AMUSEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 44, 1 June 1910, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

•' REVENGE." "'Revenge," the play produced at the I Theatre Koyal on Monday evening by the Hamilton-Maxwell Co., as we learned from the advance notices, is a very powerful military drama. The scene is laid in Southern Europe, and the actors revel in intrigue that threaten the crowned heads. In a land where plot and revolution are the spice of life at court, doubtless the conditions are at times justj as unpleasant and intolerable as depicted' in this drama. To a people living under. - j the British ilag, and under two sovereigns who have peacefully lived out their allotted span, the story was a little lurid. Lives counted but as pawns in { the game of a pair of accomplished scoundrels, one of either sex, who at the same time were the fawning courtiers' of the king whose crown they plotted to s, tine. As in all popular drama, however, there is a complete and sensational failure of the machinations of these two, who were at the head of one of those powerful secret societies which contribute to Continental unrest, create and dethrone kings, and kill, and kill and kill. The King (Mr. Godfrey Cass) gave the, finest -presentation of a number of very well acted .parts. The final scene in his. troublous life, in-which he offers hiii:self| to the knife of one of his own tri; <tel i generals, was powerfully pourtraved. | His queen was Miss Beatrice Hollovray, and we have_ seldom seen her to belter I advantage than in the trying scene in the Queen's private apartments. Miss. Vera Remee was exceedingly refreshing as tlie American girl, some of her Ame-;, ricanisms bringing down the house. She was an excellent foil for her infatuated. French Count (Mr. S. A. Fitzgerald), 1 the man with the pistol, greedy for the pleasure of shooting somebody. His byplay was excellent. The part of Captain Loris Vanella was admirably playea by Mr. Max Maxwell, and he soon had the, entire sympathy of the audience, who followed his chequered fortunes with un-j varying interest. Draga Vaness'a, his| wife (Miss Nellie Strong) had a heavy j part, and could scarcely have improved, upon it. Her smiling acquiescence arid participation in the murderous scheme, and her unquenchable desire for revenge. was equalled only in the scene where she renounced her own flesh and blood, her son, Lieutenant Maurice (Mis's Mabel Russell) whom we saw in a very congenial part. The chief conspirator was Prince Orloff. Mr. Richard Bellairs was entrusted with this part, hut he lacked the finesse of his comrade in crime (Draga Vanessa). At the same time hiu interpretation of stage villainy made him the subject of hissing now and again from the audience. Captain Carr, of the British iNavy, passed in and out of the piece, eventually pairing off with the American girl. His seaman, William Jennings (Mr. Chas. Brown), Stephen Trovitch, a royal footman (Mr. S. G. de Vine), and the Tusha, the Queen's maid (Miss Muriel Dane) provided the lighter side of the entertainment, and made some most amusing situations. The other minor parts were well taken. The scenery and mounting were good, and, altogether "Revenge" provided a very interesting and intensely exciting evening.

THE ELLWOOD TRIO. As these clever young New Zealanders are announced to appear at the Theatre Royal on Saturday and Tuesday next the following from a contemporary will prove interesting:—"At the back of a second-hand clothes shop in Armagh street, Christchurch, lives' a humble family of toilers. of English descentfather, mother, and four children (two boys and two girls)—people who have had a hard struggle to obtain the everyday requirements of life. From early morning till late into the night the father and mother have worked to give their children a good education, and their only pleasure is to listen to the music of the three elder children—Harry, i Pauline and George, aged 10, 1.3 and 11 years old, playing the violin, piano and 'cello respectively. The father, who is evidently gifted, imparts to his' children his instinctive knowledge, and thus, almost unguided except by divine tuition, these three young New Zealanders have arrived at a point where they can come before the Dominionites and claim their attention. After being heard in private, some influential citizen-; of Christchurch gave an invitation concert at the Chamber of Commerce, and there and then these musical .prodigies scored a great success', and made good in public the imipresslioii .previously given in private. During the past month these talented children, supported by Miss Winnie Nixon, have been giving concerts in Wellington and Auckland, with daily increasing success. They have actually aroused the musical public to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, which culminated on Tuesday night in Wellington in' a perfect furore. Three thousand people were present at the Town Hall, and had the hit'l been twice the size it would not hive held the admirers of these wonderfid children and Miss Nixon. The lady is the daughter of the Rev. Nixon, of New Plymouth. She has a beautiful voice, and. being untrained, sings with the ease and natural effect of a bird."