AMUSEMENTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10133, 11 January 1911, Page 7

AMUSEMENTS.

"MR PREEDY AM) THE COUNTESS."

Mr George Wiiloughby ar.d his English Farcical Comedy Company, headed by Miss Beatrice Day and Mr Wiiloughby himself, will appear in Masterton for the first time tonight, at the Town Hall, under the direction of Messrs Clarke and Meyncll, in R. Carton's delightfully funny farce-comedy "Mr Preedy and the Countess." An experienced medical man once remarked to an august patient, "Nothing will so improve the condition of your Majesty's liver if I may thus refer to an important organ—as a series of hearty laughs. My proscription is l merely this, sire. Go and tee a good farce." -.ecdless to say, the Royal patient weti to "Mr Preedy and the Countess,-' and-was, promptly re-i stored to his quondam state of good health. Now, livers are by no means confined to regal constitutions. They possessed by the masses (and the classes). They'should occasionally ■be "shaken up." If all they say of "Mr Preedy and the Countess" be true, therefore, here is a combined -physical- tonic and' mental invigora.tor. ready to .hand. .It is said that. .Carton's., wit lightens- the dialogue to .such an extent that laughter. 13 .fre;fqiiently choked ; back ;in order, 'j that not a line of it should be missed. One comical situation is said to succeed another with mirthful regularity, and tears of laughter flow the whole evening. Mr Wiiloughby, who sustains one of the leading roles himself, has spared no pains to secure ) for ..New-Zealand absolutely the best j cast procurable. Miss Beatrice Day . is sure to win fresh laurels as the 1 Countess. A feature about to-) night's production is! said tQ..be that \ every single -character is in good and capable hands., j

MR J. C. Tv!.{,UAMSON'S NEW comic OPJSRA company.

"THE DOLLAR PRINCESS." The\bo:: plan for "".lie Dollar Princess" v/ill be opened at Miss Rive's to-morrow morning.. "The Dollar Princess,'" to bo presented by Mr J. C. Williamson's New Comic Opera Company on Monclay. s next, is a delightful' skit on. tiia• relation's befJ tween Yankee multi-millionaires and certain impecunious British noblemen. The multi-millionaire in question isGilbert), and'it is his whim that every servant in the house should bear an old-world title. His butler is a duke, his' groom -an earl, his footman a baronet, his .chaffeur a viscount, his housemaids dukes' daughters, etc. His relations towards his domestics aro peculiar. They are on.tlie most friendly terms with, their master,' but resent the slightest familiarity on his part. It i s said, to .be: .teiy amiising to hear the 'j footman* "Sir . Jas.' McGregbr,'rated for being slow with the cocktails, Lady Edith Dalrymple, the housemaid, eluded'for neglecting to empty the Waste paper basket, and scolded for omissions of dusting, and the Earl of Quoin dismissed without a reference for ,Omitting to act the •'millionaire's horse.'.re'a i mil-' lionah-e's daughter.ifaiis in love with her private secretary; Condor's niece lias- - a'love : • tournament the groom/ and the^'miWionaire■'g|lts. v en-, tangled vyith the > Lion Qiffeen^;whohas. been introduced into his house as a Russian Princess. The music is of a singularly gracious and lyrical quality, and :nows continuously throughout the three, acts accompanied by a dominating and highly impressive waltz melody, quite as cap- ■ tivating as the one in "The Merry Widow," the orchestration throughout being very fiiu;. ' The company has been'- ; re-organised since its previous visit, and now' includes' Miss Florence, Young, Mr Reginald: Rob-erts,-and Mr- Mr Bert Gilbert is still head of the comedy, 'department, having Mr W. S. Percy and Victor Prince as coadjutors, while Mr Herbert Clay- ' ton and Mr Frank Greene* are still the baritones of the organisation. i Miss Lottie Sargearit is the comedienne. Mies Olive Godwin shares .the soprano roles .with Miss Young.. - There.is also a grand operatic orchestra and an augmented ballet.

THOMPSON-PAYNE PICTURES.

An excellent entertainment y was provided at the Foresters'. Half last evening by Messrs Thompson'" and Payne. Of a capital series of dramas. "The Attack on the Mu"-. 'was the most popular.with the audience. This picture is founded on Emile Zola's famous work, and depicts an incident in tlie war between France and Prus„ia. The story deals with a young French civilian who takes arms in defending a mill against the Prussians. The mill' being captured, ho is ordered to be shot as a spy tor violating the rules of war—fighting in mufti. Aided by the miller's daughter, he escapes, and the' miller ,\in order to shield his daughter, states that it was he who helped the Frenchman to get -. away. The old man is ordered to be shot in the. escapee's place, but the fortunes of war determine otherwise, tlie French re-taking the mill justin time to prevent the tragedy. "The Virgin of Babylon," which also met with much favour, includes a realistic scene in which a martyr is cast J jnto a den of iions. Miss Dorothy Nicholson earned fresh laurels for herself for the excellent' manner in which she took me principal role in "Wilful Peggy. "Catalina" is a capital Roman drama of the days of Cicero. A refreshing series of seenics and comics completed a first-class programme, which will be repeated for the last time this evening.