ENTERTAINMENTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 46, Issue 141002, 21 April 1920, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS.

PARAMOUNT THEATRE. •‘LOVE DEFENDER.” ‘ ‘The* Love Net” is the big attraction at the Paramount Theatre this evening. Hope Meredith Js in love with a voung doctor named Frank Rodnay. The latter is at the time in the toils of a young society girl, Anita Day Anita has promised to marry Rodney, but her hand is sought by an elderly millionaire named Bates. Anita yields to the lure of wealth and marries Bates Rodnev, in the meantime, seeing that he has been .jilted, has made a, sudden proposal to Hope, and maynes her. But his heart is still with Anita. Tho latter, after finding Bates intolerable, sends for Rodney. She even hastens Bates’ death by inducing him to smoke during a severe illness, and then plans to run away with Rodney. Hope has learned of Rodney s affection and decides to kill herselt by drowning,-and there are some pathetic scenes towards the end, tor Anna makes numerous efforts to break oft the attachment. But her attempts are of no avail, for Rodney learns her tine character, and his heart turns to las desponding wife whom he saves Horn death in the nick of time, and tin. close is a happy one. A good comedy and several other films will be shown in support. COSY THEATRE. “UPSTAIRS.” “Upstairs” is a ragtime romance in one lon- spasm of merriment and a hi o' hit for Mabel Norma ml, the Oold-L-n Comedy Queen. Elsie Mactarland (Mabel Xonnand) toils in the meeream department of a hotel. There she longs to go upstairs to view the fnirvland she knows is there. Att.u seeing her peeping through a door, Lemuel Stallings, a young ‘ who detests society, dons a bell boy s clothes and makes love to her without knowing it. Lemuel is gn i * y to take to the cleaners but he takes it to. Elsie, who soon parades • Lpstaps. The dress belongs to a runaway gn I, who is to marry a crook, who n»* merely to get her money and thin . sort her. ‘(Hawk-eyed’ Murphy, the i.ou«o detective, had mm tho e»l>m* airi as she entered the hotel m the dress that was later sent to be renovated. Murphy gets on her tiail. Elsie rushes into an elevator whisks it u ‘to the roof, down to the cellar, then up and down, finally stopping it between two floors. Then the ciook threatens her, but the bell-boy rescues her, and everything efids happdu “StingarceV Adventures will lush own in a further chapter, while humour in plenty will be seen in the latest Sunshiny comedy. A good La zette completes the change.

IMPORTANT DRAMATIC Pm ' DUCTION. “LIG-HTNINT” Tuesday evening next will see the production here of the famous comedydrama, ‘ ‘ Lightniu \’ ’ This exceptionally favoured play will be I .resen.ed by j C Williamson, Ltd., with a superlative cast, with the tfreat character actor John 1). O’Hara at the head. •‘Liuhtniu’ ” has so far proved phenomenal in its success. H easily broke all existing records in Melboiniiv y playing over 130 consecutive nights An equal success awaited the play m > y< ney, it having to be withdrawn to make way for other scheduled at .tractions after its 100th night. It would appear that the unique success of the piece is embodied in the wonderful and compelling personality M Mr John D. O’Hara, of whose playing of the leading part—Bill Jones—the Svdney “Sun” wyites as follows: “Lightilin’ ” is a very_ clever play, interpreted by an exceptionally c.evei company headed by Liglitn... M Jones, inimitably portrayed bv A John D. O’Hara. Mr O Hara as bill Jones is the most adorable of men. His appearance is so perfect. that, it is impossible to ascribe ft to the art of making up, however good. It takes an unusnailv sweet disposition, e\en v.hen seen aefoss the footlights, to look so lovable ns John 1). Ohara. In t.u “Lbdituin ’ ” Jones entirely captivates the sympathies of the audience, so that no one cares a solitary hang as to Ins real faults. But there is no cloying sweetness about “Bill”—he is no prohibitionist and has a talent for picrmesc/ue exaggeration that is startlingly unicmc. But all his tallest stories have a nice spice of fun, as when lie describes himself as a bee farmer. I used to be a bee man,” he says. ‘ L once drove a |swarm ot bees ngnt across the plains, and never lost a bee Of course the house roars, but it is the right kind of laughter, the laughter that comes from the heart, anil that kind of direct action is what John D. O’Hara is competent and artistically capable of putting across the footlights; a rare thing—a very rare thing—and being rare and so supremely human possesses the poetic hypnotism of touching the sympathetic spot in a manner that, to say- the least, is uncommon and entirely commendable. It is really a great performance, and one that stands out head and shoulders above any other individual characterisation for more years than we caii remember.” There are no less than 50 people required to intc-rpyet the play. The box plans will be opened at the Bristol on Saturday morning next.