ENTERTAINMENTS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 62, 23 February 1911, Page 5

ENTERTAINMENTS.

MACMAHON BROS. JOHNSON-JEFFRIES FIGHT. ' TO-NIGHT. The Auckland "Star,” speaking . of these famous pictures, which will 1 be shown for the first time in HastPrincess Theatre to-night, says: For a continuous film, the pictures are as near perfection as it is Possible to get, and one could easily imagine they were sitting at the ring side, without being able to | hear what was going on. 'That the opposition to the pictures a moralist point of view was entirely unwarranted is plainly apparent, for there is nothing at any stage of the contest to offend the most sensitive, and although there are people who cannot see a manj knocked down without having ' a sinking feeling the pictures do not show * e ffries to be beaten to that Et* helplessness j that one led to believe from the reports. The knock-out is not

{ a Complete one, and when the I seconds rush the ring Jeffries is quickly assisted to his feet and taken to his corner, and shortly after leaves the ring unassisted. As a spectacle, there is nothing degrading, and the films are easily the best of the kind yet seen in Auckland. The opening part is devoted to the training of the men, and Jeffrjeg is shown in his camp going through the various exefi cises, whil? all the “fight fans?' as ithey are termed in America, are (displayed on the screen. Johnsons * training is not given so much . promineiiv®; but the massive pro- , portions ,of the world’s champion , are brought out iil ull their glory. , Considerable interest was shown in the Crowds in the streets at ; Reno, and their filing into the ■ arena, and one looked ifi Vfiiil for the desperadoes with revolvers 5 hanging round their necks and a knife in each hand, and the large human mass was as orderly as an ordinary picnic crowd. Of the fight 1 itself, there is nothing to show that Jeffries was hopelessly outclassed, and the bearer of "the white man’s burdeii” put up a game fight i and although the great strength.of the negro* was plainly shown in the ■ finches, the white man. kept at him all the tlffidr And led. as often as his opponent. JohiisOn’s magnificent work with hie left Wori him toefight, and he Mpjieared it? land at Will-' As to being Able to,win at any stdffO of the contest, this is phaticafly disproved by Jettison’s attitude when he scored the firM : knock-down m the fifteenth round, and the eagerness he showed to i finish the fight .was clear proof h?. [ was glad it was over. Mr. A. Fofi rest graphically described the coii-f ! test round by round, and also gave 1 a short, interesting description of ! the - arranging of details.” A record audience seems assured, and patrons are advised to secure their seats at Hall’s.

SCOTCH CONCERT.

The Theatre Royal, Napier, was ! j filled to overflowing last night by . a very appreciative audience who i had gathered in order to listen to | the treat which had been promised, ’iand no one was disappointed. The 'i Frivolity Orchestra played a num- ! ber of Scotch selections as an overrj ture. The JOLB. Pipe Band render- ■ j ed “The jbhief’s Welcome.” Among ! i the singets were Misses Thyra Har- ’| rison and Edith Nevill. The fbr'l mer sang "The Auld Scotch Songs, H “ Killarney,” " Jessie, the fleur o’ ' Dunblane,” and "Love was once a little boy.” Miss Nevill was • much appreciated in " I’m ower ; young tae marry yet” and "Whistle ! and I’ll come to you.” Her sweet ► voice and charming manner were I responsible for several encores* f° r • which she sang " The Laird o’ • Cockpen ” and " Braw, Braw • Lads.” Mr. Farquhar Young, of ■ Christchurch, greatly pleased the i audience with his singing, and re- . ceived a number of encores, “The ! Gordons,” “ Rocked in the Cradle ! of the Deep,” and " Corn Rigs ” being the most appreciated. Mr. Young gave a musical mono- ! logue, entitled "An Old Tramp’s Story of his Dog,” which was exceedingly well rendered. Mr. C. Norman played several oboe selections. Mr. Peter A. Eadie, of Wellington, kept the house in a state of laughter the whole time he was on the stage with his humorous monologues, “ Mcßrae’s System,” “ Regarding Family Matters,” and “ An Irishman’s Trip to the Country ” being the principal items. Mr. F. W. Czar, the model athlete, posed in several different positions which showed his exceptionally well developed body off to great advantage. The programme whs closed by Miss Harrison Young singing "Hunting Tower” together. " Auld Lang Syne ” was siyig at toe finish of the duet.-'?' GAIETY THEATRE. Nqttritiwteoding counter attraetioiu, the -Gaiety Theatre was

packed to the very doors to see the special holiday programme put on by the Thompson-Payne Company. Many people had to be turned away, and every available inch of standing room was taken up, testifying in a marked manner to the popularity of the entertainment provided .by the Company. The programme was one of the best yet shown, and the audience showed their appreciation by frequent prolonged applause. Empire picture theatre, There was % large at the Empire' W&ure last evening... A was scre«Besi<4.'budience testified toeir in a very evident HUMWe*'" rph e mUB ical selecven by the Norman ConCompany added very much to j the interest of the entertainment.

