ENTERTAINMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 949, 17 October 1910, Page 11

ENTERTAINMENTS.

"WHAT EVERY WOMAN KNOWS."

J. M. Barrio -must, surely lie accounted the most brilliantly versatile of modern writers for the stage. He never bases a play on a passing craze, .or on. a question that has caught fehe public ear. Avoiding all cycles and influences lie may bo set down as a purist in dramatic creation, as witness the writer's plays which have been seen in New. Zealand—"The. Admirable Cricliton," ".The Professor's Love Story, "Quality Street," "Peter Pan," and now "What Every Woman- Knows.". They all possess qualities wliich ivill' make them permanently popular with intellectual audiences, .while, they will .always-be caviare to - those ' who find theatrical refreshment in blatant melodrama. Tho_ performance' given by the .Williamson. Company is an admirable one—one, indeed, which will stand out boldly.in. the.theatrical year. Mr. Harcourt Beatty' reveals iiis real powers as John Shand. They have been masquerading too. long in flashy melodrama. Miss Nellie Stewart, while: she' hardly suggests the plain little Scotch "buddj"' in her person, doos so. acceptably in. her.; acting. / Mr. J.. B. Atholwbod is peculiarly satisfying as l)avid,''tli6 head ,of the Wylie, family, and :his well-de-fined authority in. the several- domestic scenes is quite in accord with .the. fcharacter. Mr. Gregan M'Malion loses himself. cleverly , as . James Wylie,and Mr-. Eaidley Turner, .though; rather refined for';the.'_father of an' admittedly illiter-. ate family, get in- some . good touches.The - "business" , is good . - throughout. l •How;. "Scotch", it is-to see. David lifting the live coals out of : sie fire before gomgtobed, and to watch' the carefu' Maggie, cover her best.chair for the night. Though' there .are three gas-burners, only, one isever lit—-Seotchagain.Tlio piper in full regalia in the orchestra and the overture, of. Scottish airs: .before the rise of the curtain, aU "productive of "atmosphere." .'lt is'a 'matter for. regret to announce;that the! last per-' formanceof ' • "What Every- Wowan Knows" will be given'this, evening. . .To-morrow evening a now dramatic version of Du ."Trilby" will be Staged, , with . Miss Nellie Stew-' art as Tiilby and Mr. Gaston 'Mervalo as Svengali., .A: hovel effect is introduced in tile final' act, • where! instead 6f .;Trilby's song . being left to the im-1 agination, tlie curtains 'at the : back ;of tne':'stage' are . flung back and. Trilby".is' seen singing ' 'Beii Bolt'' to a great audience, with Svengali, in his Hungarian uniform, conducting the' orchestra. • : .

' THEATRE ROYAL

-A; very appreciative audience packed the. Theatre; Royal on Saturday ■: night, 'when , the last performance ,of'the: present programme .was' submitted. Among the many,; popular turns • mdy be' noted. the Handcuff.: King. . Haneo was ; challenged on. Saturday night •• by. two 'men 'from .the audience",; who . bound; him. to a piece of wood,' arranged. like; a - cross 'tree, but he managed- to free.. himself without ; , much ;' difficulty. A. complete,'change of. programme is. announced for to-night, • included -in which 4b . the turn'of Mr. .Fred -Gray, arid Miss Graham, who offer an exceed-' ingly diverting lnusical comedy-'entitled '.'The Musical Bell Boy." Fred Gray to.be.a really good comedian, and both are; musicians; : i ; :. <

