AMUSEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16524, 26 October 1915, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. "THE GIRL IN THE TAXI." Mibuuu eoniouy uomp&iijiis iiitwo not been frujuuiit visitors to jjuneuiu oi Jatc years, aim tneir absence- lias apparonoiy eorvea us u. wiietsiono u> uie tasuj oi uiu public xn regard to this pluasiug and popuuu lorui oi L'luui'Caiuiiiuiic. "jLiii> uii'l in uiu xuxj, wiiiou is at present being staged at ljUs Majesty s lauatru to goou uutuiLds, is m many ways a typical coiiiiu opera, but it belongs to a soiuowiidt more uitiarjiiooeni typo tlian tnoao uiut iicuvo imiueaiatoiy piccedixt it. ihe muaical aiu, wituout execpUou, l.giit ana compoijjtjons, tnat l.ugur picasaiiuy jii tau iiiLiijory, and tlioir cliurm is jjri'tttiy ciiuanocci by tiio appropriate stage setcing ami uie acinnrabio manner in wmen they are suny. Comedy, also, is by no means lacking, anu it losce nuiio 01 its oit'ect from tine taoc tnat it takes its rise m a number of amusing and embarrassing situations, and not in boisterous hurly-burly of incident. Miss Violet (Jollnmon coutmuns to make a distinct success ot tile part of bussaunc, wlnlo Mr ii'rank Ha;iiiiiK lills tho role of the Baron with. iulkli credit. The Missea Ida Legatt and Palmer, and Mr 1). 13. O'Connor adequately support the parts allotted to them, and tho company generally presents the piece in a manner. "The Lrirl 111. tho 'laxi" will bo staged for two more nights, and will be succeeded by "Tho Catch of the Soason" oh Thursday and FYiday. Tho season will be brought to a conclusion on Saturday evening with the etaging of "Tho Arcadians."

PRINCESS THEATRE. There are not many new artists at tho Princess Theatre tnie week, tout such as there are are good, and those who have been seen before- are well worth seeing twice. Joe Charles sings ohecrfully and mus;cdlly, while "The Glory Girl," his partner, plays the piano nicely. The latter essays to sing, with a fair degree of success, iand ,her choice 01 songa is pleasing. Mat Hanley's turn is harmonious and novel. His specialty is whistling, and he accompanies hie solo items in this field of music on the piano. He succeeds in making his labial efforts harmonise admirably with the instrument, and his turn is tuneful and. .pleasing../ He does a little dancing as a sideline, and a very good sideline it is.', His feet are nimble, and eve,rything that he does is done well. Musical eccentricity is tho forte of the Do-Re-Mi Trio. They play on queer instruments,' and introduce strange harmonics with startling. effect. They eit down to a meal at an elaborately-spread table, but, instead of falling to, as one would expect, they place decanters,. cups, etc., and .'dummy" articles of food to their lips, and from them produce a series of sounds that, in the aggregate, make up a familiar tune. After playing on tho usual-chiming contrivances, they cause a considerable amount of j;amueement by producing musical eounds from each other's bodies, by means of pressure applied in regions where instruments have, apparently, been previously concealed. An effective 'fcart of the performance is that in which two of the company hold a boxing match, having sets of bells attached to different parts of their bodies, and, by carefully directing their movements, contrive to make the bells play a tune. Among those who, have appeared before are included the Gibson Girls, Ernest

