AMUSEMENTS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16216, 20 May 1918, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS.

ALLAN WILKIE SEASON: "THE STORY OF THE ROSARY." Tho last performance of "Seven Days' Leave," by tiic Allan Wilkie Dramatic Co., drew a crowded house to the Theatre Royal on Saturday night. The piece went with a swing and was thoroughly enjoyed. To-night this very eauabio company will present for tho first timo in (Jbristchurch Walter Howard's fine play, "The Story of tho Rosary." This play is quite new to Incw Zoa:and, haviiig mude its initial appearance iu Auckland on.y a month ago. There has been much confusion over the similarity in me tine to a piuy juiown as "'alie iiosary." "Tho Story of the Rosary" ia in no way connected with that play, and was written only two years ago. bpeuKiiig of the production of "Tho Story of the .hosary," tho Auckland ••Herald" says:—"Tho romance of a berbian regiment ol dragoons and of its most poyiilar officer is told in Waller Howards melodramatic play. Mr Allan \\ ilkio and his line company made an excellent impression on a large audience in th's picce. Opening quietly, the story develops into one of many stirring situations in an atmosixhcreof war. There aro glimpses of battles in the Balkans, ono scene ia which a shell is launched into a building with destruct:ive cffcct episodes m the lives ot courageous soldiers, and other excitinc features. Good construction and heart interest also characters ' iho . SS t WW Rcsarv ' " Mr Wilkie appears in tho leading ™He r nr? U fiori S £5 ga STtffWS ST* * y m The te box plans axe at Tho Bristol.

s OPERA. HOUSE. > Tho matinee and evening performances at > ' the Opera House on Saturday wcr ® . ly attended, the at »e^ • fiitatiiiir tno use o£ ©very available seat, im L Havcrioy Musical Farce Company entered unon the Inst week of their Ciinstchurcli sea- ' eon by produauig "Murphy Marooned," an- ' other of those popular successee tho " Irishman of that nam* is by n.a ' Michael Cusoy in providing e«m« 1 delightful Irish wit, jests, and crossi talk. 1 Tho new production is a skit on Robinson Crusoe, tho island in this case boing Rogy-la-800, and the stranded sailors Murphy aud the inevitable "Friday," a part admirably played by Mr Billy Maloney. M'urphy and Friday were responsible for th© majority of the humorous situations, their thought-read-in°" stunt being an irresistibly funny piece of fooling. As in the company s previous productions, "Murphy Marooned contains many bright and attractive musical numbers. One of the most diverting of theso vtaa "Higher in Hawaii," a eong dealing with tho length of ladies' skirts at different periods. Tho song was cxccllently given by Mr Billy Moloney, the Kewpie Kids illustrating tho dresses of varying lengths. Other very popular songs were "Pretty Baby, 6*ung by Miss Claire Lloyd, "Hawaiian Butterfly-/ by Miss Mfcrlo Stewart, "Alabama Jubilee by Mr Billy Maloney, and "Sunshine of Your Love" by Mr Hog. Mooro. Besides assisting in all the musical numbers tho troupe of Kewpie Kids sang "Dixie Land' very pleasingly, concluding with a concerted danoc which "earned them a well-merited encore. Two of their number, Misses Laurel Barratt and Eosio Flood, also performed a bare-foot dance very prettily, this also having to bo repeated. Altogether the company's latest production is ono of the most enjoyable they have staged. The first half of tho programme consisted of -vaudeville turns given by Raleigh and McDonald (clever slack-wiro performers), Upside Down Wright, Frank, Lank, and Alicc, and Mandeno's Dogs, the latter appearing for the last time. All' theso turns were very warmly applauded. The vaudeville bill will be strengthened to-night by tho appearance of Carlton Max (ventriloquist) and Bellora (a clever imitator of birds). The box plans for this programme, which will run throughout tho week, are at Milncr and j Thompson's. . j "THE BABES IN THE WOOD." j At the Crystal Palacc and Starland Theatres this week, commencing with tho midday sessions to-day, will bo shown the fascinating and uniquo photo-phantasy produced by William Fox, entitled "Tho Babes in tho Wood." The picturo is said to bo I absolutely original from a film point of view, and full of the most magnificent cffcct3 j known' to stagecraft and moving pictures. ' The picturo is one thai will appeal not only to children —who have