ENTERTAINMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19485, 15 November 1926, Page 16

ENTERTAINMENTS.

VAUDEVILLE AND BEAUTY. The talented vaudeville company from J. C. Williamson's theatres in Australia, introduced by New Zealand Entertainers, Limited, furnished a fitting background to the Miss New Zealand Beauty f' on " test competitors, now appearing nightly at His Majesty's Theatre to large audiences. Voting is continuing nightly until Thursday next, for which girl of the ■ chosen four is to be " Miss Auckland," and so keen that the position o£ each competitor is changing nightly. ' On Fris day next the winner of the Auckland section of the contest will be announced, 1 and decorated as " Miss Auckland," while on Saturday the judges brought ' from each province will elect " Miss New s Zealand " from the eight provincial finaiists. The beautiful representatives of Otago, Canterbury snd Wellington also j parade nightly with the charming Auckland finalists, both in evening gowns and 3 bathing costume. The management an--0 nounce that good seats are still available J for each night up till Friday. The box plans are at Lewis R. Eadv and Son, j Ltd. 1 MUNICIPAL CONCERT. 3 t The major part of the musical contributions at the weekly municipal concert given before a fairly large attendance 1 on Saturday evening were provided by the city organist, Mr. Maughan Barnett, j and the municipal choir. Most of the items found the audience by no means unresponsive, judging by the applause, though one looked for a mora fervent dis- , play of enthusiasm after certain special numbers. Probably the beauties of some of the newer choral pieces Were difficult to assimilate on a single hearing. The s work of the choir is evidently proceeding on the right lines and their unaccompanied singing is a sheer delight to listen to. There is beauty of tone, balance, blend and expressive interpretation in most that they accomplish, though more vigour and sonority might at times be asserted. There is, after all, some wisdom in the psalmist's injunction to sing skilfully with a loud noise, and intense passages, even when sung without accom- ' pawmenfc, should form a striking contrast to the more delicate phrasings. Walford Davies" "Hymn Before Action," with its message mainly couched in the minor mode, amply exhibited the careful training which the choir is undergoing, and 1 the effect of the male and female voices - alternating in the melody was impressive, i Much success %vas achieved by the choralists in ElgarV "Death on the Hills," the sombre and tragic mood being well ! depicted. The accentuations and finer nuances received attention, and the male t voice subject heard against subdued articulative passages by the sopranos and ' contraltos was fkilfully set out. Excellent pitch was kept in most instances, but none more so than in Northcote's interesting arrangement of the Old Welsh air, "All Thro' the Night," which was redemanded. The involved singing in Bridge's "B6ld Turpin" discovered but few laggards in the choral ranks, while Wilfrid Shaw's "An Evening Lullaby" had its more expressive features faithfullly presented. Mr. Maughan Barnett's organ solos were, as usual, faultlessly played; and ranged over a wide field of interpretation. Bach's "Prelude and Fugue in C Minor" displayed unerring technique, and this was followed by Martucci's arrangement of a Handel "Gavotte," Karg-Elert's scholarly improvisation upon the air of Luther's Hymn, "A Safe Stronghold," probably kept many of the audience guessing as to the identity of the theme, and Rubinstein's "Romance" was no doubt more universal in its appeal. A beautiful \Breton air, played with carillon effects, came as a solace to jaded nerves, and was heartily encored. The remaining pieces of Mr. Barnett's programme were Widor's playful " Scherzo" and his own organ paraphrase upon national airs, which included a clever and florid exposition in fugal style of the Scottish air, "Ye Banks and Braes," and "Home, Sweet Home," The climax of the piece was reached in a surprising pedal variation on the Welsh tune, " Men of Harlech," and in this the agility of the recitalist was astonishing. Tli© vocalist of the evening, Mr, Barry Coney, held the close interest of the assembly in his two fine numbers, "Lorraine, Lorraine, Loree" (Spross), and "Silent Noon" (Vaughan Williams), and in one part of the programme gained a double recall. Mr. Leo Whittaker was* a satisfying accompanist. r ' REVUE AND FARCE-COMEDY. An amusing revue entitled, "Get a Move On," and a farce-comedy, "Moggeridge's Cow," will be presented at Unity Hall, Upper Queen Street to-mor-row evening by the New Zealand Amusement and Construction Company, Ltd. The revue will feature Percy Vere, known as "London's Laughter-Making Humorist," who is said to make much of the role of the village idiot. "Moggeridge's Cow," produced by Chafles Archer, is a comedy containing much wholesome humour and country visitors should find special amusement in this farce. The net proceeds from the performances will be devoted to a trust fund to provide instructors and equipment for amateur sports. Box plans for a season of one week are now open at Messrs. Lewis R. Eady and Son, Ltd. OPERA HOUSE. Edgley and Dawe s "Midnight Frolics" continue to play to appreciative audiences at the Opera House. This week's programme is said to be one of the finest in which the company has appeared, being composed of bright and. original comedy and dancing numbers, vocal numbers of unusual merit, and various ensembles. The leading comedian, Mr. Clem Dawe, maintains his popularity, and in the new programme is seen "to excellent advantage. Assisted by Mr. Edgley he will appear this evening in "Ugo and Igo," two roles that have ' brought them wide popularity. Other popular performers are Alec Regan, Gregory Ivanoff, Les White, Nell McGuife, Phyllis Amery and Dorothy White. Seats may be reserved at Lewis R. Eady and Son, Ltd. RADIO DEMONSTRATION CONCERT. A demonstration of the latest types cf radio reception apparatus will be given in the Town Hall on Wednesday evening in connection with a concert unique in Auckland entertainment. The pro- ' gramme broadcast from IYA will be picked up and 'rendered audible to the ' audience through the medium of a five- \ valve receiving set and loud-speaker. It \ will be the aim of the demonstrator to i indicate . how little the human voice suffers by its transmission through the ' ether. "Half of the programme will be 5 devoted to an exhibition of a recently invented instrument which embodies both a radio set and a phonograph. This apparatus makes it possible to play ordinary gramophone records to huge audiences. Instead of the ordinary I needle sound-box it employs a magnetic detector, which conveys the music from < the record to a built-in radio set. Theradio receiver then broadcasts the music through an ordinary loud speaker apparatus. The entertainment has been ' arranged by the Farmers' Trading Company. 1 NEGRO SPIRITUALS. > There was a large audience at the Baptist Tabernacle on Saturday evening 1 when the chorus choir of 100 voices rendered a well-selected programme of negro spirituals. The quaint melodies of the slave days drew repeated applause, and ( the fact that the selections were all popular numbers resulted in warm ap- i preciation of the complete programme. | The audience joined in the opening item, | "Carry Me Back To Old Virginny." Vocal solos were also rendered bv Mesdames J. Litherland and C. Turley, Misses Mary Kemp and D. Officer, and Messrs. C. Williams and G. Colledge. I Mrs. T. Brame-Clark and Mr. A. E. i Wilson gave a piano and organ duet. I

