ENTERTAINMENTS OPERA HOUSE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1909, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS OPERA HOUSE.

"AN ENGLISHMAN'S HOME." The play "An Englishman's Home" drew a large crowd to the Opera House on Saturday evening. Preceded by the fine one-act play "The Sacrament of Judas" as a_ curtain-raiser, it proved very entertaining. Mr. Julius Knight is at his best in the "Sacrament of Judas." The programme will be repeated 10-night, and then follow three nights of the favourite "The Royal Divorce." The season closes on Thursday night. THEATRE ROYAL. *It is a very entertaining programme ot pictures that Messrs, Fuller have f.?, lee i ed for the current week at the lheatre Royal. The films are fresh and the subjects varied. The important change in the policy of the Cunard Company is shown picturesquely by views of the huge Mauretania calling at Fishgiiard in remote Wales. Then the armchair ■ traveller is treated to a journey through the Netherlands along the canals and through the towns of Old £°; v \ he natio »al costume of the Dutch at home is well displayed in several groups. A Dutch fisherman and his sweetheart standing on a quay with a background of a fishing fleet make one of the most artistic vignettes one could wish to see. The programme is rich in the "scenigraph" or travel picture. The payment of tribute rice in China shows better than a book the real state of the Far East. Then there is The Land of the Gitanos," another interesting glimpse of an interesting people. Ihese pictures in themselves ™P the programme as a good one. Add to them an educative series of scenes m the course of the manufacture ot a well-known brand of fquntain pens. Jhe hundred different processes show that even now machinery cannot altogether supersede humao handicraft. Ihere are many comic and dramatic incidents in the other pictures. Suffice to mention "The Qobbler and the Caliph, "A Convict's Sacrifice," '.'A Pair of Balmorals," "Pig Ohase by Aeroplane, ' and "Sweet and Twenty." The development of the picture story has much promise, if the Fuller programme may be taken as a sample. It w>ll he repeated nightly during tne week / HIS\ MAJESTY'S The hot weather did not affect the attendances at His Majesty's Theatre on Satuiday, when the Royal Picture Syndicate gave two exhibitions. This week's programme is very good and the interest of flic audience -is maintained throughout. The programme will be repealed this evening. STAR PICTURES. The Star Picture Proprietary resumed its .tenancy of St. Thomas's Hall, Newtown, on Saturday, and presented an excellent collection of films. To-night the pictures will be shown again, but as the hall is t engaged on' Tuesday and Wednesday, thereMvill be a break until Thursday, when the company will continue operations for the remainder of the week. A picture the company is showing to-night should interest the boy scouts of Wellington. It deals with the field operations of a body 6i English ♦Scouts, and shows their methods of working, i s ORGAN RECITAL. Saturday evening's organ recital, which Mr. Maughan Barnett gave on the organ in the 'lown Hall, commenced with a Bach pumber— " Prelude and fugue in Cminor," a work which served one purpose admirably : that of showing the scope of the instrument. " Chanson sails paroles" by Tschaikowski, a transcription of a pianoforte piece by the great Russian composer, followed. Mendelssohn's Sonata No. 1 was the star piece of the evening. " Dornroschen, a favourite with these audiences, was tastefully given by the performer. "Lemmen's "Allegretto in B-flat" showed off the orchestral powers of' the organ, notably the fine action of the wood wind stops. "A te o cara," a familiar air from Bellini's " I Puritani,' was well received. The final number was a Jubilee march by Mr. Barnett, wiitlen at the time of the 60th ycir of the reign of the late Queen Victyi'ia. It is announced that on Christmas night at 8 o'clock an organ recital and carol concert will be given in the Town Hall by the Wellington Choral Society. Mr. Barnett will preside at the organ. An organ recital will also be given on Christmas afternoon. SUNDAY CONCERT. The concert given last evening by the Wellington Professional Orchestra in the Town Hall attracted an audience that filled the large building. The orchestra was heard in .several excellent numbers. The intermezzo from Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" was encored. The march Hungarian "Torak Magyar, of unusual orchestration, is somewhat difficult* of understanding, both to performers and audience, but is a fiuo example of the wild gipsy music that is now so popular in Britain. Mr. Oakes is to be congratulated T>n the band under his control. The singer of the evening, Mr. Samuel E. Carson, baritone, made a first and favourable appearance. The song chosen was "The Sailor's Grave." ISJrs. J. T. Woodward played the accompaniments in an efficient manner. THE SCARLET TROUBADOURS. Mr. Edward Branscombe will present the Scarlet Troubadours to local theatregoers on Friday, after a successful tour through Australia. They have succeeded in appealing not only to the tastes of those who enjoy good music, but also to those whose enjoyment is heightened by the introduction of refined humour and harmless mirth. Noting the popularity of the humorous numbers contributed by the male quartette which accompanied tho Westminster Glee Sirigcrs while on tour with Mr. Branscombe, he has included an excellent quartette with the Scarlet Troubadours, and their work will be confined to musical comicalities and melodious numbers of an eccentric nature, and these the management states are further enhanced in their attractiveness by the introduction of suitable •costumes and actions. Two of the members of this quartette were with the Meist,er Glee Singers,., a pombinaljkm admitted by London critics to be the finest in the world. There are in addition two ladies and two humourists with the party, all of whom enjoy London reputations. The Wellington season is limited to eight nights, and tho box plan for all performances will open at the Dresden to-morrow morning. "Wonderland"<«till has its attractions, and these were made the most of on Saturday afternoon and evening by large numbers of children and adults. In the evening the grounds were prettily illuminated.

The hospital authorities desire to acknowledge receipt of the following gifts for the use of the patients :—: — Magazines from Mesdames. Stott, Watkins, and Judah Myers, Misses Coates, Barraelough, Taylor, Messrs. Moore and J. J. Dillon; flowers from Sirs. Hills, Vivian-street Sunday School, Hutt Flower Show, Victoria Callege sale, Girls' College ; clothes from Miss Kennody, Contributions of old " linen and clothet wiJd be gratetully acknowledged.