ENTERTAINMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15600, 5 May 1914, Page 9

ENTERTAINMENTS.

"THE GRAFTERS.'

Musical farce, which had its origin in America two decades or more ago, never did profess to aim higher than to create a given amount of laughter in a given time. In due course it became necessary to increase the number of laughs, and so musical farce broadened into burlesque, the latter in turn expanding into travesty. Here the process of evolution has stopped for the present. " The Grafters," which was staged for the first time at His Majesty's Theatre last night, before a large audience, is modern American travesty [fayed by an almost entirely American combination. Those who can appreciate it for what it is —a miscellany of nonsensical " gags" and comedy, of melody, of vaudeville, and of dancing—will enjoy the entertainment, as the majority of those who witnessed it last night apparently did; those who are artistically inclined will bo disappointed, unless they go to the theatre, for once, in a frivolous mood.

Travesty is to the drama what caricature is to art, and it is with this in mind that "'1 he Grafters" should be judged. From this standpoint it may be said to contain much of .'I diverting nature, music that is frequently "catchy," and life and colour to please the eye. Such strenuous efforts have been made to provoko mirth, however, that several of the comedy scenes are dragged out to an inordinate length, and herein lies one weakness in the production. 'J he merrymakers are undoubtedly amusing, but their merrymaking is a trifle overdone, Also, tho joko upon which the frail plot lunges is pardonably thin, which is no reason why it should be worn to a shadow, as it is, by the time tho curtain falls. Now and then, too, the comedians spend overmuch time in the exploitation of jests which arc becoming feeble with old age. On the other hand the piece has its bright moments, and the specialties introduced aro many of them, quito excellent,' Most of the characters aro grotesque distortions of types, drawn with the solo object of extracting from the audience the lend guffaw. Hence w 0 have three weird tramps, a Hebrew, a Dutchman, and a plain ordinary "hobo." As the first—Mr. Bert. ]* Blanc is droll in the extreme, his principal merit being his consistency. Mr. Paul Stanhope and Mr. I)avo Nowlin play the other two parts, and each wins his quota of laughter. Mr Harry Burgess, as a policeman, displays a vein of original humour and by-play. Miss Elaine Ravensberg is a handsome leading lady, who sings attractively in tho role of Mrs. Grafter. Misses Fritzie do Guy and Teddy Martin have soubrette parts, tho former singing well and dancing gracefully; and the latter dancing better than she sings. Another well-played eccentric comedy-role is that of the' hotel proprietor. Noticeable amongst the interpolated specialties is the tango danced in the second act by Miss Vera Lindstrom and Mr J. Cosby, who conclude, a "feature," showing the evolution of that dance. •These performers are adept exponents of it, and they were insistently encored last night. Four male singers (Messrs. McCaJl, Renshaw, Ross, and oLng) who have several opportunities during the evening, aro possessed of musical and well-trained voices. Their contributions are most acceptable. Of the manv concerted numbers, all of which are' given with good chorus effects, "Wouldn't that he a Dream," and "Big Smoko Chief* (snnbv tho three "tramps") "I'm Crazy after You" (Miss de Guy and Mr. Burgess) "San Francisco, 191*5" (Mr. Carlton Chaso and chorus)), Mr. Burgess's "Constable" song (doubly encored last night) and "Dixie Moon" (a melodious number, well sung by .Miss Ravcnsberg) are the best. The scenic effects are good. ."Tho Grafters" will be repeated tonight and until further notice, and the company will give a "Tango Tea" next Saturday afternoon.

OPERA HOUSE. A particularly attractive programme was submitted at the Opera House last evenins;, when several artists made their first appearances, and, in most instances, the new turns were decidedly clever. Foremost amongst them was that of Josephine Gassman and her picaninnies. Miss Classman's imitations of a negro woman sing- j ing ragtime were, to say the least of them, novel, and met with 'a great reception,' but the comic singing and extremely j clever eccentric dancing of " the pica- j ninnies took tho large audience by storm, j As a finale a tiny tot, hardly old enough j to speak, sang a few lines of ragtime, and j executed a few steps of a dance. The | turn was quite the most popular of the ' evening. A remarkable eccentric nnisica' ' act was submitted by Fernandez and May Tho former performed such feats as play ing ragtime merely by clapping his band: in front of his mouth and by producing " Alexander's Ragtime Band" 'by drawin; a piece of wood over a few inches of ordin ary string attached to a tin. He obtains good music from a violin, holding the how between his knees and in his mouth, ant also performed the feat of playing < violin with a wax match for a bow. Tin act certainly teemed with novelties, whil< the duets of the pair were also good. A very pleasing comedy sketch, at once re fined, clever, and humorous, was snbmittec by Vernon and Sinclair. Tho male mem. ber of the pair appeared here before wit! tho "Crimson Ramblers." Sidney Bach, " the Welsh Rarebit," in the course of an entertaining musical turn, proved himselt a master of trick piano playing. H( played the instrument standing on hi; head, with his nose, and his heel, and with his back to the piano. Roy Bene, a Hebrew comedian, made his reappearance, and Carlton Max., Lavinia Tyson, The Waldrons, Billy Watson, James Opic, and Agnes Rawes all contributed acceptable items to tho excellent programme.

