ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2327, 8 December 1914, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE, programme presented at His Majesty's ..Theatre last evening maintained the improved standard that has neon set by the Brennan-Fuller management. In the "Magpies," who provide the first half of the programme, wave been discovered a very talented company of ontertainers, who present, a nappy blond of serious and comic vocalism altogether to the taste of the audience. Miss Pearl Livingstone scored again last evening in "All Aboard for Dixie, and repeated her vivacious suiging of the rag-time"catch' "Get Out and Got Under," and also the character song "How They Propose." Another versatile artist is Mr. Lou Vernon, who is inimitable in the "silly" song "I Parted My Hair in the Middle." Hβ aleo recited that stirring poem "The Day." Mr. Clifford Ofeefe was I heard in an affecting reading of "The Sands of the Desert* and '%v Little Grey Home in the West." Miss Cissy O.Keefe was hardily equal to the demands of "The Toilers.', , Miss Iris Edgar sang "The Belle and the Beaiix," and with Mr. K. Black gave a clever travesty of vocal theatrics. In the second part an unmistakable hit was made hy Herman and Shirley, in a sketch entitled "The Mysterious Masquerader," which serves to introduce Herman, an astonishingly supple contortionist, who appears in the guise of a living skeleton, and actually gives onb the creeps- by the extraordinary arm dislocations, and general looseness of body and limbs. Miss Carrie Moore re-appeared in a sketch entailing several scenes and a cartload of etraw. On the straw, Miss Moore, as a Yorkshire girl, dreams, that she has gone oh the stage, and in the scenes which follow she sings '"Bow Belle" and something Japanesy. Finally, the farm scene re-appears, and ■ the Yorkshire girl awakes to find her stage triumphs ajl a dream. Ywaxy, the (fencing violinist, is as popular as ever: Brown and Sorlie return with new jokes and songß, andftlatilde and Elvira repeated their Spanish songs. and\ dances. Bartholomew, who is tilled, as the ' Dublin Dandy," makes his first apVearance this evening. THE KING'S THEATRE. Mr. D. W. Griffith, 1 the well-known picture producer, has 'undoubtedly achieved a great success in his effort to demonstrate, by a series' of photodramas,. : the world-wide .' influence of John Howard Payne's "Home, Sweet Home. The .picture, iri six parts, with a. very strong cast, was screened tor the first time at the King's Theatre last night, and it should certainly attract big houses throughout! the week. By way of introduction, the career of John Howard Payne is acted with Mr. Henry B. "Walthall. in the name part. After meeting with. success upon the stage, Payne is shown to have fallen upon hard times, and when friendless, penniless, and far from home, he writes his immortal song, subsequently commg to a lonely end at Tunis. A deeper dramatic touch is added by Hhe death of his mother and his sweetheart, both of whom had been bitterly disappointed by Payne's failure to keep his promises made to them. Then, in a series of little life dramas, the mother is shown to have made a mistake in believing that her son died leaving nothing to the world. .Finally, the allegory is designed to. prove, that Payne still lives through the sacred' influence of the song. The whole of the. words of the eong are screened in the play, and the music is played with excellent effect, lhe supporting jtems include an amusing Edison comedy, "His "Wife's Burglar;" and a topical budget of war neivs of a particularly interesting character. Also there ' are new sketches by the clever artist who places his work before the public under the 'heading of "Wiroless from the ,War." Threo very popular sketches last night were tho Russian steam-roller pressing on to Berlin with a license to carry eight million passengers, the rally of the Overseas Dominions, and the German fleet in, a bottle with a very narrow neck. The orchestra, under the direction of Signor A. P. Truda", supplied capital music as the pictures were being screened.. ■ :

