AMUSEMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 187, 8 August 1921, Page 7

AMUSEMENTS.

♦ " WELCOME STiRAXGEIK.' , The second .production of the J. C. Williamson, be,]., .comedy season will eom■men'oo fco-n-lg-ht at Mis Theatre ■with John -I). OMlara, ycho will on tnie occasion be associated with Jules Jordan in "Welcome Stranger," a play which has na,i a very suocessful run in Australia. It is from the pen of Aaron 'Hoffman, and is produced 'by arrangement with .Mr Sim « Harris, of Now York city. John D. O n Hara plays the part of Clem Eevis. and it is hLs quiet ami very fine natural acting that brings the roie of Isadora Solomon, tttled toy Jules .lonian. Into the sharpest silhouette. The one character is a foil for ; ttie other, and the combination has resulted ; in the present very successful prodmrfjon. ' Jules Jordan Is an a«tor who has studie<l j the foiWes of the Jewish race, and brought them to a fine art. Throughout the play, as Isailore Solomon, from his first appearance in the lobby of .in hotel- in a little New lEngland town, where he arrives as a stranger on a v-ery stoenry night, until the ;tim.e iwhen he blossoms "forth as a modern Croesus, and with bis wealth creates au up-to-date city for the 'benefit of his fellowtownsmen, lie is constantly bringing out new aiH] yenerous traits in the rlabraic character. The /Dox plans now open at Lewis Eady's. THE NATIOXAr.. THEATRE. Those people wlio patronised the ■National Theatre on .Friday and. Saturday last, and have seen its eipht-jeel Universal picture "Outside :the Law," have s>e"n entirely satisfied with ttie entertainment offered, although the carping spirits among therm are inclined to condemn The subject as one ealcnlate-d to inflence yonn.jr minds* towards what has often been called the "hroad and easy" way. 'But as a matter of .fact ttiere te no engsgestion in the whole of this film that the way of crime is easy. On the contrary, . the appeal of every scene, 'the power of the sensational developments, all is dependont upon the ■fact that crimo is not tw> easy as it appears, and he who escapes the consequence of his misdeeds is something more —or less —than human. "Outside the ■laW presents all the elements of ita interest iwith a vivid clarity, and included In the various motives iLhat bring toe element of real humanity so forcefully into the picture, is a touch at pathos tbat giv<« still more effect to irhe "melodramatic scenes.' Jluch of the effects are exaggerated, but they are nevertheless exceedingly interesting. THE HIPPODKOME TiHEATME. Two films take pride of place on the programme now in currency at the Hippodrome Theatre. "Colorado Pluck" is a Fox picture with William 'Russell as ttie leading character, a miner who goes into the city to see what life Is like amount the .glittering lamps of a world of s-.uety. I .He finds that most of the people are snobs, ■but tlieir eneWs when he goes amongst them are soon changed almost to worship when they discover that the uncouth m«n Is the possessor of much money. The film mctkes a Iharrji con'tra-st 'between those who do tutors and those who are merely para Bites. Still further contrasts are "iven to the programme *by Shirley iMa-eou in "The Mother Heart. - ' a picture ihnt has an altogether different etfhjejct from •'Colorado Pluck." and is nevertheless even more interesting. It is one of those "heart-storios." and it is presented in a way that terries a very powerful appeal. THIE TIVOLI THEATEE. lAt the -Tivoli "The lEasy Road," the latest 'Paramount picture to have the first rtaee upon the proimmme, is among the feiw best films of the week. It is a beautiful picture, with a srory-iuterest that is high, and is made higher by the acting of the cast. The story deals wiili an adventurer who married a .wmnan of moans and degenerated into a spendthrift, nn rater and a hanper-on. Mc changes because, in the absence of his wife, he ffets a trne interest in life, and when she comes back, .ifter having no small adventures herself, th« stxong probaMßties of a permanent disruption bepwen the two are obviated by an interesting discovery. In human appeal, in power of characterisation, in beauty -and in -suspens-e, 'The Easy Boad" ii .paTticu-larly ccod, and so is the ißoscoe VrbiH-kle comedy, in which the fat man introduces several hugely entertaining and quite novel ideas. T.HE lATU'C TIT.EATKE. Doraldina the well-known Continental dancer is the star in 'The "Woman Untamed." which is the Lyric feature at present. The story tells alxmt a woman who survived a mutiny on the high seas and was caOT ashore, a sole survivor of an ill-fated crew, upon an island inhabited by naked They made her tlie'.r goddess, and .she danced for life before •them. A white man comes on the fcene. and their love is interrupted by the snva*»e>, who will not let her jro. >»he ■danoes her >way out of mnny trov.bles. The scenery and settings of "The Woman InI tamed" are pretty, and the plot is rather sensational. THE PRINCESS THEATRE. This week the Princess Theatre has a Paramount picture, and this runs under title "The Great Day." A further fact 01 interest is that the picture of one of the I first of the British-l'aramounts to be rej leased, and rtill another striking fact lies behind the el-atm that the photographs for 'The Oreat Day" have been taken in three countries. American pictures as a. whole are "faked." That is, the scenes I labelled "Canadian snowe." or "The Lights 1 of Broadway," and what not. are really , built up in California or wherever the i studio happens to be. with -backless honses ' and various superficial attributes to give a ■mechanical "local colour." But "Thp Great Day" is said t 0 have had its Parisian scenes taken in Paris, its Alpine 1 incidents in Switzerland, and Its English action in England; and from the excellence of these settings the claim is probably based upon fact. 'The Great Day" is worth seeing for several reasons, for it 1 its a fine action romance. , ' GRAND THEATRE. Although in some ways the story of the 1 current pictnre at the Grand Is sad. there ■ is recompense in the fact tbat it is true to iife, without any superfluous ornamentation, Rnd padding that is characteristic or ' the conventional photo-play. All tae in- ■ cidents are set down in picture ™ r ™ . before the andience exactly as tney can ie ! QUEEX-S THEATRE. i r t» ..ml Tieonr. with ample seasoning of I Lfe «J. ndvVntnres and light, sunshin, i mark the Queen's leader. "Ju« Kl??' whici bis opened Its run at the I fl'of VproKramme of stron ß attraction. n A Jones Is the star, nnd his nCnleU..' niniUties end powerful mind, both subordiS?te to his irresistible wUI. combine to ' fnakP The picture as swift and diversified | with actlou hs can well bo crowded lino 1 a drama that is limited to a few thou- I i sand feet. BesWes -Buck Jones' screen appearance there Is a varied lbrt of topical , films and gazettes of nigh entertainini,' : value. . i 1

