ENTERTAINMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 174, 24 June 1926, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS

DON COSSACK CHOIR,

PICTURESQUE PERFORMANCES^

The programme of the famous Don Cossack Choir which is being brought to .our town to-morrow, evening' to give‘ one concert in the Municipal Opera House,, under the direction of Mr E. J. Carroll, will be found of infinite charm and variety, appealing to almost all musical tastes. Many of the pieces are folklore arrangements, and the musio and .novel dancing- are eaturated with the romance of tho.untamed Cossack and his country. One > song, “Plato-Cossack Song of 1812,” includes war ; hoops and whistling. Typical of the choir’s ! ability.. to thrill is a chorus of the, sea. !In this number, it is stated, the sea has I real fury in it and‘ the calm that follows |is mysterious and arresting. Every variety ; of choral singing has been mastered, and ! many of tho songs are picturesque. They include street songs, serenading for choruses of a jovial or burlesque oharacter, ; songs of the Bourlaks or of the barge-haul-ore, • and the worlddamous ‘‘Volga .Boat ■ Song,” - sung in Russian. Many of their ' songs aro marked by masculine energy, by I savago, unrestrained vehemence, or, again, jby majestic dignity. Others are graceful I and attractive, and charm by their careless ; gaiety. Some aro stamped with a profound I melancholy. Musically considered, the performances of these Cossack singers, who were the sensation of the London musical season in 1925. are something which time cannot kill, nor the passage of years make less noble. But as a demonstration of quick change in vocal dynamics, their work is also something that once heard will linger always in tho memory. The box plans aro rapidly filling at the Opera House booking office and tho prudent will doubtless take time by the forelock and make their reservations at once.

OPERA HOUSE. GOOD SOCIETY DRAMA. “Alimony,” tho chief picture in an attractive programme at the Opera House, is one of the best society dramas seen in Palmerston North for quite a while. The theme is not new —it deals with a young married couple to whom much wealth comes, the sudden acquisition of which upsets their routine of living so tha-t they become estranged and are ultimately divorced, but become re-united in the last act, as should happen in a good picture. Though tho same plot has been often used as a theme for a photoplay, the manner in wihch “Alimony” is presented is new, and it makes good entertainment,, with endless opportunities for tho ladies in the cast and particularly Grace Darmond, the well-known blonde beauty actress, to wear some of the most fashionable garments, besides giving her a unique chance to show her ability a 6 an actress. Warner Baxter has the principal male part and makes the most of a good story with heaps of interest and an engrossing tale. A comedy, a news and a review are also showing to pleaso the eye, whilo the music of tho Opera House orchestra pleases the ear of all present.

KOSY. MYSTERY PHOTOPLAY. Many so-called mystery pictures fail in their purpose by letting the proverbial cat out of the bag before the end. Not so in tho new film, “Before Midnight,” which opened to-day at the Kosy Theatre. William Russell, himself, a student of the secret eorvico and in his youth an aspirant to detective honours, has the role of a Government agent, but this is not apparent at the beginning. In tho cast lending powerful support aro Barbara Bedford, Brinsley Shaw, Alan Roscoe and Rex Lease. Russell is soen as an apparent young society man, who is 'mixed up in a shady business which has to do with the smuggling of stolen gems. His valet works with him and they outwit tho efforts of the honest private deteetivo who is assigned to the case. Tho girl, drawn between suspicion of her lover and loyal intuition that ho is not what he seems, has one of the most difficult tasks imaginable. She not only is required to work with the detective against the man of. her choice, but is drawn into a thrilling gun battle m a darkened room. Aside from the mystery element which the picture maintains through to the climax, there is the added value of constant action with logical events coming in believablo sequence. Where some mystery stories depend on hokum, “Before Midnight” carries along on the strength of action with nothing of the improbable. Pete Morrison, the famous Texas horseman, ■will also be seen in Black Gold,” a fast-moving drama of the west. There are two enjoyable comedies on tho programme.

THE PALACE THEATRE. ROBERT HICHENS’ “SNAKEBITE" FILMED. The inscrutable desert, which Edwin Carewe pictured with such masterly composition in bis photodrama, “Son of the Sahara,” will again sinnner in sunlight and shimmer by moon on tho screen of the Palace Theatre when .First National’s latest relense, “Tho Lady II ho Lied,, is given its first local showing there to-night. Lewis Stone, Virginia Valli and Nita Naldi are prominent in the cast, and Carewe again turns an experienced hand toward the depiction of a tale, of torrid climes, relieved, it is said, _by lighter moments of highly laughter-luring aspects. Night life in Algiers and Venice at carnival time and scenes on the Grand Canal are other environs of the new play, which has for its foundation nnother novel by Robert Hichens, colourful author of caravan tales.

PARAMOUNT. THOMAS MEIGIiAN. About five years ago Booth 'Parkinghon, world-famous novelist, was induced by Paramount to havo one of his books transferred to the screen. The result of that experiment was one of that season’s finest pictures, “Tlie Conquest of Canaan.” / The star of the picture was Thomas Meiglian, who comes to the screen at the Paramount Theatre to-night, in another story by the same author, “The Man Who Found Himself,” another prison talo written especially for the “good luck” star by Mr Tarkington. Alfred E. Green, who directed Meighan in “The Bachelor Daddy,” “Back Home and Broke,” “Pied Piper Malone” and other just as successful pictures, made this one. Tom Geraghty, who supervises all of the star’s productions, wrote tlie screen play. Virginia Valli, Frank Morgan, John Harrington, Norman Trevor, Charles Stevenson, Julia Hoyt and Lynn Fontanne are but a few of tho big 1 names which appear in the strong supporting cast. “The Man Who Found Himself” is a semi-serious tale of a happy-go-lucky son of a small-town banker who shoulders the blame when his younger brother loses heavily in Wall street and then borrows bank funds to “cover up.” The result is a sojourn in Sing Sing. When he once more faces the light of freedom, Tom’s outlook on life has been completely changed. His father is dead. Everyone turns his back on him. Even the girl who said she would wait has married liis business rival. He’s dead set against everything and-' everybody. Things look black. He falters from the straight and narrow path. Then—he becomes a reality—the man who found himself.