AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 147, 22 June 1909, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

" LURED TO LONDON."

The Geach-Marlow Dramatic Company commenced a season at the Opera House last night with the production of a high-ly-sensational melodrama, entitled "Lured to London." There was a large audience in all parts of the house, and the frequent applause bore convincing testimony to the fact that this class of drama loses nothing of its traditional hold upon the popular mind.

The play is a typical Adelphi melodrama, witßt nothing to distinguish it from the hundred and one other productions of the kind which have preceded it. And, as those met with success, so there is no reason to doubt that this play also will win the approval of the large, section of the public which invariably flocks to the theatre when sensational drama is provided.

It is probably not sailing far wide of the truth to assert that there never was more than one plot in the whole range of melodrama. In every play of the kind we have seen, the same story is unfolded —the story of how unsullied virtue triumphs over unmitigated villainy. The proposition, fails to satisfy the "keen analyst of human nature, because he knows that character is a blend of good and evil. But the large majority of the public are not psychologists and the crude proposition remains a healthy standard of judgment for the masses. We should be sorry to see melodrama losing it 3 bold upon the public imagination, because that would indicate that the primary instincts of right and wrong bad become atrophied.

Briefly stated, the story told in "Lured to London" is a simple, one. The Rev. Leslie Carrington is the lover of Constance Stuart, daughter of H. C. Stuart, Esq., a man who cannot dissociate wealth from respectability, and who, consequently, favours Geoffrey Carrington as a suitor for his daughter's hand, ignorant of the fact that the man is an utter villain who has heen disinherited by his father, Squire Carrington, in favour of ibis cousin, the clergyman. Geoffrey Carj rington betrays the daughter of a village carpenter, Abe Sterling, and lures her to {London. In the meantime, Jake Gamble, a burglar, steals the will in which Squire I Carrington disinherits his son. Gamble's idea is That he will be able to come to terms with Geoffrey Carrington, but the utter villainy of the latter disgusts him, and he is forced into comparatively virtuous behaviour. Gamble has a "cracksman's kid" named Natty (the real hero of the play), who is quite honest, and who frustrates the designs of Geoffrey Carrington. who tries to fasten the guilt of betrayal of Ah? Sterling's daughter Lily upon his cousin. In the end the villainy of Geoffrey Carrington is exposed, and the Squire is forced to recognise tuat the Rev. Leslie Carrington is the right heir of Squire Carrington and the best husband for his daughter. There are inoii dental characters in the play—Rosannah ■ Lovejoy, a domestic servant in Squire ; Carrlngton's household, whose heart is lin the right place, and who will not serve Geoffrey Carrington: and Police ConstaI ble Christopher Coppard, who is in love I with Rosannah.

j As "Natty," Miss Ethel Buckler do- j <1 | serves pride of place. She is an exceed- I f J ingly able young actress, who plays her j ' j part, a heavy one. with remarkable con- i ' | nrlence and ease. From first, to last her j * j interpretation of the important part I s assigned to her is fully artistic and *■ wrhole-soulcd. She is an artiste in her j calling, nnd deserves the fullest commend- I « ation for her exceedingly able acting. As ; t the Rev. Leslie Carrington, Mr "Rohert j t Inman displays experience without any j i remarkable ability. Mr Kenneth Hunter, j i as the villain. Geoffrey Carrington. plays | I a difficult and unsympathetic part with I ' great ability, and the frequency with , which he was hissed by the "gods" prove-'j thai he quite ably interpreted his te e Mr J. P. o'Neill, as the burglar, ph >V ed a character part admirably, and di' flayed notable gifts as a serio-comic ae J Ftr g a low comedian. Mr Thomas Cu'/pan, in the part of Christopher p O . lice constable, provoked mirth. The part of Lily Sterling is flayed poorly by Miss Maude Afr\]"'^, n< thesame may be said of Mi'is /»attie Gourlay in the part of Rosannah Lovejoy. Miss Leal Douglas as Rtuart has a very small part, but with considerable dignity and appreciation of the role. The play will be ripeated to-night. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. The current, week's programme at His Majesty's Theatre, presented by the West PLeture mtoiiagement for the first time la»t mgh-U, met -with tho thorough approval of 'the large audience. De Groen's vice-regal orchestra, which contributes in no smajl measure to the general success of the entertainment, opened with the overture "Pique Dame" (Stippe), a piece in the light and -shade of which the. wellbaVaneed orchestra showed particular adra ntag-e. A diverting sketch, ".Dust in His Eyes," was the first picture, screened, and was followed by an excellent scenic film depicting river scenery in tropic Mexico. This scenic is a class of picture ; to which cinematographic entrepreneurs i could well give inoreased attention, achieving, es they do, the double interest of entertainment and education. A melodramatic series, "In a Stone Quarry," preceded a grotesque comicality entitled "Ghosts in the House." "The Poisoned Flower" was the name-head of a piec» of good coloured picture drama, invested with, all the atmosphere of the courtly but superficial age of Henri de Valois. " The Lucretia Borgia like attributes of the principal female character were not according to the nicest principles of ' modern morality, but the dramatic mci■- ■ dent was fully of nervy interest, and . pleased the hoase hugely. A remarkably 1 clever "fake" picture was "How Foos- . j head Pays His Debts," in which the , wizard-like evasion of his creditors by an inconsequent young man discovered to £hose of wide belief the apparently imI possible in the actual and visible. "Raised From the Ranks" appealed to the sympaI thies of all and sundry as a picture with a j I right) proper finish, while an excellent I . serves of films from studies in the Frank- , fart Zoo afforded a good opportunity for j ■those unacquainted with the actual em- I bodinient of "huge and strange beasts" 1 to remedy the lack. An ingeniously con- | trived picture, entitled "Aviation Has Its Surprises," gave a humorous if somewhat bizarre idea of what may happen in . the future to sentimental young ladies Vith aviating lovers, the vengeful flight • through space of a wrathful father selfdistended for the purpose with carbide of calcium gas being in harmony with the rest of the conceit. The second part of the programme, in which "L'Aseommoir" is by request appearing for two more nights, includes also several good "■ films, including "A Strolling Strong » Man," "Scenes in Bombay," and "The Human "VvTheel." CHUNG LING 800. The box plan for the season <si Mr, j Harry Eiokaxd*' (Vaudeville Company,!

Chung Ling Soo, commencing on Monday evening next at H.M. Theatre, opens tomorrow morning at eight o'clock at Wildman and lArey's establishment. Entrance to the box office will be in Shortlandstreet, and the exit in the Arcade. Chung Ling Soo's entertainment is said to be quite unique. Of course, nothing like the whole of his feats can be produced in one night, consequently he varies his assortment of illusions at nearly every performance. A fact worth mentioning is that none of his illusions are borrowed— they are all the outcome of his own inventive ingenuity. Another feature which adds to the clean, neat, and attractive character of his act is that it is unaccompanied by patter'of the inane kind, or, indeed, any patter at all. Such patter rather mars than helps a conjuring entertainment. ROYAL ALBERT HALL. There was another large audience at this house last night, when the current I programme again won commendation, I Complete change on Wednesday. \ THE TLVOLI. j Last night a new programme was sub- ■ mitted at the Tivoli, and it fully main-j tamed the reputation of the manage- ; ment for offering a good programme of j | pictures. The new views include line j i films depicting scenes in Benares and j Delhi, vampires of the coast, and other I I interesting views, whilst the comic pic- j I tures are particularly good. The pro-j gramme will he repeated to-night, ' I I