ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2583, 4 October 1915, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

WAR PICTURES AT THE CONCERT CHAMBER. 'A series of. interesting animated pictures having a more or less direct bearing on: the great war were exhibited to a packed audience at the Concert Cham- . "ber. (Town Hall) on Saturday evening. .Whilst'the greater: length of him shown was . new, and in. somo cases unique * in : subject, thero were other sections which' had a; familiar smack, and bore tho stamp of hard wear. The iiictures are very diversefin character, ranging from views of {English and .French soldiers • undergoing their training under all sorts of conditions," parades of troops in' London, Glasgow, and. Cairo, including- a'.fine picture of a parade of the London Scottish,Kifle3 past the Hyde Parle. The audi- - ence ;; enthusiastically, applauded . the photographic reflection of the regiment vwhich covered itself with, glory in Flan'ders. - The departure , ofNew, Zealand transports is shown, Nos. .'8 aiid 12 figuring in';the .view. 'A very good picture is. shown: of' a church service being held on 4 transport, whilst the ship is in port. The picture discloses a close-up view of the faces of hundreds of our . men who have since given a; fine account of themselves .'at "the/front.. The- scenes taken on one of the transports en route to the Mediterranean are animated to a degree. One view of a wrestling match (catch-as-catch-can style) was almost as interesting as witnessing the real thing; The . transports' 'are shown off foreign- coasts, and following comes a parade of Australian/ New Zealand, and. Indian troops through the streets of Cairo—a very interesting picture.'. Turnip to the broader" field' of Europe, the audience was shown / glimpses of lord Roberts • inspecting the London National Reserve, Sir John { French inspecting recruits, and the King and Queen , honouring some function .or other with' their 'presence. Amongst the. parade views.one of interest was the march past of the ; Glasgow; Tramways Regiment (over . 2000 strong), whoso places on the . cars have been mostly taken by women. The pictures taken on the Continent show the familiar picture of King Albert of Belgium and M. Poind are in the public square at Brussels, the; Marine Brigade,' which helped to defend Antwerp, a graphic view of a sadly-battered city, and one in which the unsafe walls and towers aro being dynamited to the ground. French troops are shown - leaving the trenches after 60 hours'duty; and a good view of an armoured 'train in action is shown:" One or two gruesome ■,views.' of battlefields,; 'and a. French detachment manoeuvring in the hills have in them, a touch of the Teal flare of war. • ■ -

During the evening Mr. Abel Howe, the possessor: of a vibrant tenor voice , and plenty of - vim behind it, sang. "InT the ■Firing Line," "The Soldier," and "To Guard thy Liberty," songs of an aggressively jingoistic character, and Miss Miriam 'Russell, .a pleasant, contralto, sans "Knitting," /'There's; ,a. Land," and "Somewhere a Voice is Calling." ;A' ; capable- orchestra under: Mr. F.r J. Bagg6trom,' played appropriate music throughout the evening.' The < musicj .'however, should be discontinued whilst the lec-turer-(Mr. G. Holmes) is making his explanatory remarks. As a result of the success -which attended, the pictures on Saturday ' night, the ■; management: have decided' to continue: the Wellington sea-, son throughout the week'..

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE.'.: A. new programme-will be inaugurated ot His Majesty's-Theatre to-night by the Fuller. Vaudeville Proprietary in whicii a number of imported artists will appear for .the .first time, chief •'among' them being Clemons and Dean, a pair of musical comedy.-entertainers., .A feature '.'of their performance is an inebriate's dance by Mr: Clemons. Attired in evening dress lie g7res an imitation of how. a drunken man would dance vere his legs capable of following, the dictates of his brain. Another outstanding item is that to be provided by M'Connell and Austin, American trick cyclists, who -will perform some novel feats which call for both) daring and dexterity. Another newcomer will, be EdenbuTy, an equilibrist and: hand balancer, whose feats are said to be of a novel character. ' Rowley, and Winton, also, new arrivals,',:will present'- what: is Btatwl to be an artistic singing and dancing specialty."' MrV .Leonard Nelson, "who returns after a long absence, will appear in an entirely new repertoire of original song 6 and sketches. Supporting items vrill be contributed by 6cveral artists who appeared last, week, including Miss Violet Irevenron, -Hennessy arid, Martell, the Eclair Bros., Nat Hanley, and the Gibson Girls. The programme.will run, for six ■ nights and a matinee will; be given . onSaturday. ' EVERYBODY'S. • The last screenings of "Those College Girls," unci the second episode of "The Million Dollar Mystery" attracted great crowds to Everybody's on Saturday. Today -at noon, which is described as a magnificent programme, will be screened, the headline .of which is superior 2000 feet laugh-producer, from the Keystone studios, featuring the "fat" boy, Hoscoe Arbuckle, in 'Tatty's Plucky Boy." The experiences that Fatty, undergoes are said to be so-funny to a degree. The third episode, "Tho.Leap in the Dark," of "The Million Dollar Mystery," .will- also' be shown. In this episode some- sensational features are introduced. Among other pictures are: "Mother's Justice/' a pathetic drama; "Departure of the 6th Reinforcements, and "Gaumont Graphic." The 'music by a capable orchestra is a! special feature of the entertainment.

