AMUSEMENTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14005, 14 September 1909, Page 3

AMUSEMENTS.

SKATING. ■&"■ ~-., ' ,"V -■••TttiaEm6^^. i Tbe''iii;iiill<'s!wn« again ttftiay ; at* tho Ihill Hall, and during the .evening session ithe,;. Marino Band wiU: f play' a,'choice selection of..music. At" the close, practices will be held, of the grand l march,; hurdle race, teams' relayi Nominations- for all" racos close to-night to enable a carnival "programme" to be published. The prizes on .view at Mr W. A." Pearson's have excited quite an amount of admiration during the past few days, and rivalry.-will be keen among carnival aspirants in the annexing of them. Tickets for the carnival will bo on sale at tho rink on Tfiursday afternoon. "DRINK." The following appreciative .-reference" was made by xne Auckland "-JderaKr'on tho picture "Drink" whicn is to be shown in the Theatre Royal next Thursday:—"As a dramatic a» well as» a moral production the presentment of "Drink" takes a very_ iugli place, and so realistic are tbe-etirring-scenes that it should be no impassibility to stage it with the-actually ot the cinematograph. Every incident of Hie story 'is.brought out, and the lesson is unfolded in dumb show with suesconsecntiveriess, that tevery phase of it can be followed with'a clearness that is _ remarkable. The characters are ail clearly defined, the weakness of Cpupvan, the. villainy of Lantier, and the tenderness of 1 - Gervaise- are - splendidly depicted; while the' faithful Gouget, who sticks to Gervaise through all her

troubles, is the mosfcpopolar character with the audience, tad perhaps there has been., no such powerful prcsehtationof any character as that of* the K:heining Viriginie, through whose evil machinations a good man loses his happiness,, his reason and his life. Vbv. ginie is the most callous creature who fever trofl the boards, Lady ifcßetK look as lfly-wHte in comparison, with her. The. story, has a strong uader flow, of morality which, makes it .very impressive, and which can be seri- -- The entertainment;; wilt includea full programme of interesting,\scenic, dramatic and "instructive. ;\ subjects, together with the ever popular - comic "reljefh.- •The prices to be charged should appeal to all those who enjoy - an enjoyable and withal: cheap, evening's amusement. ,'•'.. The box plan* is ;.now.open at the Dresden.i ' BENGOtFGH. '."" Bcnfeoogh, - the celebrated Canadian i- caricaturist, occupied the attention of ■a. fairly-«a*ed audience in the Theatre Jtoyal last night with a wealth of illus--trated humour that made the sides ache and the face wrinkle. With a white board of mere paper, and a tew eravons, he spoke with a drrectoess , that eouM not be equalled, and his fare of pungent colloquahsm. ripped through even the most abstruse matter and made the noint clear without the aid of the surgeon. Modest and unassuming in appearance, he afticts no mannerisms, no display, but the. artistic/juahiy of his work makes him aim af making it of its kind—"The grandest show <m earth." His application of Euclid to everyday life was particularly, forceablef At his hands a harmless obtuse anale with an acute angle flung carefetoly Sby, *as with a few touches Snged &to a boy eating a triangular piece of cake—another the .Si made tae said boy into Jus little Ster—the whole proving that a good , Wtby obtuse angle (the boy's mouth) rSam a goodmany acute As a Scotchman he tell a. good story o' the land of cakes, and as a Celt he can give the two sides oT. a home rule debate in neutral terntor> somewhere near Belfast, versification of the visit of the American fleet to the colonies was good solid stuff and ranE true. On two 'occasions local colour was recognisable—one cartoon

depicting. a : well-known public inan emphasising on thfe poster that no tea innst.be sbld;on Caroline/Bay « n Sunday and the other a confectioner of good, proportions who was" offering to aU^and- sundry a handsome four storey wedding cake.. „, A - peculiarity about his work was the gradual way in which JJie idea-under treatment was unfolded the audience being able to appreciate the-joke -before it.was caoped, if a human fignre/ by the headpiece. In a- dude" the last mentioned part was stated to be generally unnecessary, but .to show that his rule has exceptions, be proved it by. a storv in verse. Bengough in his splendid entertainment proved himself a raconteur, mimic lightning sketch artist, elocutionist, and to his qualities may be added that of musical burlesque and stage rooraliser; It is to be regretted that he can-not-extend his Timarn season, for if a delighted audience on the opening night generally secures a good audience afterwards, last night's audience certainly should. Bengough was ably assisted by Mr Claude Allen, the possessor of a sweet voice, who sang "Time /was I roamed the-mountains" (Lohr) and '"The Tinkers" (Lane Wilson) with_ delicacy and expression. He gotragood reception and bowed liis acknowledgements. Borneo Gardiner, as a musical whistler, is a veritable marvel; liearing him at the "Cavalleria Rusticana," his : continuous whistling, apparently withVno breathing tone, was w«jnderfiil(y|rieh*and clear.anefctho light ,ari<l .shade obtain d'were voice-like in morning power. '"The Mocking Bird," "The Carnival" and "Rod Wing" were" also given, the last-named in response to a triple encore. Miss Dora Carroll, the pin nis to, played - two overtures neatly, -her tone and power being ; rtrongly in evidence. The programme' was an excellent one, and the audience left the' house as satisfied with the value obtained as they had been with any doing the last few years.

company that has occupied the Theatre