ENTERTAINMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 200, 21 February 1914, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS.

ROYAL ARTILLERY BAND, | Tlii! Royal Artillery Rand's open-air concert in the Recreation Grounds yesterday afternoon provided a great musical treat for possibly UOOO people. The, ampitheatre, crowded with a mixed audience, presented a fine spectacle, the terraces being well lined with people. The special train brought a very large crowd ' from south of New Plymouth, anil, as at the previous evening's concert, there was a very liirge proportion of country people among the listeners. The programme was well selected, the items for the most part being of a standard acceptable to even the lay mind without pandering to the taste for frivolous compositions. Applause was long and hearty, and several encores were demanded and acceded to. The piccolo solo seemed to lie the most popular item of the afternoon, and the soloist had to give a second solo, in which the subdued accompaniment of the full band was a fine feature.

"OLD .MOTHER HI'RBARD." ■ "Old Mother Hubbard" the gorgeous pantomime which is to be produced this afternoon and to-night in the Theatre Royal, lias been very successful throughout Australia and the Dominion. A cim■temporary in the South refers to Ihis pantomime as follows: A packed house (many hundreds having to be turned away), greeted the second of the pantomime of the Stophenson-Linlcy combination last evening at the Opera [louse. "Old Mother Hubbard" proved an unqualified success. The humor from start to finish was of the most robust nature, and there were no dull moments. "Old Mother Hubbard" (Rrnce Drysdale) and "Archibald" (Victor Loydall) make an ideal pair, and the rapt devotion of the hitter for the former is sustained through many extremely trying though j immensely funny ordeals. Mr. linice •Drysdale is the life of the piece, and Mr. Victor Loydall is responsible for much 'of the violent frivolity which characterises the absurdity. ' Miss Kathleen | Mack was simply charming as Robin, Ithe principal boy, her singing, dancing and merry manner being the envy of nil. i As Sally Horner, Miss Bertha Aschmau I was very amusing, her quaint dancing '•and antics bringing down the house. As ♦Sybil iQuecn of the Fairies) Miss Cora .Terry sang and acted to perfection. , Miss Elsie Nicolas, as the principal girl. s-ug end acted daintily, and Miss Esmee. Mci.ciiiini" i ioked particularly nice <uid bewitching -s llaliz. The (ir'eshain trio appeared in a coon song and dance, ithe latter being particularly smart. l"Thc Rag-time Revue" came as a novelty, the latest style of dancing, incltid4ng the well-known tango dance, being .introduced. The double dancing of [Chrissic and Ivy Anderson was much admired. A special feature of this pantomime is the dancing and dressing, •while the scenery and general setting is gorgeous. The words and music are written by the musical director, Mr. ■Harry Taylor, who conducts an elllciciii orchestra. The box plan is rapidly lil- | Hng.

EMPIRE THEATRE. The change of programme at the Empire Picture Palace this afternoon and evening will see the screening of a selection ol" first-class films of every de■scription. Chief among these will be an ■exceptionally strong drama entitled "The Prince of Evil." This powerful story deals realistically with the triumph of virtue over evil. It is concerned with the extraordinary doings of a leader of a band of smugglers, and the methods adopted by him to finance ids nefarious enterprises, The picture has a lensational ending. The remainder of .the programme, which will be shown again on Monday and Tuesday nights, comprises dramas, scenics and "comedies by all the leading producers. THE BATTLE OP GE'ITYSRCRO. . Monday night at the Theatre Royal '.will he the first and only screening of ■the "Battle of Gettysburg," -t.MOft long. The realistic nature of this reproduction i of the great three-days' light of the I American war of rebellion is said to be l remarkably line. An Auckland ;-,,»- ■temporary remarks thai it is dillicul'l for spectators to believe that they arc not looking at photographs of the actual ■bailie of lift;, years ago. (ienerals Lee. Grant. Meade and Lincoln and other heroes are all impersonated bty people bearing striking resemblance to" the originals. The New York Tribune said: ■"Mere is undoubtedly the greatest spec•tactllar film yet. produced. Nearly three reels of the five which gn t» make up the line military drama are battle scenes, with every scene, a gem in ii ,self and spectacular enough to carrv an .■ordinary production. Yet so varied «re the scenes that at no time do thev get tiresome. That ought to be enough •for anybody. When nearly alluoft "„i ■battle are good enough to rivet the attention all the way. there is sometliin» iin that film. The New York Motion .Picture Company has for a long time (been noted as the best producer of spec.tacular films. This film is that concern's greatest ell'ort, and it is the pro -duct of a master." Suitable music ~l' «i martial character will embellish the ■screening. A number of other line pictures, including one of the American athletes in action, will act as a series of curtain-raisers to the big star feature. Box plans are at Collier's.

