ENTERTAINMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 174, 22 January 1912, Page 4

ENTERTAINMENTS.

EMPIRE PICTURES.. A happy crowd thronged tke> new theatre both at the matinee and night sessions on Saturday, and judging by the hearty applause that greeted every item the /programme is ,one of the most popular that the management has yet shown. The most interesting film was that depicting the great Indian Dur- ' bar, one of the finest ever showiu. The latest releases by Biograph, Lubin, and Essanay figure prominently oa the list. The Biograph star is an exciting story of backwoods life entitled "The Revenue Man and the Girl." Th* Moonshiner's daughter meets one of tb* revenue men and is attracted by hit appearance, as he is with hers. She, while rough in nature, ' has a tender heart, a sis shown by her devotion to n pet dove. The revenue man makes a daring arrest of two moonshiners, which arrest the other moonshiners resent and swear vengeance. The girl's father leaves the vindictive mountainers and is killed by one of the revenue men, who in tur* meets his death. This sets. the girl's fierce mountain spirit ablaze, and aftfii her father's burial she joins the pursuit. Two days later the survivor of th» two officers, worn out with -fatigue, ejts on the bank of the stream, when the girl approaches. She is about to shoot the officer, when her pet dove falls at his feet. He picks it up and tenderly sends, it on its way, impressing the gjrl so that she later aids him to escape from. his fierce pursuers. The picture is .pro v . duced in the A.B. Company's usual fine style. Two other pictures that caused' an enthusiastic outburst were films by the Essanay Co., "The Sheriff's Chum* and "The Corruption of the Ranch GiiV» Both are tales of Western life, and UK teresting tales they proved to be, with' plenty of excitement added. In the comic section there was a couple of .pictures that fill the much used term "screamers" to the very last letter. The first' one to | s appear was a knockabout comic entitled "Muscle Development," and the finishing film a 1000 ft comedy by the Lubin Studio "A Gay Time in Atlantic City." Satinday's audience entered thoroughly into* ' the spirit of the adventure, and a cay time it was indeed. "The Pathe Gazette" was as usual a popular item, whilst there were also other dramatic, scenic, industrial, and comic pictures. The permanent orchestra were in harmony with the excellence of the picture programme, the regular playing together making possible a combination that is as welcome as it is rare. The full programme will be repeated again to-night.

ME. H. B. IRVING AS "HAMLET." TO-NIGHT AT 7.45. To-night will mark the greatest theatrical occasion in the history of New Plymouth, signalling as it will the first and only appearance here of Mr. H. B. Irving, unquestionably one of the greatest actors the world has yet produced* r o be presented with an opportunity of witnessing the famous actor in any role would be an event of extraordinary portance, but- added interest will "be in the fact that the J. 0. Williamson, Ltd., management have arranged to present Mr. Irving in his splendid interpretation of "Hamlet," which has been described by leading English and Australian critics as the greatest seen during the present generation. The remarkable success achieved in Australia by Mr. Irving as the'Tnnce of Denmark" is unprecedented in the annals'of the stage. Night after-night during.his Sydney season tRe ■ whole of, the dress circle and stalls were booked up entirely, and never on any occasion did the first rush fail to fill the cheaper portions of the' theatre. The same fate greeted Mr. Irvine in Melbourne, Adelaide and Western iustralia, but it was in Auckland that he met With his crowning success, as although the northern city contains a small population in comparison to the leading cities of Australia, so much; did Mr. Irving/appeal to the populace in Hamlet" Shakespeare's famous tragedy held the boards for no less than two weeks and on every occasion it was staged hundreds were nightly unable to obtain admission. Miss Dorothea Baird will take the role of Ophelia, in which she is said to be charming, and, it is stated, she displays very high dramatic powers, in the mad scene. The cast, which is exactly the same as that which supported Mr. Irving at his farewell London production of "Hamlet," includes Messrs. Frank Tyars, who will appear as King Cladius, Henry Vilwt as the Ghost, Tom Reynolds as the gravedigger, Arthur Whitby as Polonius Eric Maxon as Xaertes, Stanley Hovvictt as Horatio, W. Beaumont as Osric, Ar thur Curtis as Rosencrantz, G. T*»-.w Roper as > Guildenstern, W. Henrr-ic as Mareellus, J. Cass as Bernardo, Rwald Byram as Francisco. W. H. Gruam *.«.»-. fleynaldft. -Roland Pet'tuis "as "firife player, Claude Beerbohm as the Sv\x>n<l , . player, Walter Gibbs, .a*., the. priest*. C. Arthur as the second gravedigger, Miss Helen Rous as Gertrude, and Miss Irene 'Brown as the player {Jiieen. A" feature of the production,,which is staged under the personal supervision of Mr, Irving, will be the dressing and mounting. Mr. Tom Reynolds is stage manager, Her? Slapoffski musical director, Mr. G. H; Smith business manager for the J. 6. Williamson, Ltd., and Mr. S. Arden Godfrey manager for Mr. Irving. The box plans are at Collier's.