AMUSEMENTS, MEETINGS, ETC.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19367, 25 July 1925, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS, MEETINGS, ETC.

A REAL ARTIST LAST OPPORTUNITY OF HEARING MR NEWLANDS Perhaps, if Wanganui be lucky, next time Mr J. C. Newlands visits this part of the world, the Opera House will be booked for his entertainment.. It is to be hoped, too, that he will bo favoured with finer weather. Mr Norlands is accustomed to large audiences and he well deserves them, just as a large audience deserves to be treated to a good entertainment. It is quite a fallacy to judge the merits of an entertainment by the size of the audience. Mr Newlands’ experience in Wanganui is a striking case which disproves that popular theory. In sporting parlance, j\lr Newlands is a “dark horse’ who, if he came again to Wanganui, will win out handsomely in a big theatre. Last, evening ho gave Another excellent entertainment, a wonderful feast from a great variety of writers. Among the items were: “The Cratchits’ Christmas Dinner” (Dickens); “The Pied Piper,” Trial Scene (Merchant of Venice); “O.”; “Seeing Things” (Eugene Field).'“Preparing for Company, '■ and “Twa Texts” (Barrie), “Wha Daur Meddle wi ’ Mo?” “ The Universalist.” LAST RECITAL TO-NIGHT , To-night will mark Mr Newlands’ ; final appearance in Wanganui. He will have another change of programme to offer and it will bo regcttable —in fact, a reflection on such lan educational centre as Wanganui—if there be not a full house to enjoy this gifted artist. GREAT RUSSIAN ACTOR. COMING TO WANGANUI. Maurice Moscovitch, the famous Rus-sian-Jewish actor, whose attainments so impressed Australian audiences for over eight months, will open his Wanganui season at the Opera House next Monday evening in his wonderful production of Dorothy Brandon’s tense and virile drama, “The Outsider,’ which will be staged for this night only. Speaking of the piece on its first presentation in Sydney, the critic of the Sun said: “Until Saturday night not. many people in Sydney knew much about a play called ‘The Outsider. lor its author, Dorothy Brandon. It will be surprising, however, if Sydney does not. hear much this week of the (‘harm of ‘The Outsider’ as a play, ami of the extraordinary verve and

brilliance of Moscovitch in the principal part. The new play is a triumph for the visiting actor. He has shown as ‘Shylock’ in ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ that he was a highly gifted artis, but in ‘The Outsider’ Moscovitch was surprising. By sheer force of per sonality he held the big Theatre Royal audience from the. start; but at the end of the second art he had swept it off its feet. The curtain was raised and re-raised more than a dozen times to a storm of applause. He is fortunate in having a leading lady like Jean Robertson. This fine actress lives her unusual part to the full, breathes the requisite fire and passion into it, and makes of the crippled but otherwise gifti'd girl a fine emotional study.” This famous actor-genius will be supported by an exceptionally powerful company of English and Australian artists, all of whom appeared with him in his successful Sydney and Melbourne seasons, and will include Nat Madison, IL Mackenzie-Rogan, lan McLean, Arthur Greenaway, C. Kay Souper, Basil Bowen. Jean Robertson, Eileen Sparks, and Marie Eaton. For the last night of the season (Tuesday) “The Merchant of Venice” will be staged, with Moscovitch in his marvellous impersonation of Shylock. The box plans for the season are now in view at Messrs H. 1. Jones and Son’s.