ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2413, 19 March 1915, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

« "THE COURT CARDS." The olever "Court Cards" at the Grand Opera House gave anotlier of their bright and varied performances last evening. The second part of the programme is devoted to a diverting musical sketch, entitled "Night-time in Doll-land," in which all the members of the company figure humorously as dolls of every make and breed. The songs are admirably fitted in each case, and tho incidental "business" is capably ' acted. The season will close to-night. "LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN." At the Grand Opera House to-morrow evening, the Plimmer-Hall Patriotic Company will open its season with Oscar Wilde's comedy "Lady Windermere's Fan." In this fascinating play the story of Lady Windermere's indiscretion is handled with delicate frankness. The dialogue flashes with glittering epigram, tinged with a cynicism native to the gifted author, but there are passages where the veneer of flippancy is dropped, giving place to dramatic scenes of vivid intensity which have never yet failed to hold audiences in thrall. A feature of the performance will be the music which will be provided by two pianos played in concert by Mrs. Winter Hall (nee Miss Katie Young) and her sister, Miss Rima Youag, both pianists of high standing in Australasia. They will play a fantasia of National. Airs, the charming "Henry VIII" Dances (Morris Dance, Shepherds' Dance, and Torch 'Dance) of Edward German, the "Dance Maccabe" (Saint-Saen6, a lively two-step, and "Roße in the Bud" (Dorothy Forster). i Thd opening performance will be made [ memorable by the presence of tho Prime Minister (the Hon. W. F. Massey), who will give a brief address by way of inaugurating the effort of Messrs. Plimmer and Hall. Other Ministers of the Crown, Sir Joseph and Lady Ward, the Mayor and Mrs. Luke, and several of the consuls will also be present. The whole of the profits of the ten weeks' tour are to go towards the Belgian Fund, which is also to be swelled on the opening, night l through the sale by auction of a special souvenir of unusual interest. • The cover, illuminated on tho front with the colours of Belgium and a sketch of King Albert, and on the hack with the massed colours of, the Allies, will be printed- on silk, with a parchment insertion bearing the signatures of His Excellencv the Governor, the Prime Minister, other Ministers of the 'Crown, Sir Joseph Ward, and *he of the company. It will also contain interesting pictures and reading matter appropriate to the occasion. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. The _ Randell-Jackson concert party are still entertaining delighted crowds at. His Majesty's Theatre for an all too short tour or so. Their humour, their music, and' indeed everything , about their show is excellent, quite above the average of touring companies of their class that have visited New Zealand. The rest of the programme is generally voted to be one of the, brightest ever offered in the theatre. Piquo, . the French clown, does marvellous gymnastic feats in the most ludicrous manner conceivable, and makes much mirth. Other artists who appear are Max Martin, Fred Ford, M. Poincaire, and Mann and Franks.

THE KING'S THEATRE.

The .story nf how "The Little Gray Lady" saved a rather puny-souled young man from dishonour and worse is being told at the King's Theatre this week. It is the old story of two women, the. one good and the other bad, and the one mamwho was inclined to drop the good and cleave to the bad. Of course the good little Gray Lady won, but not without 'a struggle. The war pictures for the week are. an especially interesting lot. EVERYBODY'S PICTURES. Everybody's Theatre is crowded the, night through, and indeed for a great part of the day this. week. The attraction is a Keystone comedy, "Dough and Dynamite," with the wonderful Charles Chaplin in the prodigiously funny role of an eccentric baker. It is one of the most laughable farces ever produced for the machine. Incidentally, on the programme there are several very good pictures more serious in charsSter. THE EMPRESS THEATRE. The new programme at the Empress Theatre yesterday was headed by the Kalem Company's comedy-drama, ' 'Tho Girl and the Explorer." Carlton, a young explorer, on his return to America, is besieged by reporters for an account'of his adventures. f Beidon, a wealthy magazine publisher, ■ tells his daughter Milliceut that ho would give £2000 for the rights of Carlton's story. Millicent decides on securing the explorer's manuscript. She obtains a position as housemaid in Carlton's louse and watches an opportunity of • stealing the story. - Carlton falls in love with the new housemaid, and when the papers report that the' publisher's daughter has mysteriously disappeared- he realises who the new girl is. Ultimately Carlton pleads his lovo,' and Millicent accepts his proposal on condition that he will give her father the rights of his narrative, which Carlton promptly agrees to.' The father and detectives are endeavouring to force the door- of the house while the young couple are •being wedded by means of the telephone. The supporting films include "Nature's Celebrities" (showing tho peculiarities of the chameleon and the Indian cobra), "The Australian Gazette" (topical), "The Hop Smugglers" (Reliance detective drama), "The Courtship of the Cooks" (Edison comedy), and "Magazine Cooking' (Lubin comedy). •' PEOPLE'S PICTURE PALACE. The question which thousands of young men are asking themselves all over. the Empire, "Snail I go?" the question which has been answered in deed by hundreds of thousands already, is the motif of the biggest picture on the new bill at the People's Picture Palace. The title, "For King and Country," is sufficient indication that the spirit of the picture is of patriot--1 ism. The central figure is a lonely, silent man, very much' in earnest, who finds himself in close touch in a comfortable boarding-house with a' group of : young men who cheerfully allow others ■ to do the fighting while they go on with : their life of pleasure and indulgence in a great city. His message of duty ho ' carries to these men, and, at first un- [ willing, all but one are finally convinced I that the path of duty ie tho proper one to tread. They follow his ■ good example, and join Kitchener's Army. The i one who stays behind goes oh .with his i life' of pleasure, but is brought sharp up against realities by a motor accij dent.. Presently, after some months, , two of the lads return to England on - furlough from the front, and in the oriel } tho last man joins , his comrades, and , goes baqlc to the front with them. \A girl in the house becomes likewise inspired with patriotic fervour, and she goes to the front as a nurse. The adventures of tho party at tho front arc fallowed in a series of, wonderfully realistic battle-pictures, in which again j the patriotic evangel is seen as a soldier, loading a forlorn hope to glorious victory. The .picture is ono with a good message, and a very seasonable one, Among; the othor films shown is_ an inII teresting series of kinema views oi Rotorua, showing all the places of ins torest commonlv visited by the tourist ibis picture, descriptive of "the great est thermal wonderlandin the world, ii probably the beat scenic picture thai ever bsea prgparsd in Now Zqalawi