■ EVERYBODY'S PICTURES. "From the Land of the Shadows" is the title of-the leading film in the new programme introduced to patrons of Everybody's .Pictures' yesterday. It' is>a beautiful A.K. drama; featuring the, love story of'a scientist, who is engaged in gathering material for his book on prehistoric races. He is stricken with : brain fever, and, while raving in delirium, a fantasy come's to him of the days before history was written. Hβ sees himself as a hunter in a forest, and as the,hero of romance, winning*-the'love' of a maiden by overcoming what appeared to bo insurmountable difficulties.' The sequel follows his reTurn to health, ■ when he wins, the hand of the'maiden even as he had won it in his sick fantaey. Another! pretty drama is "The Kiss," by_ the famous Vitagraph. Company. This, is the story of ah innocent litt'e shop-girl, who discovers that fine clothes and high living do not neces6arily bring peace of mind. A brief experience is suflicient to convince her of this, and she returns to her more modest attire with a determination to be content with her position in life. "She Made Herself Beautiful" (Lubin) and "Substitute for Pants" (Kalem) are two amusing comedies which find place on the programme! A fine idea or the strength of the British and French navies to be gained from tho Hepworth Company's film "Our First Lino of DeFence." "The Gaumont Graphic" is full of interesting war news. "The Evacuation of Ostend and Ghent" is a remarkably good subject, depicting movements of the French, and Belgian troops,, and containing touching scenes of the refugees embarking, for England. • .It is one 'of the nest war subjects screened to date. Altogether the uew programme is well worth seeing. . . ■.'-.'

, THE. EMPRESS THEATRE. : "Animated History of the War To Date,", a series of actual war pictures not previously shown in New Zealand, is the chief attraction of the new programme presented' at the Empress Theatre continuous 'pictures yesterday. Tho film is a lengthy one, occupying about an\hour in the' screening,' and includes a view of about a jhundred iai'ivay locomotives laid-up in Belgium owing 'to the war; canal, scenes in beautiful Ghent ; scene after the battle of Molle,/won , by' the Belgians; Belgian dog-drawn battery of machine guns returning to rest after fighting: French and British from the battlefields of Belgium; Belgians arriving at Ostend from Namur; women feeding the hungry troops in the streets; refugees camp at Ostend; new big guns presented to tho Belgians, by tne French; Belgian artillery going into action; trenches under trees' to hide the men from air-' craft; barbed-wire entanglements; shelling the Germans; aeroplanes at work; damage -by shrapnel fired from ah aeroplane; and others. Tho photo-plays-include: "His Other Self" (Imp comedy) and "When Jack Comes Homo" (Clarendon comedy). "BUNTY PULLS THE STRINGS." ■ To-morrow evening, . -at tho Grand Opera. House, Mr. and Mrs. Graham Moffat and their company of Scottish players enter upon their brief. return season. "Bunty" will bo performed for the last timo in New Zealand on Friday evening, as the company sail for Tasmania and Australia on Saturday by the Warrimoo. The cast will be exactly the same as on tho occasion of the firSt visit The box plana are at

the Dresden. Election results will be announced at the ' performance on Ihursday evening. ... MACMAHON'S PICTURES. A complete change of pictures is due at the New Theatre to-day. The feature will bo a three-act photo-play from the "Imp" studio, entitled "Detective King and.the Marine Mystery," wlucli is said to contain the maximum amount of thrill in combination with good aotuig and first-lass photography. in the war department, the pictures will include "The Watch-dogs of tho Navy," a fine naval picture, and the appropriate war play,, 'tireless from the War." X -5 >P I pAV, res wiU be "Scooped by ¥%- West em HArte," "Dorothea and Chief Ramotez," and the comic interlude, "Mixed Identities."

PEOPLE'S PICTURE PALACE.

What is described as.the most sensational feat ever performed for moving' pictures is being shown at the People's Pioture Palace in Manners Street to-r-17 , aß d this evening, The film is entitled At the Mercy of Niagara," and u a thrilling one from beginnmg to end In places 'some splendid ■' scenery is shown notably a moving pioturo of the magnificent Niagara Falls in all their beauty As:-usual_a strong love story runs through the pwture. ft deals with the exploits of two college chums. One IB studious and becomes a doctor, but the other is inclined to wild living, and joins a gang of opium smugglers. Tho. doctor subsequently finds himself, while on professional business, in a gambling den frequented by Ms old chum. There u a, raid, and the scapegrace shoots a policeman, but accuses the doctor, and the latter is sentenced to imprisonment. He-escapes, and later sets out to bring the real murderer to trial. The heroine is mixed up in many adventures during the course of which she is sent over Niagara Palls in a barrel. She; is finally rescued and all ends happily. The supporting piotures are many and good, un inureday the management announce that a film will be produced showing the actmal building of a New York-sky-scraper. The film took twelve months ' c Photograph-, and is called "Among the Clouds." '