ENTERTAINMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 258, 1 May 1912, Page 4

ENTERTAINMENTS

EMPIRE PICTURE PALACE. "THE DEAD MAN'S CHILD." lovers have a treat in store at the .Empire '.theatre in the new selection of pictures to be presented to-night. Heading the list is a startling Nordislc drama, "The Dead Man's Child." Tha Nordisk Films Company are certainly making a feature of their long films, and each one seems to be an improvement ok its predecessor. The latest to be released, "The Dead Man's Child," is, without doubt, the most thrilling picture tha company have staged. It is full of exciting situations and depicts the most sensational arrest ever recorded by the moving picture camera, effected by a detective, who jumps from a bridge on to a flying express. This one incident alon# will make the picture the talk of tha town. The story deals with a scheming villain, who, appointed executor of a will, finds that property left to a Count's daughter passes to him if she has no issue. Failing in his attempt to win tha girl, he plots with an Oriental doctor to drug her. She is rendered unconscious, and her husband, believing her dead, ha« her body placed in the family vault. Tha villains abstract the supposed corpse, and when the theft is discovered soma exciting adventures ensue, not the least of which is the struggle and fight on tha train after the daring leap of the detective. Another picture of more than ordinary interest is the magnificent tworeel subject from the Edison studio, "The Three Musketeers," adapted front the well-known book by Alexandra Dumas. "PHYLLIS." CANTATA IN WIIITELEY HALL.

A quaint and attractive little cantata, entitled "Phyllis," was staged in the Whiteley TTall lust evening before a fait audience. The pieee, which is as unpretentious as its title suggests, does not call for much histronie ability, hut rather depends for effect on the combined vocal efforts of the company. In this "Phvllis" (the farmer's daughter)' and her country relatives and friends—not forgetting her rustic admirers—aided by the subtle strains of the. orchestra, succeeded most admirably. Some of th# amateurs possess very pleasing voices, and these were heard to good effect in solos. duets, trios, and quartettes. Most of the musical numbers—all of which smacked of the country—were sweetly captivating, the combined voices of the singers all nicely blending. The gav costuming of the pieee provided quite a feast of color for femi,nine eves, while for those of a more practical turn of mind there were sernic representations of waving meadows and fields and all the fat of the land. Indeed, the. scenery and stage effects were quite a feature of the cantata. The theme was simple, and the scenes not too far fetched. In short, "Phyllis" pleased the audience all the more because she did not fall into the common error of attempting too much. The broad vein of comedy which ran through the piece was, in the main, crrated hy the entrance of one "Chaplcigh," from London town, who, seeking to fool the yokels, was in the end himself more or lfss beiruiled. "Phyllis" will be repeated this evening, and is worthy of another good house. The cast of characters is as follows: —Phyllis, Miss 0. Buckman; Margaret, Miss Okcy: Douglas, Mr. Bert McEwen; Chapleigh. Mr. W. E. M. Gny; Farmer Meadows. Mr. F. Asher; and chorus of farm hands, gleaners, etc.