AMUSEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1916, Page 6

AMUSEMENTS.

"UNDER FIRE." A REALISTIC WAR PLAY. ''Under Fire,"' to be staged iu New" Plymouth JOl the first time next Monday night, is the one war play that has met with genera) success. Jl'r. Hugh J Ward, v.-lio bought it in America, states tuat lie saw others that attempted to dramatise incidents of the war. ''They foiled, however," he says, "for a reason that should have been obvious. Everything about war is dramatic, and its atmosphere, movement, and everything incidental to and of it is dramatic. To try and make it more so is to overdo it, and consequently to' destroy its values. To me, when I .saw Under' Fire.' one of t'he most dramatic movements o! the play was just an ordinary fact ol invasion. The scene is a Belgian village, the inhabitants of the countryside were flocking into it. all terrified and panic-stricken. Along the road comes, a solitary figure on a bicycle—a soldier in German uniform. There you had the fact of invasion. A less discerning playwright would have had booming guns and an advancing host. It would not have been so dramatically effective as that single figure. The same discernment is shown right through the play. The 'human note is never lost. There are comedy and philosophy, and no piling on of horrors. The * background is war—and has its effect on the imagination of the audience. It gains more from suggestion than from actual portrayal of horrors in its scenes. Tile author has mot attempted 'frightfulness,' He has better dramatic means of impressing his story on his audiences. Jlr, McGrue several times in New York. Tie told me that lie set out in Under Fire' to write a. war drama without noise. He said that he was going to give audiences the credit of intelligence and imagination, and not do the obvious thing. I wish more pla\'wrights would adapt themselves to this'method. It is particularly needed in the case of New Zealand audiences. Audiences here are up with and ahead of the story, and unless it is most ingeniously wrapped up they see the denouement. No audiences in the world have a quickperception of the logic of events. I think they will delight in 'Under Fire,' for the reason that it doe3n't strain at the probabilities or force false notes. Another thing, it is a rousing plav, a dramatic statement of the justice" of fight, and an appreciation of tile heroism of her soldiers." There are forty speaking parts in "Under Fire." The play is in three acts, the last being divided into two scenes, the first of which shows the trendies in Flanders. The company, numbering over 00, will be headed by that distinguished actor I Julius Knight. The box plan will be opened at Collier's next Friday morning, at 9 o'clock.

" WITHIX THE LAW COMPANY."

Miss Hilda Dorrington and Mr. Lionel Walsh will be seen in the lea.ding roles of Miriam Lee and Christopher Brent respectively in "The Man Who Stayed at Home" on Tuesday night next, when the "Within the Law" Company will comments their two nights' season in the Theatre Royal. On Wednesday next "'Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford" will be staged, in which Mr. Walsh will appear as J. Rufus Wollingford, Esq., and Miss Borrington as Fanny Jasper. "Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford" is a unique, clean, sparkling comedy, written by George' M. Cohan, the American playwright. The scene of "The Man Who Stayed at Home" Is in the private sittingroom in tlic hotel of an English watering place, within comparatively easy distance of the continental coast," and therefore _ specially suitable for the transmission of Marconi messages and t3ie despatch of information by carrier pigeons. This is the home centre of a quartette of unsuspected German spies, Fraulein Scliroeder, a "naturalised'' German governess, Mrs. Sanderson, widow of a German general, and her sen Carl, both in the Kaiser's secret service, and both supposed to be Engfeli; serving zealously is "Fritz," a waiter, _ who passes for a Dutchman. In familiar and confiding association with these are John iPreston, a bumptious J.P., and his pretty young daughter Molly, and various other unsuspicious people. But included in this Vircle is Christopher Brent, Molly Preston's lover, an able-bodied young man who astonishes 'his friends and grieves his sweetheart by persistently declining to

enlist, and' who cannot explain hi* reasons, because lio is engaged in the more important service of S py detection. lie is on the trail <>:' the Sanderson tjuhrtette and in spying on dip spies lie diverts suspicion from himself by an urtistic assumption of the character of a. fatuous ii.nd good-natured waster, to v.'liom sport is infinitely more, interestinf.' than patriotism. A clever ami experienced woman ot the World Airs. I.ee joins the circle to co-operate with Brent. How this pair fathom the Sanderson plots, intercept their communications, discover the secret wireless machine which is hidden behind the fireplace, and eventually track them to earth is told in the remaining acts of the play, which is void of interest-flagging patches. The box plan opens at CollierV at 10 o'clock to-morrow (Thursday) doming, where seats may be reserved without extra, charge.

"THE UNAFRAID" TO-NIGHT AT THE THEATRE ROYAL.

Eleanor M. Ingram's romance of the Balkan States, entitled "The Unafraid," will be finally presented to-night at the Theatre Royal. This is a very fine production by the Famous PlayersI Laskv Co., with Miss Rita Jolivet in the title role. Miss .Tolivet is a young actress who is exceedingly beautiful of face and form This is her first appearance in the silent drama here, but in America and England she has had a wide experience both on the legitimate stage and the "movie" stage. She was one of the late Charles Frohman's party on the Lusitania, and was fortunate enough to be among the saved. It is a curious incident that Miss Jolivet's first appearance here should be in "The Unafraid." This feature met with high praise when | shown at the Theatre Royal on Monday night, and a large audience will doubtless be in attendance to-night. Miss Jolivet's characterisation of Warren, a wealthy young American, reaches a high artistic level, particularly in the emotional scenes. The story of the drama is laid in the Balkans, and shows how Michael Balsic is sent liy the Revolutionary Party to Paris to buy ammunition for the revolutionists. He squanders the large sum of money entrusted to his care in riotous excesses, and in order to meet 'his obligations lie plans to marry Delight Warren. The scenic effects throughout are a feature of the production. There is a. good supporting programme, which includes tile Pnthe War Gazette. EMPIRE PICTURE 'PALACE. "By Whose Hand?" forms one of the chief attractions of the new programme to be shown at the Empire Picture IPalaee to-night. Produced by the Kalcin Company in two reels, this great mystery plav contains a story possessing many romantic features, and is of ail engrossing nature. It is enacted by the popular screen favorites, Hartlanil Moore and Marguerite Courtot. Another two-reel feature on the bill is the Majestic Co.'s "A Child of the Surf." This is a quaint and charming little seaside playlet of love and unique adventures, made doubly interesting by tiie splendid acting of a clever juvenile performer. Supporting these two features are the weekly "Topical War Budget," a charming Yorkshire scenic film. "Knaresborough and Fountain Abbey." "Men of the Moment" (topical special) and two ripping Vitagrapih comedies, "Hunting a Husband" and "The Missing Clue "