HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 889, 21 March 1907, Page 16

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

EDISON’S PICTURES. A: His Majesty’s Theatre, Edison’s popular pictures are showing for the last week, prior to returning to Sydney for the Easter season. An entire change of programme includes some exceptionally fine views this week. “Ice Loading on the Hudson” is an interesting illustration of how they send the frozen blocks from the great Canadian river into the cities for utilisation in all manners and ways. The Harvard-Cambridge boat race, though seen before in Auckland, was good enough to bear repetition, and the result, wherein the light blue of Cambridge was victorious by a couple of lengths, caused a loud burst of enthusiasm. A class of picture which never fails to appeal is the presentation of battleships, and a portion of the dreadnoughts of the American fleet was as instructive as it was interesting. “The Herring Industry” was an old subject shown in a new series of pictures, and the progress of the canning business, from the time the trawlers return to port until the fish are ready for the market, makes a decidedly interesting study. The finest film shown, however, was that of the historic Giants’ Causeway. To the colonial, who has nothing in his native and that is historic or antiquated, and must rely solely on literary descriptions for his source of information with regard

~ to those corners of the Old World which f the history of centuries has made famous, J the genius of Edison affords a golden op- ' portunity. Since actual acquaintance ' with such glorious spots as the Giants’ j Causeway is debarred from the great mai jority, the living representations upon the canvas of those picturesque ninches and 1 nooks provide an opportunity which is the next best thing. The wonderful contour ! of the rocks at this traditional point is 1 graphically shown, and gives cause for 1 wonderment that the ceaseless surge of ’ the ocean has not robbed the peculiarly1 pillar-rocks of their originality of forma1 tion. Strange and beautiful Monte Carlo, 1 the city of madness, possessed of a bigger ■ record of suicides than any other city in 1 the world, looks wonderfully innocent as. ; pourtrayed on the canvas. A wrestling ‘ match, showing how the little Japanese : can overthrow much bigger men under ' the jiu jitsu system, made another instruc- ‘ tive series of pictures. A number of comi- ’ cal scenes interspersed the representation I of people and places. “The Dream of the Rarebit Fiend” was too funny for anything, while the doings of the “Boarding School Girls” caused roars of laugh* ter. Amongst many other comedy pictures, “How the Office Boy Saw the Bal Game” was responsible for a great deal of merriment. Little Bessie Sutton, the talented child actress, sang some clever songs, besides dancing very nicely. There will be a children’s matinee on Saturday. Mr George Lauri, looking quite himself again after his holiday in and around the Hauraki Gulf, left for Sydney by the Manuka on Monday. * * * * To endow a bed in memory of the late Mr J. L. Toole, his executors have sent to Charing Cross Hospital, London. * * * * Says the Academy, London: “Theatre audiences of to-day are patient, long-suffer-ing and merciful. Patient before the curtain goes up, long-suffering while it is up, and merciful when it falls.” * * * * In the pantomime .of “ Sinbad, ” in Dublin, Miss May Beatty is singing Mr August Juncker’s song ,“ I was dreaming,” which Miss Nellie Stewart popularised in past days by its introduction into “Ma Mie Rosette.”

The “Squaw Man” Company left for Brisbane by the Manuka on Monday. The projected production of “Under Two Flags” in Sydney has been postponed. Lucky Sydney. * * * * This is the latest American “notion.” Mr. Charles Dillingham, the well-known American manager, has arranged to photograph all the minor members of his companies and have their portraits and thumb indentification marks made part of their contracts. A pretty, clever and experienced chorus girl has been detected in making contracts with various managers and transferring ithem, for a consideration, to girls who are not so pretty, clever, and experienced. To prevent such impostions this novel system has been adapted. * * * * J ‘ Miss Amy Castles has been touring the provinces in England with great success. One of the critics writes — “A look into the future is not always undesirable, and if in the possession of great singers—who have ingratiated themselves in the minds of music lovers as being at the top of the tree —we look to their probable successors, notice must be taken of Miss Castles as a rising queen of song. She combines witn the rare power pf Melba some of the delicacy of Patti, and her striking personal charms—well, they should be considered an acuisition. Miss Castles has a very beautiful soprano voice of truly musical uality, and she uses it most artistically. Her songs were Bemberg’s ‘Nymphes et sylvains,’ Goring Thomas’ ‘Winds in the Trees’ (which was sung with poignant feeling), and Ethelbert Nevin’s ‘One Spring Morhing,’ for the dainty rendering of which she was encored, replying with ‘lf No One Ever Marries me’ (from Liza Lehmann’s ‘Daisy Chain’).” Miss Nellie Stewart has decided not to visit America for a tour there, as she had arranged, but, in consequence of the operation which she underwent recently, will return to Australia for six months’ rest.