KING’S THEATRE, HASTINGS. The new programme at the King’s Theatre was witnessed by a packed house last night. The Indian drama, “ Big Elk’s Turn-down,” met with a very hearty reception. The splendid story is very exciting, and is related in a setting nothing short of marvellous. “ A Summer Idyll,” " The Sheriff’s Capture,” and " The Fugitive ” ‘also , rank among the drama?/ while 1 another good story full of humourous situations is " A Summer-Tragedy.” A • Captivating little picture is “ Feeding Seals.” The. ustial amount qi applause was showered upon "Pathe’s Gazette.” There were several extremely, funny comics, chief of which were "Tontohni wants Money,” and " Betty’s Holiday." This programme will be peated to-night. ORGAN RECITAL | * . - ? .•‘i BY MR. HORACE G. It is pleasing to be able to record a large attendance at St. Matthew’s Church, Hastings, last evening, on the occasion of the visit of this talented young organist. At the same time there were many alleged musical people who were as usual conspicuous by their absence!! Th'C programme was one that tested to the utmost, both.organ and organit tfiust be very gratifying to St. Matthew's congregation that they have an organ which itf eminently satisfying io both player and listener. Mr. Weber is loud in his praise of the excellence of. the instrument, which he says is full of lt is safe to state that the organ was never heard to better advantage, than last night.- Mr. ‘Mfeber was ItU splendid form, and the immense technical difficulties of the heavier numbers seemed as nothing to him; in fact, one of'the great charms of his playing is the amount of ease displayed, in the rendering of works which tax the skill of the most brilliant of organists. The programme opened with Widor’s great Toccata in F, from the Fifth Symphony. The piece really demands .a much larger organ for one to fully appreciate its wonderful grandeur, but it came out remarkably well, and its structural beauties were fully apparent, although, as before said, more power was desirable at the climax. "Benediction Nuptiale ” was the next piece, a delicate gem from the pen of the famous blind organist and ,’ composer, Alfred Hollins, whose, compositions always breathe an air .of the greatest refinement.' Bach’s great G minor Fugue followed. Mr. -Weber was triumphantly successful in this, his tasteful registration being very noticeable, while his clean and brilliant execution left little to be desired. Saint-Saens’ haunting inelody, " Le Cygne,” was very daintily played,, tiie fine-toned oboe stop being most ] effective. One of the most enjoyed I numbers of the evening was the Gothic Suite by Boellman, a French organist and composer of much promise, who died at a lamentably early age not very long ago. He wrote some very fine works for organ and orchestra, one of which was played in London with the composer at the organ during one of the visits of the renowned Lamothe Orchestra from Paris. The Gothic Suite, however, is perhaps his best-known work. It consists of four numbers; the first is a magnificent Chorale, with wonderful harmonies, and on a large organ must sound simply sublime; the second is a Minuet written in. a scholarly manner, and very orchestral in form. The next movement, f Briere,” is a most beautiful inspiration, giving a splendid idea of the chaste and refined nature of - the- deceased composer. No. 4is a brilliant Toccata, which ir' almost vorth’, ' of Widor (perhaps one of the •£,:•<?•'.test geniuses living as a writer for the organ). Mr. Weber ■ i? . apparently very fond of this suite., judging by his splendid rendering. We do not wonder at it. Two more dainty morceaux followed: T .. Maria” (Henselt) and "Cantiqu. d’Amour” (Lemare).

jOf these two we preferred the •mer, although the second is very 1 pretty. The overture to " Euryanthe” followed. This was perhaps the "piece de resistance” as faras execution is concerned, being transcribed by Lemare, whose work in this direction is unsurpassed both for difficulty and completeness. In this number Mr. Weber scored another triumph, the extremely difficult passages in contrary motion for manuals and pedals being cleanly played. Chopin’s Nocturne in E flat was phrased in a musicianly manner, but we would have preferred a softer solo stop for the subject than the oboe; however, that is simply a matter of taste. Driffield's Festal March was a fitting conclusion to a splendid recital. Napier is indeed fortunate in possessing'so fine an organist, and we trust it will not be long before we are again honoured with a visit from, him.