AMUSEMENTS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15776, 18 December 1916, Page 11

AMUSEMENTS.

THE SECOND DUFAULT CONCERT. The concert, on Saturday night, with the sixteen songs of his, voluntary and extracted, formed in their wide range of diverse styles and tendencies a good basis for another analytical study of the chemistry of Paul Dufault's art. Singers as a class overestimate the lure &nd value of their voiecs. To he sure, at rare intervals there bursts upon us, comet-like, a voice so wonderful that we might be entranced by their 6inging of the AB C. But the oiories of most fade quickly, because in a few hearings they have spent their all) have played for all it is worth ■upon u voice confined within narrow grooves of expression. Your tenor is unhappy unless he nightly melts away in lovesick strains; the prima donna fondly imagines that her warblings and trills represent the perfection of musical art. In opera these limitations are giozed over by <\ll the glamour and cunning of stagecraft. 011 the concert stage such shallow foundations cannot long be hidden. For from the concert singer we demand so much. We have heard liner voices than M. Dufault's, have perhaps been more intensely ,'»fFecto:l for nwmrnts by the white-heat of emotion and passion or by sensations akin to awe aptly suggested. In none have wo felt more strongly the grip of n master-mi ml, inflexible, directing, controlling, its resources. In Dufauit the man and his manliness, his voice, his skill and pose, :vnd his unfailing touch in the portrayal of true, warm, human feelings are ail tuned and blended in perfect alluring harmony. His enunciation and facial expression are delightful. The voice never transgresses tho boundaries of tone-beautv: no exaggerations, artificialities of oxpression occur, nor bids for cheap applause. And all h<? offers is served with brains. This mixture of ingredients and restrictions makes the compound of aggressive, irresistible appeal, which is his eecret and ours. In him we find tho true artist, upholder of high ideals in lis art. With his voice in splendid condition, he gave us serene, inspiring interpretations of Handel's aria, "Where'er You Walk," and matchless in devotional spirit, Sullivan's beautiful "How Many-Hired Servants," from the "Prodig&l" Son." How ardently he can plead in his wooing was revealed in "Conic to the Garden, Love," as well as in '"Thy Beaming Eyes" and the duet with Miss Bindley, whilst tho stern accents of "Invictus," the 6entiment. and power- of • Marshall's finely effective "Pcace Triumphal" and tho gloom of the despairing "Birth of •Spring" we're all superb testimonies to his emotional and musical versatility. Charmingly he sang the sweet "Sacrament" by'MeDermitt, Harriet Ware's pretty "Boat Song," i.nd with tenderness and humour, 'Caddie." But why enumerate them all? As the advertisements have it, "his name should be sufficient guarantee for quality" whatever he may sing. And it was. Of his associates. Miss Pauline Bindley shone in the brilliant roulades and ornaments of Meyerbeer's ''Shadow . Song" from "Dinorah," in "Spring's Awakening," and, most of all, with many pretty touches, in the daintier fabrics of "I Wish I Were a Tiny Bird" and the ''F&irv Pipers." Above a certain degree of force the voice suffers deterioration. Miss Florence Scapini appeared in great form, especially with the Finale from Lalo's "Spanish Symphony." Butfihedid more. In Schumann's "Dreaming" and Schubert's "By the Sea'' she opened her heart. Among Mr Harold Whittle's accompanimcnts, those to the Handel and Sullivan arias, to ''Sacrament," 1 "Boat Song." and "Peace Triumphal" pose to outstanding merit. Their Excellencies the Earl and Countess of Liverpool and suite again favoured the performance with their presence. Tonight will he the last opportunity for years to come of hearing the great singer and greater artist, Paul Dufauit.

To-night Mr Paul Dufault will sing: ' —"Tho Prayer from Le Cid," "Sometimes in Summer," "Au Pays," "If Ybu would Lovo Me." "The Spirit Flower," "Bluette d'Amour," and "The Trumpeter." PREMIER PICTURE PALACE, N NEW BRIGHTON. Although the Premier Picture Theatre. New Brighton's latest attraction, was formally opened by the Mayor (Mr J. A. Flesher) on Friday evening last, tho building was not properly open to tho public as a picture palace until Saturday, when the first afternoon matinee commenced at 2 p.m. In spite of one or two counterattractions both afternoon sessions were satisfactorily patronised, and the pictures screened proved acceptable, and the management were pleased to know thit the mechanism, lighting, etc., % had stood the test well during tho wHole of the afternoon, and that there was never k hitch of any kind to interfere with the screenings, the managing operator, Mr Listen, being able to give an entirely satisfactory report of the workings generally. ' . The show commenced in real earnest at the evening session, when for the ■ first of these a full, house was announced, and numbers of would-be patrons were turned away, but only to come back in added numbers for the second session. The programme submitted was adniitted by all to be ono of the best. The star picture, "The Devil's Toy," a society screen play, fulj of intensely sensational incidents, telling of how an ambitious man sold his soul co perdition for fortune, fame, and love, and eventu'Jly. through the machinations of a ! heartless woman, lost all. The supporting films, a scenic, "In the Italian | Tyrol,'- "Paris and Its' Environs, Taken from an Aeroplane," the "Topical Budget," a news film, and "Ghosts and Fly. j papers," comic, were equally good. The programme as a whole would equal j anything to be 6een in the Dominion. At the conclusion of the show a smoke concert was held, a number of tho residents and business people of the boron;>h being present by invitation, j Mr c. H. Winny (chairman of directors) presided. Amongst those • present were representatives of the New Brighton Borough Council, the directorate and management of the Joyland Pictures, and Second-Lieutenant Goroon, of the Royal Flying Corps. The programme of pictures will be repeated to-day, the first session commencing at 2 p.m., and the Palace being . •oen till 10 p.m. To-morrow night the

