ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2560, 7 September 1915, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

"FUN ON THE BRISTOL." ;; ' "Fun. on ..the -Bristol,", a .laughing sue-' cesswith. the' hall-mark, of 'thirty years' Qcptinuous triumph in practically every ;y; English-speaking country in the, _world, ...will be presented at the Grand "Opera . .. House to-morrow evening, when George >. : Stephenson's company of: comedians in- . avigurate a 'tour;-of th'e.:Dominion. ■ This ~musical : farije was 'the big production' of .- tho late John F;.'Sheridan's, stage career.: : ' •: His na!mo :was;.a': hou6ehold : --word as "The . .."■■■ Widow O'Brien": Frankillawthorne, who ' . J plays the part' here, is said to "be a worthy' .. '. successor, and.'gets all the comedy'possible out of the character. Tho jilot dials with the attempts, of. the' Widow O'Brien' and her tw;o" daughters to' enter society! — • 'Ihey have 'been left'a;;fabulous.'fortune, ", and; the: bogus; : .cbun.ts:7and..other 'people that flatter them afford the producer unlimited : ; opportunitiM ::.fof,V introducing the "/ ~ latest songs,:'dinces, sketches, , and Bniart ' and'snappy:.wit.; ,The''.box.plans are open i : ;'.: : ''f'»t:-.The.;Bri^li : 'Md'Siidgiiig'''-by th# brisk 1 .'.'booking;^yesterday 'i'a; : ';succesaiil ~, season eeema assured. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE ; -The programme fwhich'. : ,waii' staged "■ at His Majesty's Theatre last 'eveninj. and is to run the w;eek: at'the popular house if vaudeville, is ouo brimful of-interest-ing turns. -!;.Laughtef .-in"plenty' is; proi ! duced bv tho Paul Stanhope'Revuo Com- . -. pany. who appear in '"Fun on a;Farm," '..: and.keep, the audience siwling tho whole•' ; V : .time'. ' : The heavyend',of .the' piece is sus- . . tained by Mr.' . Paul ; Stanhope, ; whose ' stock jof - humorousX sayings .', 'andv'doings seems to be almo'st : inexhaustible,' .and ■ -.tvliq^>.abffity'(.t6.Vcrrate'- , 'iriSisiiblei'sit'uft'' - tions is remarkable indeed.- In the role ■ ; of "One of the Boys,'' >in: the farm scene, he is in his element.': .The. other mem-: : hers, of the company. keep:,tho revue moving merrily.'alongVwith' song-, .danoe, and' so forth. Thoir choruses aro catchy, and their part songs delightful. . Apart from tbe R-evuo .there .are; other. artists who.make the time ; pass very pleas-. . .. antlyv . Frank; Herberte "sings", desoriptive ■ ...v and illustrative;sbngs;with;the maximum .of. effect, and the Anderson Trio proi-ide excellent '^Funm a Demon Cave " Er-' s--;i;.. , ;i , ? s t Pitcher, comedian and musical artistj' ■ • . reappears. •' .Jliss ;Jessie Millar," whose work; as,;-a.musician .is; much'appreciated' 'locally, g_avedelightful renditionsof popu- ;: 5 lar classics." :"' She" was' assisted; by Miss i Dolly Millar, who "rags" vivaciously,'<but ' i cannot /claimv successi'' for! a -Maori song '"I- ,' TED KING'S. . .A powerful ; Vitagraph drama - entitled ■ Two Women": was' shownin the ' new : : programme at tho -'King's':'.Theatrev'last' i•: v..night;featuring-'; Julia tSwayue'i Gordon) Anita; Stewart,; Harry.Northnp,' and Earle" • ■ ■ ' ■ Withvthis strong combination ; :: the maw dramatic scenes" shown were made ' intensely forceful,v and '"Two Women" .will rank as one of - tho shown . '; at the King's Theatre. Jh6» story deals ;' .with a..'faithless .wife, became at- ,: traoted bv her husband's rich employer The couple are. found out in: their guilt,• and the husband divorces, and goes to the mountains to seek solitude. There ... dhe -meets .'."Anita',of ;the :Woodland,", and ■ his broken heart is soon mended in a . new:love. In,the:meantime his divorced- , i - Wife marries: her lover, but ■he does • not - , -prove taithful, and-as tho result of further intrigue on tho Continent, meets hisdeath.' Pangs of reinorsti overcome tho '' .ivoman, and. she hastens back to; hdr for- ■ v- saken husband,;but. in a; dramatic J scehe .