ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2783, 30 May 1916, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. A particularly strong vaudeville bill was presented at His Majesty's Theatre last evening, when tho house was well lilled, to witness the change programme. Chief among 'the nowcomcrs are Miss Pearl Liuld and Mr. Villiers-Arnold. Both artists are well known, here, having last visited this City with J. C. Williamson's companies. Miss Ladd was in good voice last evening, and had to respond to numerous encores. Mr. Arnold was also in exceptionally good voice, and his rendering of that favourtio song, "Will-o'-the Wisp brought rounds of applause. Together Miss Ladd and Jlr. Arnold staged a pretty ■ little song comedy entitled "Shanghai." In this ' piece the artists were ablo to show their talents at their best, and the act appeared ix> please f the audience. Mr. Herbert Brooks, '"The Trunk Mystery Man,'' made his reappear anco after a lengthy absence. Ho gnv& many exhibitions of his skill in getting out of tight cornel's. The way in which he managed to escapo from a locked trunk, which had been, securely bound, was truly mysterious. For Friday evening Mr. Brooks has accepted a challenge to escape from a box made and nailed up on the Rtago in full view of tho. audience. He has guaranteed to got free within 20 minutes, or forfeit ,£SO to 9ome patriotic fund or charity. Miss Grace Quine, a dainty lady with a pleasing contralto voice, eang catchy songs well, and Merton and llydon danced ana sang their way into popular favour. Those two favourite coloured comedians—Billy Brown and George Sorllo —were called back again and again, and although they have l;een here for ever a week they have evidently established ■ themselves as favourites. Several other artists who appeared last week put on new turns, notably Miss Hazel Morris, ftarly and Laighfc, flitd Juck iUjvrtui. George cl' Alma, tho expert banjo player, made his rcappoarar.ce, and Charlie s Canine Circus and Marvcllu's oerfotimng rockatoos gave as good an exhibition as previously. The programme will be continued throughout the week, and a .natinee will bo held on Saturday.

HERBERT BROOKS CHALLENGED. Mr. Herbert Broolt.i, the bewildering "King of Mvstifiers," featured at Jlia Majesty's this week, has the public thinking hard how he manages to escape from Lhe box in which lie allows himself io be enclosed. The genuineness of Mr. Brooks's esc.ipn is shown by the fact that lie has accepted n challenge from tho employees of the Wellington Box Company lo escitpo from a 1»x specially constructed by them on the stage, and will make the uttempt Friday night. "THE CHRISTIAN." /dr. Hall-Caine made a well-defined mark as a novelist wlien he wrote such u 6enes of popular successes as "The Deemster," '"ilie Manxman," "The Eternal City." and others,, but his training and success in narrative have not given him tliu essentials of a first-class''producer of picture-plays, if ono is to iudge his eflorts by the presentation of his oivn story, "Tho Christian," at the Kings Theatre. The novel stretched 'the dramatic almost to breaking point, but tho picture stressed the melodramatic to such an extent 'that the action at times became ludicrous, creating as much laughter inplaces as it .was intended to convey tho very reverse emotional result. The novelist had the assistance of his son, Mr. Derwent Hall-Caine, to play John Storm, and very convincing and sincere was his work, though not the ascetic of one's He, however, .was handicapped by a Glory Quay*]o without charm and a limited range of expression, who never for ten feet of the 5000 in the film realised tho part. , The photography was really admirable at times, but the ridiculous was too obvious to escape notice. It will be remembered that Glory visits Lord Robert Ore's rooms with Polly Love, whilst both are hospital nurses, and during a musical "rowdy" it strikes the flippant noblo and his friend the Hon.: Francis Drake that Glory has talent for the stage, and eventually they place her before the footlights. Both genuemen are pictured in a box on the night of Glory's debut. One could imagine the girl coining forward and shouting her -histrionic capacity in Bome way or other. But what Glory does is to appear on the seashore, then;' hide behind some rocks, where she disrobes, hanging each garment in view of.' the, audience as she does so. This rather coarse and suggestive action was evidently inserted to appeal to the vulgar-minded us it does not convey what the author in the book intended., Lord Ure , was stickily played, but the ,Hon. Francis Drake was portrayed by an experienced actor. Polly Love was only faintly suggestive • of the warm-hearted little nurse who. goes wrong. The incident of Polly, presenting her baby to Ure as he leaves the church with liis wealthy bride was another exaggeration that induced smiles instead of sympathy. The final scenes ; where Storm sends his adherents crazy by predicting the end of the world on Derby Day, and the crowds rushing in and out of - tho church wero more; depressing than they were entertaining.

EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. Everybody's Theatre continues to draw good houses. The new programme for the week lias as its primo attraction a Lasky Paramount film, '".Che Wild Goose Chase," in which Miss Ina Claire, the musical comedy actress, appears in the leading role, with Tom Forman as her chiet support. Tho scene is laid in Prance, where two grandfathers of title decide to leave some millions of francs each to their respective grandson and granddaughter, provided they marry each other. 'The news is sent to their eons and daughters-in-law in Philadelphia. The' parents agree'to the match, but the young people are perverse and fail to meet the wishes of the match-making parents. Bob Randall sends his room-mate to call on Bessy Wright, who, in her turn, dresses up as her maid and gets tho latter to impersonate her. To get rid of the' im. portunities of the old folks at home, the young couple, separately of course, run away from home. - They join a travelling theatrical troupe, and become great' friends. The mummers, however, have less money than histrionic talent, and. find themselves in gaol for debt. In this plight the girl's mother and father find .her and pay the .debt, on getting Betty's promise to behave herself in future. In parting with her chum they exchange names and addresses, and are pleasantly surprised to find that they can carry out the wishes' of their parents without doing violence to their own feelings. Thereafter they carry out the wishes of the wealthy grandparents, and all. ends well, after a wild goose chase. Other items in a fine nrogramme include a Reliance drama, "The Muffled Bell," and Pathe's Gazette of war films. EMPRESS THEATRE. The leading feature" at the Empress Theatre is a screen representation of George R. Sim's "Lights o' London." This is admirably presented, the leading characters being well portrayed. "Tho Lights o' London" is a typical drama of English life, the plot being simple, and woven, around the love affair of a squire's son for a gatekeeper's daughter. Harold Annytage. and Bess Marks, his sweetheart, find tho course of..true love run anything but smoothly. I'ho son an.fl heir incurs the parental ,wrath on account of his love of pleasure, and the old man, in a fit of wratlv turns him out of doors. The villain of the piece is the squire's nephew, Clifford Annytage, who poisons tho mind of tho,former against his son. Harold and Bess go off to Lon don, and aro married in a registry office. Harold meets an old friend, and goes off to a raco meeting, whore ho loses all his money. Three months elapse, and the young couple are turned out of their modest lodgings by an inexorablo landhidy. Meantime, Clifford Annytage tins been plotting with Scth l'reene, n game kpeper, to rob his uncle's deed-box, containing tho family jewels, and a will in favour of the heir, which the squire had not tho heart to destroy. Harold goes back home to seek his father's forgiveness, but tho old man is unrelenting, and tho prodigal son is shown the door. Soon after Soth Prcene breaks in, and secures, the deod-box, after a tussle with tho : squire, who is felled by a blow, and dies before ho can clear his son from the charge of murder brought against him'by Clifford. He is convicted of the murder, and sentenced. Meantime his wife goes to humble lodgings in the borough, which are a marked contrast to the sumptuous lodging provided for Hetty Prcene. who has been lured to London by Clifford, under promiso of marriago. Seth turns innkeeper, but quarrels with ■

Clifford, and resolves on vengeance. Ho hands tlio will which ho had kept into tlio hands of a lawyer, and, seeking for Bess, he finds his daughter, and learns of her gilded shame. Ho encounters Clifford, and a fight ensues. Setli 13 thrown into a canal, and rescued by Harold, who had escaped from prison, and only averted recapture by Eight He ia arrested at the instance of Clifford, buc Setli Preene is able to clear Harold by disclosing the facts, and tlio hero is granted a pardon. Tho story ends happily, with the home-coming of Harold and his wife, to tlio great joy of tho villagers, and tlio honest couple who had befriended them iii their time of trial. The play is well mounted, and contains scmo touching scenes. Included in the programmo is a delightful' comedy, "By Might of His Bight," in which Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Drew are featured; also a very fine war topical scries, "German Blockhouses."