuries before the destruction of the Tempie. It takes its aaais from that illustrious woman . by whose nri uo and forlilado to children of Israel were presorvcij. tfoj® thecruelty of Bojofcrnes a'iid . his great afifly of 120,000 ffien.- According to the apocryphal story of the Book of Judith, the Children of Israel hki torUM tho hill passilgos hy which ttuy invading army itom Assyria, wo»ld k> obliged to enter Jiulea. The principal of ths®o fortified places was Betinilia. Nabuchodonosor sent Holofwiies, -chief general of the Assyrian army, with 120,000 mon to visit vengeance on ail the earth. When Holottj'nes £aiao to Juci&a Ira nicst an \i defonco by the Jews of Retintiia. Ho stormed the wails, but was iinahte to capture the city. Ho thefi sat down to starve Betinilia into 6Aihfii.jssi.sn, having taken possession oj all tho springs and -ivrfls from' which the city had its supply of water. The rc-salt Was that tka inhabitants began dying of thirst and famae, and begged the eiders to surrender to the Assyrians. an an.6i.eist of the city, favoured a surrender if providence did net come to their assistance- within fiv-e days. Hear, ing this, Judith, a devout and beautiful young widow, exhorted the people to still trii-st in tied without baMMiing; time with Him. She conceived the fderi qf person-ally Vmgmg nhmit the downfall of Hofeiein-es, and thereupon offerl- - Iverscli' as- a deliverer of her people. Prior to setting out o*l her jiiission she did penance in sackcloth awl ashes, and prayed fs.r constancy of mind to despisp, the Assyria?:- general, ■>iul for iWtitwte that sb.-> migiit overthrow him. Then, iH'i'.'iyrd ill ffiirgsens. rsimcHt,' and iic.'mnjjiUiieJ hy lier maid, alio walked to the | camp of the Assyrian's, where her dazalwg beauty sc-etired hci an immediate interview with jEtolofcmes. 'V'lie 1-atU'r svas not proof nauina-t ihc nruul « Judith, bcfeaijjs. d.T-D.iiJt ,; -witib Wino, ga4 jraj fasheaded by, iifi.

guest, who carried his head back to her own city. Hie men oi lletbtili.t wore inspired by her seemingly miraculous act, and t-fjoy MI upon the Assyrians witk such ferocity thai, beiV; the latter had •recovered fr«!ii tfee shock of the sudden death of tliwV general, ihey wore in a state of panic. flio Jews completely route;! Hie iimdiag nn»v, ami returned in triumph to UetSmKA.'' The piece is mounted on a scald of liasvgnificettcc not often attempted, and moreover it is remarkably well acted, th<e work of Hiss Daphne 'Wayne as Judith being sontetbiHg to marvel at. Among the many sjjeet&cnkr t sceftep, the assault on the city walls is perhaps tho mftH estrnordmary. Here the battlements are crowded with soldiers, with javelins, bows.and arrows, and boulders tying at hand. They at® attacked' by apparently. numberless foot- soldiers, horsemen, sad chariots, while others drag along rude implements of War that Were ef- . feetire at that period. The battle is ' most exciting. The concluding. battle | see.no when tie Assyriaft anny is Touted is another wonderful piece of kmeinatol graplay. Equally interesting are tlie ! scenes of privation i« the besieged city. Timn there is the beautiful ''Banco of i tho Fishes" by a hevv o.t fair Women, I aftd also the war of wits between Holefernes and ,lutl : tb, ending' in the triumph _of genius. Yesterday . 'big houses viewed the picture, and it is gur ; o to attract crowded sessions during the retmuudet of the week.

THE DADDIES. .. As on» entertaintnent faHo-ws iinothe.r rt,beconies increasingly plain that the Dandies are. firmly established as- jMp'tt* lar favourites. Last evening's performance was no exception to the rule. As usual,-the"Conceri; Chamber was crowd* ed, and the audience frequently gave lond and hearty expression to its. approval of the fare provided. The ext-r----rciit programme ineludes a long list of songs and eonebrted items, in whiih the Dandies, male- and female, find ample scope* for the exercise t>f their musical talents, nnd it is plea.snutly jn'erspersect with comedy . items. A notable. turn this week is a character duet onjd danec, "Hagtime Cowl>o> f ' and the -Mexican tangn. in whieTi the perform* r f~ are Miss Xaonn M Quoin and Jlr. Geo, Tavloi'. The p!'ogramme>-,will be repeated to-night and '10-morniw night, and the usual change of programme ■Will bo mado ou Thuisday.

SUYD W r CONCERT ■ The Wellington Professional Orchestra ( ;ave its second concert. ci" the 1814 geasSft, in 11 is Majesty's. Theatre on Sim- ! clay wight; fho pr&grdnu# was s wtyattractive ii.nd the- b.rehi&tfa acquitted. itself cTcditiiMy» Ph&eedhigs opened with Elfifcr's "i'o.mp and Cij-cutn-.. stance March Xo. l.,""aiid Three <rf German's (•harming dances l'ro™ '"Noil GvryinioV followed. i'h.fisfe were ''Coiintiy DaiiLO," "l'abtoral D"nrp," 'Merrrnaker's Dance." . Schubert's beautiful . oVerture Rosonjunde was given an ijiiti'9.l and ' fairly successful . rendering. Tliat- charmingly melodious trifle of Glinka's "The Lark'' '-had the most popular reception by the audience. ft W|s tast'e.fiiir.t' aM tiitreful.ty, interpreted by an instrumental quartet—Signors T. \ itetia (l'mio), ,lo:sP.ph Yite.ttrt (vwftti), H. Sloschiiii (clarinet),'and John Mietta (harp), and the audience. insist e'd Oil its repetition. ■ The orchestra was probably most successful in Tchaikovsky's 'iVjais© dc? Meur's,," 'and; ; ferdni : the opening legato string passages to the rippling cadpiixa, which was faultle'sslv ©secutetf on the harp foy Sipo.f t itett'ei right to the ftfthle it was oharnuHKly .rendered.' Debussy's "Fir's-t Arnbosq'tte"—awrther' ftrSt peiformaivttj' by the archestra-^-juirt' th« fairly wellknown Overture ''Migmm" (Thomas) Were botlr/.iSffcd'itaMjl-ieiUfered. and ; made itp tli.e iensainder of the ' pro- ; gramme. ' Mr. Herbert Bloy conducted with his ; visual skill.