>'""V^nS'lier. -away,;and' gains happiness" v, is a'story full of, human : ~ interest i. and dramatic -scenes, : and the • isrg©/atidrencG was greatly inipreseed. The' : supporting; films >ia)' the r.ptogramme are : ; - interesting,.: /- One: shows ■ -. shrapnel . being " manufactured for tho front and./this...topical, subject .: , gave great .enlightenment into the' differ-"' ;'; ■ Processes:, gone .through, to -make the ■; iif ticle.-a•"Cartobiis?' bv- 'Raoul: . Barro was a fllm depicting.clever" anim'at-' . v= ,v • eel . sketches,, while; "Pathe's i Gaaette'<; in-' " <»naeamanj*..good- war.'views. - A scenic ' i .->yilful''AJay the Keystone favourite, -'A touching drama, "The Man He Might Have Been," depicted a : s dreams of what.his' lost son might ■ ■i-'lto;W'g';-:TliSV?pro^atQmo'V ; BrHl;;li©i , ■ repeated..this; evening.: v I

, .THE BRITANNIA THEATRE. ' ;.. i A: 7 er J- high,dramatic- and. .'pictorial standard- is attained' in . the absorbingly' ■ interesting five-reel / adaptation;; for; the Screen. of John' Oxenham's novel "Hearts . m ■ Exile.' • now -. being.*, shown- at. the Bri- -, ; tannia.Theatre.; It is a story, of, the'grim . -.days. when,'. Nihilism'/ .in ; : Russia,'- , w hen the innocent often iSuffere'di with theguilty. ''':A-,>i]lainbus'Russian' ■ coming- enamoured of \Hope/ the-wife of Serge Pobia,\ contrives that, the-latter should - be. arrested;- as.- a;- Nihilist,: and -' at the samo' intiinate -...: Serge/and; i'is also, ar- -. rested-, on ; the. ;.samocharge. Tlloy are ■ herded with 'a: ganx, of-miserable : charged withau'thecrMesin the calen.. Paul -Imowsv; that -his -' sentence 1 • i?;-"5 € '3 r ' f° bo lighter than given his. -friend, and .for Hope's! sake begs him to ,answer- the roll call to. his (Paul's)' name.' Paul .goes , to Kara, in Siberia, for nine ; ,j years; as.,- Serge Pol in a, whilst ■ Serge* only gets fiyo years in- the provinces. In the meantime Hope has gone to the official ' : to' beg_ .news of; her and' .whilst . .' thero is.gathered unwillingly in his "arms, as his. own wife , enters. ■■' The result' of the encounter is that the wife, to bo rid steals Serge's dossier, and,'tells Hope -.where her* husband ,'is-imprisoned. Hope,at once journeys to Kara,' and there - ( - v : ' ■;

meets Paul, who is still masquerading as Serjfe; ■ To give the deception away would .: mean death;to Serge, so there she. lias.to, , remain as Paul's wife in name.' The two learn'to love one another,'but both ;c smother their feelings. At •length - a - broken .escapee is brought to the ; prison ' hospital, who tells how lie had attempted ' to .escapp in company with Serge, and , the.later'had been shot dead.-. - Hope and' . Paul l wed, and are very happy until Serge I i turns .up in the, guise of'an Inspector of • Mines. He is shocked at the position, but is reasonable, and together all three plan an escape. : Tho governor of the : prison hears the plot, and breaks: in, but ho is'mastered, .bound, aiid gagged, while . -the others make their escape—a'wild exciting sleigh rush over snow-fields and icecourses, with the Tsar's .soldiers in hot ( pursuit. ,In the final stand Serge is shot ; dead, but Paul .and Hope manage to evade, capture.. Particularly fine are the snow; scenes depicting ■: the' shuddersome rigour of the sub-Arctic winter. The acting is uniformly excellent. "THE LION'S CUBS" A dramatic; production showing the useful; part;;, the'. Boy Scouts are playing in England,' was the chief attraction in the new :pi;ogramme: presented at Everybody's /^eatre;, yesterday. The film is':cntitled; ' The. , Lion's Cubs," and it was produced by .