AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 173, 22 July 1918, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

THE ENGLISH PIERROTS. - The English i'lerroUi, wlio began their ! Au.jiiaud season aL ijjl- Town Hall Concert ■ ■Hiaiuuer oil isituiilay evening suould iiavc , no iilaiuulty in attracting lull nouses so . i.-'ug as till';,- couLuiue to curve up uuler- . i!u_uier,t.> KiK-li us mat wUh which they |, jOiicoeu. 'lii«> sauie apeelas oil perlormaj*-e , lias olten Dccii to jiucliUiud uciorc, of cuuisc, Uiit as a rule players of this kind clave depeudi-d ou tau uiiuiiual ability of two or iljiet; iiiwiiuers <>I Uie troupe. The liujjUih 1-ierrota are different, in having attained a high stamiard all round, -without any weak places, so n.at they are able to uuer conslsteutlj good mixture of music , and fun, with nothing vt-ry solid in it, , tut picasainly Ilgljt and easily assimilated, lilies hlha 'Lauyley, the eoubrette of the company, with tier bewitching personality and charming aiipearanre, comes in for a very share of popfclar approval. With Mr Leslie Austin sue was delightful in a I iittlo love-making scone, while in several ' concerted numbers she. was the live wire . of each item. Miss I-uii!;li>y's ability to sing ' agreeably is backed by excellent acting. In Miss Elsie Ilosslyn the company posspfisps . a well trained and sweet-voiced performer. «-lio*e singing of Uio waltz sung --llfro l>! My Heart" us a Ouet with Mr .liny Cookc was an exceedingly popular item. Her voice has unusual yuallties that were licst i displayed In "Annie Laurie." which the ■ Bang as an encore. Miss LUilie Wilson, with her amazing child Im.iieieonations, did good ■ work in both solos and concerted numbers. , , The Pierrots have secured a very valuable iiso-et in the pianist, Mian Hlnia i'ouug, or Cbrlstcburcb, who has beflu added to tbe troupe since they last visited Auckland. ! '.Uiss Young plu'yed the a-c'ioinpaiiinieiiW i i In a strikingly sympathetic fashion, and. In ' ! addition, she was heard in two solos. One, i Coleridge Taylor's •Value, , ' received au i exprocisivo interpretation, and the other, ■ Chopin's -B Hat "Nocturne," was played with unusual insight and tlnisb. Of Hie men folk of the company, Mr David Lyje i-arriod off a large portion of the honours for his singing of "An Evening Song" and ' "Maude." Mr Lyle has a sweet tenor voice I of unusual range and power, which he uf.es I with good Judgment ami decided effect. Mr j Roy Cuoke Is anofh-er singer of outstanding ! ability, and most of these present on j -Saturday night were rather <]itiaTjpoiK-t- r -(l that they did not hear more of him. The • rich .baritone voice of Mr Louts Mitchell | was partlctilnrly wrli suited to that spirited i song "The Wagoner." with which he earned ; instant approval. Moat of the fun is provided by Messrs iLawreni-e, W. P. Turner. ] and I.(*lie Austin, who find not the slightest ! difficulty in keeping things moving, to the ' continuous delight and amusement of the I . audience. The Pierrots will present the current programme nightly. NA'iIONAI, THEi'CEE. It is a rather fascinating talc, with -i tang of mystery and a good deal of romance in it, that is being unspoo)e.d at th« National Theatre ithln week, under the title of "The Secret Game." Tlie Him has been made by I.a;:Uy for Paramount, and the first player on the cast is Sessue Hayakawa, the ! IKipular Japanese actor, who has held so I many exciting parts in the past. The plot J I has a savour of secret service affairs that ! makes it doubly Interesting. Hayakawa. for j the purposes, or this story, is a reputable 'Japanese detective, who is sent out to i America to discover whence comes the leakage of all Information to the enemy. 'JTie girl in the case is Kitty Little (Florence Villon, who is of German parentage, though a German spy only because her brother is I in the army. She is agent for a Dr. Smith, j who poses as a good friend of Major Northj field, in charge of confidential operations. Kitty is brought into the Major's office, and to give her tie most confidential position, Smith drugs her senior, a Miss Loring, inducing a kind of amnesia. which keeps 1 her inactive. Then Kitty gets her chance, 1 I rat is watched by the Japanese detective, 1 and Major Northfield also surprises her ; secret. Hut ji:st at this time a romantic attachment blossoms between Kitty and tbe i Major, and the Oriental has also a hand in it. And then the rest of "The Secret Game" I is carried on amid a whirl of events. First ! there is the death of Dr. Pmlih. then the . meeting between Kitty and the detective, then Uie love scenes between the girl end the Major, finally a series of tense moments. ending in the proper way for all romances. There, is a two-reel Mack Sennett comedy on this bill, besides topical films, and the latest music. THE TIVOLI THE ATP. 2. I "Bab's Burglar," featuring Miss Marguerlie Clark at the Tivoli Theatre this I week, is one of those Irresponsible comedy- : dram-as that the' Paramount people know j well how to picture. This one has its foun- ] I dation in a popular story by Mary l'.oberts