AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 246, 15 October 1918, Page 7

AMUSEMENTS.

THE NATIONAL THEATRE. Two co-stars run this week In competition for pride ot place oa the 'National screen. Both the pictures—they are eaUed "Miss U.E.A." and "A Branded Soul"—are flvcreelers, aad they are both interesting to see. "A Branded Soul" is a tale set in screen form by Fox, with Gladys Brockwell as the heroine, '".\tie6 U.S.A." is a story with a straight-out romance holding through it all and many a glimpse at military things nnd foreign spy methods. The orchestra at the National provides some lovely musical selections. '('be comedy on the bill is one of the "Mutt and Jeff" series. OPERA HOUSE. Fullers' presented an excellent programme last night. The whole show went with a swing, and, although a good proportion of the artists have already had a lengthy run, there was never a dull moment. Nothing much better thau the Gilfaln trio has been put on at any time. These three —two girls aud a man—are heard iv a variety of exceedingly original and tuneful sougswhicb they call international, because all kinds of melody—from grand opera to comic—are represented. They are charming singers and talented musicians, aud their lu.n is neatly staged. "Eileen A'.auuah," sung as a trio with a self-played accompaniment was a particularly line item, while another uovel anil attractive skeich was the "Dancing 1-esson." Another big success on last uight's bill was Miss Bessie Lester, who is very American and decidedly smart. Her sougs, jests, and sketches were all entirely new, and were presented with an extraordinary amount of vivacity and colouring. Miss Lester had difficulty in leaving the audience, who demanded eucore after encore, and she finally sung New York's latest song "A Baby's I'rayer at Twilight." Another artist who was in particularly good form was Hughie Ogilvie, who ceased to he terribly Scotch in everything but an unmistakable accent, and served out funny stories and comic songs instead. His jockey story and the song "What's There to See in the Sea." we re his best efforts. Mr. Wallace Brownlow, whose highly trained voice has made his singing deservedly popular, was heard In a number of ballads, including "Queen of the Earth." and "Come Back to Erin." Despite the absence of several members who have fallen victims to the Influenza ephlem'c, the minstrel show which occupies I th- first half of the programme was a ! bright and merry mixture of song and laughter, that kept the audience In the best of good humour. The programme will be repeated nightly, and at matinees on Wednesday and Saturday. OTHER ITCTT'RE ENTBRTAI7tSTENTS. | "Barbara Freitchie," n romanic picture I based upon good deeds, stars Mary Miles Minter at the Princess. The Queen's Theatre has for Its headliner "The Interloper." a Kitty Gordon picture, and "The Scarlet Ruuner" serial. The best film at the Strand te called "I Want "My Children." It fa a real-life drama. Mrs Vernon Castle appears upon the Grand screen this week in the picture "Stranded In Arcady." "The Greatest Power" is an interesting social-war play starring Ethel Barrvmore at the Globe. The Lyric programme is led "by "I Want My Children," n play of humanity. "The Maid of Belgium" is a World picture featured at the Empress. In addition there is the Triangle play "Girl and Ihe King." I "An American Live Wire" is runtiinj; for the first half of thus week at the Britannia. 1 Karle Williams and Grace Darmond are the I stars. I At the Went End to-night 'Mollie King I plays In "The Summer Cirl" and there is chapter seven of "The Fatal King."

TIVOL-I THEATRE. The head-liner at the Tivoli this we«k, "The Keys of the Righteous," is by Paramount, with Enid -Bennett the heroine. The picture has an emotional story, and the characters upon the screen are all carefully true to type. Such a drama as this, forceful and vivid, could well have been taken direct from life. The supports and the music are good.

THE ARCADIA. Julian Eltinge personates a lovely woman at the Arcadia Theatre till to-morrow night. The picture is "Princess Charming," by Paramount, and is hacked- by an Arbuckle comicality. EVERYBODY'S. "The Moth," which is the first picture at Everybody's Theatre, is one of the best tilnis of the week. The picture is artistically good, aud it tells a convincing dramatic story. RED CROSS CONCERT. Mr and Mrs Cyril Towsey are to be congratulated on their song aud piano recital given in the Town Hall concert chamber last evening for the benefit of the Red Cross funds. A particularly attractive programme of music, embracing gems from the modern composers of note, had been prepared, with a view to presenting a nicely-balanced song, violin, aud piano recital, but the prevailing iniiuenza maladytook the violintele, Miss Winifred Mitchell, at the last minute, aud the programme had to be hastily re-arranged. The violin numbers hail perforce to be abandoned, and Mr E. N. Wright, the Hamilton baritone, responded to a call at the hist moment to reinforce the song numbers In order that the engagement might be fulfilled. The change naturally involved some disappointment on the part of the audience, but it is safe to say that the programme submitted fully satisfied the expectations of patrons. It was essentially a programme illustrating the characteristics of modern composers, ami in Mr Cyril Towsey the audience had a piano virtuoso equipped as a very few are to fully display the spirit and classical beauties of the compositions, both by his solo Interpretation** and by his finished and artistic accompaniments. Openiug with 'Schubert's '"Novelette" In F and Chopin's C •Sharp Minor "Polonaise," illustrative of the 'broad melodic effects of the older masters, he followed with a bracket of modern music, t Including the tone poem "I-otus Land" of Cyril Scott, the bizarre descriptive effects of Debussy's

"Cathedral Kngulphed." and the rushing finger-work of Maughan Harnett's "Valse Caprice." As encore items, the pianist delighted the audience with a cradle sons by Harnett and Farjeon's "Swan Song." Mrs Towsey successfully undertook a strenuous task in two song brackets and a song-cycle in conjunction with Jlr Wright, llcr contributions ranged from an .Arensky berceuse, through sprightly love songs hy Itotoli. Beaiherg, Goring-Thomas, and Clough-'Lelghter, to Sibelius' dramatic scena "The Tryst": to which encores added two nuinliers. of which Ilnllah's "Three Fishers" was particularly satisfying. Mr Wright's light baritone was heard to advantage in the solos "Greeting," by G. B. Hawley, "Dearest," by Homer, and, as an encore, Roth-well Thompson's "Lovely IJly," while he ably seconded Mrs Towsey In del Riego's song-cycle "Gloria" as the concluding item of a performance which was received enthusiastically throughout by the audience.