-'.the' London Comoany, which "has brought out'such notable films'as "Bng'larid's.;.Menace", and "On His Majesty's : Service.-';. '.The plot deals with the Ger;mari,.spy;, system, and'..the attempt of .two 'Germans "to gain' possession of important ; ;plans..frohi .French officers who are visit- ; ing .'Englajid. y ; Despite the fact that a -Scotland; Yard agent 'shadows" tho distinguished officers, a German, agent, by/a ; ble>;eiv train-robbery, -suciceeds in gaining gjs'session ;of the coveted papers. The oy/.Scouts-are put on the alert ..through' one of' their number overhearing that aeroplane is. to convey a'message from England to Germany. ■ He tracks the. spies down;;'and, skilfully mounts; the back of their'; motor. and regains possession '.of. the; plans."'-: Cliase is given by the enraged Germans, but- the brave lad escapes, and :givM"';his' comrades :warning. A - message i is'flashed to another Scout camp, and the ;6pies' J sure"' all - captured, and'-their.' aeroplane secured as a trophy, .of war. There ,is:not : .a : duirm'omeht.'in..the film, and,it (shows, how .'.the Scouts have beeh utilised '-by the ; . • military;■'• authorities' -'to guard : bridges,: roads;- etc., in ; England. Their manner,:of,can;ying these.important duties ■out is'ehown.ih.'the-film. .The'-programnie includes a laughable comedy, "The Professional .Scapegoat," being; the adventures of manwho!has to be "fired" from.a big ;'Btpre: orit; any occasion' that, a customer .■'is:offended. The Australian Navy Jn'-the'' with ; the; training "the boys'-receive,',: anda .Gaumont 'Graphic, makeup's, very good programme. . THE EMPRESS, Very brisk biisin'es, is; being' done -at tho Empress Theatre, where the, ■ excellent ' current programme gives complete satiscfaction;',:;.Keystone's star comedy, "Our Daredevil 1 Chief," is a most successful laugh-producer,; .and': while it ■ holds ' the '6creen;.-t'he.ftui never-, flags. . The popular comedian, Ford Sterling, as tho. chief of tli". - ludicrous ■',Keystone .police force,'.'.con-' •tributes.' some' .exceptionally', clever comic :work,: which has . the: advantage, of: being fresh-aid.unhackneyed. -'. The result is a' : •fun farce that pleases.in every way. Two , good dramas were shown, "Tho Understudy," a strong dramatic", story of the stage, by: the; famous Vitagraph players,, with Maurice Coatello as,-the , hero,; and 'Flying' 'A's " charming. niay, :•: "Haunting Memories." v.Lubin's. "An Actors'' Board,inghbuse''j:is. one , of the funniest' farces seen for a.long time. The latest Topical Budget is a-particularly good one. "HINEMOA " At tho Grand Opera House, ..commencing on Thursday, September, 16, Fred Bennett's .Maori; Opera Company,- which ' is touring under; the'distinguished patronage of: Their .'Excellencies; the. • Governor' and tlio Countess;:of: Liverpool, and the.R-ight Hon. 'W.' F. .MaSsey will , make its'appearance, in the' charming Maori .imisicaL : :play by-Percy'Flynn. ' Every member of tile company is stated to be remarkably versa-; tile and talented,, the music most inspira-, tional,' ; and i' the' t «oenery;>magmficentewXt'' * must.,be made known that the profits of the tour go-towards the relief'funds for' our wounded soldiers, and each and every ' 'member-.of, the company isVwdrkiiig; dili-i ; gently.to:"help our' "heroes ' who. have 1 been. tightingjfor .theliberty of , our"Empire!'' All who'stay at home must- feel .it' a duty to ; do everything possible in, their power, , to .' help, 'our; boys, who' are - fighting'-, for: glory and for " tne dear ones whom'.'they' have, left; behind them,- far.'-across' the seas.,;- ''Everyone can. help, everi : by .wit--nessing the performance'.of. "Hineinoa", by the Maori . Opera .Company. This is the .only, pttnotic company ..at ..present touring'New'' Zealand,\',so .' the pnbiic pa- . tronage'-will-do. a. great deal',.to.help.,'