Till-: NORWOODS. Tin' Norwoods will appear at the Theatre Royal on Wednesday and Thursday (allow nights) Kcbruarv •>.->( h and 20th. This is a farewell appearance, as the Norwoods arc! lcav'ni" shortly for Australia. The Wangamii Herald of February !)th. ]!)U, sacs: "The Norwoods, who opened (heir promised visit at the Opera House on Saturday evening, have no cause to he ilissatislieil with the patronage given to their entertainment. Xor had (he audience any reason for complaining of the ipiality of the entertainment given in return for their moiiev. Hi.,ln through, the feats performed hv Professor and Jliss Norwood were both interesting anil instructive, while humor ■abounded during the whole evening, as the continuous shouts of taught; r ("'.stiJii'd. Professor Norwood does uiii. how•ever ,-online his attention mereiv to .hiugliler-making, he also demonstrates, ■and that in a very lucid manner, the scientific merits of his nilijiel, ant. with the assistance of Miss Xorwoo':!, causes ■the onlooker >o marvel at tin' wonder•of telepathy, or thought transference. Oil Saturday evening, he .secured the services of several good ''subjects." ■ whom he rapid], put -011'" in a verv expert manner, and thereafter the aiidience was by turns astonished at the) powers the Professor showed the mentality of man to possess, or sent inlo paroxysms of hilarity by the extraordinary, antics the subjects went through at the operator's bidding. To ad«-

)'/]ila(rly describe nil that they did wciuld j lie dillii'iilt. Kvcry suggestion, however I ludicrous, or seemingly impossililt". was | noted upon at onee. Especially might lie ' mentioned the "living statuary" turn, when, at a word from Professor Norwood, the .subjects stood stock -till, their poses rigid, and the einotioii of ' the moment lixed on their faces as if ' carved from marble. There will lie a ■ complete change of programme each • evening, which everybody can be recnin- ' .mended not to miss, as the entcrlam--1 ment given by the Norwoods is iindonbt- < edly one of the most popular of its kind ■• yet seen here. The box plan is at Cols' Jier's.

'•WITIILV THE LAW." : Jv'cxt Tuesday evening J. ('. Willia:nrson, Ltd., will present at the Theatre vßoyal the wonderfully successful dramIj.atie play ''Within the T,aw." interpreted by an exceptionally strong east licadicd by the, brilliant young American actress Miss Muriel Starr, who was specially chosen in New York to create (the part of Mary Turner in Au-tralia. i.Miss Starr made a striking success in I 'Australia and received the highest, .praise from the critics in Wellington •during the run of the play in that city. i\"Wilhin the Law" has a unique record 'vfroni the fact that it proved to lie the (greatest dramatic success of the year in .three countries so far apart, nut only geographically, but in dramatic tastes, as Kngland, America, and Australia. ■Writing from Xew York Air. Clyde .Mcynell referred to » number of provductions lie had seen in that city and Chicago. "[ went to ''Within the Law" the first night I spent in New Yorl':." writes Air. Afeynell, "and I was really amazed at the'effect it had on the audience. At the present time, when "graft" and corruption were Ihe big sensation, I vara not surprised that (lie audience went wild over the play as it developed to the stage where the innocent young girl, after serving three years in prison on a false charge, is hounded down by the police, and determines to be revenged. I saw men and ijtvomcn rise from their seat* with tense as if they were seeing ghosts. A. 11. Woods, who is running ,tlie play, has made a lingo fortune 'Hit of it.. The box plans are at Collier's music warehouse, and are fillings rapid-