J. C WILLIAMSON'S BIOTABLEAU.

Otago Witness, Issue 2661, 15 March 1905, Page 65

J. C WILLIAMSON'S BIOTABLEAU.

His Majesty's Theatre contained a very large audience on Tuesday evening, when a season auder Mt J. C. Williamson's auspices was opened with the so-called bio-tableau. The ', public will find every reason to be well satisfied with this, the latest of biographic entertainments to be placed before them in this ciiy. The programme is one of animated pictures throughout, and covers an extensive j field. The pictures are themselves of large I size, and in clearness and comparative absence of nicker superior probably to any previously shown here, while a very strong point in their favour is that the subjects are not hackneyed. The pictures are new, and a very judicious clioice has been shown in their selection, for all are interesting, and instruction has been leavened with amusement. That the pictures were to the liking of the audience was manifested in the frequent applause, though for such time was hardly allowed, as the presentations succeeded one another very rapidly, and no time was wasted by tedious explanation, the title of each picture being thrown on the screen beforehand. Of intense interest at this juncture were the pictures showing scenes with the Russian military forces in the East, and some capital films gave the spectator, infinitely better than any verbal description could have, a conception by no means inadequate or mean of the Russian soldier, such subjects as Cossack troops in manoeuvre, mounted on their sturdy horses, troops crossing frozen Lake Baikal, the transport in sledges of army provisions, General Kourapatkiu inspecting troops, artillery descending a moxmtain pass, reinforcements on their way to Kourapatkin, and many others' coining before the audience as new and -obviously the genuine article. The physique of the Russian troops could not but be admired, and throughout the temperature reflected indicated zero not far off, the military overcoat being much in evidence, noi to mention snow. As a set-off to this series, a number of equally interesting pictures depicting- Japanese troops -were shown, and received with much satisfaction, and the realistic picture of the great Nikko .procession, a sacred festival held in honour of and to ensure the spiritual wellbeing of the Japanese army, was of rare interest and a fine spectacle. Other pictures were also shown illustrative of scenes in the RussoJapanese war, in which nothing in the way of effective replism was lacking, especially in one scene in which the capture of Russian guns was depicted. Of the miscellaneous pictures included in the programme, nothing was better than that showing the great Toronto fire, the effect seen in the downfall of the tottering walls of huge ruined buildings, as the result of dynamiting operations, being truly magnificent. A somewhat elaborate picture, entitled " The Dash for Liberty," essayed to depict, and did so with some realism, the escape of a convict from Dartmoor Prison ; a life study of tlie late Mel. B. Spurr recalled pleasant recollections; ancl bo many doubtless the reproduction of the winning of the last Melbourne Cup by A.crasia was in the first flight of the evening's successes, and the film is certainly a very me and complete one. The entertainment 3oncluded with the presentation of a pantomime extravaganza entitled '* Submarino,' which it would not be wise to attempt to Jescribe, save to say that the old man of the ;ea is very much mixed up in it, md it is thoroughly explained in ;he piogTamnie. From a spectacular point of view this series of pictures was a brilliant success, and some beautiful jfcects were achieved even in depicting sucJi i thing as the slimy bed of the ocean, with ;he finny tribe much in evidence and a jigantic cephalopod waving its sinuous ten;acles, while the strorig point of it lay mostly perhaps in the elaborate pantomimic effects ichieved. while the development of the fairy ale involved was full of humour. A capable nrchestra supplied appiopriate music during :hc evening.

WELLINGTON WmG WHISPERS Bt P. JtoMPTJca. March IC. Dear Pasquin — Last' night we had a grand double evert. W'mson's G. and S. Repertoire Opera Co. opened its New Zealand season at the Opera House and Wirth's Circus opened its Wellington season, on a site near the Town Hall. The Williamson Co. opened with "Patience," which will appear for lour nights only. The following was the cast: — Patience Mi? 3 Dolly Castles Lady Jane Miss Celia Ghiloni Lady Angela Miss Aggie Thorne Lady Ella Miss V.. de Loitte Lady Saphir Miss R. Armfield Colonel Calverly Mr Frank Wilson Major Murgatroyd Mr H. H. Wallace Duke of Dunstable Mr C. Kenningham Archibald Grosvenor Mr John Ralston Mr Bunthorne's Solicitor Mr W. Ford Reginald Bunthom& .... Mr Howard Vernon Mr Henry Bracy is stage manager and Mons. Leon Oaron musical director Wirth's Circus you know all about. Chefalo's setting of Kilpatnck's Death-trap and Looping the Loop — which, gives me the shivers! — are the attractions. I can't see how they can flock to see it, can you? "Shaking dice with death" seems to me only another phrase for butchering "to make a Roman holiday." Fuller's Entertainers are n particularly strong combination at His Majesty's Theatre this week. The following is the roster : Ardo, a very clever contortionist, just from Australia ; Harry Harrison, a coster songster; Violet Bonetta, singer and dancer; Bob Foster ; Eileen Murray, juvenile singer and ctancer ; Ted Stanley, little, but good ; Master G e-orge Mealing, a be-ttei than good clog dancer ; Lily Northwood, singer ; and filagrani pictures.