HIS MAJESTY'S. ' -His Majesty's ;,was-packed at . both performances on Saturday. Popular items in the programme submitted this week are "The Marriage of; Muggins, V.C.," and "An Adopted. Daughter,'', a drama of, the,prairies. 7 ; An instructive picture, is _ that .. which shows various kinds of -microbes'' arid bacteria' as, they appear under the' lenses of a powerful -microscope. _ Scenic .and' industrial pictures, metit * are an ./'Excursion Through l : Brittany" and' Pearl. Fishing in. Australia.-'.' Tlie programme as a whole easily: holds' the attention and commands the approval of the audience. It ■Will. be agam thrown on the s'creeii "-this evening. - . ■. ■ -. KING'S THEATRE. : Matiitm7a!iid..'. : ''.«f«iiuig performances drew a full 'attendance to; the ■ King's. Theatre on A leading place among the'. dramaiicViUms,, presented is., taken .by the fiiie'pictureientitled. liorig ~ Trail.'.':. It portrays., vividly- -the. struggles and privations of white men in' their battlewith, ;the. primeval/ wildernesses !■ ofNorth;. America.. -, Around : this star attraction are grouped a series'' of pictures,, dramatic, scenic,- industrial' and comic, that can. hardly fail to attract the; approval-.they evoked on Saturday. . The samo pictures will bo shown this, evening. • v.- v.OLYMPIA RINK. Keen enthusiasm continues to be the

"distinguishing'.feature'of'the daily sessions at the Olympia Skating Rink' in Vivian Street. With a good 'hand, a good floor, arid good 'skates, patrons -may' rely> on exhilarating' sport at- the Olympia. ; ; HANCO'S JUMP. |. Haiico'si inmp'-into tho/sea at Day's; Bay.-, .on Saturday was witnessed by a fair crowd;' The: entertainer mounted a' struotiire;''tho : top\<)f ' which was about twenty-five feet from . the; water. ' 'Iroris were placed about his legs and wrist's and elsewhere',, and he jumped- frdm thS/ staging .into the,.sea.-,..1n. what,appeared to be well.inside,.a' minute 'he had released himself! • ; '!*■ ■ A WELLINGTON ACTOR'S SUCCESS. . Mr. • Harry Plimmer, who hails ,;frosi Wellington,' has. app'arently.v.made ran impression \ in. ; ; his:- of ..the Stranger -in Jerome, K>. . Jerome's; remarkable play "The.Passing .; ; the. Third Floor Baek." In .the course of "a highly laudatory criticism, the Auckland - "Stat" sajs i—"So completely has Mr.-: Plimmer succeeded that ' ll©. posi-tiveli'-.dominatesi-tlife hbuSe..lohg..after the curtain lias fallen.'; There; was a Bifence^ ; ;V'»tipenee.'s:-r»tl»6r-7«imorigst the crowdj; a;, disinclination to the usual gHb'/criticismV; to noisy approval, sweeping condemnation, or patronising tolerance; ' many people- had been 'struck,' and ' 1 they . wanted their thoughts more •to themselves than usual.- Nay, more; there was.a sense of extra courtesy, extra consideration for one's fellows, apparent. Now, had Mr., Plimmer,'s.,. performance been overdone, had it jarred,' had it been less restrained, or rather indeed than what it was. this , would not have been 1 so.It ia incomparably tho best thing lie ..has done, and he has our warm congratulations."

ORGAN RECITAL,

" For quiet musical refreshment after tho hubbub and worry of the week, the city organist's Saturday evening recitals are to be commenced. ■- They soothe as. thov elevate and refine, for Mr. ilaughan Barnett lnis theraro gift of arranging .a. well-balanced ■'rprogramme which is'not 'given to all musicians. On Saturday, evening a -noble company of composers'" were' represented—Wafener, m his "Breislied" from ;tho • opera . Die Meistersinger.!' Baclijiin his; "Passacaglia" (in.,o minor), one of t'ho masters lessor-known compositions, Handelj •in his gavotte from "Otho," and Cliopin, in his "Nocttane in'E flat." Otlier items wero Salome's "Grand Olioeur," Hollms's dainty "Spring' Song," Lemairo's "Grippricco," and ; Callciu s 'festal'. March. 3 Whon it is possible to hoar suoh a programme on such an organ, played by so capable an exponent of the instrument as Mr. Barnett, for sixpence, the wondor is. tlhftt there should be any seats, vacant at aIL