ENTERTAINMENTS

Southland Times, Issue 19172, 16 February 1924, Page 8

ENTERTAINMENTS

ALBION PICTURES. GIRL’S GREATEST HOPE SUBJECT OF PHOTOPLAY. What is a girl's fondest hope? The answer is the desire to be talked about. “Notoriety,” now showing at the Albion, is based on actual events of the day, and is the story of a critical moment in the life of a young girl. The heroine is Maurine Powers, who plays the part of “Pigeon” Deering, a poor tenement girl, who yearns to taste the delights of fame and popularity. Sensational stories of celebrities. that she re&ds in newspapers and magazines give her an appetite for notoriety, till the craze to shine overwhelms her. At last her moment comes, when she is innocently connected with a society crime. Brought before the court, “Pigeon” experiences the happiest moment of her life when photographers and reporters crowd about her. She is intoxicated with delight, when her name and face appear in the papers. The thrill of Being pointed out and talked about gets the best of her, and when the jury is snout to acquit her on the ground of insufficient evidence what does “Pigeon” do but flatly deny her innocence. “I killed him,” she cries. More publicity follows and “Pigeon” feels good. False fame goes to her head, and “Pigeon” would have actually gone to prison for life for a crime she never committed, just for the sake of notoriety, if the real criminal hadn’t been discovered. But that’s another story. To describe the interesting development of the picture would spoil the anticipation of all the picture patrons that will want to see this timely and gripping film. Supporting “Notoriety” on the same programme is “The Sheik’s Wife,” which is more than anything else a pulsating story of warm-blooded Oriental love. Incidentally it deals with a world-wide problem of interracial marriage. The entire story of “The Sheik’s Wife” is told with true artistic feeling. There is no villain in the hackneyed sense of the word. The psychology of the Sheik who> loves his wife with an ancient fierceness and who tries to dominate her in true Oriental fashion is sympathetically set forth. A two-reel Christie comedy, featuring Neal Burns and a Gazette of the world’s happenings complete a monster first-class programme. MADGE KENNEDY AND JACK HOXIE. CIVIC PICTURES TO-NIGHT. The many hundreds who make the Municipal Theatre their rendezvous on Saturday nights will find that the management of the popular Civic Pictures has again provided a delectable programme for to-night. Jack Hoxie, the new cowboy star, and Madge Kennedy, dainty comedienne, are the principal artists appearing in the two leading features. Madge Kennedy makes a welcome re-appearance after two years, on the stage in “The Purple Highway,”' an adaptation of a somewhat fantastical comedy-drama known on the stage as “Dear Me.” Miss Kennedy is cast as April, the maid-of-all-work at a home established for the maintenance of artistic and literary failures. One day April is left in charge, and gives the inmates a picnic at which she demonstrates how well she can dance and sing. One of the inmates writes a play for her and another the music. She ultimately makes a big success travelling “The Purple Highway” to fame and fortune. The cast is a lengthy one and includes Monte Blue, Dore Davidson, Vincent Coleman, Pedro de Cordoba and others. Jack Hoxie made hundreds of friends during his earlier run here, and it is a safe prediction that his admirers will increase three-fold during the present season. “Men In the Raw,” his new picture, is full of strong Western action. The story teems with adventure. A sensational fight under water between Hoxie and Tex Parker is one of the outstanding thrills of the play. His rescue of Marguerite Clayton, who was dragged by. an infuriated steer, is another exciting episode. Hoxie, in a daring leap from horseback, “bulldogs” the steer. There is a thrilling plunge over a cliff, and several remarkable feats of horsemanship. The story deals with a modern Munchausen of the range, whose stories, told in camp, form the first part of the picture. Then follows a adventure, in which Hoxie, as the hero, battles to save the girl in the story. A daring chase over the plains, the thrilling water battle, and a remarkable scene in a

cave, mark the high spots in the story. Throughout the thrills runs an intensive romance. A Century comedy “Golf Mania,” and another chapter of “Perils of the Yukon” will also be shown, and the Civic Orchestra will also be heard in a new range of selections. WESTMINSTER GLEE SINGERS. A NOVEL AND BRILLIANT ENTERTAINMENT. In all classes of public entertainment the call of the moment is for novelty, and fortunate indeed is the theatrical producer who can strike a new idea. Even music is not exempt from this insistent demand, and since the Westminster Glee Singers last were heard in Invercargill, Mr Edward Branscombe has been busily occupied in devising methods which meet this universal desire. This has now beendaccom.plished successfully, the means employed being the use of stage lighting and novel forms of grouping, by which the accustomed stiffness and formality of the concert platform are eliminated and a picturesque freedom and ease substituted. Science has told us a great deal ..in recent years of the intimate association of colour and sound, and this is the basic idea which Mr Branscombe has used in his re-modelled entertainment. The beauty and sentiment of so much music can be greatly enhanced by the use of appropriate colouring, and but little imagination is required to picture “The Last Rose of Summer” sung in a delicate pink, with its human accompaniment faintly outlined in sombre blue. Equally attractive becomes such a musical gem as the “Barcarolle” from the “Tales of Hoffmann” set in a silver grey, or the old Irish Air “Believe me if all” where the soloist is silhouetted in an amber tint. Competent critics all over New Zealand are of one mind regarding the charm and effectiveness of these novel ideas, one particularly experienced observer remarking that “The Westminster singers now present their entertainment in such a new and alluring form as to mark a new era in concert performances.” The opening concert takes place on Monday, when a programme completely new to Invercargill will be presented. MISS GERTRUDE ELLIOTT. “WOMAN TO WOMAN.” One of the most important of theatrical events for some time will be the first appearance on Monday, February 25, at the Municipal Theatre, of Miss Gertrude Elliott (Lady Forbes Robertson) and her complete English company. The opening production will be Michael Morton’s drama of power and thrills “Woman to Woman,” a play in which Miss Elliott has scored successes practically all the world over. A Melbourne critic says: “ Woman to Woman’ is a play of mother love. The play is interesting and consistent, the incidents are dramatic, the dialogue good and always natural, the emotional scenes render and touching. The acting of Miss Gertrude Elliott was of rare quality, with skill and subtlety added to charm and individuality.” The company supporting the star includes many well-known people who have been associated with Miss Elliott in her many triumphs in England, America, South Africa and Australia. Important parts are played by Williamson Mollison, Lilias Waldegrave, Mayne Lyn ton, Anne McEwan, Herbert Milliard, Athol Forde, T. E. Oliff, J. B. Rowe, Gertrude Boswell, lan McLean, Maggie Moore and Milton Brooks. The company’s second production on Tuesday, February 26, will be a comedy-drama, “Smilin’ Through.” It is described as a play fragrant with sentiment and romance, pulsating with dramatic interest, and has a quaint atmosphere that makes the story go right to your heart. The last piece of the season is a Continental comedy, “Enter Madame,” produced for fun purposes only. It has proved one of the biggest laughing successes seen in the Dominion for a long time. The box plans for the season open on Thursday at The Bristol.