NATIONAL AND LYRIC. For the second time in her career Corinne Griffith assumes the character-of a comedienne in "Mdlle. Modiste," on the 1 current programmes at the National and Lyric Theatres. In this film Miss Grif. > fith has a distinct comedy rol% which is , said to be even superior to that in which 1 she was cast in "Classified." In "Mdlle . Modiste" she brings all her piquant charaj into play as the irresistible model, sal«s- ---' woman and designer at the fashionable es- - tahlishment of Mine. Claire in Paris. 1 Later she takes up the managership of tha 6 shop and as "Mdlle. Modiste" becomes the , talk of the boulevards. Miss Griffiths has surrounded herself with a cast of brilliant 1 players and has seen to"it that the airuosphere of the French fashion centres is maintained. An additional attraction is "Miss Nobody," a First National production. PRINCESS AND TIVOLI. * "The Lodge in the Wilderness," a grip. * ping story of the vast forests of North--1 West Canada, is the principal picture on ; the current programmes at the Princess ' and Tivoli Theatres. The film, which is " based on the story of the same name bv * Sir Gilbert Parker, tells in a vivid mail. c ner of the Live of a handsome engineer ' for a girl who is the owner of a iarge forest tract. The manager for tha estate also shows his love for the girl, but after he has sought every means possible to win the girl for himself, he sees his rival - the winner in the end. A second attract tion is "Say It Again," an amusing prjc--5 ture, in which Richard Dix. the versatile * comedian, scores a great success. 5 EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. the making of "Watch Your j Wife," Virginia Valli, who appears with Pat O'Malley in this Universal-Jewel proj; duction at present screening eat Every- ' body's Theatre, had an unusual honour ' conferred upon her. From far-away Cairo, > Egypt, came a letter informing her that her admirers there had formed "The Vir--1 ginia Valli Club," with Ahmed Rifat ' Rachid, one of the prominent men in 1 Cairo, as its president. "Watch Your ! Wife" is a delightful domestic comedy--5 drama produced on a lavish scale, and 1 with brilliant cast 1 . On the same pro- " gramme is "Who Is the Man?" a British production, featuring Isobel Elson and ' Langhome Burton ; SACRED CONCERT, A sacred concert arranged by Signov Costantini attracted a large audience to the Majestic Theatre last evening. A number of classic vocal numbers were presented by Signor Constant ini. and Messrs. W. Moore and Caldwell. Misses Vera Vane and Jessie Smith and Mrs. Menzies were also heard in solos. Miss Ysolinde McVeagh received well merited applause for monologue items. Mrs. Fleming played violin polos „ and Sir. J. Reilly contributed saxophone music. SUNDAY BAND RECITAL. An enjoyable programme was submitted by the Municipal Band in the Town Hall last evening. An excellent rendering of Chalman-Alexander's hymn, " The Glory Song," was followed by the familiar ' Poet and Peasant." A suite, " Three Woodland Dances," was well received, and "In The Cloisters" and " Cleopatra" were much appreciated. "Sleepy Hollow Tune " was rendered as a cornet duet. THE MUNICIPAL BAND. The Municipal Band will render a special carnival programme of music in Albert Park at 8 o'clock this evening. "Zampa" overture, selections from "The Gondoliers," "Squire's Popular Songs," and instrumental solos by Messrs. McLennan and Bowea are among the items to be given.