received it in other centres with the keenest joy—but also to tho grown-ups, for it will- tend to carry them back to the romance of their younger years and lift the load of care and responsibility ■that few adults aro without in these day= of worry and uncertainty. The old story of ■■ the fairy tale books lives again under the ; magic wand of that great creator of pictures , William Fox. Tho witches, goblins, gnomes, I fairies, and such like beings of mystery will | pass across the screen in quick succession, ; and tho tremendous interest of the tale 13 maintained with never a slackening right . through. The fact that the film is a Fox . film is guarantee enough that it be first-class in conception, staging, and photography, and it will bo also amazingly realisi tic, if tho word can bo fittingly app.icd to theme essentially unreal. Some remarkably fine scenes have been incorporated in tho play. For example, there is tho groat dance of tho fairies, the witch in her gincjer-breaa house, and the two Babes of the V.ood fleeing from the bad Prince, ana the Good Fairy coming to their aid. Theso are so finely produced as to make ono believe that the people of 'fairyland did actually exist, and that the picture was the result of a visit by the camera man to their realms of romance and mystery. Hundreds of beautiful i children take the parts of the faims in this picture and fill the roles of the witches, tho princesses, and tho heroes. Special arrangements have been made to provide for the school chi'.dren to roe tho picturo each afternoon, and it will commence at 3.4 a at the Crystal Palace and at 4.30 at Starland. The picture will be watched with all the more interest by tho youngsters for the fact that the principal actors are but children themselves. The Babes are Virginia Lee Corbin, who is only 4$ years o!d.* and Francis Carpenter, who is ono year older, and it, is said that tho work of these two little artists is excellent in all respects. "THE ETERNAL CITY." Next Saturday, at the Theatre Royal, what is doubtless ono of the mcrat spectacular film plays ever screened here will be shown, this (vein" the dramatisation of Hall masterpiece, "The Eternal City." No city holds so muvh power, and 30 much mystery in its embrace as does Rome, and in the play the blending of the spectacular with tli© dramatic

QUEEN'S THEATRE. Tho new programme at tao queen's Theatre this woek is an outstanding one, und mciuaco i two star ieaturcs us welt as a auong suppoit. I Juliette uay, in ,r XHo Calendar uirl, will I bo something new to unristcnurch, as new as ©iic is ciiarimng. **Tho Caienaur biri is I pla.y that will delight tho heart of woni ™~ i Kind. It is a bewildering whirl ot iinery, but aside from tiiia tuero is an mtexcsimg &t ° in which Mica Day proves so fasciuating thai, aho is eure to interest the men as -well as tho women. Miss Day is a prime favourite among playgoers. bho paid £JOO for no "beach costume" sho wears in lho Calendar Girl," and she ia said to have got tier money's wortfi! All the gowns iuss Day wears in this play are vory expensive- creations. Hor ballroom gown alone cost iauo, and in tho studio of "Madame Lizctte s' iasiiionable gown shop she wears bcvcxkl costumes that are tho Jast v.'ord in beauty and costliness. Tho other .great attraction of I the programme is tho second instalment of tlio serial "A Lass of tho jjumbevlands." In | tnis chapter Dollar Holmes, who has driven [ away hia wife and daughter, believing tlieni dead, marries again. Twenty years elapse. I Holmea'a eon Stephen, having finished his > university schooling, starts for home on tho r stoamehip .Marathon. Helen has developed into a young lady of beauty and courage. .The Marathon runs on the rocks in a, fog, and Stephen, panic-fltricken, loapß overboard and swims out to sea instead of in to land. Helen witnesses his plight from a high cliff, but not knowing that he is her own father's son, dives into tho ocean and rescues him. In appreciation, the older Holmes gives her a position in the station on his railroad. Through the station ho sends a telegram ordering his camp foreman to buy holdings of a small timberman, and thereby juin a. group of his neighbours. Helen goes to tho men and warns them. When Holmes's emissaries come to tho cabin, ho refuses to eell, and they shoot him. Then comes a wild rac© by Holmes's men in an automobilo, and Helen by locomotivo