THE THEATRES.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 871, 24 November 1916, Page 9

THE THEATRES.

GLEE AND MADRIGAL SOCIETY. A very pleasing concert was given by the Christchurch Glee and Madri-1 gal Society, in the Choral Hall last] evening. It was the society's second, concert of the season in aid of the Red Cross Fund. Part songs, given with excellent balance and effect, were a feature of the programme. Particularly pleasing were the part songs for female voices, which Were given with fine artistry, except for a tendency to exaggerate the pianissimo effects. Sir Edward Elgar's "The Snow," was one of the bright-j est gems of the ladies' portion of the | programme. The combined choir j gave an unusually good rendering of Mendelssohn's "In the Woods." Other productions which aroused keen enthusiasm were Brahms's arrangement of "In Silent Night," and; Pinsuti's "Tell me, Flora." The! choir numbers were chosen with excellent taste, and were sung with I fine delicacy of treatment and balance of tone. The conductor, Mr Sidney Williamson, is to be complimented on the success which has re-! warded his untiring and skilful efforts, and the members of the j society deserve hearty congratulations upon the manner in which they have supported their conductor. j The soloists of the evening were J Miss Adeline Goodman and Mr j Leonard Bowron. Miss Goodman! has a well trained and pleasing contralto voice, which she used to ex-1 cellent effect in "Big Lady Moon" j (Coleridge-Taylor), "A Border Ballad" (Cowen), Sidney Homer's | "Requiem" and Casey's setting of '< "Break, Break, Break." Mr Bowron j was heard to best effect in "Morning" (Speah). He also sang with; neat artistry "The Spirit Flower" (Tipton), "Obstination" (Massinet), and the aria from "The Prodigal Son." The accompaniments to the solos, and to several of the part songs were played with fine taste by Miss Margaret Lund. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. "Macistc" attracted another very large attendance to His Majesty's' Theatre last evening, and all present' thoroughly enjoyed its powerful story of love and adventure. It was produced by the Itala Company, the firm which was responsible for the spectacular "Cabiria," while Maciste, the giant of that masterpiece, plays the title role. Italian productions have invariably a distinctive atmosphere about them which contributes largely towards their excellence. This is the story of a giant who used his physical strength in righting the wrongs effected by an unscrupulous Duke upon his niece's estate. It abounds with thrills of a new kind, while Maciste's feats of strength are a source of wonder to all. The supporting programme includes a Pathe Gazette and a Mutt and Jeff cartoon. The Gazette is a particularly interesting number, and contains some remarkably fine views of the monster British guns in action, while there are also some further views of whal the women of England are doing for war work. STARLAND THEATRE. "Sold," which was screened for the first time at Starland yesterday,; is one of the best films of its kind j that has been seen here. It is the story of a noble woman who sacri- 1 ficed her honour to save her hus- [ band's financial position. The husband misconstrues her action, and not until his wife has nearly passed, out of his life, does his love for her return. "The Idler," is a photo drama which is quite up to Fox standard. This is a powerful story of love and adventure, and has a particularly poignant heart appeal. It is set for the most part in the society homes ] of London, while parts of it deal with life in California. The cast is headed by Charles Richman, he is assisted by Claire Whitney who was so successful in "The Plunderer." The supporting programme comprises a tw.> reel drama, and a Ham and Bud comedy. I

EVERYBODY'S THEATRE. Clara Kimball Young has been seen in many pictures, all of which have been masterpieces of their kind, but in "The Feast of Life," now being screened at Everybody's, she has undoubtedly achieved the triumph of her career. The play is one which calls for the services of an all-star cast, and the producers have supplied this necessity with a particularly capable set of photoplayers, it is the story of a beautiful and pure hearted Cuban girl, who, to save her mother's estate, marries a rich, but unscrupulous Spaniard. Her heart, however, remains with her former lover, a young fisherman named Pedro, and the conclusion shows how, after both have suffered much distress their paths again meet, and happiness follows. The supporting programme is also a good one and includes an excellent Vitagraph comedy. OPERA HOUSE. Bert La Blanc's new revue has been responsible for large attendances nightly at the Opera House. The piece is on new lines from any previous revue, and is in three short acts. Miss Nellie Fallon has introduced some new ballets, which are presented in a highly artistic manner. The New York Comedy Four again score heavily with their quartet numbers, while the singing of Miss Maude Miles and Mr Carlton Chase is again a pleasing feature of the production. Bert La Blanc and Jake Mack are again seen as two Hebrews, this time shipwrecked Hebrews, who dream they are kings of the island upon which they are cast. The supporting programme of vaudeville turns is also a good one. "A DAUGHTER OF THE GODS." The success which has attended the children's pantomime "A Daughter of the Gods" has been so pronounced that it has been decided to give another performance in the Theatre Royal to-morrow night. Those who have not yet seen this beautiful and cleverly performed production should not lose this final opportunity, while those who have seen it once will no doubt be pleased to pay a second visit. The proceeds are in aid of the Belgian Fund, so that the dual inducement of assisting a worthy cause and enjoying a capital evening's entertainment should assure another crowded house to-morrow. "PEG O' MY HEART." "Peg o' My Heart," the comedy of youth that J. and N. Tait will stage in New Zealand shortly, is one of the most successful of modern comedies. The fact that it ran for 604 consecutive nights in New York, and in London has been the rage since the commencement of the war, and has also had long runs in Sydney and Melbourne, is sufficient proof of the fact that it is a world's record-breaker. Miss Laurette Taylor, the wife of the author, J. Hartley Manners, portrayed the title role of Peg more than 1400 times until the actual strain of the work made it absolutely essential that she should take a rest far away from the stage. Then Miss Sara Allgood, the doyen of the famous Irish Players, of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, took her place, and it is this vivacious, bubbling young Irish girl, with a touch of the brogue, and charming ways, and a deep sense of real comedy, who is coming to Christchurch to delight audiences. j The season here opens on Wednesday next, and will continue for eight nights. With Miss Allgood the lead;ing men will be Mr Cecil Brooking, who plays Alario Chichester, a typifcal young English dude, and Mr Gerald Henson, who is Peg's lover. The box plan opens at The Bristol on Monday.