ENTERTAINMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8366, 28 February 1913, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

OPERA HOUSE. RICKARDS’ TIVOLI COMPANY. An excellent reception was accorded Mr Harry Rickards’ Tirol! Company at the Opera House last evening, and sel dom has such a strong and versatile vaudeville combination appeared before a Wellington audience. The audience just about filled the building, and expressed their appreciation of the highclass “turns” in no uncertain manner. From the point of view of taste, the entertainment set a very high standard throughout, and there was a refreshing absence of those superfluous accessories .of manner in which comedians and sketch artiste of lesser imagination are wont to indulge. The great magician of the 'company, and perhaps one of the cleverest masters of illusion to-day, was fully as mysterious and incomprehensible as the audience were led to believe. Arnold De Biere gives an elaborate exhibition of .optical wonders, tricks the senses, seems to create objects out of thin air, and leaves the beholder puzzled and duped. He has the well-known cataleptic feat, in which a girl in a trance is raised, in horizontal position, and a hoop passed round her .body in mid-air. A sheet had been used to cover her form. Suspended in air, the sheet is snatched by De Biere, and 10l there is nothing beneath. Ho crumples up the sheet while the girl emerges from the side of the stage. His cabinet tricks are clever; girls appear in empty boxes, or disappear when, enclosed. While arranging a fold over the stage, the magician, tricking- the crowd, gets underneath a,big -tortoiseshell under the cloth and emerges when least expected. Some of these feats have been seen before; but perhaps we Biere’s moat novel and skilful piece of work was the formation of a living statue in white from a doth held over a table. It is apparently only a cloth; the head appears, then the trunk; the legs take shape, a pipe or flute is added' and a white swan, with pretty adjuncts of rock, completes the picture. While the beholder wonders, the> l“statue” assumes different postures, and finally walks off. It was a remarkably ingenious transformation, and an exceptional feat of illusion. Do Biere is also a subtle humorist, making amusing observations on his art, pnd enjoying the mystification he produdes. Much laughter was caused with his egg trick, and his gratuitous “initiation” of the audience. He also dis-’ plays the tied thumbs feat, catching within his arms complete hoops, and breaking his thumbs across objects while lashed together. He is a wonderfully clever artist. Chinko, a juggler of extraordinary dexterity and skill, mad© a first appearance. He. tosses about hate, sticks, balls, tables, coloured lamps, and plates in a most nonc-hal ant, t confident style. His quickness is surprising, and hi ft funny little stuffed animals raise much laughter. Another “star” who made a first apC ranee was Miss Nella Webb, who just enjoyed a series of triumphs in Australia. She has a winsome and vivacious personality,, and tells a story with vocal tones, inimitable and charming. “Promise Sometimes to Make a Fuss of Me,” “I Think I will Try Another Boy,” “Top o’ the Momin’,” were some of her sketches and songs. She possesses superb aplomb, and was repeatedly recalled. Together with Signor Marini, Miss Webb sang the “Miserere” from “II Trovatore,” and the rendering waf highly appreciated. Signor Alberto Marini, who has - a fine tenor, received loud applause for his rendering of “My Message,” and gave as an encore a sweet Italian ditty. In the “Miserere” he interprets admirably the spirit of emotion and passion at bursting point. ..... Two comedians of the rollicking ragtime class are Taylor and Arnold, wno have a novel budget of sketches in which Jews, Spaniards, and other fon.eigners are cleverly “hit off.” They arc vastly amusing fellows, and good vocalists The programme concludes' wits some very skilful cycle work by Miss Minnie Kaufmann, who showed astonshing aptitude for the wheels in all postures and evolutions. This clever company # ■will appear nightly till further notice. THE EMPRESS THEATRE. The new programme of the Empress Theatre continuous pictures was responsible for crowded sessions last evening. The main attraction is Restitution,” a splendidly staged, artistically acted modern drama. At the outset Duchesney, a notary, covets the money of Marval, a client "'tho sleeps in the notary’s house as his guest. Duchesney permits the gas to suffocate Marval, and the notary secures the dead man’s wealth. As a sop to his conscience, Duchesney adopts Robert, the dead man’s little son. In after years Robert, when grown up, accidentally learns that bis father possess-

'ed considerable wealth at the time of. his death, and by degrees the conviction grows upon him that his father was murdered by the notary. Robert discovers that Duchesney descends every night into a secret cellar to examine documents in the pocket-book .which belonged to the dead .man.Robert disguises himself to resemble his late father and suddenly confronts the notary. The latter is so; startled at what he believes to he the reappearance of his victim that he discloses the truth about the crime. Unable to face the shame which would result, the notary commits -suicide by , causing a terrific dynamite explosion. A contrast to 'the last tragic scene is the happy wooing and engagement of Robert and his fiancee Suzanne. A superb collection of views in “Venice,” which is ’ exquisitely tinted, evoked applause. “The Warwick Chronicle,” an exclusive Selig drama “Euchred;” an A.B. comedy “A Day’s Outing” are among" the most successful numbers. The full orchestra gives, among others, .selections from “The Merry Widow.” . HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE. A welcome revival of the moving picture display “The Panama.. Canal” drew a numerous assemblage at Hia > Majesty’s Theatre last evening. The subject affords an adequate idea of the stupendous nature of this unprecedented engineering feat. The thousands o£ workmen, scores of steam buckets, dredges, cement mixers, cement,, ,carriers, and patent railway laying devices provide an interesting spectacle. The mountains of material used in the construction of the monster locks are seen from every favourable positions / The canal bed, especially at the vicinity known as the Culebra cut, is traversed by the camera, and a busy line of workers appears at ©very turn. No picture has yet been shown locally that has attempted to exhibit the utmost detail , such as is displayed in this subject; The supporting itqms are varied and entertaining. THEATRE ROYAL. There was again a large attendance at the Theatre Royal last evening, when the" Fnller-Brennan Vaudeville Company again appeared. All the items were well received, -especially the turns of Paul Gordon, La France, and Hassan. The same programme will be repeated this evening. • THE NEW THEATRE. The New Theatre continuous picture* were well patronised yesterday afternoon and evening, when a complete change of programme was submitted. The Kalem drama, “The Driver of the Dead wood Coach,” depicts the daring attempt of a desperado to steal a valuable consignment of gold bullion from the coach. The man’s guilt is traced bjv the photograph taken by the coachdriver’s little son. The bey is awarded a handsome sum of money, which enables him .to fulfil* a long-wished-for desire to send his crippled sister to an Eastern specialist. The heroism of two charming girls furnishes the theme for “Two Little Rangers.” Their father has been brutally injured by a ruffian, who is eventually run to earth through tlie pertinacity and courage of the girls. The guilty man takes refuge in his “shack,” in which,' after a lively exchange of bullets, he is burnt to death. Interesting happenings in distant lands are shown in “The Pathe Gazette.” An 'exciting pursuit of a gang of dangerous criminals is the burden of the plot of “The Jewel Thieves Outwitted.” Other entertaining subjects include “A Trip to East Bosnia” - and “Native Dances.” ORGAN RECITAL. The municipal organ recital wDT' bt given on Saturday next in the Town Hall. Mr Maughan Barnett’s programme will include the “Tannhauser” overture, Lemare’s “Moonlight,”Bach’s “D Prelude and Fugue,” and Schubert’s “Military March.”