AMUSEMENTS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16208, 10 May 1918, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS.

THEATRE ROYAL..

Tfceeo new programme presented by Mr Sydney James and his clever company was welcomed last night at the Theatre Royal Vy a decidedly appreciative audience, but cno that v. us not quite so large as the excellence of the fare- cceervod. The bill was fall of jicoc. things, and concluded with one* of the smartcs. burlesques—the potted pantomime that has been staged here fcr a lone tim-o. aiwor a rousing opening bv "Zimmr" and the orchestra, a chorus~bv the full stren"ih 01 tne company started the ball rolling. Mr bycmey_ James, the Chief Stroller, wm responsiolc, in eome cases alone, and in otnera with "Ccmiederates," for some exceedingly humorous work during the even--3 singing of the weil-'ir. own song •Tit ■Willow 1 in dialect, was immense. The nrss of tais classic wu« given in tho manner o: a weei-end "knnt," then in tbo r:'_rions styles of a cceter, a Scotchman, "a *' - eucnman . and an Italian, and in response ■■o an enthusiastic encore he san"- "Tho liotion of the Hand/' With the aforesaid Confederate. Mr G, W. Desmond Mr James gave a screamingly funny series >f experiments in alleged thought reading tho turn being so neatly done" that the "audience was nearly fooled once or twice and he ended up with "Billy," who from his coign of vantage on M r James's kr.e* kect . a J' dl - nce in nts of laughter for twenty rnffiiii.es cr so. Others who contributed to tr°j e " J ° r S eni . tile ev <>ning were: Mi** t tj 1 " 0 - uota:t ' r > iI " 3 J oei« Jackson, Hiss a £ "d -Miss Q. Trenberth. The -eccnd half o. the programme waa the °reat panto. "Aladdin," staged with a profuseness o: scenery marvellous to behold, ihe large company of actors, the huse ball®*' ' f , wond - rful mechanical effects" really have to be seen to be appreciated, and the c.imax oi the Grand March cf th<* n.-rhVns simply brought down the hocse, especiallv asPapanui, whoso emblem waa taat usualif se*n over a liont-de-Piete, and Invercargili, whose emblem was a large black bottle, were mclu -d among the nations. The nro . gramme will be repeated to-night.

OPERA HOUSE. The programme at the Onera House last evening was anccessfnlly repeated before a W bestowed libeTal at>p 0 "7? r cn , each every item on the bill. Popular items on the vaudeville bill w<-re natv 7 ai ? ]yn aad Mack . American n„°' a ? d daJl °e team, Mandeno's Mn« ' A ta 3nd The Haverlov Picnic ' and e th ° m?any re P eat ' ;d "Muldoon's T ■ , he P , lcco mct cntiro apprevaL Ta-night the Jack Hartin Comnanv n^t a Bo e 'JV 3 *' and Lee' and the Five Lew-'ns It 1 to 6 mn fareWC "? to Christch *-ch audienceo. At to-morrow a-tternoon's matinee the Havertheir »«Tenth musical . led at the Cabaret," a most hilarious production concerning m'-xe KT of Mr Dimiel On 7 on the vaudeville nroAlice, two men and a frirl, who ju"j?Io in a Mctmary; Upside Down • ' ?. JO drinlcs and smokes while hk h . ead ' and conclrdL by walking downstairs while in a topsy-turvv posnion; and Raleigh and McDcnu d of ciever performers on the slack wire.

