ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 299, 11 September 1908, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS.

■ OPERA HOUSE. THo Opera House was well filled last evening, when "The Stepmother" held the interest of the audience from the rise of the curtain. The pieco will bo. repeated this evening. To-morrow afternoon and four succeeding nights there will be a special revival of Meynell and Gunn's .well-known "Fatal Wedding," introducing what is described as a,specially strong cast, which includes Miss Beatrico Holloway and Mr. Ernest Leicester, in the two chief characters.- Miss Queenie Williams plays the character of -Jessie, the little mother, and tho popular children of the Tin Can Band will, it is announced, introduce an entirely new musical act. Tho public throughout Australasia have proved strong patrolis of this popular emotional play. The box plan is at the Dresden. A special tariff is announced for the matinee to-morrow. PICTURE ENTERPRISE. . THE BURNS-SQUIRES BATTLE. The Theatre Royal was, packed to the doors last evening on the occasion of the opening of Messrs. MacMahon and Carroll's liinematograph Company. Every available space in the house was crowded; -and several hundred people had to be content with standing room. The first portion of the excellently; arranged programme included reproductions of tho Marathon Race, a series of pictures of athletic competitions at the Stadium sports at the Franco-British Exhibition, , and a number of well-selected comic -slides. The principal item on tho bill was-the kinematographic representation of the world's championship boxing contest between Burns and Squires, It was this tho large audience had gathered to see, and there was something intensely real about the expectancy of the crowd'as it awaited the .screening of the film which was to depict the great fight in all its detail. At length the-fight'was under :way—the crowd has battled.for admission and reached the stadium, and preliminaries-had been settled. The gladiators, two splendid specimens of muscular manhood, had shaken hands and entered on the big taski -The picture was very realistic,- and gave a clear impression of the immense crowd, -the excitement, and the actions of the combatants; Tho observer could fancy -he heard tho murmur, the hum, and the roar of the multitude as he saw the waving hats and handkerchiefs. The constantly-moving hands and feet ,of the-two-restless figures held the attention of tho audience.- Early in the fight the American could be seen forcing his opponent, not. aggressively, but steadily, in' spite of the, fact,.that Squires was doing all the leading. About the middle of the fight Squires punished' Burns, severely, and the excitement of the picture, spectators was manifested in their wild gesticulations and dumb show./ The- Australian was doing well at this stage, but a little later, it was noticed that lie was feeling the pace, that had. been set, .and his opponent was still as fresh as ever. Tho audience that was viewing : the slides forgot occasionally ■ that the fight . was' over days ago, and applauded-the.Australian when he rallied in tho eleventh and twelfth rounds. But the end was now within sight. The final round saw the Australian blowing hard, and at length he went down, but only to rise and fall again. The end had come now, the big Australian getting up once moro to receive a knock-out and to be counted out. The feeling of the spectator'when the curtain falls' is; akin to that of a man who has witnessed the real fight instead of a "kincmatograph representation." ' ' The picture will-be reproduced this evening- - ROYAL PICTURES. The second exhibition of the new, set of films at His Majesty's Theatro last evening' delighted the audience, which applauded each succeeding ; picture. Another fresh, slide, full of ■humour,'. 1 eiititled- "The'l-' Waltz Craze,"'was put forward, and was one »f "the f : s : 'the ll^eiiin'g;lJ A' J . t teatmee performance' will be " given' 'to-morrow' 'afternoon.- "■ V \ ' RiNKING. ' ,The devotees-of the roller skate arc makng the most of their time before the closing lown at tho' Olympia Rink for the season. I'he special feature of to-morrow evening vill bo the presentation of prizes won at ihe' carnival. '' - CATHOLIC CLUB'S CONCERT,' The annual concert of. the Wellington Hatholic Club was held in St.: Patrick's Hall ast, evening, a large ■ number, of club members and their • friends attending: A first--:lass musical programme was submitted, to vhich the following contributed Songs, disscs Davis "and' Jones, Messrs. Hick'mott, 31dcr, Lambert, Falvey,; and* Healoy; violin' 1010, Miss Ruby M'Donald;, piano .-duet,' Misses- Packer and Wa'rmington;: musical nonologue, Mr. Laurenson. The programme loncluded with a farco entitled "Same One," n which the characters wore -taken by ilessrs. Hickmott, Ellcr, Tiller, Amodio, and il'Grath. Miss Casey was accompanist: