AMUSEMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16666, 11 April 1916, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS.

, , PRINCESS THEATRE. fine programme of vaudeville items •was presented at the Princess Theatre last evening, and there was not a dull moment ■ 'from the., rise of the curtain to its fall. Three new turns were provided, each of outstanding distinctive merit, and the artists remaining over from the previous week were 'seen in new business. Of the newcomers, ,Armitage and Hine made a modest beginning,, and went on from success to success until the audience practically held, up the entertainment, demanding more, and the duo* had to admit that they had exhausted their repertoire. The lady was very clever lin her Yorkshire dialect songs and patter, 'the male member gave a stirring rendering of "The Deathless Army," and in their patriotio morceaus they simply brought down the house. Monseigneur Neokelsonn proved , himself a clean and clever sleight-of-hand performer, and excited the wonderment of the : audience by the manner in „ which,, he, extracted coins' from the ears, noses, etc., • of ■? various members thereof, and multifarious articles, including six clooks, from a hat borrowed from the auditorium. He • climaxed his turn with a pretty flag effect. Tho Little Johns, a juggling duo, had: the stage nicely set for their performance. They work with clubs, plates, and properties, -which are numerously 6et jvith valuable stones —in fact, it .is stated '■ that no less than 68,000 stories are used • j throughout the act, and as they scintillate in the footlights a brilliant effect is obtained. This effect, however, is only secondary to the merit of the turn itself. Thei difficulty of the task they set themselves is accentuated by both performers doing a considerable amount of their juggling—both individual and concerted —while balancing themselves on large white spheres, which • thej* manoeuvred over the stage with their feet with the greatest ease. Further, the male performer went through a difficult bit of juggling while balancing himself on one foot on a slack wire. Large sharp axes are thrown in the air and caught with the utmost sang froid at a rapid pace, and there •was; not lacking an element- of danger as thej weapons whirled over and round the performers. The turn, too, is worthy of mention oh account of the gracefulness of the lady. Brown and Sorlie continue prime favourites, and their turn was probably responsible for the heartiest and most spontaneous laughter of the evening, and Maximo met with as much success as ever in his thrilling slack-wire performance. "Victor Company occupied ,th.e .stag?.ini* the™£rst half, and presented »a *.»new* bufles<}ue, "La Bella Napoli." The ftin principally revolved round the effort of an orfjan-grinder, who assumes the title of a cosnt, to win the daughter of an Australian millionaire. Charles Zoh, as the pseudo ' count, made a particular success of his part, and was ably assisted in his efforts by Miss Liflian Colenso, Miss Ruby Esdailo, and Victor Prince. Miss Colenso, "as tho wifo of "the" millionaire, was seen in a wonderful majte-up, and while she and Mr Zoli were oni tho stage tho audience was hugely delighted. The burlesque, in fact, went with verve from start to finish, and the part siriging introduced lent added enjoyment to th| performance. ! I THE JUGGERNAUT. \ ■■■ HkTWARD'S AND KING EDWARD ; THEATRES. For a piece of great realism nothing could be* much superior to the railway accident : presented in the picture introduced at The Octagon and King Kdward Theatres last nigiht. One feels just as if he were on the Bpdt, with a frantic desire to get busy and rescue as many of the unfortunate sufferers as Ihossible. Besides this, the drama as a whplo is t a particularly good-one, and splendidly acted. The story is that a young fellow, an earnest law student, loses his father as the result of a crossing accident, end his motober from grief at what has happened. He himself is terribly affected, but the earnest pressure of a true friend leads him to go to college and fulfil the hopes .of parents. Here he meets tho 9on of. 1 the! president of tho man of ' foolish habits and on. the downward path. The railway president urges his son to better courses, with the result that the young man seeks the assistance of tho other student as tutor in his studies, and succeeds in getting him to overlook the terrible- disaster to his parents, for which he cannot be: in any way held responsible. A friendship ensues, but the man goes to a gambling party, where a , fight takes place. He. is being badly handled, but is rescued in a timely manner by tho law 1 student, but only at tihe expense of mmvfer, apparently at tho law student's hands. The other swears eternal secrecy. Shortly aft.w- , ■wards,both men are found in love with the daughter of a man reputed rich, but really ' iuja declining way of fortune. Tho lawyer is successful in winning the girl's heart, but; • th& parents want the other match. I'lndhow things stand, tihe lawyer—jjenefl rously he thought—releases the girl from ■f heir engagement to a poor man, and tljc I, other marriage takes place. A year later t the young wife dies, giving birth to a ' daughter. Twenty years pass before the i men meet again. One has become district ' attorney; tho other is president of tho railroad, but not with a free hand. In tie meantime the railroad' hag become- a public scandal from the frequency of accidents, and the daughter wants to know why the press of the country is so bitter. The district attorney brings pressure to bear on tho president as an old friend to have things impioved, but though he wishes to'do so his hands are tied by his. confreres. Finding friendship of no use, the attorney invokes / th& aid of the law, and proceeds against tho, president. To save himself from a hopeIces position the president brings up tho old, story of the murder, but the attorney— terribly agitated—does not relent. That night the president receives by letter a true account of the murder, releasing tho attorney from all danger. The shock he suffers causes (him to drop the letter, and daughter reads it, and after a terrible scene with her father retains possession of it. (Next day, unknown to hex parent, she gives it to the attorney, between whom and erSelf a strong attachment has sprung up. Thij case proceeds, but is interrupted by the- recess. During this period certain papers are urgently required by the president, and the daughter sete out with them toy ; motor. This breaks down, and she is compelled' to board the 1.30 express. This is the train that is wrecked, and the desperate struggle of tho maddened father to save her when ho finds that the train .is imperilled is most exciting. Ho sees tho end,) and the shock kills him* The attorney hnsialso been apprised of what, is happening) and ho it is who rescues tho girl, with thoi'result that poetic justice is done. The

"Vyhooping Cough and Croup are rapidly ■ checked by Flnenzol (1/(5 and 2't>). ' Wise mothers avoid narcotics and always keep Fluenzol in the house. *

elude a. boatitiful coloured Dutch eoenic, the Gaumont Graphic, cartoons, and a wonderful pair of trained chimpanzees—a revelation in what can bo dono with these animals, supporting pictures are very fine. They in-

QUEEN'S THEATRE. A Vitagraph drama with.' tho striking title of '"liio TigTess" is tho leading picture presented at the Queen's Theatre in tho usual weekly change of programme. Mo pains havo been spared in tlio setting and costuming of the play, and. two well-known artists in Miss Julia Swayne Gordon and Leo Oelaney assuino the chief characters. The tigross, or adventuress, is the wifo of a .cracksman who has acquired pre-eminence in his particular "art," if tho word may ba no used, and, having lost her baby, ehe proceeds k> satisfy her mother love by stealing tho infant son of a judge. Nothing in her liio would lead tho lad to think evil of his supposed mother, she,taking every precaution to show her beet side in their home life. The adventuress has to lene 1 ;i double life, however, but her handsome appearance and cultured manner in tho many society functions she- attends completely veil the fact that she is the brains behind a daring band of criminals. The boy grows up, and is all that the most loving father would havo him to be. He becomes acquainted with the adopted daughter of tho judge— his actual father —who, by this adoption, has sought to alleviate the lasting pang of the lose of his boy. After many stirring incidents tho adventuress meets with a tragic death, but not before the mystery attaching to tho lifo of tho stolen baby has been cleared up. The wedding of tho young man and the adopted daughter bring added joy to tho judge in the regaining of his longlost boy. "Where the Breezes Blow" is a thoroughly enjoyable comedy, in .which tho well-known actress Miss Fay Tincher has a congenial part; some eplondid snapshots aro included in tho latest Patho Gazette, and the rest of the subjects aro judiciously selected. Tho current programme, in fact, is well up to the excellent standard set at tho Queen'e Theatre.

PLAZA THEATRE. "Souls Aflame," the central feature of the new programme at the Plaza Theatre, is a three-part Pasquali drama, tolling a swiftly-moving tale of gipsy lifo and love. Zillah, the beautiful daughter of tho gispy chief, has a gispy lover named Aleoko, but Baron WcJdon is also smitten with Zillah's charms, and his passion ie returned by her. Painful complications are, of course, inevitable, especially as tlio Baron is about to be married to a lady of 'his own rank in life. Zillah visits the coetlo just before the wedding, and as a_ result of her exposures the engagement is broken off. Zillah and the Baron come together she murders Alccko, and to evade pursuit threatening diro vengenance on tho Baron if Zillah does not leave him and return to the gipsies. Goaded by terror and despair she murders Alecko and to evade pursuit sets fire to the forest behind her. .In tho closing scenes she stands her trial for murder, but is acquitted on the circumstances being fully known, and once more the strange lovers are. united. There are many striking scenes in the story, which is produced with beautiful photography, and tho interest is well maintained with an abundance of incident throughout. Charlie Chaplin in "The Bank," fiils one of his most successful and irresistably amusing parts, and his reappearance aa the janitor of tho imposing institution was greeted with roars of laughter yesterday. His doings with a mop and bucket defy description, and his advances to the lady clerk are not le-ss ludicrous. In the fourth part of Oppenheim's sensational story of the "Black Box" there is sufficient murder, violence, and mysterious "Black Hand" crime to stock several ordinary dramas of the same length.