LYRIC THEATRE. A dramatised version of Anthony Hope's stirring romance, " The Prisoner of Zendn," attracted large numbers of visitors when presented in pictorial form at the Lyric Theatre last night. Keenly analytical of human passions and emotions, the story portrays loyalty and treachery., love ana hate, good and evil, and makes a powerful dramatic appeal. On the eve of his coronation Rudolf, the vaccilatinj? King of Ruritania, finds himself a prisonor at Zenda, in the power of Black Michael, an unscrupulous member of the reigning house, who himself has designs on.the thrcne. The supporters of the reigning monarch, desirous of safeguarding his interests, prevail upon the king's " double" to impersonate his sovereign, and undergo a mock coronation. This man—a soldier of fortune named Rassendyll— carrying out the imposture, falls in love with the Princess Flavia, but self-sacrificingly subordinates his affections to his loyally to the king. After many stirring adventures the king is firmly established on his throne. The adventurous soldier then reveals his identity to the princess, who also heroically renounces her love in order to further the welfare of her poople. The lavish mounting and elaborate staging of the piece were among its numerous excellent features. Supporting films in a new and attractive programme embraced a variety of subjects. Topical events were featured in an interesting number of the Gaumont Graphic. The lives of the frog and salamander were instructively illustrated. Comedy was the dominant note in " A Bottled Romance," and an excellent scenic film was entitled " Among tho Esquimaux in Siberia." The Lyric orchestra discoursed appropriate music.

ALBAMBRA THEATRE. Already the new Alhambra Theatre, Karangahape Road, is proving its popularity, ana last night thero was an attendance amply testifying to the public's appreciation of the pictorial bill of 'fare provided. "Amid Raging Beasts" Was the chief picture of the evening. Animals are now being used more and more as actors for the cinematograph, and all sorts of beasts appear in this new and novel film of the jungle. In it is depicted the hairbreadth escapes of an Africander pioneer, his wife and child, and coloured servant, who narrowly escapo being devoured by a hungry lion. The mother climbs a tree with her child, and a leopard 'pursuit. The child is stolen

by a big ape, which, however, takes care of it. The picture is a very realistic one, is of a different type to most animal piclures, and was much admired by last night's patrons. The programme is well supported by a nicely-balanced set of other dramatic films and pictures of a humorous description. A most amusing comedy is "Murder Will Out," and it aroused much laughter. A stirring dramatic subject is "The Younger Sister." Miss Florence Turner, the popular actress,* appears in this picture. The programme w.li or rotated to-night.

CHORAL SOCIETY. 1 lie Auckland Choral Society is now preparing for the production of the second concert of tho season, and tlio work to bo performed will l, Haydn's "Creation," for which the artists engaged for the principal parts arc .Madame Chambers (soprano), Mr. Martin Duff (tenor), and Mr. Barry Coney (bass).

NEWTON PICTuRE PALACE. A daintily mounted picture, representing •i charming story of Japan, is being shown at tho Newton Picture Palace as tlie leading attraction. The title is "Mimosa can/'and the principal part is taken by the well-known actress, Mile. Shan't. A lengthy supporting programme is shown, tho chief films of which are " Tho Dumb .Messenger" (drama) and "Strenua, the Woman with Cast lion Muscles" (a vaudeville novelty). GLOBE THEATRE.

