ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2333, 15 December 1914, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

— ? • •• _' - ■ ,' HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE, "He's worth the price on his; own" ■was a remark heard at His- Majesty's ; ■ Theatre last .evening, after the brisk : fifteen minutes''bright 'entertainment ..-.". provided by-Mr! George Hall, a racy i■'..'- raconteur,, with,an abundance of rol- ; licking humour, and a dramatio artist ;•■ of compelling personality. , Attired as ■ a tramp, ho rips off volleys of "Dooley" ? stories, each charged with a'big laugh, i' V and when ho has told his best'ono, ; and [.'■ one is about to regret' his exit, ho . breaks into tho delightful song, -"Al- ■ : ways Leave Them Laughing when You > ■ Say Good-bye," which he sings with .rare conviction.' Best of all, he recites .with great'sympathy,,' "Tho Top of the f V" iMqrning," a story depicting tne emo- ;■'.', ■■■ ; .tibhs of an-old Irishman returning to '■ - ■; tne Emerald : Isle ' after thirty-' years' ■"'. exile in Texas.'-.:It" revealed a real ar--1 itist. The boisterous applause induced an imitation of Sir Herbert Beerbohm - . -Tree .-'-reciting Rudyard Kipling's \ Din," a strikingly; original ' : ' treatment of the well-known poem, but I;', tending to exaggeration in the strain L '. for. dramatic effect.' George' Hall_ left •-.' ■ the audience hungry for more. Shirley f and Herman repeat their astonishing V and,amusing sketch, in which the male i.i. member stakes extraordinary liberties ;•' (with .his" limbs'.'""' "Miss Carrie Moore : ' is clever and high-spirited, : and wins i'..'-.'.. her. way-with; the audience. She was at her best last evening in "Nobody Knows, Nobody .Cares,", and .in light re-. ;.;...; ;3ief 'rippled off "Foolish Questions." i-' 'Brown and Sorlie. amused in black-face ;Y. . song and.patter cleverly, and Mr. Charles Bartholomew, "the Dublin dandy. >. ; from' America,'':, also had his admirers. i.•;: : : :.-: The first part of the entertainment.was. ! ; , .provided :by the Magpies,- •'• who -enter-' '"■ . tain-very satisfactorily for over an -.'; hour;; Of this merry.party. Miss Pearl .:'Livingstone, who specialises in> ragy. ,timej:ditties, ..Mr. Lou .Vernon, who- ■'■'■ recites, 'and fools' with- ..equal ;;.' facility, 'and Mii Clifford ,o'Keefe, who i:: ■ brightest. :■'-: The »programmo is, ;ou the whole, well ;.: -avorth ; white. >•'-. : ' ''•'■"•■'..

THFj KING'S THEATRE;

:■'■ lu-'Tesa' of the Storm. Country" tie 'King?s 'Theatre management have ;secured. ; a. film "of great emotional in- • rterest, iand the first screening 'last night; assured it a successful- run in= {Wellington. The theatre, was crowded, and frequent bursts of applause showed the appreciation of- the audience., The film features as-the principal character MaryTickford, America's greatest emotional.', actress, 'and'; it "is almost. her efforts alone tha't'earry the story. The . part;6hß"takes is that of the daughterof an.' ignorant; fisherman, known, as a •"squatter," in tho' Storm Country, on. ■;. the shore of Cayhga'-Lake/- The "squatiters"J'.ar6'a class of.pobr fisherfolk who settle",ddjvn on;'the banks of the.,lake jto gain _ a living. v They:' are. detested ty the, rich man of the town,,and he '■'• does r . all "in his- power'to drive them .'out,- -finally bringing in gamekeepers u>'. •prevent the fishing. One of'the gamekeepers 'is shot,"; and for this the girl's ;.'father;is;-charged."'.While the trial' is' ;■• cn,' the;girl Tess.falls in. love with •the 6quire's son, and at the same time . Jbefrieiids'rhis daughter; who has been left with,a child, worse than.a widow. 'J'ess Makes over the care of the'child tc 6ave the mother from disgrace, and through irumerous scenes her devotion is shown: Finally the • mother, -■ in a '-dramatic episode; claims the child, :Tess's father is acquitted, and.she is 'betrothed'to the rich man's son. The L etory' gives":ample;opportunity to Mary, Pickford to display her talent for acting, and' theiliveliness .-which she imparts into some of the less tragic scenes •provide, a.humorous break. . The -film ; comprises ■■the major, portion of the programme,-but there are some good supporting films, including one delightful comedy, entitled '"A. Midsummer ■Love Tangle," telling how a love idyll . is. shattered by; the rash act of a young - man, in arresting, at the point of a rifle, the father of his-sweetheart, because ho supposses the father is a noted thief in disguise. .The film is full of screamingly funny situations.•The war views are of tie most topical kind,' and scenes are given of the'many jsoldiere fighting shoulder to shoulder against the common enemy. "Tess of the. Storm Country" will be screened again this evening. '■.-.'■■'■■'"■'

