ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2777, 23 May 1916, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS.

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. A fresh contingent of vaudeville artists appeared at His Majesty's Theatre last evening. Jack Martin, who brings with Jidni a l>reath of the big spaces of Arizona, showed some extremely adroit wort in whirling rope figures, tied knots in the air, made doublo and siuglo hoops, with one or 'bo.th ends of tho saino lariat, and filially danced ill and out of a whizzing flywheel of rope iu an agile and not ungraceful manner. The cowboy comedian thas laid in a stock of well-dried jokes, which added the zest of comedy to his lively performance. Madame Marvelle introduced a covey of trained cockatoos, who, with the occasional assistance of Madame's ever-ready .wand, walked the rolling ball, see-sawed, manned a coach, and, to the great delight of the juniors present, .enacted a fire scene, with reel, escape, and fire engine, rescuing peveral alarmed occupants of the burning building, with humorous'activity. The Canine Circus, introduced fry a more or less distant relative of Charlie Chaplin, was a diverting performance by a number of well-trained .dogs, who jump, dance, stand on their fore or hind legs, and, finally, one dog (masked as a miniature horse) trundles round the little ring, whilst canine jockeys display their eciuilibristic powers in the saddle. Merton and Rydon are an animated mixed duet who sing and patter with facility. The laughing hits of the evening were made by those gifted .American comedy artists, Early and Laight, in their sketch "On the Water Wagon," and Soilie and Brown, the coloured 1 comedians, singers, and dancers. Brown is a rare humorist, who exudes the broadest comedy with every look and attitude. The audience could have stood mora from this performer than it got. Myra Gale and Littlo Sadie (mother and daughter) sang, somewhat, incongrously, lovo duets as though they were 'of opposite sexes. Little Sadie is clever but mechanical as a vocalist, but executed a clever Arabian' harem dance in manner oharacteristic. Miss Hazel Morris confined herself to ragtime' songs, and George Crotty exercised his talent as a. gifted eccentric dancer of some finish and oricfinality. Cook and Handman and Glen Echo also contributed to the programme. KING'S THEATRE. The Triage-Kay. Bee Company liavo already established a reputation far and' wide , for'sound, artistic work, not only in the spheres -of deft and production, but in the finer arts of anting, and perfect photography. Thos. .11. Ince, the producer of "The Coward," screened .-at the King's Theatre last evening, has every reason to be proud of his work. "The Coward" for its subject harks back to the stirring days of the American, Civil_ "War, and relates in a series of splendidlj'-acted scenes, the physical cowardice of a son who deserts from the Northern Army, allowing his stern old father to take his place in the ranks. Later.' circumstances afford the son an opportunity of overcoming his weakness, niul regaining his manhood in a most dramatic fashion. The picture includes a remarkable battle scene in '.which many hundreds of troops are employed. This scene is made_ vividly realistic by the and. is one'that has to be seen, to be appreciated at its proper value. A' capital Gazotte, dealing with topical subjects. and other dramatic, comic, and scenic pictures provide a capital programme of first-class quality. .

EVERYBODY'S THEATRE, rm sens ntion' in uproarious situations' J.his is a very apt description of the ariaiigle-Keystone comedy, "Crooked to the I'jrid." heads the new programme Kt Everybody's Theatre. Crowded. sessions viewed tho picture yesterday attemobn and ■ evening, and the liaco at which everything moved along proved irresistabjy humorous. Mack Sennett, tho great Iveystono producer, was responsible for the film, which was prepared at Los Angelos in a single day, and designed to burlesque the railway drama and all things' in the line of tram acoideiits, m-otor smashes, and frightful explosions, lhe fact that so many tragic incidents were crowded into suuli u small space, with the Triangle, comedian, I'red Mace, developing tho shocks, produced a most extraordinary theme, and the climax is so thrilling that the film could scarcely have been .voted anything but crooked to the end. Supporting items aro of good quality. Tii© Lesson of Narrow Street" is a gripping. Yitagraph drama, which is supposed to illustrate what Wall Street does to men in the way of ruining tho losers and leaving tho winners alone and hated. " A Night. in Old Spain" is a pretty costume play by the Lubin ComP an >';. 'The Excavations of Ostia" is the title of a coloured pines scenic—a, * u ' t3 unpretentious way. The Gaumont Graphic'"' includes numerous views of the British Army- at Salonilm, and some-photographs of a railway snow-plough .at work during the rccent blizzard iu the north of England. Mr. Herbert. Bloy's orchestra supplies appropriate music at the evening sessions.

EMPRESS THEATRE. ■ In the five-part photo-play, "The Dragon, which the World-Equitable Company presents at the Empress Theatre, there is enough of seiisation to stock ■a popular melodrama. Tho author and producer must have had in their mind when the scenario was sketched out tho well-known lines from "Hamlet," "But virtue, as it never will be moved, . Though lewdness court it in a shape of Heaven; 00 lust, though to a radiant angel linked, wjll sate itself: in a celestial bed." Tho interest in tho 1 story centres around the experiences of a girl, presumably fifteen years ot age, who is searching for her motner, who has been lured away from home and kindred, by one of the money Icings of Wall Street. The girl has spent her hie since infancy in a convent, and knows absolutely nothing of the wickedness of the.world. Het beauty appeals to the evil side of many. persons, and they try. their arts, which have proved successful on another class of. female; the promise of riches, the display of gorgeous robes, and other, devices, but all these fall on dead senses, when paraded before one whose innocence and moral rectitude are irreproachable. Eventually the girl discovers her mother, and in an appealing scene persuades -her father to forgive and forget.'The play ends with the mother, father, and daughter on the road to united happiness. Miss Margarita Fischer gives a splendid performance of tho dual parts of mother and daughter. The attractiveness of the play is enhanced by some clever double exposure photography. The supporting programme is well chosen.