Ihe manner in which an unscrupulous member of Motility plays tho criminal'in order to obtain pecuniary reward is graphically set out in a film entitled 1 ' Count Zarka," featured in the new I programme at the Globe Theatre. A brother noble offers Count Zarka a for- ! tune for the death of his enemy, Prince j Roel. Tile prince is kidnapped by the ! count s hirelings, and lie is imprisoned. I After a series of adventurous incidents | tho princo is saved by his iriends, and a ' well-merited death is' Count Zarka's re- j ward. "Picturesquo Brittany" is the' subject of an exceedingly Dcautiful ; scenic film, portraying some uncommon ! landscapes of this old French province. A pair of comedies, " Davy Jones in tinSouth Seas" and "The Noisy Suitor,' adequately meet the audience's desire for something laughable, the former ing i specially amusing. An interesting nmv fer of the over-popular Warwick Chronicle concludes an entertaining programme.

QUEEN'S THEATRE. A number of tastefully chosen pictures, embracing a most acceptable variety of subjects, comprise the programme which was submitted for tho first time yesterday at the Queen's Theatre. "'For His Master" is a good examplo of the ever popular Western drama, which proved an undoubted favourite with the numerous audiences that attended the theatre yesterday. Another drama, though with a marked element of comedy about it, is included, and is entitled "Twins and Stepmother." A coloured scenic film, depicting "Highways of the Alps," is no doubt a feature of the programme. Some of the best-known peaks and glaciers of these majestic mountains are shown, and a splendid idea of the fascination which the beautiful country of Switzerland has for travellers is thus given to tho audience.

KING GEORGE THEATRE. "Fedora'' is the title of a fine type of picture which heads the new programme at the King George Theatre. The plot is a complicated and interesting one, and has to do with the wasted life of a peer, and the peculiar circumstances under which his two children, ono his own and one adopted, become husband and wife. After leaving college Lord Herstall gives himself up to a round of pleasure, which ho follows unremittingly throughout his whole life. His child, whom he has never seen, tecomes a famous actress, and is known as Fedora, She meets Lord Hcrst-all's adopted son, Felton, and the two become infatuated. Meanwhile Lord Herstall has been killed in a duel, and tho girl, learning her identity, believes silo is Felton's sister. She determines to poison herself on the stage that evening, but Felton is enabled to prevent her. Mutual explanations follow, resulting in an entirely satisfactory ending. Some exciting episodes in Lor<l HerstaU's life are depicted, including a. conflict between the I police and a band of anarchists, and some I fine racing scenes. Two vivaplione selec-1 ions f and "Views of Samarang" con-j elude the series. .

PRINCESS THEATRE. j " Tho Skin " remained the principal l i attraction at tho Princess Theatre vester-, ; j day, Outside the merit of the story this picture is remarkable for the excellence ■! of the and its charm of deI ! tail. It is attracting more than ordinary 'i attention from picture-goers. "The Wit- j lj ness to tlie Will" is a story of intrigue | which lias been most effectively built up '! and, produced. Tlie two comic films, j I '"Pimple's Inferno " and "The Interj rupted Seance." are highly amusing, j ;i while the scenic clement is supplied by ! "Views of "Marrakcet." "One flood I Turn is a fine drama. The programme i will be screened to-day and to-morrow. KING'S THEATRE. | An excellent change of programme was made at the King's Theatre last night. ■ The seloclion of views was most comprehensive, and was of a class sufficient, to cater for the needs of all picture-lovers. Tho chief picture of the programme is one describing the machinations of suffragettes and the terrible mission which a suffragette has to undertake. An enthusiast on behalf of women's suffrage falls in love with a man whose identity she fails to ascertain. The militants decide to destroy the Premier's residence by j means of a bomb, and the Iwoine is de- | puted to carry out the work. Whilst in j the residence she encounters the Premier, and is astonished to find that lie is the | man she loves. The bomb does explode, [ but without fatal results, and the tact of j the Premier saves the heroine trom pun j ishmeut. Other supporting items of merit are "Life in Hongkong," " Hero and His Elind Master," and a comic study. "The Lawyer, Dog, and the Baby." The pro- | gramme will be repeated to-night. j , 1' "— I WEST END THEATRE. . Among the admirable new series of pictures screened at the West End Theatre last night the chief in interest was a dramatic film entitled "The Prisoner of Zerda," based upon Anthony Hope's well-known novel. Tlie stirring scenes depicted by this picture-drama made a forceful appeal. Comic subjects, topical budgets, and scenic films completed an at tractive programme. ROYAL RINK. There was a good attendance at the Royal Roller Rink last evening. The winners of the couples' race held on Saturday evening were Miss P. Hall and Mr. B. "Palmer. A beginners' race is to be ruu on Saturday next.