Pitcher, Armstrong and Howarth, and Miss Violet Trevenyon, and also Phil Peroival, who is particularly amusing thie week. The programme, which is bright and entertaining, will be repeated to-night. HAYWARD'S PICTURES. "Her Shattered Idol," a drama running back to pre-historic times, was the principal attraction at the Octagon Theatre last night. It ie rightly termed a masterpiece of life, love, . and laughter, and with • the popular artiste Miss Mae Marsh and Robert .Narrow in the leading roles, its many strong points are brought out with telling effect: it is lull

of humour. The scenes showing the efforts of the blacksmith to shine in certain grades of society are gems of mirth-provoking comedy. One of the most striking situations of all occurs in the heroine's dream, in which she is the prize for which two giant cave-men battle to death. Elmo Lincoln, whose proportions are on the huge- eide, ia largely responsHe for the fun, in this scene. For vivid realism the dream of the girl of pre-historio days, with the fierce fight of the two wild men, has seldom, if ev£r, been equalled. The story told in the film is about a girl who ( makes a herb of the village blacksmith,- and the plot tells how ehe is weaned from her choice, and how her heart comes back to her boy sweetheart. ' Although the 4000 ft "star" subject holds pride of place, the rest of the programme is of a very' , high order. "Cartoons in a Laundry" is a laughter-raising Edison picture, in ■ which are seen some beautiful views from the island of leohia, situated clcee

to the lovely Bay'of Naples. An interesting subject is "The; Dance of the Malays." ■ An ,impreesrve animal drama is . that entitled "His Jungle Swee'theart.", The latest ■Graphic is. full'of interesting , topical news. . The eame pictures will be shown to-nght. QUEEN'S THEATRE:.: ' .- The third epieode, "A Leap in the Dark,"' in ,"The: Million Dollar, Mystery" was. screened at the Queen's Theatre yesterday. In this part of the story some more sensational leatures are introduced,. and in a thrilling iashion the fortunes of the participators in the plot are carried a stage further in their adventurous careers. The scene

changes to a reception in the Astorbilt's magnificent ballroom; then ■» to tho, barroom, of a> low saloon;/then'back to the. lonely) warehouse, where several members of the "Black Hundred", are gathered before an open safe. It.is here that, in the darkness of', the warehouse, in an exciting tussle, the villains are trapped like rats, and only one manages to elude-the vigilance of th"e This check, to"the machinations of ; the gang is the daring work of Norton, and, it successfully continues the in j terest produced by' the previous chapters of tho great quests "Cartoons, in a Hotel" was a 'series of animated cartoons, which were,decidedly,;hurnoro.us, and "Mabel Lost and. Won" "was a. 'Keystone farce-crfmedy featuring .Miss Mabei Normand, Owen Moore, •' and the amorous Ambrose, whose ■ entanglepiients elicited the heartiest merriment: "The Departure of the Sixth Reinforcements" is *a fine,' clear film of local

• manufacture,•.,showing eome of New Zealand's best : and bravest sons marching ; through the. street* of the Empire city preparatory to boarding the transports - and gailing for G-allipoli. There are several at- ' tractive supporting items in programme, be rescreened. this evening. , 6'</;>': irplaza pictures. J ~ , ujfe>-latest programmo at the Plaza Theatre tifaa distinct feature in moving pictures. IJPraujjs," a detective drama, heads a good forme a fine example of the great I £||$sof workin picturfrland. Zelda Dunbar, |Ta|jgirl detective, on tho trail of two notorifoiiS blackmailers,, offers herself as their aeh complice in luring Kenrick, a wealthy l> bachelor, into what might be. construed to hbe a violation of the Mann Act. When the /jfelackmailers offer to clear Kenrick upon the f receipt of 2000 dollars, Zelda has them ar- . rested- In the meantime' she and Kenriolc have fallen in love. An excellent cast, including Edna Mayo, Bryant Washburn, and Thomas Comineford, play this drama. "When Clubs Were Clubs" is a good comedy of the days of long" ago. The film opens with an-enoopnter between the aspirants for the hand of a beautiful maiden. The combatants, using heavy,clubs, bash each, other with extraordinary violence, while the ob : " ject of their affections. dances delightedly in the background. All , are clothed in the charming, if somewhat scanty, fashion of tho period. "Stamboul- and the ;Golden Horn" ie of special interest at preserit. Tho views of tho great city, and of its excellent har-