I i lUuehart, and Miss Clark has a "sub-deb" ' part that is really good. The young heroine I of the tale has just left college, and she Is made an allojvancc. Siie starts out very happily to hnveTa good time, but she treats | her small allowance so sternly that after a i week or so there is none of it left. But j that week or so goes gloriously. She buys I I a car and gets into all sorts «i trouble with i ■ it. Then her cliorts arc turned off in I another direction, and she tries to constitute herself match-maker for her eider sister In the midst of this fascinating game she I becomes deeply suspicious of a young man ! whu seems to he tangled up in some shady ! business -or other. So llab is side-tracked ■ again, and, learning of a series of burglaries I in the neighbourhood, she comes to the dcci- i I sion that this must be the villain. Accord- i liisiy she waits up for Inn,, and he really i docs come to break into the house. But it i I is evident that he has an acompilce inside, i I and Bab succeeds very well Indeed in break- ! I lug up the little game, i>uij to lind that, I i instead of turning the tables on a bold, I bad burglar, her capture is her sister's I young man. The btorj is well set. and what ' is written here is Bin a meagre outline.' It I I is full oi dainty business, and the element of hilarity is there in full power. "Bab's Burglar" is well supported by a comedy, and by topical themes, besides being backed by tuneful music. STttaXD TIIItATRE. ' The romance called "Stolen Hours" has been mauu liv V\ urid, ami it runs now :ic the Strand 'ibeatre, with .Miss .bibei LiuyI ton aa the star. "Stolen Hours" has many i eouu-iusts in its sciuugs, ofr. tuuugu i"i ideals primarily with a romantic episode In i a gambling establishment, it screens typical! sctiKis trom alt sorts oi places. Tiiuru Is ! a session of Parliament shown, and aiso : many settings from both nociety and slum : life, Tho uanie of the heroine is Diana : Lester; it is liar part that J'.tuul Clayton plays. This girl is the daughter of a gambler, and his passion has such a hold ui-ou him that he and the girl have to Slue in very mean quarters, 'men he gets, i on butter by marrying the lady who thus a fashionable gaming house, and while the two leave to spend their honeymoon Uiana Is; left in charge. A police raid comes, n:l Diana assists a young man named Carton to gut away. The two become lovers, but cannot go any farther because Carton has been married already, and his wife will not. free him, though they are separated. But it all comes rii:ht iv the end. The oilier pictures oo this programme Hre booh', including an otliclal picture of the" minesweepers. This is shown uuder title "The , Story of the Drifters." I EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. I Ooldwyn has turned out another dainty story, prettily set. This one is " The Beloved Traitor." which has first place on the eurreiii. bill at Everybody's, ana has Miss Mac Marsh as its leading player. TBe i plot itself has been taken irum a well-read j novel, aud the screen version covers six I parts, telling how a fisherman becomes a I sculptor, leaves the girl ot bis youthful .dreams, forgets her in favour of another inaiuen, and then comes bad; to her. Ti.e picture has a lively movement. Them seems always to De some new development coming forward, and thp sccues, piayt-il mostly before luxurious interior s.-iiiiig.-i, have a tense dramatic ring about tneui. mc j tale opens on the coast, in a typical fishing ' village. It is here that the principal | characters are Introduced. There is a I romance here between the boy and tbe girl i before ho is led away to the cities to work at a now metier. Then the scenes change nr.d complications come along, but. they are all resolved finally into the attachment :is it stood In the beginning. "The Dangers of a Hriile" is a comedy of some merit, and Lcsidi's there are several topical picture.-. ' THE GRAND. ! The headllner at. the Grand is "The Price She Paid," which is the screening of a dramatic story wherein Clara Kimball Vouus; has the foremost part. "The JPr.ce She Paid" has a touch or two of romance, bill in the main it is rather a tense drama of almost Infinite appeal. It is backed by «not her chapter of "The Mystery of the Double Cross," and by other subjects of Interest. THE GLOBE. '•nehind the Scenes" Is a Chaplin I comedy, which is the bumornu* t-lf-moar | fin the Uloiip screen now. "P.lg Ti-.niiiino' , is also showing. This is a M.trn buck- I l.locks tale, wit.li Harold Lockwoo'l mkl .Miss I ■May Allisnu as ill..- two yjung lulki v. iiO ! I love one another, i