~-. . EVERYBODY'S.PICTURES. : One of the, most interesting picture #>rogrammes'yet screened in "Wellington itvas shown at Everybody's Picture 'J.W •atre:for the first time yesterday afternoon. Thv \eading'filn is a detective Btory entitled "Tlie Woman, with the Red Hair." The blood and thunder, the .daring, and the amazing coolness which predominate_ in the ordinary detective story are missing from -this one. There is daring and coolness, ' but clevermodern methods are the'feature. The , miscreants concerned are jewellery thieves, and patrons of the theatre may 6eo how by the adoption of the-most Up-to-date ideas existence can be carried on in duplicate and even in triplicate in the interests. of professional thieving. The woman inthis 'case took la position as nurse in the detective's .Blouse,, and then engaged a room next 'door as a seamstress.' Her sewing machine was merely a, telephone, box, and ithe wall dividing the two premises ,was : soon fitted with secret sliding panels. ~The possessor of valuable 1 jewellery was 'lured to the Jiome of ..the'seamstress. 'There she fingered some is'ewing, .ran a needle into her hand, andvreceiyi'ed from it an-injection which sent:her | to sleep. Moanwhie the thief-woman donned her visitor's coat, hat, ..and .veil,, entered; ,tbo. visitor's;-,hquse,- and' 'secured the jewellery. . The detective was, in the course of. communicated with, and he eventually got- on tho trail. The 'thieves; : : escaped, .by.: ■'steamer for America', and 'lpft the de- ■ 'iective standing .on the wharf.' How--ever, a speedy launch was procured, and a capturo effected. The war pictures in this "week's hill arq particularly interesting',' and the remainder of the (programme is .very.fine. '.■■..■ 1 ■;'.■..— 7-r-.;..'.,/.■'.'. , ' ! EMPRESS, THEATRE. .' ;'• "Tho Price ■■ of -Blood," a 'capital • drania by ; the-.Aquila Company, appeared tit.the-head of.,the hew programme at the Empress Theatre continuous pictures yesterday; Paulus,' tho chief of a band of smugglers, perceives .that the struggle between the Republican revolutionary party and the ■Royalists may offer him a chance of ■making.... a. '" considerable amount of money. He approaches Captain Mastodis, son of the Prime Minister, with a view to obtaining the release of some 'Republican prisoners. , The captain las Paulus summarily ejected from his presence, and during the scuffle : the smuggler receives a swordrcut ph.the face. Later on: the Royalists' force's are defeated by the Republicans, and Captain Mastodis '■■ is made prisoner. Count Petroff, a Republican exile, now. Toturns to his country," and' seoks tin interview with Mastodis, the Primo Minister, to lie avenged for the death of his father, which ho believes was due to Mastodis. With assistance from outside his prison Captain Mastodis , escapes from custody, and is found in an exhausted condition near the smugglers', cave by Leona, the fosterdaughter of Paulus. She takes the captain 1 ' to the smugglers' cellar, where slio shelters and feeds him. Later on the captain is discovered, and bound by the smugglers. Thoy then arrange to approacli° their captive's father, the Prime Minister, in order to -obtain a substantial amount of money as ransome. The play is lavishly staged, und is cleverly worked out. Supjiorting items include tho latest "Topical JR'S* Budget,'-'- ".Garrajsoa & i ißfl.ut.t©"j

(scenio), "Jim's Joy Ride" (hilarious | comedy hit), and "A Pair of Handcuffs" (farce-comedy). PEOPLE'S PICTURE PALACE. ','The Banker" is the feature film on the new programme screened at tho People's Picture Palace yesterday afternoon and evening. It is a- highly interesting drama, the plot being worked round a selfish woman's greed for money and luxury. Eventually as tho .result of hei" extravagance the woman is faced with financial ruin, and in order to escape the humiliation which must follow she induces her daughter to accept a wealthy banker in marriage. The unholy alliance proves a most unhappy one for tho daughter, but in good time the banker becomes insolvent, commits suicide,, and so permits rf his widow marrying the man she really loved. The play,; .which has a beautiful setting throughout, is remarkably well acted by the dines Company's artists. "Lucillp .Love,, the Girl'of Mystery" (No. 14),' is one of tho supporting items. The story is taken up from- the. stage where Lucille was made to look rather small in the eyes of the man she loved, because of the fact that- she was ■ found posing as a dancer in a cafe. Several very exciting adventures follow, and 'Lucille is actually arrested as a thief, but subsequently she is .released and returns to her hotel to' find a murdered man in her room. War news is pictured by the ''Warwick Chronicle," and; inthe new edition there are several views of Antwerp and the now famous British Naval Brigade,' with which at least two well-known.. Wellington officers were serving.' "Budd Doble Comes Back" is the title of another supporting film,' a racing drama'. Some splendid trotters are seen in this picture, two of'them being fully, extended in a' race' round which the'story hinges. The programme is- an uncommonly good one. ! ■. ,:"THE MESSIAH."That hardy perennial; "Tho Messiah," is to' be sung once more by tho, Royal Choral Society at the Town Hall on For this annual performance, 'the!society has the habit of making .an; ektra' special effort. It will -be ,r.ojtnembered that on the'last occasion on wliich the great Handel, oratorib was performed the society had the assistance; of Miss Mina Caldqw, Mr. Paul, Bufault, Mr. Andrew Black, and Madame Selig. On this occasion a very able"quartet of soloists has been secured. Mr.' Peter Dawson, the celebrated English basso, has been engaged by; arrangement with J. and N. 'fait.' Miss Miha Caldow will, sing the contralto: part; Miss Annotta George; of the Dawson Company, is the.soprano; while the tenor solos will be taken by Mr. Martin Duff, of Dunedin. With the Choral Society's chorus in-good-form, the performance should be a notable one. The bos plan cau be inspected at the ( Dresden, where 3s.' and 2s. seats 'can 'be reserved.. , The final rehearsal will be held in the Town Hall on Thursday at 8, when only performers will be admitted.

THE CHERNIAVSKYS. . '\ On account of the war the Cherniavsky Trio, who were last 'here with Miss Maud Allen, havo been compelled to alter their world's tour. Mr. Leo Cherniavsky writes from Melbourne that he ahd:his brothers intend to visit New Zealand again, commencing a tour in Auckland about the middle of February; : ! ...