. "NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER," "Neptune's, Daughter" continues to Keep up its rccord of turning hundreds away nightly. On Saturday night, the box office was besieged by would-be purchasers, but 7.30 not even standing room was available. It therefore seems a wise decision to Tetain this great photoplay at the People's Picture Palace for another week. On Saturday afternoon the house was thronged with eager- children overflowing with delight in tho realisation that, hero at last was a play which tliey could understand and enjoy as well as tha "grown-ups." How many childTcn htsre dreamed of mermaids, but to actually; see them, and not one, but a whole family of them! No wonder tho house was alive with excitement whilo the children KreatMessly followed Annette Kellerman's varied experience. Daily matinees are given at 2.30. The box plan iS at tho Bristol. •

.. THE KING'S THEATRE. j'V" Following on the latest idea in New York, the King's Theatre will present tonight a programme of feature plays chosen from ,the leading producing, companies. Practically every subject is a star drama or comedy , with a leaven of scenic, and interest specialities to lend a stimulating and picturesque flavour. Seven photoplays make up the roster containing continuously cumulative interest. When every play is a. feature play, it is difficult to. pick out what might be considered the best, especially as the programme is so rich in variety, but in. New York, where tho programme was shown iecentlv the critics unanimously plumped for tho contribution of_ the Vitagraph Company which is a brilliantly conceived "and staged comedy, entitled "War." The story concerns a dissension amongst eome families of the different nationalities in polyglot America. It start swith a chuckle aid ends in a roar. "The Quality of Mercy" ;is . another big feature that founi great favour with the critics, on accourS of its world-wide appeal, and its "dramatic ■ intensity. Space does not permit a description of all the big things in the .programme, but the public will doubtless find the attractions worthy of the King's.

"WHEN LONDON SLEEPS." Commencing to-day at the Empress Theatre, this renowned old melodrajha by Charles Darrell will be presented in film form for the first time in New Zealand. The film is in four- parts, and ■ the story in brief is as follows:—Hilda Corrode, a noted circus rider of.other days, accidentally finds a certificate. of marriage proving that her husband, Captain Rodney Haines, already had a wife when he married her. She leaves him,, and with her little child goes back to the circus ring. Later She conceives an affection for a'fellow performer, an aorobat named David Engleheart, whose heart,-however, turns towards a clever little wire-walker named Queenie Carruthers. Later the girl Queenie' inherits 'a fortune, and Captain Hames visits the circus, and proposes to the wife who was no wife" that she should, assist him in schemes to obtain possession of the young girl's money. The woman's better nature is overmastered <by the desire to part David and Queenie, and she at length consents. Many thrilling and sensational incidents lead up to the setting on fire by the villain Haines of the house in -which the young' heiress is living. ' The scene in which the girl walks across on the telegraph wires is Well remembered. The grand finale shows the; lovers reunited, and the plays ends pleasingly. _ A notable feature of the filmed production is the fine acting and re-, maxkably clear photography, while the settings and , mountings .are of . a high standard.-: On the same programme are the Topical' Budget and a comedy called "Watch Your Watch."

SUNDAY CONCERT. . The. .Wellington Professional Orchestra gave one of its most enjoyable concerts at His Majesty's Theatre last ivening. There was a very good attendance,- notwithstanding that the night was somewhat stormy, and the audience disnlayed considerable appreciation of the work of the musicians. The orchestra played under tho direction; of Mr. Herbert Bloy, and rendered a nicely selected programme. Particularly well done were the overture and .movement ' from Tschaikowsky's Fifth Symphony." The great majority ot the audience had not heard this Tschaikowsky selection 1 before; 'and it is evident from the general reception of it that it could easily become quite -as tiormlar as other portions of the composer's "work which have ..on: occasion been heard in Wellington. A very:attractive thing/was a dance from' the works of Sir Arthur Sullivan. Like most Sullivan nieces it) pleased immensely. Something new was Wagners "Meistersinger" overture. Tho orchestra did the composition full justice. very genuine applause was bestowed on . Messrs. A. Truda, C. Norman, and P°, Moschini, who rendered a most delightful instrumental trio. The plaving ofvthese, instrumentalists was very fine indeed.