— ■ —-- ■"■ -ii ,j»p OPERA HOtTSB. Another of those good varied vaudeville entertainments will be staged tilts evening lit Fuller's Opera House. Again the Haverley Irish Players bold a seance, this time calling it "Muldoon's Picnic" In this comedy the principals •will be backed, as usual, by the choral and tumbling effects of the Kute Kewpie Kids. Carlton Max, ventriloquist, has been here before, and to-night be will bo here again. Also Maud* I •Courtney and Mr C, Wells and Wells, Alice Ward, Ward O-car, and other interesting entertainers. KING'S THEATRE. Every evening till 'Friday next the Mil at tile King's will be repeated. This was played twice on Saturday by the Merryluucers Company, and a pair of big audiences were quite delighted. The amusements of the evening commence with another yokel revue, this one colled "Unetie Bevels." It includes an entertaining series of tuneful songs and graceful dances, with much, diverting patter. The greatest of (.ha variety numbers was staged by Gardiner I and \.<i -Mar, ju-.iit.-u specialist*, who con--1 eluded their act with th-e playlet "The ißnrglar and the Lady," d.=y.onsu-ating th© case with which a lady ran tilsahjo a strong man wiih the help of the Japanese method !of defence. Sigma?) increased Ills reputation as an illusionist, and Kingern, foot acrobat and balancing entertainer, made a diverting turn. Princlß and Dixon aimed. highest "Willi their number, for the two are I vocalists, and they rendered a pleasing ' vocal reproduction <>f "Miserere." from "11 . Trovalore." Winnie Tbornc is a soubretta with h pleasant voice, and she was well .received; so also were I'crcival and West, ragtime singers. THE LYRIC. P.y Vilagrivph, "The Other Man" Is ia Benson now at the Lyric, with. Harry Morey ' and Grace Darmond at the head of the i cast. The story itself is fine, and the i settings' are appropriate to the dramatic appeal of the action. Several good, supr porting films back the feature. TIIE PRINCESS THEATRE, file second of U)e pictures made liy the i Petmva Company, with Petrova herself a* j the principal player, b< "The Light Within," ! which inns now at the Princess. At the first Rcrernings on Saturday this film-tala ' made n good name for itself. It Is well I supported, by both pictures and music. ! THE QUERN'S. Pride of place at the Queen's this week Ts ] hold by "The Other Man," VitagrapS. . rendering of a powerful story. The action lof the play is set before interesting backI grounds. nd the two main characters, as I played by Harry Morey and Grace Darmond. i .:re rather Qiip. "Tile Great Secret" serial lis advanced another chapter. TELE AKCADIA. This afternoon the bill of pictures at t.he Arcadia Theatre underwent the usual change. Mary Pickford m the winsome star on the semen there now, and her part is cast in the tale of "A Poor kittle Kick l»lrl." This lias been noted as one of tu* best of her plays, for her part in it is wonderfully rich in emotional interest. The play is by Famous Players, released Ivy Paramount, and is p. beautiful prod-action oil through. It is followed by "a series jof the most recent topical pictures, and by a comedy that will please the crowd. Th* new hill remains before the public twice dally till mid-week. THE EMPJSESS. Francis Bushman and Bevefley Bayni*. famous as Metro lovprs, have first place on. the cast of "Red. White, and Bine Brood." as screened at the Empress Theatre. The Ftory is rather interesting as a romance, with all tbe elements of conventional melodrama. THE PALACE. To-night again the Palace Theatre is starring Alice Brady in "The Spurs <i£ Sybil." a social romance. It -will close its season there this evening, and another head-liner, ivith supports, i≤ due to be unspooled to-morrow. THE VICTORIA. "The Mormon Maid" -will be shown at the Victoria Theatre. iDevonport, for the Isst time to-right. Mac Murray has the best female part in this play. "The Secret Kingdom" serial is among the supports. THE WEST END. There will he only one screening of the : narnl and military picture "Britain Prepared" at the West End Theatre, and that will occur this evening. On Tuesday the 1 bill will change again. TOWN HALL ORGAN RECITAL. The municipal organist, Mr. MsughaE Barnett, gave his 200 th organ recital on j the fine Norman and Board organ on SaturI day night. This myriad-voiced instrument I was opened December. 1311, and Mr. Barnett gave his initial performance as cit.T organist in April, 1013. Since that date a set of carillons, consisting of ten notes, the sift of Mr. Henry Brett, the donor !of the organ, has Seen placed in the instm- | ment. The organ recitals are given on I Saturday evenings, and during the winter I months free organ recitals take place j monthly, on Wednesday afternoons, whilst ! each year free recitals are also given ta school children. On this occasion Mr. Karnett presented a varied "programme, ! which opened with E. d'Evry's "Concert I Overture in C ma.ior." ■ This -roved to be a line solo to display the manifold cuarae- ■ terlKiies of the organ. The stringed tona ! registers were nicely combined with the i flute in the delicate reading secured at i Debussy's "Andante." Vierne's "Intel* ! mezzo" received a light and facile perI farmancc, and the diapason's powerful . reeds and pedal were heard to advantage ! during the delivery of W'.dor's -Toccata.™ j from the Fifth Symphony, and Rossini'e I overture tn "William Tell." Tbe recitallst'e ! march. "Nevin's Goodnight." and an Eng» 1 lish Folksong were the other pieces. Mr. I Barry Coney was heard in W. Finaen'» •' Allah. Be With T's." and Novp.llo> "Megan," Mr. Whittaker accompanying.