GRAND THEATRE. A..picture dramatisation of so notable a etory as Mr Edward Eggleeton's "Hoosier Schoolmaster" is not by any means an easy thing to accomplish, so much depending upon a clear understanding of -what takes places inside the mind, and of how great is the power of a strong intellect, combined with great determination, upon the environment which surrounds the person possessing it. It will be interesting, therefore, to sec to what extent the five-reel drama now being shown at the Grand Theatre commands the appreciation of picture patrons. The story is eo full of incident, and the brutal element of the community plays so large a part in that incident, that it is a heavy task to attempt an adequate presentation of the power of the schoolmaster, lying, as it does, solely in its ability to dominate the body through the mind. Words alone are capable of really elucidating such a situation, and the consequence is that any audience -witnessing the picture is called upon to exercise a good deal of thought, and at the same time must be possessed of a considerable knowledge of humanity in gereral. Mr Max Figman has undertaken tho difficult task, and has lachieved.a good deal of success, 'in Viciv of the fact that tho story calls* for eo much acting that it has been almost impossible to give him sufficient scope eVen in so long a representation to make the schoolmaster's part absolutely plain. Miss Lolita ilobertson ia splendid in the part of Hannah Thompson, the unselfish, educated girl whose lot ie placed in a community and situation so pitiful for a character raturally eweet,' pure, and wholesome. These are facts of life, and the producers of the picture deserve a hearty word o£ congratulation on the fact that they have given a straight-forward representation of tho story, without humbug or nonsense of any kind whatever. Two other pictures aro shown, an industrial film showing the making of clay pipes, and a comedy on linos of an unusual kind.

EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. Everybody's Theatre has been in existence now quite sufficiently long to earn a reputation for presenting interesting and up-to-date pictures, and has established itself as such a place of entertainment. The change of programme this week ie a standing evidence that Everybody's is keeping -pace with the times. Tho leading picture is entitled " The Cub," and relates, in particular, to the junior member of the literary staff of a newspaper. The story is based upon a feud that exists between two opposing factions known as the White-Renlow feud, and matters become eo serious that an energetic and alert editor decides to despatch a reporter to the scene of the difficulties. A senior man is not available, and "the cub" is sent, and that is how Steve Oldham comes to be mixed up in the White-Renlow disturbances. He is supposed to be a partisan of the White party, but, unfortunately for himself, falls a victim to the charms of Alice Renlow, and as ho cannot servo two masters, the situation becomes awkward for him. Tilden White develops jealous tendencies at the evident preterence Steve has for Alice, and that still further complicates matters. Both factions demand an explanation, and Steve becomes defiant and makes his escape, but is captured by tho Renlow party. He is ultimately saved by the military, sent by the governor to put an end to the feud, and finally takes Alice away to civilisation and marries her. The drama, into which considerable comedy is introduced, consists of five parts, and there are many startling situations developed. One of these is seen in tho climax where tho house in which Steve and his sweetheart have iaken refuge is burned down. Apparently poor Steve has become non est, but he rises from the_ ashes of tho building none the worse for his experience. The main picture is well supported by a very amusing comedv called "The Bank," in which Charles Chaplin is everything; and some very fine scenes in British Columbia.

EMPIRE THEATRE. "The Forbidden Path," with its very olever plot, made visible by the Excelsior Company of film producers, was shown for the firet time at the Empire Theatre yesterday. It is remarkably -well delineated by Miss Octavia Handworth, -who gives a counterfeit presentment of the two leading characters—twins—and of " their mother, treads the path forbidden to those- who faithfully regard the obligations undertaken at -wedlock. In leaving the home she has dishonoured, Violet Bnl! .carries off one of her twin girls, and these do not reappear on the screen until 20 years later. Both display traces of the hereditary taint, but grow up in ignorance of their relationship, but when they do appear for the necessary development of the skilful plot the striking resemblance of the two women leads to unexpected ctmplications. They both take part in the same scenes, but how the camera ie made to pvesent the dual personalities in the on? picture is not a little puzzling to those not in kinematographic secrets. Which is Pearl and which Lucy even their lovers cannot tell. Lucy is carried off by a rascally admirer in place of Pearl, and tho honest lawyer-lover, who has been jilted by Pearl on his wedding day, finds consolation at the feet of Lucy. The drama is undoubtedly one that is sure to meet with general approval. Another leading feature >n tho new programme deals with the adventures of a commissionaire, who is loftin charge of premises that are broken into and robbed, after ho has been drugged, by scoundrcle who are in desperate need of ready cash. In lighter ynin is the comedy in which "Lady B. Aids Cupid." The influence of the misehievous i boy who i,nfluonces every man's life is verj amiusinjE. The Gazette number brings into pro-

minent notice in a striking and pleasant manner recent world happenings, Aβ military training is so much in evidenco at tho present time, tho pictures of infantry drill by crack regiments, find tho smartness with which soldiers in the making go through movements connected with opon formation, aro specially instructive DUNEDIN CHORAL SOCIETY. Tho final rehearsal of tho Dunedin Choral, Society, hold in His Majesty's Thoatro la.si; night, was such as to guarantee a successful performance to-night. Every seat in tho dross eirclo has been reserved. A packed house is certain.