ENTERTAINMENTS

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1909, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

OPERA HOUSE. "AN ENGLISHMAN'S' HOME." "An Englishman's Home" was set up, and knocked down, at the Opera House last night, to the delight of a multitude in which a military element was plainly discernible. Ever since a cable message announced the furore created by the play when it was presented in London, at a time when the hills and valleys echoed and reechoed with Dreadnought and super-Dreadnought notes, the piece has been much debated. The plot and scenes have been presented in detail, in these columns; the opinions of various 1 critics in various countries have been repeated, and only one thing remains for the people here to do — to see the' drama 'for themselves, and so contrast their own judgment with the verdicts of other observers. A hundred men .might take half a hundred different views of "An Englishman's Home." It is pre-eminently a production which has to depend for much of its serious effect on the mood of the individual in the audience 'and the tone of the times. At the time when "Mr. Brown" was playing diabolo, and "Geoffrey Smith" was reading a slangy chronicle of a football match while enemies of England were landing surreptitiously on the coast, the Sublic mind was agitated. A sense of anger, impressive because it was vague, disturbing because it was ill-defined, perI meated Britain. And then came "An Englishman's Home"— the spectacle of i the 1 traditional castle shattered by foreign shells. Hence the serious side of the piece towered above the comic ; the grim lesson pierced like a bayonet. To- ! day the alarm has temporarily passed, I especially in New Zealand, twelve thousand miles away from the theatre of war, and consequently New Zealand's interest in the piefe, differs from Eng- : land's. It is another day, another at- : mosphere. Critics may very sharply differ aoout the merits of the play as drama, or ! even as a Jasting aid in recruiting, but they are all agreed upon one point— a very important one— it is interesting. i The action holds the eye and ear, from the time of the first set in Mr. Brown's villa, where the head of the house is playing diabolo, one son is trying to make Limericks, and the air is thick with football talk, on to the siege of the household and the smashing of the walls, and the rather incongruous "Rule Britannia" at the close, with the triumphant invaders holding up their hands at the sudden advent of Highlanders and Boys in Blue. Plenty of shrewd humour is inwrought. The moral is hit home with steam-hammer, and time has shown that a steam-hammer is needed for an apathetic public. Mr. Winter Hall gave a well-studied Mr. Brown, a "John Bull" who sends for the police when the enemy arrives. Mr. Hall's voicing and nctims were very agreeable. He has obviously progressed well since he definitely t hose the stas{e, just a few years ago. Last night he studiously avoided any exaggeration in