EVERYBODY'S THEATRE 1 <i THE STRAND THEATRE. insult to themselves; are offsrt bvTmi? 1 ■ KING'S THiEATBE man ,n the story threatens to opWttef ' £J7£ ™n» love remains firm\ lind a hrlllins cUma*. m «* to the of- : the widow is reached, when it to proved that not the girl's father but the whW« d-eceased hus{»and was the culprit It k 'i w ; ell -^ :it *« n •*«». the "players plenty of scope in w-breh to display u,elr aWity. the absorbing ttac ieto" unfolded in a manlier that holds tbe interest of the audience throughout. Tie large audfenees at tooth Saturday performances were quick to show their appreciatton of •wbatis one of the finest staSnSto date at the King's. Miss eiariceWarner tor %?°,1 se ' 3 Dale. Mr. (Walter Cornoek. .Miss Connie iMetten Mr Kenneth Carlisle, and iMr. (Bert Fiiwler have 'the important roles. THE VICE-REGALS. The Viee-Regals put on a new programme at the Town .Hall Concert Chamber on Saturday evening, to open the second week of their performances. The bill wae highly ' entertaining, and contained more dan the usual amount or huraoar. First in both. humorous qualities and merit of playing was the farcical adaptation of Chu Chin ■ Cnmv, wnien ran under the name " Two ' Chinned Chow." Plenty of thin-veiled allusions were made to the original, and opportunities for laughter-raising were specially taken advantage of. One of the ■•kief essentials, that contributed not a little in giving the typical atmosphere of the Orient, was the luxurious dress display. As usual this cast a spell over the more matter-of-fact "Westerner, and the tuneful melodies did the rest. Bobby Pearee alep appealed to the audience in his song " My Cauliflower," Will Crawford ably sang "The Wobbler." tuned to tie notes of "The Cobfcler"; Svd Exton, as Ali Baber, sans •' When the Steak is Rump it la Tender" : Johnny -Murks was warmly applaaded in his dignJfied manner as Chu Chin Chow, and in short the performance was a credit to the ingenious adapter. A shriek of applause went np when the Two Chinned Chow, who vowed 'be was a cousin of VTi Chee. solemnly remarked, " I kidded to Anckland snch a treat the queue slept all night in Shortland Street." The Wobbler replied. " You didn't get all tbe roars and Riggles that we get here at the old Vice-Begals. and If they sat up all night <to see you old Chow I'll bet the blighters are biting now." Roars of laughter followed, and merriment ran high until the nappy ending. " Yogi's Curse " was recited by Till Crawford, and behind a veil-like screen was acted in a particularly appealing manner. "The Minced Spy." a military burlesque, also contained a good deal of humour, and Mr. G. P. Hanna filled the role of of General Nosecap to perfection. Another military sketch called "PicarJv" was in a rather more serious vein. Voc-Jl items liv Misses Jess and Hilda Meadows and"l!osa D'Arcy. and by Messrs. Pearco and Simpson, were well deceived. Mr. i"earce was always in demand. Mr. riann.i save a sketching performance, portraying members of the siudienep. The programme will be repeated nightly until the end of the week. i KNTERTAIXMENT AT DEVOXPORT. The Rainbow Revellers, who recently gave such good entertainments at the Town Hall Concert Chamber, on behalf of the Grey Street mission building fund, will journey to Devonport on Wednesday evening and repeat thpir programme at the Parish Hall. Mrs. C. C. Forsyth. with the assistance of her many amateur friends, will fill tbe first part of the entertainment with a one-act comedy, entitled, "A Little Fowl Play." and if time permits some humorous sketches. The receipts will go to help the Parish Hall funds. TILE CHiBRiNIAVSKYi?'. The iwpularity of the three brothers Cherniavsky—lieo (violin), Jan (piano), and Mfachel ('cello) —gains with their every reappearance. Some twelve yeaTS ihave passed try since they first ton-red New Zealand, the intervenin-s period having been devoted to .platform activities on oil! and new fields. iNatorally. with the passing of the Tears, the art of this Interesting trio lias matured, and their concept season in Auckland wiH Ibe awaited with interest. The season, wnleh is under tbe direction, of -T. and <N. Tart, conunem-es on Wednesday evening. August 17, at Hla 'Majesty's Theatre. On the -following tFridav and Tuesday evenings concerts will , be" given at the Town iHall. 'Plana open at ILe-wis 'Eady's next Friday.