ENTERTAINMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 126, 15 October 1912, Page 4

ENTERTAINMENTS.

EMPIRE PICTURE PALACE. The present exquisite programme again attracted a good audience to the Empirt* Picture Palace last evening, the brilliancy of the selection drawing forth tih» ■hearty aplpause of a well-satisfied house. The line selection will be shown to-nigh* for the last time, and picture lovers will do well to grasp the opportunity as tin programme is one that they cannot afl'ora to miss. The usual change will be screened to-morrow, one of the principal features being an exciting Lieut. Rose adventure, entitled "Lieut. Rose and (M Hidden Treasure."

ROYAL PICTURES . A first-class programme was submitted at the Theatre Royal last night before a large audience, 'ihe star picture of the evening, "The Girl With the Lantern," was by the Selig Company, the principal part being taken by Miss Kathleen WiU iiams, a talented and plucky young actress. Mary Davis, a town girl, pays a visit to her farmer uncle and fulls in love with a young operator, but the young people are forbidden to meet each other by the uncle. Still they manage to keep up conversation on the telephone, which the farmer has had installed in the farmhouse. One day a delayed telegram arrives ordering the operator to hold up a slow train, no that the president's special could get past, but tin ' telegram arrives too late. The operator at once rings up Mary and tells her to stop the special at a siding near the, farmhouse. Wrapping a lantern up in a red bandana she runs along the iiuw to stop the-train. For a while her frantic signals are unheeded and she drops fainting across the rails, the huge engine pulling up within two feet of her body. A Western drama by the 14asany Company shows life in the West. A ''bad man" is about to shoot up a dance hall when he Is disarmed bv- a who makes him promise never t!> touch drink again. A few days after this the girl's father rides to town, and when getting ready for the journey happens to put one of his daughter's photos in hia wallet. He receives a sum of money, and when returning (home is robbed by the "bad man." The robber, when examining his prize, in his shack, finds the photo of the girl and returns the money. He is then induced to reform and promises to try and keep straight. This pieture has a good moral warning running through it. The Pathe's London Gazette showed a number of incidents of worldwide interest, of which mention has been made in the Press cables from time to time. A Vitagraph film, "The Picture Idol," with Maurice Costello starring, was awarded great applause. The embarrassments which Costello underwent were extremely mirth-provoking. In addition to these, a number of the best comic and dramatic films by the leading companies were also screened.

'» THE GEISHA. The New Plymouth Amateur Opera Company is making excellent progress inits preparation of "The Geisha," which is to fie performed early next week. The choruses are well forward and the principals are showing a really excellent appreciation of the spirit of the opera at the final rehearsals, which are now in full swing. The scenery which is being specially painted for the production, promises to eclipse anything that the Society has ever been able to show previously, and its only fault, if it has one at all, is that it'is "too'good," The dancing also promises to be a feature of the production. One significant incident in connection with the production is that the booking office at Messrs. H. Collier's wag besieged on Saturday with cuqniriea for seats from theatregoers, who thought the box plans opened that day, wanting to reserve seats for the forthcoming production. We are asked to state that ilia plans do not open until Saturday, November 2. There tire already quite » number of country orders in. -• '.-_* -—"«■* > J '-i-'r-'rfrl