CHRISTCHURCH NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 988, 11 February 1909, Page 17

CHRISTCHURCH NOTES.

My Christchurch correspondent writes:—

The attempt by the Williamson Co. now playing in Christchurch to enforce the new by-.aw regulating the seating accommodation at the Theatre Royal has ended in a dismal failure. The experiment was made the night before last, and the City Council inspector, who was present to watch proceedings, had to admit that the bylaw wouldn't work worth the proverbial cent. This was no fault of the management. They did all they couid to observe the new regulation. But what are you to do when a few hundred galleryites rush pell-mell into the ‘‘abode of the gods,” and proceed to fill up the seats as seemeth best to them? The management is still wrestling with the problem, but meantime the by-law is practically inoperative, and probably the only way will be to partition off each seat, same as in the D.C., and then nobody will be able to jump anybody else’s claim or monopolise more than their proper share of space.

Much sympathy is expressed for Biand Holt in connection with the recent robbery of £320 in go.d and silver coinage from the Theatre Royal. The affair is still shrouded in mystery, although the police are supposed to be yet hunting for ‘‘clues.” Whoever the thief may have been, he seems to have had a pretty accurate knowledge of the ways of the people employed by Mr. Holt. J. C. Williamson is said to have spent £5OOO in producing ‘‘The Red Mi 1,” now running at the Theatre Royal. Wirth’s Circus opens here on February 15-

Mr. Rud. Petersen, who succeeded Mr. Harry Liston as manager of the Wide-World Pictures at the Coliseum, bids fair to rival his predecessor in popularity. His efforts to keep the show ‘‘humming’’ are meeting with every success; The entertainment "

(now in its 5 sth week) is still drawing immense houses. On February 8 West’s Pictures returned to Christchurch, and will be on turned to Christchurch, and are on view at His Majesty’s.