The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

January 3, 1914 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW 9 Columbia Theatre May Irwin will conclude her two weeks tonight and it will probably be some years before we will have the pleasure of enjoying thi.' buxom and clever comedienne. Beiore the present visit it was something like ten years between her visits. The theatre will be dark a week and then we will have Otis Skinner in Kismet for a couple of weeks. Cort Theatre In these da3's of se.x preoccupation, Little Women, now playing at the Cort Theatre, should be doubly wel- come. Here are no problems such as are vexing our community, our na- tion, the world; rather a getting back to first principles, the engendering of a perspective on those vanishing vir- tues whicli are themselves armor against present evils. It is the offer- ing of an antidote instead of a rem- edy. The little play is full of interest and pleasure for the young of heart, whose season it is. It is a story of the realities of life—simplicity and honor, true brotherly lov'e and the contented mind—as against those glitterings that are not pure gold. If the stage is a means of escape, in the picture poverty is not sordid if the mental at- titude is right. If it is a teacher. Little Women carries a message that heeded, will make the world a better place to live in. If the theatre is merely a place of amusement, then here at least is genuine joy, fun and frolic, inno- cent of suggestion or bitterness, with shadows of gentle pathos. Louisa M. Alcott's well-loved book makes, on the whole a good play, in spite of the artificalities of her time, and the lack of real incident. It is all atmosphere, that has not been lost in the drama- tization ; more, it is optimism, based on sincerity and truth. The staging carries both ideas, and too luuch can- not be said in praise of it. The act- ing, too, is adequate. Marta Oatman stands out as Marmee, the typical mother, all-seeing, all-loving and all- respecting; who bears her burdens with conscious cheerfulness. Frank McEritee's characterization of the old philosopher, friend of Thoreau and Emerson, has scarcely less charm. The girls, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, are in the hands of Jean Brae, Jane Mar- bury, Henrietta McDannel and Ida St. Leon, all of whom are con- scientious and capable, and of whom Meg has the greatest charm, as Jo carries the strongest interest. Ida St. Leon has beauty and talent, but witli them all, the acting is better as tlicy grow up. Laurie is a disappointment, not because of Donald Gallaher's act- ing which is good, but on account of his lack of inches, which does not meet one's preconceived notions of the delightful hero of childhood. Marshall Birmingham makes a handsome and convincing John Brooke, and Rob- ert Fischer's Professor Bhaer is a de- lightful bit of character work. The courtly Mr. Lawrence is well taken care of by Selmar Romainc, Aunt March is snappingly done by Lilian Dixon and Helen Beaumont is ex- cellent as old Hannah. Little Women is to stay with us for another week and should play to packed houses in spite of the weather. Alcazar Theatre The Lytell-Vaughan engagement is getting on to its end. The second week of The Man Who Owns Broadway will finish tomorrow and then the remaining two weeks of the engagement will be given over to The Girl and the Pennant, and the next .starring engagement will be filled by Andrew Mack and to fol- low him, George Davis, who has just returned from the East, has a number of stars signed, the iiames of which, however, he will not di- vulge at present. So it looks like a continuation of the stock starring policy at the Alcazar. Savoy Theatre Mutt and Jeff' are finishing the second week of a profitable engage- ment. Notwithstanding the weather Inisiness has been pleasing. An ex- tra matinee or two this week and an extra night tomorrow have kept the actors out of mischief. Geo. Kleine's new film drama, Cleopatra, will l)e shown commencing Monday. Gaiety Theatre With everything in ship shape order. The Girl at the Gate is running along smoothly and tlie performance is as entertaining" as anyone could wish for. Business is pleasingly large and each week sees new features introduced. Next week Bickel and Watson will be seen in some of their famous comedy stunts. The addition of these funsters is in line with general manager Rosen- thal's policy of keeping the show up to high-water mark and constantly in- troducing new and high-class features. Personal Mention Dispatches from Paris announce that the name of Sarah Bernhardt has again been submitted in the New Years's list of persons nominated for membership to the Legion of Honor. Rene Viviani, the French Minister of Public Instruction, has sent in the name of the famous actress, and as President Poincare is exerting his in- fluence in her behalf, the friends of Madame Bernhardt are hopeful. The nomination of Madame Bernhardt lias been strongly opposed for years by the grand chancellor of the order. Fearing that their first marriage, which had taken place in California tiiree years ago, might not hold good in New York because of former di- vorce