ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2826, 18 July 1916, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

"TOO MUCH JOHNSON." Mi'. Allen Doone repeated "The Bold Sojer Boy" at the Grand Opera House last night, and tho new play went with a swing from start to finish. The next production of this favourite aotormanager is "Too Much Johnson," a farcical comedy, which is described as brimful of incident. Tho story is cloverly constructed, and has a wealth of individuality in tho characterisation. The Sydney .Press were unanimous in praise of the excellence of the production. Mr. Doono has one of-the heaviest and most trying characters to sustain, and is practically on tho stage the whole night. The fim is fast and merry. The play will be produced on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The plan is now open at The Bristol.

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. - Thare was a big crowd present to see the fresh bill of.' vaudeville presented at His Majesty's Theatre last night. The first portion of tho programme was occupied by the Victor Prince Revue Company, who exacted a fair amount of riotous fun out of "a creation labelled "A Nice Thing if it Gets About," another of their ridiculous, but amusing, productions. Mr. Victor Prince as Happy Dabby, n very. fat and very brainless village boy, makes no end of merriment. The other members of the little company work with fairly good effect. The "piece" is dotted with songs, sung for "the most part indifferently. An original and finished turn is that provided by Mr. Harry Cash, a yodeller and sabot dancer much above the average ability. A comical cli'ap, and truly a very bad juggler, is Mr. Freddy James, who is modest enough to claim to be the "world's worst juggler." Mi'. .Tames patters away delightfully and' brings with him from America some really good jokes. As a juggler he is assuredly not in the first flight, but he keeps-every-body amused with his excuses.. His is distinctly a good turn. Cuinby and. Brown are a quaint couple of very black coons, who sing new ragtime and patter pleasantly. The Emestas perform some wonderful acrobatic feats in most finished style, while Clark and Wallace (singers and dancers) provide , good entertainment. Yal and Lottie Newman reappear, and hit off reams of jokes, and sing with some success. The new programme will continue throughout the week.

"CABIRIA." STUPENDOUS PICTOEIAL SPECTACLE. The King's Theatre Was filled to capacity last evening, when tho Itala Film Co/s great speotaclo of the Punic wars, "Cabiria," was presented for the first time in Wellington. This picture is certainly the finest apectaclo of its kind evor, viewed in local picture theatres. One may read imaginative works of those exciting times, and dimly pictiiro the barbaric splendour of their courts, the ruthless might of their great armies in ■hand-to-hand battles, but it is anothor thing altogether, to : visualise them to niodern eyes convincingly. This the Italian . poot and'patriot, IJ'Annunzio, has accomplished with conspicuous success, and with a wealth of detail that almost staggers one's descriptive power. What prodigious powers of stage management mnst have been required to s inanage the gToat crowds tlmt throng "the stony streets, surge into ihe heathen temples, swarm on the battlements, and enpage in deadly conflict, can only bo realised by those 'with a knowledge of the stage and its ways, for it is a veritable triumph of massed 1 effects, vital with action, potent with the'spirit of the theme. The. first series of views ■ shows Etna in violent eruption, the maddened population fleeing down tho firc-llecked hillsides, and palaces tottering to destruction—a living picture of what .such sights, must be. Then in Carthage one is given glimpses of the exotic splendour of high life as it \?as understood three hundred'years bofore Chris*—the marble-floored and;.pillared palaces, with their gleaming Roman baths, the quaintly erablazonojl dadoes and friezes. "And moving therein the stately womon, tho gaily-caparisoned guards, the groups of slavos. -being.pictured in sharp contrast to gloomy prison ■walls and dank torture-chambers.

In specialising oil spectacle, "the producer lias allowed his 'story to become sdmewhat involved, but the main incidents aye clear enough. Cabiria is the daughter of wealthy parents residing at Sicily when Etna became active in eruption. . .On that awful night her parents believe her to have been crushed to death in the ruined palo.ee, but in reality she has been borne ;to the seaside by her nurse, and thoro the two are captured by pirates, and taken, to Carthage, whoro they are sold. With her vicissitudes, perils, escape, and final happy marriage the story of Oabiria develops the ( setting for the spectacular motif :of tho piny. "Cabiria" should ensuro record business for the King's Theatre throughout tho weok. Mention , should be made of the excellent quality of the' music played by an augmented orchestra under tho direction of Mr. A. H. Jerome.

