ENTERTAINMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7079, 17 March 1910, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

THE KING'S THEATRE. SUCCESSFUL OPENING NIGHT. The magnificent new theatre erected in Wellington for Messrs Linley find Donovan and T. J. West was opened last night, and the success attained augers well for the future of the house. With the exception of the sixpenny chairs every seat ill the hotis* had been booked beforehand, and as early as 7 o'clock there must have bsen. a couple of thousand people clamouring for admittance. who had not secured scats were turned away. Tins house was full long before 8 o clock, and it is estimated that fully three thousand people went home disappointed. cir Joseph and Lady Ward and family were amongst those present. At 8 o'clock Mr T. M.Wilford, M.P.. walked on to the platform in front of the curtain to cm ially declare the buildiug open. He said the new thejtre was equal to anything of its kind in Australasia. The public would be sure of the be3t supply of picture films--, an Mr West, who had . now twenty-two separate picture entertainments ruamug in Australasia, had command of the best pictures coming to the colonies. A change of programme would bo given each week, the pictures coming direct from England. The theatre was a credit to the Dominion, and a monurneni to the enterprise of the proprietors. Films shown by the syndicate were at. .education to the public. Hundreds of pei-sons who could not afford to travel had placed before them living pieturei descriptive of the whole world. tap* plauso.) The programme provided was in ever? way excellent. Each film was new, and some of them were as good as, if not better than, any previously seen here. The finest set was that illustrative of a trip through the gorges of the American Andes. This was described on the programme as "a scene of beauty token from a railway engine through glorious country, rich in picturesque effects." This description was accurate. Nothing finer has been seen here, and the huge audience was not slow in expressing ite appreciation. The rough, wild scenery of the mountains, the quickly running streams, the occasional clearings, and the multiplicity of tunnels on the, route were all shown with marvellous clearness and fidelity, the colouring oi the grass and hills being quiet and apparently true to nature. "His Reformation" was another picture which gave a splendid idea of rough country. The progress of a six-in-hand stage coach along a narrow gorge road was so faithfully reproduced, and so real, that tho audience was moved to cheers. A story was built round the picture. A man who has gone to the bad, and become the head of a band of robbers, receives a letter from his father, who has become aware of his son's misdeeds. The result is that the bandit resolves to "run straight" for the future. He is finally driven back to crime, however, because nobody will employ him. He is seen on a lonely mountain road, and the sight of a stage coach loaded with passengers attracts his attention, and in desperation he decides to "stick it up." He takes a horse forcibly from a- traveller who has got off to obtain a drink of water from a mountain stPeam. He starts off after the coach, and carries out his ill design. By a strange coin- | cidence his parents are passengers, and the picture ends with the father interceding for his son, who gives himself up on finding that his own people are amongst those assailed. "Two Kids on a Spree in Brussels" was one of a number of humorous films which convulsed the house. Some very fine pictures illustrative of Brussels and its environs were shown in this "sketch." An amusing skit on the recent adventures in the frigid north was a film entitled "A Trip to the North Pole." It was an exceedingly humorous production, and provoked hearty laughter. The travellers finally reached their destination, but they had been forestalled, an enterprising American having roped iff the pole, admission to which was one dollar 50 cents!

A short comedy, entitled "A Day Off," excited the risibilities of the audience. A poor henpecked clerk was given a day off by his employer. He went home quickly to give tho good news, to his wife. She sets him 'to assist in' the "spring cleaning-." with fatal results for both., "Th© Miniature," a coloured subject, took one back to the good old days "when knights were bold," and duelling was resorted to on. the least provocation. Some fine scenery was shown, and the costumes were magnificent.

• An interesting drama, "The Lady Detective," was followed with intense interest. After an exciting motor car chase the two _ society thieves, who are the moving spirits of the picture, were run to earth by a woman detective, to the great satisfaction of tho audience. Other pictures shown were: —"The Fallen Idol" (a humorous subject), "The Engineer's Daughter" (a .story of the wild west of America), "Adventures of a Smoker," "A Poefs Wooing," "To Save her Soul," and "All Through Tickling the Servant."

