THE LORGNETTE

Observer, Volume XXXVI, Issue 38, 27 May 1916, Page 6

THE LORGNETTE

(By Prompter.)

THE new people at the Opera House include a number of sparklers, who go as large as possible with extensive audiences. Doranto is a novelty. You are invited to guess whether his name is Li Hung Chang or Brown. Anyhow, he has studied the art of making Eastern sounds on Oriental instruments, with romantic properties all around, and an air of antiquity 5000 years old as a support. The gorgeous dressing of Li Hung—l mean Doranto—and the magnificent appurtenances give an air of luxury, and the music is exceedingly quaint and interesting. Alf. Holt can imitate anything, from the fall of a thousand of 'bricks to Melba in grand opera. His reproduction of the music of birds is excellent, and he can voice the music of the farmyard. The music of milk falling into the bucket and milk cheques falling into the farmers' pockets can be imagined. The Glockers are comic water jugglers, and manage their novel feats with a surprising dexterity and dryness, if one may he pardoned the Hibernianism. Armitage and Hine are all the way from Yorkshire, and speak one of the 35 languages common to "f biggest caanty i' England." Dialect entertainer always do well, if they know the game. Somebody will yet make a hit by imitating the dialect of a New Zealand M.P. The De Baker Models are clever people who pose classically, and remain marble to all applause. Miss Baker is credited with possessing perfection of female loveliness of form, and some of the dramatic poses are finely done. A nice little act is that of Milnor and Story, comedy singers and sketchists. Barnes and Barnes are happily still on the bill, as also are Harrison and Stewart, AfroAmerican entertainers, Ship and Gaffney, step dancers, Slavin and Thompson, parodists, and Georges D'Alma, the banjoist.

At the Globe Theatre, a curious and enthralling drama, "Should a Wife Forgive?" is shown, the obvious answer when the screen becomes blank being "No!" Man has a nice wife. She had the money. There is a nice little boy, too. Man strays from the home bend and entangles himself with a dancing woman. He "'stars" this woman with his wife's money. AVoruan finds out.he's married and turns to vinegar. Woman's No. 2 man arrives on scene with a Revolver. Squabble. Woman shot and goes to hospital. Nice marreid man, finding dead or maimed actress no good to him, goes home and does the "down on my knees and ask forgiveness act." As far as the picture shows, the wife gives him a clammy "No!" In. real life a man like that should be nailed to a wooden bedstead by the ears. "Billy's Unlucky Bill" is a good, racy comic picture, rich with horseplay and tumblesome humour. Then there is an excellent Gazette with the war news.

A pictorial glove fight reproduces nearly everything that is necessary, barring the sound of leather against bone, the yells of the audiences, and the bump of the fallen one's cranium as it hits the ring boards. Mr Charles Maemahon put on the Les Darcy and l Eddie McGoorty fight at His Majesty's Theatre last (Wednesday) night, and as the whole of the incidents of the fifteen rounds were screened, the audience was able in great comfort to see exactly what means Mr Darcy took to clieib

into the championship belt. The audience last night almost forgot that it wasn't the real flesh and blood "go" at the Sydney Stadium, and were inclined to give the £ictorial opponents the usual advice, without which no fighter can subdue his opponent. In fact, one isn't sure that the Allies should not import a few regiments of barrackers to shout, "Go it,• Nick!" "Swing it on to his point, Joffer!" Get after him, Haig!" The photography is of exceptional quality, and a fine idea of the crowd , of 12.000 is gained.

Mr Paul Dufault, the brilliant singer, with his nicely balanced support, treated Auckland to an almost unexpected concert before he faded from our sight. The French-Cana-dian favourite has a winning way which helps his natural art to sparkle. He believes, for instance, that audiences are entitled to selection, and therefore is not above' accepting "requests" for favourite songs. Mr Diifault is an artist to his finger tips, being always in white kid gloves as an aid to the picture. It is in the small as well as the large things he excels, so that his study of pose and method, as well as the vocal art, gives him almost a unique place among us. And he was farewelled with a cordiality that should make him come again.

"Everybody's" has a problem picture play which lays clown the axiom that if some men can do the evil that lies nearest to their hands that they will do. "The Lily and the Hose" means thiat the iily is the man's Avife and the rose isn't, and that the man gets tired of mere love at home and goes in for passion abroad. The gentleman selected for this common enough character is set down to be a popular exfootballer, naturally much sought after. The sermon proceeds to show that the gallant hog tires of tile Dead Sea fruit, and when he expects the neglected wife to welcome him with joy and discovers that she's getting quite ready to go to Mr Justice Cooper, so to speak, he does the only sensible thing possible-—kills himself. Miss Lilian Gish and Miss Roseka Dolly play the lily and rose respectively. There is a fine Avar news film, with other interesting matter.

