ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2994, 3 February 1917, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS

f'AEB TOU A. MASONTV That la.iiglin.ble absurdity, "Are Ton a Mason?" which made a world laugh a, quarter of a century ago, was revived once more by tlie Royal Dramatic and Comedy Company at the Grand Opera House, which waa seen; iiu the comedy nfi lata bb November Inst. Uiar. evenings cast, wm identical with th.tt. which appeared, in. the farce so recently, and. they acquitted themselves well nil round. Mr. Ronald Riley.- as that gay deceiver, wlio would have his confiding wife believe thai he was a. Mason, as aji excuse for ins being absent on very different business, acted with; commenda.blß' sangfroid, and Mr. Fred. Cooper, as his still more deceptive father-in-law (who also uses the cloa.k of Freemasonry to--cover his peccadilloes), was admirable. iUss Beatrice Esmond, aa Mrs. Bloodgood (wbo believes in every man being a Mason), "rcas tho outstanding clever performer among the ladies. Miss Margaret, Linden was Mrsl Perry, and Misses Madge Surtees and Mildred Carlton appeared aa two jirly gushers a, get-married-quick mood. Mr. Colvills Dunn, whose work is always skillfull,, was exceedingly comic in bis txavastxof a. broken-down actor, •md Mr. Geo, Hewlett (a very promising "jwvßni]e I 'V *was hanpilx cast .hsl Ernest Morrison* Tiia season will conclude tliis evening, when;'"Are You a.-Mason?" will be played for 'the last time.. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. The bright and entertaining programme n-hioh has ■'been attracting good houses ■/> His Majesty's Theatre during the Mat week will be presented again this ironing. The La Blanc troupe provides t large share of the; fun, but tho other serformers also oa.ll for meution.. Walter Smerson, with the assistance of Miss iasto, keeps the audience in roars of aughter during his turn, while Tsuda. he Arleys, and Edward and Parkes all ontributa- their qnota of pleasant di--ersion. A matinee will be given this ftonoon. /THE KING'S. The bwitcbing . BiUio Burke in "Peggy" commences a .fresh week at the Kinfrs matinee to-day, after her recordbreaking success at Everybodv's.' The management advise early application for resetwl seats. '"THE VELVET PAW" AT TBDv EMPRESS. American .politics at their stormTesl form the leading native of "The Velvet Paw," showing to-day at the Empress." The heroine is a beautiful young woman who is skilfully converted by a clover old scheming policitian into a dangerous feminine lobbyist. She ruinji one oareer after anothor, bnt real love comes bo her at last, and she realises the infe.my of tho game she is playing. The Congress scenes aro said to be fine, and the film is remarkable for splendid pictures of Washington, the Capitol, and the other magnificent Assembly and Governmental buildings of the United States. There v genuine peep at President Wilson.. The story is. good, and hangs well together, and the last Pew scenes aja full of action and highly dramatic <kil Kane, it is stated, fits the part Veil, and her emotional asiing is full of appeal. Her fresh beauty lends tself well to the role of the seductivo iripaipuller. House Peters is said to be ic/Sn in his best role to date. "THE SOCIAL SECRET ART" AT EVERYBODY'S. Two Norma Talmadgos may honestly k sat dto appear in "The Sooiai Secre.ary," showing tcnlay at Everybody's. Bhe it first is a fascinating typiste, whoso sharm make all her employers pester iw with intentions. She is tired nf the jrhole business, and adopts an "antinen" disguise, which to the picture en'hnsiast who knows the lovely Norma, rill be positively horrifying. However, ;he is discovered in all her pretty things t>y her soa, and tho plot jjnnediately begins to thicken. The story s ingeniously constructed and full of :u.rprising twists. Gladden James, who irill be Remembered as one of Vitairaph's bast actors, is now one of the Triangla stars, and in this play is said o be -nlost effective. "DAMAGED GOODS." i This propagandist drama is described is a serious play, purposeful as any serrion ever preached. The .T. C. Wiliainson management has held tho rights >f this poirorfnl drama for some years, >ut the 'inauagement has hesitated to taga it, considering that the public nind was not prepared for the dramatic reatment of the subject. Now. howiver, the managemont add, it having leen pointed out htfw much can bo dono >y tho theatre in assisting tirti cam>aign against "tlie secrot disease" by lirecting the mind of tho community to he deadly evls of such secrecy, the >lay lias beqn staged. When the play ras staged in London the "Pall Mall Sazotte" wrote:—"Tho mi.vod audience lertainty exhibited no sense of "embar■assment, and tho solemnity of tho heme, together with tho sincerity of reatment, would be proof against tho nost ribald imagination." "Tho Times" :ritic said :—"Tho chief point the doctor nak(» in tho play lies in his furious ndjetment of ignorance, ignorance duo <j pnidery, folly, shame, and carolessicss; ignorance that leaves tho vouns it tho mercy of thoir curiosity, and the rortd in general at tho mercy of people vho have tho disease and do not know t. No medioo.l remedy in the world affect the moral thus preached bv Monsieur. Brienx." "Damaged Goods * will be presented at the Grand Opera House ort Monday, February 18, and tho box plans, are announced' to open at the Bristol on Thursday morning; next. QUEEN'S THEATRE. 'At the Queen's Theatre to-day the big Paramount fivo-act feature film, "The Victory of Conscience," will be the primary attraction, i This substantial photo-play scored an emphatic success when produced in Sydney last month, so pronounced, indeed, that the management had to keep it; on for an extra week. The story appropriately enough is laid in Paris, at the time of the Franco-German war, and after some passionato love passages, and a, separation by forco of circumstanoes, tho hero and heroine, as soldier and nurse, aro reunited on the battlefield, and in a pathctio finale lay down their lives Cer the honour of France. This is a unique and welcome human change to the conventional "lived-hanpily-ever-aflor" picture stories of the hour. Tho principal characters are in the bands of those capable artists, Lois Tellegon and Cleo Ridgeley. Incidentally the drama has some interesting scenes of the priestly church militant engaged with man militant. At day sessions till 7 p.m. for the next week, beginning.to-day, episode three of the sensational c.irous serml, "Peg o' the Ring," will also bo shown. TO-NIGHT'S ORGAN RECITAL. The organ renit.nl to ho given to-nighl by Mr. Bernard Page, City Organist, al the Town HaTI, will include one or twe special features, viz.i-Moussorgsky s (a. "A Tear" and (b) "A Meditation.; These numbers are to l>o repeated bj special request. Karg-Elert's "Sonalin,in A Minor," comprising three subjects and Scriabiuc's two Preludes are alsi being repealed at the express wish ol a number of those people who have en joyed their previous performance. Tin works that have not been played for ; considerable time-(a) »{,d (b "An Poir" (E. d l',vryl. and Deon?sy i Fountain Music and Duct from "Pel leas and Melisande," are again hgunn; on the programme. The programm! concludes with the Piece Symphony (Salome-)- Altogether the selection o to-night's numbers should increase the at tendance at this performance of splon ffld music. There's no hotter or surer way witl baggage than to check it through us Raves scrambling at stations, avoids loss worry. We do everything—collecting chocking on (rail or sea), meeting on ar rival, delivering at once. Tickets issuec also; but if you have one please pro duce it. The New Zealand Express Co. Ltd., 87-91 Customhouse Quay—Advt. CORNS LIKE KNOTS. But much more painful—why endur them? Barrncloiigh's Proga-ndra is ; 1 quick cure, a sure cure—proved b; twenty years' trial. Is. All chemisfe — .-•■ - —