AMUSEMENTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 August 1928, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS

OPERA HOUSE. A James Oliver Curwood thriller of the Northland has been translated to the screen with an excellent cast headed by Renee Adoree and will be seen at the Opera House to-day (Saturday) matinee and night. The name of it is “Back to God’s Country.” During the filming of this spectacular production three weeks were spent in the snow country of California and another week at Catalina Island filming sea scenes. Ten weeks were spent in production of this exciting story. Besides Miss Adoree, the cast includes such well-known players as Robert Frazer in the male lead, Walter Long, Mitchell Lewis, Adolph Millar, and James Mason. PICTURE BENEFIT. A picture that we recommend not only to screen fans, but to those who stay away on purpose from the average motion picture is “The Sap,” a Master Picture release which shows at the Sunday night Picture Benefit in the Opera House. It is a story of a man with a fear complex, and Kenneth Harlan gives an unforgettable characterisation as the man. It is a story told with humour, understanding and sweeping dramatic power. Mary McAlister, Heinie Conklin, Eulalie Jensen, and David Butler give outstanding performances.

TOWN HALL, MONDAY.

“Knockout Reilly,” Richard Dix’s latest starring vehicle coming to the Town Hall on Monday night is the highly exciting cinema record of the fistic adventures of a young steel peddler, who almost overnight finds himself on the verge of pugilistic fame, and whose career is as suddenly blasted by a combination of circumstances that land him in prison, convicted of a crime of which he is innocent. Episode piles on exciting episode as Dix struggles to retrieve his good name. A smashing denouncement results in Dix’s emerging a pugilistic champion. The play was adapted from Albert Payson Terhune’s story, “The Hunch.” ALFRED O’SHEA. At the Opera House, Greymouth, on Monday and Tuesday, August 13 and 14, music lovers will have the opportunity of hearing one Of the world’s greatest tenors in Alfred O'Shea, who is to give a brief series of concerts as advertised. As this will be Mr O’Shea’s first concert platform appearance in .Greymouth it may be of interest to read an extract from the “Daily Guardian,” Sydney, on a recent O’Shea concert in that city. “When the Town Hall was crowded on Saturday night for the third concert by Alfred O’Shea it plainly showed that Sydney music-lovers know of no offseason for front rank artists. It was his group of French songs—especially “Crepsucle”—that Mr O’Shea’s absolute delicacy of tone was best revealed. His pianissimo notes in these songs were exquisite. Then for an encore that most lovely song “At the Midhour of Night.” In his operatic numbers, including “Che Gelida Manine” from “Lu Bbheme” he was delightful. It is a severe test for a young tenor to essay numbers that have such traditional interpretation behind them as Caruso’s and McCormack’s, but O’Shea has established for himself a definite place in the world of song, his rendering of the two “Rigoletto” numbers alone revealed it. For his Irish songs, Mr O'Shea has the national temperament which alone can properly interpret such gems as “Has Sorrow Thy Young Days Shaded” and “The Snowy Breasted Pearl.” His final encores, “The Last Rose of Summer” and “Annie Laurie” were beautiful” I Mr O’Shea’s programme op Monday will include some of the richest gems of his vast repertoire, and intending patrons would do well to reserve their seats at (Webleys. No extra for reserving.