and canoe, each intent on reaching the recorder's office, miles away, and filing a claim on tho dead man's lands. Tho automobile crashes through a condemned bridge and falls forty feet, into tho xiver. Tho oocupants of tho car swim to tho shore. On a high trestle Helen's locomotive is . stopped, and by means of a rope sling sho is lowered into a canoe on the surfaco of a stream far lower, and starts paddling along a short cut out to the recorder's office. EVERYBODY'S. Robert Hichon's thrilling romance of the desert, "The Garden of Allah,*' which will be shown in a magnificent film ul Everybody's all this week, is a remarkable work, into which aro compressed all the glamour and splendour of tho East. The "stars" aro Helen Wavfe, as Domini, and Thomas Sautsclii as Boris. The story is as unusual as it is tragic. It tells of of a wealthy young English girl who, unable to attain complete contentment in her lifo in England, resolves to travel. Sho decidcs on Algerii, and on .arrival there tho spirit of tho desert takes, entire possession of her; further, sho meets there a man who inspires in her a foeling that is something more than love —something akin to awe. This man is a Trappist monk ■who (having taken tho vows when very i young, and whilo under the influence of deop mental stress) has .fled tho monastery to ire-enter the living world. They are married, and are impelled to oboy th® "call of tho desert," travelling far inland, and living I what they consider "tho ideal lifo" on an I oasis. But. after a time, tho man becomes i stricken with remorse, and eventually his broken vows and the deocption of his wifo compel him to mako a full confession. This confesion leads up to an ending that ia tragic for both husband and wife. The pictur© is remarkablo for tho many really beautiful desert scenes, and for the glimpses given of Arab life. It possesses a strangely weird atmosphere, and it is a decidedly unique picture. It is in ten spectacular [ parts, and tho mysterious existence of tho two main characters on the grtfit Sahara Dosert is artistically portrayed. j LIBERTY THEATRE. Comedy will be tho predominating feature at tho Liberty Theatre this week, the over popular Charlio Chaplin appearing in what is said to be his funniest creation, "Tho Adventurer." This screaming absurdity claims, with good reason, to h© tho most grotesquely humorous fabrication ever produced. The . solemn antics of the great Charles beggar ; ctescrip tion, and besides tho usual Chaplin • tricks there are other now ones too numcrous to moniion. In this two-reel Mutual picture Charlie Chaplin appears as an escaped ' convict. The picture opens with a policohunt, and Chaplin makes his appcarance rising out of the sand on tho heath. A ! chaso, with some good antics, follows. Then the scene changes to a watering-plaoc, where Chaplin, having discarded his convict uniform for a bathing dresß, rescues several people, including a pretty girl and a villain. Ho is received at the girl's home as. a guost of Commodore Slick. Eventually the polioo arrive, and a chase through the house ensues, Chaplin at last escaping thro>ph tho front door. The other star film. "Until Thoy Got Mo," ip one of power and dramatic interest. The story tells how an outlaw had to leave his homo just as his baby boy was ■born, and he promised to return that day year. Years still pursued by an implacable police Bystem, he tells a young girl, •who helps him to escape being caught that he- still returns to see his young son "one* every year—until they get me." The effect is magical, and those four tragic wordc "until I They Get Me." have been used to name tho picture, in which Paulino Starke does some fine work. In support there is tho 13th instalment of the serial, "The Neglected Wife (Revolting Pride), and a very interesting Gaumont Graphic. SKATING RITTii. In spite of the fact that there were numerous strong counter-attractions, tho Colosseum Skating Rink had its full share of patrons at Saturday's sessions, both afternoon and evening. Tho morning session was überaliy patronised by school children. At night the whole of tho skates pcsscescd by tho management were on hire, the floor, the largest in tie Dominion, praenting a nic6t animated appcarance, tho enjoyment of the ekatera being materially added to by the excellent musio played by Mr C. Dunn's band. Ihe rink will be <pen to-day at the usual hours.

