MAJOR PERRY'S BIORAMA COMPANY

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8040, 6 November 1902, Page 1

MAJOR PERRY'S BIORAMA COMPANY

There was only a moderate attendance at Wear Street Hall last evening, when Major Perry and his Biorama Companygave the first of their two entertainments. This was to be regretted, because the programme was an excellent one, and also because the Salvation Army, under whose auspices the company are travelling, is worthy of being supported whenever it appeals to the public. But though, as Major Perry said in his opening address, there were more empty seats than was pleasant to contemplate, yet no difference was made in the items of the programme, and for some two hours the eyes and ears of the audience were kept fully employed. It goes without saying that the entertainment was a real live one—like all the Army's work; and from start to finish things were kept moving briskly. The programme was evidently prepared to plea.su the popular taste, for there was in it a variety which was sufficiently charming to captivate all present; and if the attendance was not particularly large it was certainly representative. Of course the living pictures were the great attraction. The range of subjects covered a wide area, and many of them, particularly those relating to colonial station life and phases of the Salvation Army's work, were outside the common run of the biograph man. There were shown jiictures of horse jumping, sheep counting, cow milking, treefelling, and "blackboy" burning; scenes at Rotorua in connection with the Duke of York's visit ,■ and scenes of Salvation Army slum work and clothes and food distributing. Then there were the usual funny "fakes" which pleased the boys and made the old people feel young for the nonce. But the best of the biographs were undoubtedly the last two shown. The first of these was a Chicago fire scene and rescue from a burning house. We have seen most of the biograph entertainments which have visited the town, but we think that Major Perry can take the palm in this line for sensational effects: When towards the end of the scene mentioned the fireman appeared at the window and proceeded amid smoke and flames to rescue a senseless woman, the excitement of the audience rose to the highest pitch, and we can well believe that .in a southern town, a woman in the audience called out, while this particular scene was being shown, '"Why doesn't somebody save her; she'll be burnt-" The other scene referred to, the attack on a Chinese mission, was also very realistic, in fact the two items were alone well- worth going to see. But the biograph did not exhaust the j.rogramine. 'There was also a series of beautiful colored views of Continental scenery, and a number of pictures illustrating s.mgs sung by the Major's company. These vocalists and instrumentalists adl=d not a little to the evening's pleasure, for their songs, choruses, and instrumental jieces made an agreeable break in the programme. It remains but to add that the somas "Ora Pro Nobis,'' "Star of Bethlehem?' and the "Little Hero" were effectively rendered by members of the company', and that the descriptive comments throughout the evening were made by Major Perry, who has a happy knack of keeping an audience in good humor. Captain Whiteman presided at the piano, and Captain Gore was leader of the orchestra, We recommend those who want to be well entertained for a couple of hours to visit the company this evening,