There will be a matinee at 2.30 to-day, , and each day until Saturday, 011 which ; the filial screening of "Cabiria". takes -j place, ■'EVERYBODY'S. An excellent programme, "with drama as tho predominating feature, is being screened at Everybody's'.Theatre this week. Tho London Film .Company sents Edna Flugarth and a star cast m a capital picturisation of "Bootle's Baby,' the novel by John Strange Winter. . The picture shows how. Gilchrist, an unpopular captain in the 179 th Kegiment, marries and then deserts his wife, ■ who finally has to take a situation as companion The wife leaves her baby, about four years old, lit her husband's barracks. The husband finds the baby, and wishing to have nothing to ,do with it, he puts it in a room belonging to another , captain, who is a ~very popular fellow. The captain (Booties), failing to find out whoso the child is, adopts it. She is given the,name of Mignon, and' is made a pet in : the regiment. Booties; on a visit home, mets Mignon's, mother, ajid falls in love with her, but is disappointed in his love-making. 111 the regimental races, however, Gilchrist has a bad fall,' and eventually dies), confessing to Bmtles that Mignon is his dnughter. Hearing of Gilchrist's death, his widow writes to Booties asking him to bring Migrion with him.' How Booties does so and finds out who his loved one really is, and -why she repulsed him while her husband waa; living, makes a screen play which is somewhat oiit of the ordinary. The-supporting programme contains the "Use of the Parachute in War Time," also "Tho Poarl of the Adriatic,' the Siren drama, 'llutt and Jeff ill the Treuchcs," and' the Gaumoiit Graphic. . EMPRESS THEATRE. "The Labyrinth," at . the Empress Theatre, made' an instantaneous success yesterday. Filmed by the World-Equit-able ■ Company, the story is, told with powerfully dramatic effect. The photography . is ■ excellent, . and the various scenes are well chosen, the stage effects, the dressing-rooms, and tho auditorium of tho theatre being actual photographs of the most fashionable theatre in Mew York. The whole play bristles with realism and sensational effects. The narrative is of Florence Burgess, a musichall singer, who is employed as an entertainer at a cafe. Robert Fenton, a minister, has a plan on foot to close the cafes, which lias the effect of throwing Florence out of, work, and as she is tho sole support of a crippled sister, things look very black; but a big theatrical magnate offers a small part to her. The contract is seen by another artist, who advises Florence • to see a speculative lawyer. He suggests changing the reading of the contract, and so Florence, against her will, is drawn into the labyrinth. Florence by this trick becomes a star actress. She is an instantaneous success. After the first year of the buc- . cess she goes to a small town, in order that she will begin the new season well. Here she meets Kobert Fenton, and they fall desperately in love with one another. He is ignorant' of tho fact that Florence Burgess is tho "notorious Flo Burke." A traiu accident is the cause of death to the sister of Florence, and she marries the minister under her. sister's name. Later he sees a photo of the sisters, and he discovers the fraud. The theatrical manager also discovors it. Florence is onmeshed in the labyrinth. But by a dramatic twist tho manager meets an untimely'end, and the minister forgives tho deceit for the lovn ho bears her. Tho forceful acting of Miss Gail

'Kaiie is a feature of tho picture. Tbo supporting items are n funny farcecomedy, "Love and Bullets/' and an iutorosting topical budget of animated news. CROWN THEATEE, TOORNDOX. Tho favourite Vitagraph player, Mauric& Costello, will be seen at the Crown Theatre, Thovndon, to-night, t in a two-reel I'oature. entitled "The Dawn of Und-erstanding/' Oliver Weldon and liis wife devote so much time to business on the one hand and society on the other, that they drift apart v Their child dies of neglect, but a friend eventually brings them together again v In conjunction with "The Dawn of Understanding" there will be a. TriangleKeystone comedy, "Crooked to the End/' described as a remarkable picture, which includes a head-on collision between two rail way engines, a sensational tram car i accident, wonderful adventures of two motor-cars, and other sensational incidents. "Cabiria" will be *i shown oil; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. There will be a matinee at 2.30 p.m. to-morrow. DOROTHEA SPINNEY. Miss Spinney's recitals begin to-morrow night ia the Masonic Hall, Boulcott Street. She will give t.he Princess Iphigenia, by Euripides. It will bo, given in. the colouring of the Greek vase. The Princess 'Iphigenia is supposed I 9 have been killed by her father; Jn reality she is saved and placed as virgin priestess in the temple of Artemis in a desolate 1 country. Her task is to aid in the death ; rites of all strangers and shipwrecked 1 men cast 011 the shores. Among them is her own brother, Orestes, and .what Aristotle describes as "the greatest recognition scene ever written" is seen. The' ; waves lap round the temple steps, the sea ' birds wail, tho chorus chant, and the ; meeting and escape of brother and sister | takes place in the midst of } it.