•® QUEERS THEATRE. Excellent attendances wer<* recceded «t O Que*n'a Theatre yesterday, highly the4 ei Prid/* dramat ? c Photoplay, "Souu !!i IV., a S* m screened. It j 3 k ;* I, ' 111 41x0 requirements for a satisfyin a film storv are so admirably combined as e So- y th" e " t -iV baorbin -l stor 7 of -thTold South. Gail Kane, who ia the Creole 0 heroineimparts ft* required daintin^Tnd - graco in„o the character, and gives it rivil- .. n-:ss and reality. The other character are in capable hands, and the result is a prodnc- _ tion that icachea a uniformly hijh standard. lhe incidents that make- up the, drama are j intensely • interesting, and hold the attention to the happy climax. Great fidelity to de- <- tail characterises the interiors of the old '- mansions in JTow Orleans, and also the 3 f?a nCS T. in tha - quaint etreeta of that city. s /Southern Pride," and ils supporting subj Jec.a, will be screened again to-dsv. For next week a strong attraction is annonnced in the screening of the first instal- * ment of the serial, "The Lass of the'Lum--3 berlands," tha scene of which is laid in the } great timber areas of Canada. Margarita Fuller will be featured in '"Miss Jackie of the Army/' which, will be included in next week's programme. "A TALE OF TWO CITIES." Undiminished attendances are recorded j both at Crystal Palace and at Star Land, j where the magnificent William Fox feature drama, "A Tale of Two Cities," continues to deiight large audiences. Though considered . by some authorities to be the leaat character- ! istio of Charles Dickens's novels, "A Tale t of Two Cities" haa charmcd and enthralled millions of readers. The character studies, especially those of the widely divergent Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay, are drawn by the hand of a master, lie historical ele. L ment in the story, which contains graphic J descriptions of social life in England and France at the time of the French Revolution, add greatly to its interest and value. In the cinematograph version the fullest justice is done to the dramatic incidents of a narrative that lends itself so well to pic- ; torial treatment. The acting is of the highest possible standard. William Faraum, who represents tho debonair French nobleman, Charles Da may, and also the dissipated and seemingly wholly fallen English bar- ' ri3ter, Sidney Carton, fills the dual role auc- ' cessf ully and convincingly. It needs but 1 little stretching of the imagination to al- ' moot hear the well-known phrase with which • Sidney Carton, on the platform of the [ guillotine, gladly gives his life for hia . double, Charles Darnay. The sweet and graceful acting of Jewel Carmen makes the part of Lucie Manette s, finely-expressed study of a lovable character. In all tho details of this truly magnificent production there has been shown close adherence to the I costumes and manners of the times in which, the stirring events depicted took 5 lace. The opportunities for witnessing this admirable cinematograph version of "A Tale of Two l Cities" ore now not many, and should be taken advantage of by all who .have not yet seen the film. With its supporting pictures, "A Tale of Two Cities" will be screened today at both the Crystal Palace and Staxland. EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. Tno highly enjoyable comedy, "Betty TaJceo « Hand," in which dainty and charming Olive Thomas is ieatured, drew large attendance to Everybody's Theatre yesterday. The 6ame programme, which includes the aviation study, "Auckland from Aloft," will bo screened again to-day. "POLLY OF THE CIRCUS." A special attraction is announced at Everybody's next week in the big Goldwyn star production, "Polly 0 f the Circus." The film comps with an excellent reputation for its brilliancy and magnificent settings. The lending part, thai of Polly, the idol of the circus ring, is played by Mac Marsh, who first came prominently to the notice of lovers of motion pictures as Little Sister in "The Birth of a Nation," and later as th« Girl in the modern episode, of "Intolerance." As Polly of toe Circus Mae Marsh is said to have done nothing better. The play » a charming and entrancing romance of the sawdust ring, and no expense has been spared in making the surroundings as realistic as possible. The story is an absorbingly interesting one, and opens with the adootion of a little orphan girl by » clown, who rears her. An accident happens to her, and she has to bo left behind in a small town, whero she is sheltered by the minis tar, a , proceeding that caasea some scandal amongst I some of hia congregation. Polly subsequently rejoins the circus. There ia a big fire, j from which she ia rescued, and which. Wds up to the happy conclusion of the story. In th« development of the drama -tier© BTO many opportunities for excellent photography, and these havo been taken full advantage of. I Circus lift, naturally, monopolises much of tie incident, acd the thrilling scene picturing the trreat fira in the bfe tent ia meat ' realistically screened. Some idea of tho ex- " pense incurred in uroducing this magnificent (Sim is given by the fact that, to obtain the circus scenes, it was necessary to secure a fully equipped circus, everything complete from brass band to elephants. Amongst - other noteworthy incidents pictured is a horse race, which ia claimed to he moat exert inland vivid. s GRAXD . _ T* l ® programme now being shown at the Grand Theatre haa proved a meat pouular one. there bang larjfe crowds at all sessions. * Aliaa Mrs Jesrop," the remarkable Metro picture, with Misa Emilv Stevens in the lead, has attracted considerable attention and her dual roles of the good and the bad girl must be numbered amongst the triamnhs of the screen. Charlie Chaplin, in his clever comedy, "One A.M.." still provides considerable merriment to his large audience*, while the other pictures are also very entertainin?. On Monday the Metro feature de luxe. "Bluo Jeans." will be shown for the first time. This i* d-'scribed as the most wonderful of all Metro wonderplays. and features the oopular little actress, Viola Dana, £& rrhai" i« stated to be her best characterisation. This picture haa had a tremendous run wherever it has been shown, at times Amounting to a sensation.

[ "SEVEN DAYS* LEAVE." The "Sydney Morning Herald." speaking , of the production "Seven Days' Leave,' [ says: "Walter Howard has many adm ; rer£ > of his melodramatic work, and the lotos I [ of his productions, perhaps not eo skilfully contrived as others that have «mia > a ted from his pen, ia delightfully lrcaii, . einco it deals with a subject rich in dramatic possibilities, and which furnishes ample t ecopo for the actor." Xert Tuesday, at the i Theatre Royal, Messrs Fuller will present Mr Allan Wiiiio, the vrell-known Lnjlish actor, and a strong cast, in "Seven Days' ' Leave," which deals thrillingly with tha adventures of a British officer on leave and hia sensational destruction of a German U-boat, in which he is assisted hy a brave girl. The sinking of the submarine is described as a wonderful piece of etage mechanism, while the art of the scenic artist is stated to be 1 seen in many picturesque settings. The spy : menace is dealt with in a masterly manner and never fails to impose an irresistible grip upofr* the audience. The plana for the first five nights of the season are now on view at The BristoL There will''be neither oarly doors nor on" advance on booking prices. LIBERTY THEATRE. The high moral lesson so delicately and yet so effectively conveyed, in the absorbingly interesting film, "Enlighten Thy Daughter," was appreciate*! by large attend* ances at Liberty Theatre yesterday. The fine acting of Ruby® de Eeemer, of Zeena Kaefe, of James Morrison, and of Arthur l» a special and noteworthy feature, and adds greatly to its success. The story, which constitutes a powerful indictment of prudery, has aroused much comment, and the weight of opinion appears to be that the lesson conveyed is cf the greatest national importance. The film,, with its supporting subjects, will ha s<±eeo£d again to-day, and at evening session a specially augmented orchestra will slay appropriate selections. STRAND THEATRE. Lou Telligen and Mary Fuller, .who are featured in the drama of North-Western Canada, "The Long Trail," drew large audiences to the Strand Theatre yesterday. With its supporting subjects it will be screened again to-day. SKATING RDTK. Throughout the day and evening yesterday there were large numbers of skaters to oe seen on the commodious floor at the Colosseum Skating Rink. Each day's sessions see a marked improvement in the skating of the learners, the very capable tuition received giving the beginners the necessary confidence after a lesson or two. To-day's sessions will be 10 a-m.. to 12 noon, 2.30 ;a to 4.30 p.m., 5.30 pjn. to 7 p.m. (learners', session), and 7.30 p_m. to 10 p.m.