his role ; he admirably developed the humour, both droll and grim and tragic. Mr. Reynolds Denniston put some excellent dignity into the part of Paul Robinson, one of the volunteers despised by the footballers. Mr. Aubrey Ma.Ualieu scored well with his Geoffrey Smith, "one of the crowd," a "looker on," a careless, rather bounderish young man, who does not read the serious newspapers, and doe. 1 ) not care much about anything except football, vaudeville, and a "night o\iL" Mr. Leslie Victor, who was required to be a fussy, foolish, and even idiotic captain of volunteers, cleverly supolied the article, and made much merriment. Miss Beatrice Day and Mr. Julius Knight did not have parts that were pillars o£ the piece, but fitted in with their customary art. Other members of the company — Misses Millie Lempriere and Elsie Wilson, Misses T. E. Foster, Sydney Stirling, Edgar Harris, Walter Hunt, and others, assisted creditably. "An Englishman's Home" will be repeated this evening, when the vice-regal party and the Premier are to be present. "THE SACRAMENT OF JUDAS." The "Home" was preceded by a oneact play, "The Sacrament of Judas," in which the parts were well taken by Miss Guildford Quin, Messrs. Julius Knight, Winter Hall, Reynolds Denniston. It is a chapter of the French Revolution, a net of tense emotions,' something that thoroughly grips 1 an audience. At the close Mr. Knight did some of his Tnost masterly work in hi 3 office as a priest (after ho had preferred the world to the Church), hearing the confession of an enemy. THEATRE ROYAL. The steamer Mauretania, lying at Fishguard after a record-breaking trip across the Atlantic, will be one of the attractions in the new programme of moving pictures at the Theatre Royal. Girls in the Welsh N national costume, presenting passengers with sprigs of heather as mementoes of the achievement, are a feature of the picture. " How fountain pens are made " is another interesting picture to be shown this evening. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. "How the cooks get married" is the title of an amusing series of films comprised in the current programme at His Majesty's Theatre, Courtenay-place. "The sculptor's statue" and "Julius Caesar " are other notable pictures now ' being shown nightly. STAR PICTURES AT NEWTOWIM. The Star Picture Proprietary will resume its exhibitions this afternoon and evening, in St. Thomas's Hall. "The Lady of Monsoreau," spoken of as a particularly fine picture, is to be shown on both occasions. MR. PARKER'S PUPILS. St. Andrew's Hall was well filled last evening for the annual concert of Mr. Robert Parker's pupils. The entertainment was of a first-class character. In the first half of- the programme Miss V. Bristow sang "My Mother Bids Me Bind My Hair" (Haydn) very sweetly, and Mr. J. P. Mackay's pleasant bass voice was heard in "Droop Not, Young Lover" (Handel). Miss Martin, L.A.8., played Bach's chromatic Fantasia in D Minor, and was followed by Miss DOyly, L.A.8., in the "Andante and Rondo Capriccioso/' op. 14 (Mendelssohn), accompanied on a second piano by Miss Harte, L.A.B. Miss Treadwell, L.A.8., contributed the Ballade in G Minor (op. 23, Chopin), and Mrs. E. D. Cachemaille and Miss Clero, L.A.8. , Schumann's "Andante," with variations for two pianos (op. 46). A Nocturne in A Hat, "Abend" (Joachim Raff), was playad by Miss Erica Hoby as introduction to the second half of the programme. Mrs. C. N. Hector, L.A.8., followed with the fine Brahms "Sonata in C Major" (op. IJ. Miss Treadwell's song, "The Gardener," by Hugo Wolf, was an agreeable performance; the vocal duet, "I Would that My Love" (Mendelssohn), was also very daintily given by Miss Bristow and Miss Treadwell. Grieg's "Romance," with variations, for two pianos (op 55), was played very finely by Miss C, Simpson, and Miss Gilbert, L.A.B. Miss Ethelwyn Kirk's playing of Beethoven's "Sonata in C-sharp Minor" (Moonlight), was a grateful number. Miss Harte gave the Liszt "Concert Study in D Flat" and Leschetizsky Intermezzo in octaves, performing the difficult execution in an unusually clean style. All the pianoforte players gave excellent performances, some with distinction. MISSIONS TO SEAMEN. Mr. James Moore gave a lecture ' on ambulance work, last evening, at the Missions to Seamen. There was a large audience composed of sailors from ships in port. An enjoyable musical entertainment was contributed to by Misses Baker, Dix, Levcstan, and Benge, and Messrs. Fuller and Digby. TO-NIGHT'S ORGAN RECITAL. Mr. Maughan Barnett will play Mendelssohn's Sonata No. 1, which includes Allegro Moderato, Adagio, Andante Recit, and Allegro Vivace ; Bendel's " Dornroschen," and a march composed by himself at the time of the celebrations of the sixtieth year of the late Queen's reign, at to-night's organ recital at the Town Hall. These are the principal items of his programme, and works by Bach, Lemmens, and Tschaikowski will also be played. SUNDAY CONCERT. To-morrow evening a concert will be given in. the Town Hall by the Wellington Professional Orchestra. The orchestra will be augmented for the performance. Mr. E. Carson (baritone) will contribute songs. The conceit will commence at 8.30. A collection will be taken at the door towards the library fund of the Professional Orchestra. "THE MESSIAH " AT LOWER HUTT On' Tuesday, in the Drill Hall, Lower Hutt, the Wellington Choral Society will produce " The Messiah," the same performers being engaged as for the town concert. A grand piano and a large organ are being taken out from Wellington, at which Mr. Horace Hunt and Mr. •Laurence F. Watkins will x*espectively preside. The residents may look forward j to a splendidiendering of "The Messiah" under the conductorship of Mr. Maughan Barnett. THE SCARLET TROUBADOURS. Next Friday night, Mr. Edwin Branscombe's musical party, "The Scarlet Troubadours," will succeed the Julius Knight company at the Opera House, and no doubt the change to musical merrymaking will be appreciated by many. This is the return and farewell visit of this unique company. Much comment has been made over tho excellent singing to be heard from the Troubadours, and a well-known Melbourne paper has gone so far as to say that it would do credit to any opera house in tho world. Several of the male artists arc recognised grand opera singers, and the personnel includes two members of the finest quartette in the world, the London Meister Glee Singers. Mr. Ford Waltham, whose fine bjisso voice will be remembered, is still a prominent member of the Troubadours ; in fact, all the artists who made themselves so popular here on the occasion of the first visit of the company are still with it, go that an enjoyable season, which, by the way, is limited to eight nights, may be

anticipated. Three entirely new programmes will be submitted. The box plans will be opened at the Dresden at nine o'clock on Tuesday morning. A dance will be held in the Brooklyn Hall on Monday evening. A sum of between £80 and £90 will have -to be expended by the Central Cricket Club this season. As the institution of the district scheme necessitated the starting of new clubs with practically no assets, the finances are now less flourishing than could be wished for, and in 1 order to ease the strain the Central Club is arranging a benefit concert for itself. A list of leading amateurs who are to contribute to the programme is advertised fai to-day's Post. The concert will take place in the Town Hall concert chamber, next Wednesday evening.