j first change will be given, when the rej nowned Charlie Chaplin will make his j appearance. j GERALDINE FARRAR AT STAIILAND. . It's step from the stage of : the Metropolitan Opera House. Xew • York, to the screen of Starland Theatre, and the bare thought of a I grand opera prima donna appearing |in moving pictures -would have been I ridiculed a few years ago: but it is just such enterprise as this that has made the photoplay the most popular form of entertainment. Geraldine Farrar, who will appear at Starland this week in "Maria Rosa," is acknowledged to be the best exponent of Carmen, and one of the greatest of present day grand opera prima donna-s. Something of a furore was caused in musical circles when Jesse L. Laskv finally prevailed upon Miss Farrar to forsake grand j opera for a time in order to appear in a series of photoplavs under his direction, and tho event marked an epoch in photodramatir: production, as [ Miss Farrar naturally insisted that the I productions in which she contracted to I appear should be staged in an elaborate I and costly manner, befitting her reputaI tion as star of the Metropolitan Opera House. "Maria Rosa" will be screened , at Starland for three days and nights onlv. The William Fox photoplay, which, following Starland's established custom, will be screened at all sessions this week is a picturisation of Alfred Sutro's famous drama, "Tho "Walls of Jeric-ho." ' THE PERILS OF DIVORCE." Is divorce becoming too easy to obiain? Some say it is, others say that it is justified by the cases.where unhappy marriages have been dissolved. There is no doubt that it is possible for a great wrong, sometimes to the man, sometimes to the woman, sometimes to the children, to be done when justice is blind. How blind justice can ho is strikingly demonstrated in the World Film Corporation's drama, "The Perils of Divorce," to be presented at Everybody's Theatre today and to-night, and throughout this week. Here the recently organised Workl Film Corporation is said to have scored a big hit with the public, which has been quick to perceive -the great possibilities of the photo-play as a means of presenting the human aspects of great social ..problems. The cast, headed by Edna Wallace Hopper and Frank Sheridan, is a strong one, and the drama is presented on a scale worthy of the theme. The supporting items are featured .by an amusing nature comedy, "Discovered 1" in which wild animals of the jungle are depicted in diverting antics while at play, and a coloured film by the Pathe Company. "Fowls and Game Birds," and the latest number of the Gaumont Graphic. "HYPOCRITES" OR, "THE NAKED TRUTH." A great deal of interest and not a little controversy will be aroused by the announcement that the leading feature at the Queen's to-day will be the picture "Hypocrites." The bills give it the alternative title "The Naked Truth," &nd go on to describe it as "the most beautiful and daring picture ever made." It is true that in certain scenes a nude female figure does appear 011 the screen, but in these passages the figure is shaded and elusive, and it is asserted that there is never at any time the slightest suspicion of lewdness. The central theme of the Story is that "Truth" is eternally simple and pure, and appears like unto a naked Virgin, and that tho disfiguring raiment of convention, religion, and politics, business and other appurter. ances of civilisation can never 'be a proper garb for "Truth." The theme is claimed to be artistically conceived and developed. Another item on the programme is entitled "The Winning Punch," a three-reel comedy by the Triangle-Keystone combination, j A "Topical Budget" will also be shown.

PICTURE ENTERTAINMENTS. Tho holiday programme to be presented at the Globe Theatre at noon to-day wil! be headed by the EquitableWorld drama "Her Great Hour." Supporting pictures are "The Gaumont Graphic'' (war topical), "Betty, the New Girl" (comedy), "An Animal Acrobat'' (interest), and "Mutt and Jeff's iDailv Life" (cartoons). There will be a matinee to-day at the Sydenham Theatre, when "The Ragamuffin,'' featuring Blanche Sweet, and a strong supporting programme, will be shown. "The Pretenders," a Metro comedy drama, proved a big attraction at the Grand Theatre on Saturday. The leading role is taken by Miss Emmy Wehlen. a young actress who has scored many successes on,the stage in Europe and America. Miss Wehlen is considered one of the best gowned women in pictures. The picture will be repeated at all sessions to-day, in conjunction with the sixteenth * series of "The Broken Coin." The new programme to be screened at His Majesty's Theatre at the matinee this afternoon is a particularly fine one, and it is headed by "Daphne and the Pirate," a Triangle Fine Arts drama, which tells the thrilling story of the days when Lousiana was a French colony and girls were sent across the sea to be sold to the colonists for wives. Lillian Gish is starred in the name part. Elliot Dexter, former Broadway leading man, is the hero of the romance, and heads a strong Griffiths supporting cast, which includes Walter Long. Howard Gave. Lucille \ ounge and Richard Cummings. The costume of the period lends splendour to the production, and there is a realistic fight at sea between a pirate few and the officers of the King, who are conveying a cargo of girls to America. The programme also includes the latest Pa the Gazette, a Pathe coloured natural history film, "Young Bird Life," and a Vitagraph comedy. ''The Cost of High Living."