ENTERTAINMENTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2731, 28 March 1916, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE]

Any Wellington householder who awakes io find a mun coolly strolling along his slothes-line as thoiigh.it were a marine parade may safely take, it that he-is being visited by Maximo, the Cuban wirewalker, for there is no one else about here just now that' parades on slender cords like Maximo can. Maximo's turn at His Majesty;s last evening marks him as ono of the most practised wiro men of his day that we have seen in' Wellington. All' his work is good, particularly his "drunkard on the' wiro." In this turn he is tho most '.inebriated of "driiukards"and that on the slack wire.

'A. hearty welcome back was; given Miss Amy Murpliy and Miss Nellie Black, tho ialonted vocalists and instrumentalists, nun first appeared at .His Majesty's.some weeks ago. Miss Murphy's beautiful voice _, was heard to very .great advantago in her "" general items, and Miss Black sang and played excellently. The applause. which giwwd their citorts indicates how the public appreciates these really enjoyable items. Lawrence Johnston, ventriloquist, appears in tho bill,'and performs capitally in his line; Also on, the programme aro Maudel and Nagel, musicians; Eloise Taylor, soprano; The Mullaney.Twins, comei'ans and dancers; George Murphy, juggler; and Sam and Con - Lamerts. \ KING'S .THEATRE. ,'.' .-■ There is a nightly thrill in witnessing, tl|e photograph of a huge engine and' three coaches., smash through a rotten' spindle-shanked bridge, and dive head on into a river, and that sensation •is sustained .when the engine's boiler explodes, and the maddened passengers are seen trying to struggle through the broken windows into the water. Yet that is the daring (and. expensive) sensation', that is witnessed in the-picture, entitled "The Juggernaut," shown at the King's Theatre last evening. . The story attached to the . episode is a strong, and remarkably wellacted one.' It concerns the life stocy of Phillip Hardin and John Ballard, the J.former the.dissolute son of the president of an, American railroad, run' for .profits rather, than safety, andhthe ' latter a young man who has -'.'fought his' way up from humble beginnings. The two first meet over .the dead body of old Ballard, whose wagon'has been run down by the president's "special." Afterwards they meet at college, and there Phillip gets into a gambling row, and only escapes being done, to death by the timely aid rendered by John Ballard. The two lova Viola Buskin, and the latter's mother ; is the cause of John throwing up, the'sponge in favour of his rival. A year, after ; the marriage the youns wife dies in childbirth/leaving ajifcflo daughter. Twenty years pass. ; Phillip has succeeded his father, and John, as district attorney, is fighting' the rotten railway corporation. Realising the weakness of his case, Phillip threatens that if he goes on with it, he will reveal • that it was John who' murdered a man in the-gambling brawl referred to, but even..as he gloats over,this, point, Hardin receives a letter to the effect that the - mail was killed the sam« night in a liter quarrel. His daughter reads the letter, and rejoices. in John's innocence..- Then comes the. sensation.. Hardin'requires some papers from his home, and 'phones his daughter to bring them to town. . Tho automobile breaks down, she. has to continue her journey in the express. In the.meantime one, of Ballard's men, who has obtained.employment as a track, walker,' discovers one of the bridges to be rotten, and .wires Hardin, to that effect. .He places, that wire beside the one' from his daughter to say she was travelling in the express. By autto-caT and' motor hoat he makes a wild attempt to reach the spot .an time to stop the train, but arrives' only in, time to see it crash through the bridge and dive into the river. .-. Ballard ,' has also heard of the danger, and he, too,, rushes to the spot, in. time to save the daughter to whom he has become attached through her likeness to:her mother.';..' There the' picture ends—abruptly. Another-capital picture is, "From Jungle to Trouble," illustrating the amazing •■■'■: and ■ highlyamusing acting of the two trained chim-. Napoleon; and Sally. The Pathe Gazette gives snapshots of scenes in Salon, ika and Serbia;, there are some pretty scenes of Volendam, in Holland, and an amusing comedy film, entitled "Cartoons in the Country." There willbe a matinee performance every afternoon this week.

"THE'EMPRESS THEA.THE: : Such .a succession of exciting incidents as follow one another in the picture drama, "The Daughter of Darkness," are pint... often .compressed into .a... jsensible story. But the author of this,sensational film has worked out the plot in a most interesting wanner. It is tho leading item on the new programme introduced at the Empress Theatre yesterday, when it was received with the warmest approval by crowds at every. session. -"Tho Daughter of Darkness" leads a double life., being at one and the same time a dancer and quickf-change.;.artist ./it 'a. vaudeville show, and a daring criminal, whose,deeds are puzzling .the police. A Slevor. detective gains an idea that tho: two characters are identical, and his suspicions .we quickly confirmed by, his. investigations. The abduction of '"a mil-; lionaire's daughter is reported,' and the detective' immediately believes' that the cilmb'-;'is the work of the dancer. A thrilling battle; of wits ensues, ,but although the- deteotivo rescues tho millionaire's daughter and breaks tip the strong, hold of the dancer, the latter cleverly, evades capture. The film is full of unexpected turns, including a' motor-car ehase, a motor smash in front of.'an ex-

press train, a sonsatioiml, escape of a female by a rope swinging from a window, a petrol explosion, a fall from a fast travelling motor, etc. The Patho Gazetto Bires' views of tJiu French troops at Salonika, the New Zealand heroes of Suvla shifting camp, Bulgarian prisoners enphired by the Allies at Strumnitza, tho re, treat of tho Serbians, and. wounded soldiers at play. The programme'also includfS a Jjubin comedy, "His Lordship,'" a Vitagraph comedy, "The Quarrel," and'an educational subject, "The.Metallurgy of A cup of tea is supplied to dress circle patrons free of chargo at the day sessions. - . -MISS TITTEL BEUNE. , Miss Tittell Brune, who achieved such great success when appearing with the Williamson Dramatic Company in Australia and Now Zealand, and who has recently been pleasing English audiences in the well-known drama, "The Woman in the Case," is also identified with tho moving-picture business. In London she arranged to play before the camera as Esther Seager, the: leading character in a feature drama, ; "Esther Redeemed," which, is: the feature film screened at Everybody's Theatre , yesterday for tho first time. With the assistance of a strong company, Miss Brune performed most attractively as the unfortunate outcast child of. criminal parents, and as tho. story'.'progressed she shwed a keen appreciation. of the more delicate side of tho character when she is rescued from the grip of tho underworld by a wonderful surgical operation. There are many tense situations in the picture story, but a sprinkling of splendid scenery and a real ring of romance act as a balance to the seamy side. ' Miss Bruno as a picture actress has undoubtedly made a big hit, and her reappearance on the screen will "be looked for. The' latest edition of the "Gaumont Graphic" shows Mr. Peniberton Billing, the aviator, engaged in the electioneering campaign, which a few weeks ago gained hiin a. seat in, the House of Commons. British troops at Salonika are also featured in the graphic. A very popular child-actor appears in the comedy-drama, "Old - Good For Nuthin'," by the Vitagraph Co. Other items on the programme are, "Island of Walcheren" (a beautiful scenic), and an original comedy in which Billy Beeves and a jjaTrot are the prinoipal performers. This excellent programme will be given at Everybody's all this week.