ENTERTAINMENTS.

Southland Times, Issue 14580, 22 November 1910, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS.

rUHEBS' PICTURES. The attractive programme now current at the Zealundia Hall was again received with extreme favour by another large audience bust evening. The panoramic view of Alpine scenery is one ofc thebest films of the kind yet submitted by .Messrs Fuller, and, with both drama and humour.of particular merit, the entertainment gives pleasure to all. from an educational point of view the .microscopic' film “A Drop of Water" is decidedly instructive. HAYWARD’S PICTURES. The excellent currWit programme of Pictures, instituted on Friday at the Theatre, will be shown again, this evening, as a special "cricket benefit.” A proportion of , the proceeds from each ticket sold before the. evening will go towards the funds of the Southland Cricket Association, and the holders of these tickets, in addition to admission to the Pictures will have a chance in a lucky seat;competition. Four seats (two each in circle and stalls) will be nominated beforehand, and the patrons who occupy them in the’evening will be entitled to half a guinea .each, as a prize. Tlie tickets will be on sale in tlie streets to-day and may also be obtained from members of tlie Cricket Association Apart from this inducement, the programme (the features of which have already been noted) is a fine one and well worth patronage. To-morrow evening will also be u "cricket night,” witli the same privileges attaching, to' tlie purchase ot the special tickets. HEEBIE STEWART.

At the Dresden this morning at halfpast eight' the box plans will tie opened for the Nellie Stewart season at the Municipal Theatre on Friday and Saturday night next, when will he staged "When Knighthood was in Flower" and “Sweet Nell of Old Drury." To ensure that the earliest arrivals shall .have first choice of seats a aueue will be formed from S a.rn. by a staff of ushers. Although “When- Knighthood was in, Flower" can be staged for only one performance, on Friday night next, Hr Williamson will present it on the same scale as when it was produced in Sydney and Melbourne. As an instance of the completeness of detail, a high-class organ will be built upon the stage, in order that full effect may be given to one scene —that in which the death of the King of France is announced. In the first act —in Windsor Park on .May Day —all the flowers used on the stage and hy the characters are seasonable in England, and the same strict attention to accuracy is shown' it is said, in the costumes. Tire young and fascinating Princess, Mary Tudor, affords Miss Stewart full scope tor her talents. In her defiance of the autocratic King, whose word was law; in her scene witlr her lover, now petulant, now passion- 1 ately devoted; in her emotional scenes, where she is ready to make any sacrifice to save that lovers’ life —the popular actress, it is said, is se.en at her best. Theatre-goers will be pleased to have another opportunity of witnessing Miss Stewart in her famous representation of the orange girl In Paul Kester’s fascinating romance "Sweet Nell of Old Drury" and on Saturday night there will doubtless be a large audience, for no more popular production has ever been staged iti Invercargill. The company is at present enjoying a highly successful season in Dunedin.

“ THE iIECHANICAI. 3Jd1.1i.” The Russian ballet entertainment, The Alechanical Doll,” given at the Municipal Theatre last night, was one of the brightest and prettiest displays of Us kind that has been seen in Invercargill. -That a party of some 10 young iadies were able, by descriptive dancing alone, to sustain for an hour-and u-lialf Hie interest of a well-flUed .theatre by critical spectators, and lb .present convincingly the various stages of a weildelinea story, rellects inhnite credit on the dancers themselves, .and on the •very clever young lady whose constructive artistic ability ■ was responsible for the spectacle, it may be confidently assumed that to Alias Cecil Hall, who designed the ballet and trained the performers to interpret it, the great amount of preliminary work that'was obviously necessary for last night’s production was a labour of love. To her, therefore, its success must have been a source of very keen satisfaction. The spectators, one may not call them an ’■audience,” since there was nothing •to •■hear,” were frankly complimentary, and cordially applauded each pretty scene as it passed in review before them. Brielly stated, the story by .the Outlet concerned Boris (-Miss Mona Muir), a young Russian who was in love with a face lie had seen at the window of Hie house of a mysterious inventor (Miss Moliie Gilkison). He resolved to enter the house. Olga (Miss Cecil Hall) was a jealous young girl who \ainly tried to attract the favouraide attention of Boris, and site also resolved to enter the inventor’s house ijy stealth. To her great joy site found that her rival was only a mechanical doll (Aliss Gladys Callender). When Boris entered and found Olga in the bouse lie thought that site was his beautiful lady and ’very properly bestowed bis affections where they were reciprocated. The old inventor was naturally angry but lie didn’t matter by that time and the ending was happy. The presentation of the story above indicated was interspersed with pleasant dances, a rose dance, a bouquet dance, a firefly dance, a clog dance, and with several very dainty solo dances. Miss Hall herself was enthusiastically applauded for her solo dancing, and was presented with several bouquets. Miss Maggie Hawke also' danced delightfully in the tirclly dance, Aliss -May Macalister was happv and graceful as a (lower girl, Miss Callender gave a clever performance as the mechanical doll, Alisses Giadvs Macalister and Dorothy Smith contributed a pretty and cleverly executed tarantella, and Aliss Aladcline Vyncr an original umbrella dance. A quartet of well-trained little girls also danced a gavotte very nicely. The entertainment concluded appropriately witii an effective fete dance. The proceeds will bo devoted to the funds of the Patients’ and Prisoners’ Aid Society. After the performance the ladies taking part met Aliss Hall ami presented her with a dressing case as a small gift to signify their appreciation of the time and trouble site had spent in training them in the various dances from which they had derived so much profit and enjoyment. __________________