Hall Caine's problem book, "The Christian," is remarkably susceptible to "pictiirisation," for it is a work in which the incidents are as necessary as the pourtrayal of character. At the Lyric you may see in the playing of Derwent Hall-Came, the author's son, the author's own conception of John Storm, the parson who succiim'bedij and was after all quite human. The two characters, John Storm and Glory Quayle, are outstanding in fiction, and the problem the author sets them is understood best in pictures. There is power, pathos and romance in the play, which is really a worthy condensation of a book whose purpose was to appeal to the emotions of the people who buy books. The author himself superintended the rehearsals for this picture. There are a number of other excellent films, including comedy, tragedy and those of news value.

A society drama with unusual features is showing in pictures at the Queen's Theatre. It is called "Bought." Shortly, a society girl is "unfortunate" (although, mind you, only man and not nature is worried about it), and, in order to lender her respectable, pa offers a poor author 10,000 dollars to many the .girl, which he docs. You can see yourselli that there is food enough here tor some of the prettiest complications, and that in real life it would be a tangled skein to unravel before you got a bought husband to feel good about a wife who, by all the laws of nature, belonged to the gentleman who partnered with her in the offspring. Miss Ethel Grey Terry plays the part ot: the girl who bought a husband very nicely indeed, and with great delicacy and point. A wave

of these sex problem pictures is sweeping the earth, and are eagerly seen. There are other items sustaining the reputation of this house whose popularity never wanes.

"My Madonna," a pictorial presentation based on Robert W. Service's fine verses, has been filling the big auditorium of the Princess Theatre, and the play deserves full houses. It is nobly done. An artist has in his mind the ideal for a madonna, and he searches for a woman who shall be a model for her. The down at heels artist finds the lovely Lucille at last. She becomes his model for the painting of the Madonna, which electrifies the Avorldj and brings him cash and consequence. But—here is the material on which three films all showing at the same time in Auckland is based—he tires of the woman who has made his fortune. There are bunches of complications afterwards, and the painter chap gets what is teoming to him. The Avonderfully beautiful Olga Petrora plays the part of the artist's wife with great art. There are several other films oil great merit supporting the "star."

New York "Dramatic News" thus records the success of Fred Niblo over there: "Fred Niblo has made such a real hit in 'Hit-the-Trail Holiday' that the song writers have written a selection, and have dedicated it to him. He is deserving of the honour, for there is not an actor on the stage who enjoys more popiilarity. It is mighty well earned, too. 'Hit-the-Trail Holiday' would never have been the hit it is without the support of Mr Niblo. He is the life of the play."

Reports received by the Chief Secretary of New South Wales (Mr Black) -show that there are 113 picture shows in Sydney and suburbs immediately adjacent. The average weekly attendance is 426,910. Taking the average charge of admission at sixpence, the attendance given means that £10,672 15s is spent each week in this form of amusement in and around the New South Wales capital.

"After all," says a "Bulletin" writer, "the soldier who miraculously recovered his speech during a performance of 'Under Fire' in the first week of its run at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney, was only an imitation. The original in the part was a member of the Army Cycle Corps, Hopkins hy name, whose talking machinery had been put out of gear through, being 'gassed' at Ypros. Hopkins was at a kinema show at Norbury (England) when a comic film threw him into such a convulsion of mirth that to the amazement of all his comrades ejaculations in the vernacular 'burst from him. He went back to the local war hospital chatting gaily, we are told, and blessing the (space here for advt.) picture show."

News from New York states that Miss Maud Allan, the famous dancer, has been seized with appendicitis, and that the doctors attending her give little hope of her recovery. Miss Allan will be best remembered for her Salome dance, which made her the target of a good deal of hostile criticism. On the other hand, her symbolic dancing was much appreciated by a A r ery largjp number of men and women, and her artistry and skill were never in question. In London she had the unique record of 250 consecutive performances, and refused offers to tour in the provinces at £500 a week.

Some comment has been aroused by the regulation of the Ohio "kinema" censorship that a kiss must not be more than 10 feet long; each foot representing a second by the clock. "It makes no difference whether it is a mother kissing her son, a brother kissing his sister, or a wife her husband. If the kiss exceeds 10 feet in length it has to be cut down." Just aobut the point where it ceases to be a kiss and becomes an asphyxiation.