borar, are very clear, and give the spectator an excellent idea of the magnitude of the place. Among the other, pictures is (c His New Job," in which Mr Charles Chaplin, the etar in so many comedies, has a role, in which he is irresistibly amusing. This oomic ie being revived for three nights only. "After Big Sea Game" is_ a remarkably interesting film, showing different phases of deep-sea fishing iri the tropics, crocodiles, sharks, and porpoises being clearly shown in the water and aftrr their capture. The series will bo repeated to-day as u6ual. KING EDWARD THEATRE. "Her Shattered Idol" is tho lending picturo, ond possesses undoubted merit in the direction of both drama and comedy. The idol in this case is the village blackemith,

and the -idolater a young girl. She invests her idol with all sorts of qualities of person and mind—that he does not really possess,—trat she is finally disillusioned, and turns to her boy sweetheart. There is much that is highly diverting in the picture, nota'bly where the blacksmith seeks to shine in society. A dream by the heroine that sho is a prize and is- being fiercely contested for by two giants is a salient feature of the picture. "His Jungle Sweetheart" is something out of the common. ■ Sylvia is the daughter of 'a botanist, who spends his time in the African jnngle with the object of following his scientific researches. Sylvia has a great love for and an extraordinary power over w3d animals, and this and her surroundings have a great effect in moulding her life and character. Some very beautiful views about the Island of lechria, near the entrance to the Bay of Naples,, are shown. The scenes, -which are extremely varied in character, have been well selected and capitally photographed. "The Dance

of the MaJaye" is a very interesting film, and provides striking illustrations of the customs and habits of the natives of Malacca and tho adjacent islands. An immensity oi emusoment is,to bo got out of w&tehing the various "Cartoons in a Laundry aa they are projected upon tho screen. The programme is completed by an excellent number of tho European Gazette, which contains pictures of all the latest war scenes. Tho other supporting pictures are well up to standard, find provide an excellent entertainment, which will bo repeated to-day.

GRAND PICTURE PALACE. Pictures constructed on highly romantic ideals are the' rule rather than the exception, and sometimes the highly romantic palls upon people. A change is therefore refreshing, and one is experienced this week at the Grand Theatre. It is not that thera is' an absence of romantic incident about " The Man on the Box," the picture under consideration, but it contains far less sensational matter of a far-fetched character and far more solidity than many screen depictions do. The liory commences by introducing to the spectators Lieutenant Bob Warburton, in the. military service of the United States, who performs gallant deeds in connection with an Indian attack upon a band of settlers. A feature is the very fine scenery' in which the attack on the settlers is carried out, and in which Warburton's efforts to rescue are cast. This is, however, a kind of prelude to the real story. Warburton has returned to the city, and there —apparently in a. spirit of adventure, for he h a rich man—takes tbe position of a, coachman.: Ho is supposed to drive his sisters to a reception at the ambassador's, and as coachrnaji receives the number of his carriage (61), but he holds it in an inverted position and reads it as 19, this being the number of the carriage of Colonel Annesley, containing the colonel's daughter. In a spirit of mischief he drives at a fast gallop, thinking to give his sisters a scare, is pursued by tho police, pulls up, and startles Miss Annesley by kissing her as she gets out of the carriage, thinking it is his sister. He is taken into custody by the police, and the screen shows a formidable list of charges against him, starting ■with drunkenness arid ending with abduction. The court scene is irresistibly funny, and whoever it is-playing Warburton gives to comedy a new aspect that is most welcome. His comedy is of the quiet order, and very compelling in its effect. Miss Annesley pays his fine, and writes offering him the position of coachman in her father's home, which •offer: he accepts. Tho next development is that Colonel Annesley, through card-play-ing, falls into tho power of the unscrupulous Count Karloff, who seeks, to get plans of fortresses, and aspires to the hand of Miss Annesley. He is on the point of succeeding when Warburton figures prominently, aiid plays a manly part in righting matters. The series will be shown again to-day.