ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2689, 8 February 1916, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

One baa to arjive early in these times to be 6ure of securing a seat at His ilajesty s Theatre. • The magic \tord /'revue" is curiously alluring to vaude™'e, who do not like anything ir e mos ' : frivolous form of fun-making on the stage, and are fully awaro that the commodity is supplied l in the modern revue. Last evening it was an hour's nonsense entitled "Be Beautiful," the argument taking place in an alleged beauty parlour, where tho frowsy female is made to blossom as the rose in exchange for "shekels" that rightly belong to tho grocer. A young man has invested lis soft-earned money in a bsauty parlour, arid fearing his wealthy uncle's

anger at being discovered in such honest employment trades the parlour off temporarily to tho star comedians, Sammy (Samuels and Micky Jlagee. These bright ■boys are a very merry pair, who work ■hard and gain much laughter in the diagnosis and treatment'of their pafienfe. One of these, Mariouch, a sad Italia!!, is .very cleverly played by Miss Carrie ; Pranks, and her pseudo-operatic wail •about, her Anfconia was quite a featuro of the revue. Mr. Roy Kene as Samuel? * .was as broadly humorous—if not broadol —than in the opening revue, and is always alive Where a point is to be scored off anyone on or off the stage. His. defect is incoherency. One cannot detect .what he is saying half the time, owing to the hungry ma.nner in which he chews up liis words. Mr. Bletsoe's Irishman was a burlesque, and enough to cause the Hibernians to pass an indignant vote of protest, but it did not check the laughter a what. Miss Ivy Davis looked bright and winsome as Helen French, and sang with a greater degree of culture than anyone else in the revue. The ballet was . bright in manner, and youthful in design, and the songs all went well. In tho first part the programme lyas gladdeued by the appearance of Law- ! rence Johnston, a skilled American ventriloquist, whose dummy has a large and .varied stock of amusing patter. He strained the relations between nations by giving an imitation of King George speak- , ing at a distance, and then instituting a comparison by quoting the street cry of the 'Hold Your Horses" herald, who pretcedes the circus street procession in American towns.' Johnston's powers as an entertainer are beyond question, and. he is bound to be popular .at His-Majesty's. . 'Miss Alice Pierce, a very clever imitator of stage stars, gave sketchy impressions of Miss Ellen Terry, Ada Reeve, Miss Leslie Carter, and Albert Chevalier —each one made distinctly interesting with the foibles of the original. Others who appeared were Wendel and Nagel, Sutton and Barlee, and Ibex. Frank Crowther'a orchestra was always 'helpful. . .

MISS DAISY JEROME.

To those who witnessed Mias Daisy Jerome's previous appearance in Welling, ton some eighteen months ago her return will possess added interest. Miss Jerome is said to have achieved remarkable success since her last visit in pantomime, and vaudeville throughout Australia.. Bhe will appear at His Majesty's Theatre on Monday evening in a number of new turns. Her cleve* originality and her excellent make-ups are only two' of her many attributes as a comedienne. She aims at simplicity, and'in her own words she dresses for her parts, so that the audience may fully enter into the atmosphere of her songs, and not be distracted by the manner of her dress. Miss Jerome ie bringing with her a number of new and popular songs, and her return .visit will doubtless be. welcomed by all loveivof high-class vaudeville. Tie season, will extend over two weeks. , THE KING'S THEATRE. 1 A big crowd had filled the King's Theatre before the orchestra commenced the overture last evening, and it was clear that patrons of this popular house of amusement were in expectation of something good in the now series of pictures. Nor were they disappointed. The feature film is from the establishment of The Famous Players' Company, who present •Miss Marguerite Clark and Mr. Harold Lockwood in the brilliant drama, "The Crucible." The story is of a brave 'girl, .who is 1 upon her oirn resources in the heart of a busy metropolis, of lier ■brave battle for existence against almost overwhelming odds, and of lier nobility of nature and her buoyant spirit, which enable, her to surmount every obstacle in the way of her final' triumph. As the drama, progresses there are many exciting situations, and occasionally the story touohes upon the darker side of life; hut the whole is brightened by the moonlight of romance and the correct ratio of wit and humour. Miss Marguerite Clark as Jean Fanshawe, the heroine, gives . a splendid interpretation of the leading part. She is credited with being different from all other picture actresses, and certainly her work is some of the most artistic that has been observed on the 6c-reen locally. At times it can scarcely be distinguished from actualitv. Gonerally the acting in the film is well up to Famous Players standard, and scenery and dressing leave nothing to be desired. Supporting items include a Vitagraph comedy entitled "Their Night Out." In this Mr. ; and Mrs. Sidney Drew bring to bear their personal- idiosyncrasies in demonstrating how a husband and wife should spend one night out a week -without the ■ other, when no questions are to bo asked. The Patlie Gazette and John Bull's Sketch Book complete .the bill.

EVERYBODY'S PICTURES. Large crowds patronised Everybody's Theatre last evening, when the final episodes of "Tho Million Dollar Mystery" were screoncd. "The Mystery" has held patrons of tho theatre interested for several months, and in tho current bill the solution is given. The nuzzle remains a puzzle till almost the very end, and tho finale is thoroughly worthy of tho piece. Without stating how tho tangled skein is unravelled, or stating who Hargreavos, the millionaire, is, it may be mentioned that the Black Gang is beaten and dispersed, that tho ohief villain (Braine) comes to an end which befits his career, and Miat Norton and the heroine maintain the tradition of good stories by becoming united in matrimony. These davs little can be moro interesting than tho topical pictures, and' among the best of its _ class is tho "Gaumont Graphic." Tlib week's "Graphic" is interesting indeed, containing numerous topical scenes from tho war fronts, or thereabouts. Comedy is supplied by "Tillie, the Typist," whose appearance on tho screen i-i the cause of no end of fun. "From the Pearl of the Baltic Sea" is a pretty scenic. The programme will run every day and night this week. Tho orchestra is liwlor thi baton of Mr. Herbert Bloy.EMPRESS THEATRE. "How We Beat the Emden" is the' attractive title of the film wiiich heads the programme at tho Empress Theatre this week. 'Pile co-operation of the Australian Fleet in the production of the film has resulted in a splendid patriotic panorama. \The film starts with the birth of tho Australian Navy, that is when Australia first began to realise her aspiration to admiralty over the long wash of her own seas. The arduous naval training is depicted in its various stages, and the oiit-of-work loafers in the ; Australian streets are eventually seen spruce and alert at their stations on the ironclad. Excellent photography enables a vivid idea to be gained of the effects of the Sydney's big gruns on the Emden, wJyob was battered into a shapeless mass of ' scrap-iron at Cocos Island. Ruins of quarter-deck, steering gear, funnels, and deck-bouses are reproduced on the screen, with glimpses of the tangle of wreckage on the starboard side (amidships), on tfie port side (abaft the bridge), and from the foot of the main-mast to the fighting-top. Well-known Federal politicians and Australian naval officers are screened in the film, which should draw large audiences to the Empress. War views are the principal feature of the topical films this week Comedy and diama are well represented in Lubin, Vitagraph, and Piccadilly films, and the programme generally is one of exceptional interest.