AMUSEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 268, 22 April 1915, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

THE PLIMMER-HALL COMPANY. OPENS TO-NIGHT. During her stay in Wellington Miss Beatrice Day managed, in a'brief breathing space in one of her strenuous days to tell a little of the patriotic theatrical > scheme in which she is taking a leading part, and of her previous experiences in the war and stage combination. She. has' now a deeper personal interest in the strife of nations, for her only son, a Clifton boy, is in the Inns of Court Officers' Training Corps, and in camp at Berkhampstead. She is wearing, too, the Queen's medal for service in South Africa, where the Herbert Fleming Company, of which she was leading lady, did much in cheering the lot of the soldiers, as well as in raising large sums for their benefit. In Johannesburg £2OOO -was got in two nights by the company, the military and civil elements—represented the first night by Lord Kitchener and his .staff, and on the second by Lord Milner and his staff—blended in one common effort. Except the gallery, which was reserved for soldiers, every seat in the house was auctioned at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and one box alone brought 180 guineas. The play was "The Bookmaker." The company gave variety entertainments regularly at the convalescent camps to pathetic but enthusiastic audiences, who keenly appreciated the break in the monotony of their days. While in Bloemfontein—their 40 weeks' "internment," as Miss Day termed it, with a laugh, for though one could get out, one could not return—she visited the Boer concentration camps, and was struck by the consideration and care shown to the prisoners by the British. ProbaWy Miss Day, when her South African experience was over, never thought that the call to the service of the Empire would so soon again reach her. But, like many others of her profession, she lias been busy in patriotic matters these days.' Actors and actresses have given generously of their time, their art and their money—indeed, their lives—for the sake ,of the. Empire, and are still eager for service, even though the war has hit them hard In many respects. So Miss Beatrice Day and Madame Boeufve started the copper collection, and found that' they thus touched a class that in many cases did not even know what the Red Cross meant. The sum gathered was £SOO, and the scheme is now established in Melbourne, where the fund is evcr"mcreasing. But Miss Day did also much in encouraging recruiting, and for three weeks she, six times a day at four picture theatres, recited a stirring remitting poem, with fine results. The sergeant who stood beside her, ready to take down names of recruits, was kept busy, and now this latest idea is to tour New Zealand with a company which is taking only salaries, the profits going to'the Patriotic Fund. The. company will appear- to-night at the Theatre Royal.

JOSEPH BLASCHECK. "A feast of humor and anisic."—that is how Mr. George R. Sims, the eminent English journalist, described Mr. Joseph Blascheck's entertainment when he wit-' nessed it at the Queen's Hull, London, and so aptly do these words apply that they could be used as a sort of trade mark for the great humorist's performances. Never have we heard ia this country so versatile an artist—a man who ean thrill us by his dramatic power and convulse tis with laughter. A man like Blascheck is surely unique. It is true that there are many line actors who are able to play both 'comedy and tragedy well, hut it is impossible to imagine that any other living performer has the extraordinary range of powers that he has. It is not simply that he is able to enact both serious and comic parts, but lie is pre-eminent in both, and he can act, sin;*, and recite as can no other entertainer we have ever heard. Mr. Blascheck seems to have the ability, too, of finding and selecting clever artists to support him, and in Miss Alyce Austin, the charming young lady who shares the honors of the programme with him we are presented with one of the smartest and most taking lady entertainers on the platform to-day. Mr. Blascheck will visit New Plymouth at an early date.

EMPIRE PICTURES. An excellent programme is to be shown to-night at the Empire. It is a new collection and contains high-class dramas, comedies, and war specials. Kalem's sensational drama, "The Express Messenger," is the star item. It should prove a thoroughly delightful production, as it is taken from life. "A Matter of Minutes" contains some startling episodes which include a race between a train and an aeroplane. Other films are advertised in another column.