ia said to bo very fine indeed. Tho valuo STRAND THEATRE. of mo iJiciiuo ia greatly enhanced by mo Largo auaie.icea at all sessions at the picseuce in tlio aut part oi i J aulmo btraua iliouuo on &a turday wiinowcj im ■ rrcdoncK, the Ameiican trugcaienc, who varied, and attractive new piogr«iwne, and plays mo roio of tho uouutilui uoniia, itomu, lound nothing but in IUC 6lur f, lln ana by tho abio support oi such vveU-Kiiown the Laaky auaptaiiou 01 Ucno fatratton Voractors as 'inoinas ju.o.Qing, !• uiler Jvleiiian, • wt a inio taio oi me ±,1111imuosl "T ivcmce" - Frank Losoc, and Ueo. ilajoroni. J: or . iiiq uuioiding of tho avoiy keeps the atkniiiu .jit-iuie, n.Siao sct-ues 01 mo coliseum, | turn enhanced. Tho orphanage, where poor tlie gaiUcna ot tho \ atiean, etc., have been , little one-aimed Freckles is the ecoff tad secured. lor tho hist tirno in motion pic- Jujt 0 t iiis moic-lavouivd loilows, is wauvt'uro history, and it toos not a liulo cajoimg ncaliy pictured, but it is when the scene uuioro tho itaiUu auinonucft womdunoeua ehnta to the .Liiiiberiost that tho superb pho enough to aiiow it to bo done. Many seußa- tography becomes truly manifest. Thci« is tional scenes take piaco in the p.ay, autt tho ~0 mistaking the real "big timber," nor tic great riots and the huge procesbioa of pxwsts incidents dosenptivo of tho rough iifo of tho Sua oigunaues at tho i-'opos lumDeiman. Tho great light between actual events which have boon clcverlj bleu i« reeves and the timber stealer startles by ■ cd into tho plot. o£ tho story. its roansm—tho heavy blows ot tlio "one ' Irish hst' of i-'reckie® can bo aimoai.hcanL And so with tlio remainder of tho story, till it reaches its iiappy ciiniax. Tho adaurabla actiug ot charmn.g .boulso iluif, tho tine ud spirited interpretation of tho character of ricckics by Jack Picltiord, aud tho excellent photography go to mdko an iiltogothct d* • Ughttul drama oi romantic incident amid picturesque surroundings. Other liitaa BCieened wcro tho comedy, "Homo Defenoe," another aeries of .burton Jio.mes'a tr»v»! >' tu res -tho work ol tho forest rangera of tho United States being graphically set forth-' tho Paramount Gazetto picturing aquitlo sports at Island Bay, near Wellington, and tlio American uazeuo; altogether a splendidly varied and most attraotivo programme, To-day and this evening the samo films will bo ecrccncd.

GRAND THEATRE,

At tho Grand Theatro aJi tbia week HiroM' Lockwood will bo seen in ins latest MaIKX wonder-play. This is entitled "Tlio Aveng-W ing 'I'mit," and it is stated that Mt jjock- ' wood cnucts tlio most vigorous roio he "H had in ins eight yours' experience before U»" camera. The pieco is a virilo romanceof ', iho north woods of Canada, uad tho action is swift and thrilling. it ft me etoryof a man who doiendß a girl'a rights, at greet risk to himself, onJy "to lind tuat : understands his motives. !ihe conclotion, ' however, is a good one; Trr is Uiginy gitig. = factory to all concerned. Harold Lockwood acquito himself with great credit, mk! h m said that tiio acting throughout the pl»j combined with the beauty aJ Cho netiinn, .*■ and tho cxcelloncd of tho photography. tho piay on© of rare iuent. It will 'hi ' supported by a good list of minor aubjoofo ,; "THE RED TRIANGLES." ■F° r bo'bc l timo past a concert party, knoira > as 'Tho Rod Triangles," has been busily' practising in tho Y.M.C.A. rooms, and on Saturday night the company gnvo its initial performance in the Choral Hall before a Jorge and very appreciative audience. Tho concert was a complimentary one, and an open " invitation was extended to Ml returned aol--diers and their lady friends, and also to thewidows of men who hud fallen on active ser-.■* vice. Tho "Red Triangles" scored a decided success in this, their . first appearance. Theif neat and striking Pierrot costume, with the red ' triangle in strong "prominer.ee, their general.. skill, and tho excellence of tho programme; put them on good terms with tho audience t from the rise of tlio curtain, and it is •»{» ■■ to say« that any subsequent efforts of tie party on behalf of tho Y.M.C.A.'s Trench Comfort Fund, will bo rewarded with aub- * stantial success, Tho programme included ' songs, recitations, trios, and concerted item*,, I the performers being Misses F. McDonald, ' Ruby Wilding, G. Stringer, E. Lieseck, ,0. , Thorpe, and P. Stringer, and Messrs C. £»*• rence, W. M, Stowart, R. Hollia, and t ■ Alien.