Every patron of the entertainment was presented jjrjth a souvenir programme printed on satin in commemoration of the opening of Wellington's new picture palace. There was an efficient orchestra of i=ix instruments, under the baton of Mr Wolfgang. The programme will be repeated to-night. HIS MAJESTY'S PICTURES. Long before 8 o'clock last evening the auditorium of His Majesty's Theatre was filled to overflowing on th© occasion of the re-occupation of that popular place of amusement by Messrs John Fuller and Sons with a picture entertainment to be known as "His Majesty's Pictures." Seating accommodation on the stage was found for scores of people who could •not find seats in,the. body of the theatre. Thie (moving pictures compaTed marer than favoiirably with any series ever collected in one programme yet submitted, in this city. A new bioscope of the vary latest pattern, and replete with devices which co-operate in reproducing the pictures with life-like vividness, was operated by Mr W. Burton. Pride of place among the subjects submitted must be conceded to "Micro-cine-matography." The mysteries of nature are fast being dispelled by the magic wand of scientific research, and the mioroscopic observations of the germs of the terrible African scourge, the sleeping sickness, were shown, with wonderful distinctness. The picture illustrates the whole process ' of inoculation of a live rat, and the subsequent onslaught of myriads of tripanosomes or eel-like animalculae, upon the healthy corpuscles in one drop of . tho rat's-disease-infected blood. Although hundreds of these miniature living germs could be carried on. the head of a pin, .they appeared.in the picture each about 3ft in length. With such a wriggling militant host in every drop of blood in its system, it is not to be wondered that the rodent was counted out within five days. Dr. G'onandon, who pursued the inTOstigation, is shown at work, firstly injecting the germ into the rat with a hypodermic syringe, and subsequently handling the sick 'rat and watching the wriggling germs under the microscope. The picture was loudly applauded. Tho moving picture entitled "The Floods of Paris" (first series) gave a far more adequate conception of the appalling nature of the inundation which the French capital wras subjected to a few weeks ago than cable reports. At tjmes the streets seemed to resemble the canals of Venice, with water stretching as far as the vision, carries. . The gay boulevards look sad and desolate, and instead of the customary merry parties sitting' at the tables sipping their drinks, there is nothing visible except two or three boats laden with dejected-looking people gliding slowly up and down tho fronts of the empty shops. The public

gardens are a limpid lake, and ever, the trees look humbled and depressed, a<3 a silent protest against the ruthless destruction of property. There are few more thrilling sight 6 than a band of mounted cowboys sweeping along at full gallop to the rescuo of the pretty ranch-owner's daughter, and the audience, old and young, clamorously applauded "The Pet 01 Big Horn Itanc-h." Tho story is healthy and reasonable. Tiie foreman of the cowboys, on behalf of his men, presents a thoroughbred steed to the ranch owner's daughter. The gift is stok-n by "rustlers." The foreman goes with his men iti pursuit, oat the rcDbers escape. The thieves claim raiisom money. The foieliian gees lo pay tne money. He is ti eacherousiy seized, and just as they a>-e to shoot him, tne coivboys pour in on ail s.-ue-j, taid tiioct a rescue. The foreman lecovei-j the stc-t-a, and marries tne ranch-Oivne-r t> Uaugawr. "Garoiile," lyunias's cliaxming story, is irresisuoly e-jitei'taining, ai.ii it loses none of its interest in the elaborate snd artistic p&v.rtr-ayal of the principal phases of the plot by Patlie's Art Study, in which eminent Parisian actors and actresses appear. Mdlle. Victoria Lopanto's conception of Camille is full of grace and expressiveness.

"The Pulp Mills of Canada" is an industrial liiin showing tho progress of paper manufacture from the felling of the logs, their progress down the Ma.-ris river viiroujii the famous rapids at Ta Tugue, till a trainload of newspaper reeis for the coast. Some line stereoscopic beautifully tinted mountain scenery is reproduced in "The Gorges of Ande." A powerful drama reminiscent of Hall Caine's, "The Christian," is that entitled "To Save her Sou'l." Tho piece is enacted with masterly attention to realistic situations, and was enthusiastically received. Mr- Prank Crowthetr, who supplied appropriate music on the organ, contributed to the success of this item. "When we called the Plumbers In" is a comic item with the fullest measure of comedy imaginable, and the other humorous pictures were also responsible for roars of laughter from start to finish. ~The programme will be repeated this evening, and there will be a matinee on Saturday. THEATRE EOYAL. Vaudevilla entertainment at th& Theatre Royal continues in popularity. In spite of the counter attractions at the pictures shows last night the Theatre Royal drew its full proportion of patrons, who were well catered for. DRAMATIC'ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT. TO HELP MISS BODMIN. A splendid programme has been provided by the amateurs who are promoting the concert in the Sydney street schoolroom to-night to help Miss Bodmin win the "New Zealand Times" Contest, and incidentally, the world's tour. A number of members of the Savage Club are taking part. Tickets may be obtained from Mr G. O. Sutton, secretary, or the members of the committee, whose names are published to-day. =====