ENTERTAINMENTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 46, Issue 14103, 22 April 1920, Page 2

ENTERTAINMENTS.

COSY THEATRE.

“UPSTAIRS.” ! “Upstairs” is a ragtime romance in one Jong spasm of merriment and a bi.r hit for Mabel Normand, the Goldwyn Comedy Queen. Elsie Maetarland (Mabel Xonnand) toils m the i<- - e.remn department of a hotel. 1 aero she longs to go upstairs to view the fairyland she knows is there. Attei seeing her peeping through a door, Lemuel Stallings, a young millionaire, who detests society, dons a bell bo.v s clothes and makes love to her without knowing it. Lemuel is given a dress to take to the cleaners, but he takes it. to Elsie, who soon parades “I'pstaiys. The dress belongs to a runaway girl, who is to marry a crook, who intends merelv to get her money and then desert her. “Hawk-eyed” Murphy, the house detective, had seen the eloping girl as she entered the hotel in the dress that was later sent to be renovated. Murphy gets on her trail. l:Jsie rushes into an elevator, whisks it up to the roof, down to the cellar, then up and down, finally stopping it between two floors. Then the crook threatens her, but the bell-boy rescues her, and everything cpds happily. “Stingaree’s Adventures” will be shown in a further chapter, while humour in plenty will be seen in the la - est Sunshiny comedy. A good Guzette completes the change. PARAMOUNT THEATRE. * • LOVE DEFENDER.” ••The Love Eel” is the big attraction at the Paramount Theatre tins evening. Hope Meredith Js in love I with a. young doctor named' Crank Undue,v. 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 clderlv millionaire named Bates. Anita yields' to the lore of wealth and marries Bates. Rodney, 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. The 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 herself by drowning, and there are some pathetic scenes towards the end, for Anita makes numerous efforts to break on the attachment. But her attempts are of no avail, for Rodney learns her true character, and his heart turns to his desponding wife whom he saves from death in the nick of time, and the close is a happy one. A good coineuy and several other lilms will be shown in support.

A PLAY IN A CENTURY. ‘‘LIGHTNIN’ ” Of “Lightnin’” the extraordinary and prominently successful comedydrama, by Winchell Smith and Frank Bacon, to be presented here by .J. C. Williamson, Ltd., on Tuesday next, a prominent critic writes:— 11 After tie amazing success of ‘Lightnin in Now York after weeks of enthusiastic heralding in Ausctyalia, ‘Lightnin’ has finally come to the Theatre Royal, and the extraordinary thing about the whole business is that it- fully realises all we have been keyed up to expect of it. It takes one some little while to comprehend the fait that one is not seemingly witnessing a play at all; it is not until the performers are in me second act, in fact, that such consciousness begins to slowly dawn. The play is so cleverly written that there is hardly a suggestion of the theatre about it. As ‘ Lightnin ’ Bill Jones (Mr .John o' O’Hara) is the keystone and loadstone of the production, and admirably indeed he suggests the shrewd and telling humour in which the authors ha\ e enveloped the piece, .lohn D. O ’Hara s actin<>- the brilliancy of the dialogue, together with the really artistic playing of Robert Tonis, Fred. Esinelton, »!onn Beck, Lizette • Parkes, and the several other clever people responsible for its interpretation, makes ‘Lightnin a mo.it fascinating and highly desirable performance to witness. There are _ a number of newcomers in the cast, including a clever American comedienne in the person of Miss Diana Wilson. But the great event of the occasion is John T). O’Hara; the authors of ‘Li"htnin ’ can never thank him enough for what he has done for them. It "is just that kind of play that grips an audience by the pocket-book and won’t let go until every seat is sold. “Lightnin’ ” will be played for one night, the box plans for which will be opened at the Bristol on Saturday morning next.