ENTERTAINMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1256, 9 June 1914, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS.

MUNICIPAL PICTURES.

“THE MIRACLE.”

To-morrow an important screening takes place at the Coronation Hall, when Rheinhardt’s great 6000 feet wordless religious mystery play “The Miracle,” or “It was a Dream,” will be shown for the first time in this district in animated pictures. When first done at Olympia, London, the drama was played by a caste of living actors, actresses and auxiliaries which it is claimed is the lengthiest on record, for numerically there were thousands of persons concerned in the presentation. The success achieved is described as electrical. The undertaking was found to be too huge to tour, with the result that the play was accurately reproducad in motion photography, and in that form was presented at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, where it is stated to have outrivalled the success gained at Olympia. The Australian tour, which was made under the direction of Mr Beaumont Smith, who purchased the rights at a high figure, began in Sydney on December 20th, 1913, where the picture is still continuing a record run. At Auckland it was said they were turning hundreds away nightly. To-morrow night’s screening will be embellished by the vocalisation of a large choir of trained choristers, and the orchestra has been largely augmented to enable justice to be done to the special music.

The choir will be as under : Soprani, Mesdames Boyes and Curtis, Misses McKendry, King, Bryant Neylon and Dudson ; Tenori, Messrs Buglass and Rockell: Contralti, Mrs Guilder and Misses Signal and Hennessy ; Bassi, Messrs Jeuks, Guilder and Signal ; Organist, Miss Lenihan ; Conductor, Mr J. Golder. Orchestra :—Miss Jenks, piano; Miss Cook, violin : Mr Baughan, cornet: Mr T. Betty, euphonium.