proceedings, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest George Montague Shipnian, accompanied by a few friends, mo- tored to North Bergen, N. J., and were remarried at the Grove Re- formed Church by the Rev. Isaac W. Gowen last week. Mr. Shipman, who is the manager of a well-known New York motion picture concern, got a divorce from his first wife, iAgnes Shipman, known on the stage as Roselle Knott, in 1909, and next year married Helen Foster Barham in Los Angeles. The first Mrs. Shipman, ignoring his Western divorce, got a (Hvorce in New York in 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Shipman moved to New York during the i)ast summer, and it was upon the advice of friends, wlio feared that because of the dif- ference in the divorce laws in Cali- fornia and New York their original marriage might be contested, that they went to New Jersey and again went through the ceremony, using the same ring that had originally done service. Correspondence PORTLAND, Dec. 29.—Heilig Theatre (Calvin Heilig, mgr.; W. T. Pangle, res. mgr.) : The Pink Lady, with Olga De Baugh in the leading part, rounded out the week, and proved just as entertaining and clev- er as l)efore. The play was well staged and the chorus and costumes were charming, with the company more than average. Alice Lloyd, with her vaudeville company, open- ed last night for four nights in her dance revue. Miss Lloyd has songs old and new and shows some ex- treme costumes. Miss Lloyd was warmly received. The hit of the bill was the Cowboy Minstrels. They appear in traditional cowboy cos- tumes and are seen at a bunkhouse preparing their own chuck. Sidney Wood and the Doraine Sisters, who sing and dance, open the show. They are followed by The Act Beautiful, in which hunting scenes are depicted by the posing of a man and woman and animals. Frank Fogarty was also warmly welcomed. Dance Mad comes after an intermission. Everv- one who has appeared before appears in this, with others, and Miss Lloyd contributes a song. Coming: Jan. 1-3, Billy (Single) Clifford in Be- lieve Me; six nights beginning Jan. 5, Otis Skinner in Kismet; Jan. 11, tiaby Deslys. Baker Theatre (Geo. L. Baker, mgr.; Milton Seaman, bus. mgr) : The Builders, a melodrama which takes for the leading theme the subject of a convict who comes back, is the current offering. In the first act the son of a rich father comes home from Sing Sing where he has been committed for the death of his best friend. He decides to go West and fight it out there, and chooses Oregon. The remainder of the play shows him in the West facing his problem. Of course there is a love theme also, involving two women. Edward Woodruff is the reformed convict and is excellent throughout. James Hester as a German judge, Reinhardt, is im- mense. Louis Leon Hall, Walter Gilbert and Raymond Wells fur- nished the comedy. Dorothy Shoe- maker was Hilda Norris, a typist, and Mary Edgett Baker was the butterfly. Mayo Methot was also in the cast. Next: The Lottery Man. Lyric Theatre (Keating & Flood, mgrs.) : A Stubborn Cinderella, with an entire new company, head- ed by Myrtle Rose de Loy, Jack Westerman, Allen Lewis, Harry B. Cleveland and Harry Bowen, will be the New Year attraction, begin- ning today. Orpheum Theatre (Frank Cofifinberry, mgr.)—Nance O'Neil, in Self Defense; Bert Fitz- gibbon ; Martin E. Johnson's travel- ogues ; J. Hunter Wilson and Effie Pearson; Boberto and Verera; Daisy Leon, and Mario and Duffy. Empress Theatre (H. W. Pierong, mgr.) : The Canoe Girls, Bernard and Lloyd, Ernest Dupille, Aldro and Mitchell, Merian's Swiss Canine Pantomime Co. Pantages Theatre (John Johnson, mgr.) : Peter Tay- lor and eight royal African lions, the Great Arnesens, Hetty Urma, Vacation Time, Cornetta Trio. A. W. W. LARAMIE, Dec. 29.—Opera House (II. E. Root, .mgr.) : Officer 666 tonight to good house. The Pink Lady Jan. 8. JOHN WATT. SACRAMENTO, Jan. 2. — Clunie Theatre: Jan. 2-3, Tik-Tok Man. The- atre Diepenbrock, Dec. 28th, The new musical comedy stock company with Ferris Hartman at its head had a successful initial performance. The veiiicle being Mary's Lamb. It is a distincly one-man piece and Hartman, the ever-popular, got away with it all right. Alice McComb puts over Mary Miranda in good style and Paisely Noon and Rena Vivienne were excellent in their songs. Noon and Lenore are the best male members of the company though Thomas Leary as the negro servant and Joe Fogarty are there with the goods. George Gage and Alma Norton are other members of the company. The chorus is es- pecially good and much enjoyment is to be expected this season by this clever group of entertainers. Grand: The Redmond Company, guided by the keen and discriminating judge- ment of Ed Redmond, one of the cleverest stock managers on the Coast, is seen in Uncle Tom's Cabin this week and certainly the performance is a mighty clever one. Paul Harvey is a grand old Tom, Ed Redmond is a funny Marks and Jack Fraser, a cap- able Fletcher. Merle Lewis is a capi- tal Aunt Chole and doubles as Ophelia. Roscoe Karns is a handsome George Harris and Bert Chapman is effective as St. Clair. Beth Taylor plays Topsy and my, what a clever Topsy she is. Hugh Metcalfe is a sufficiently severe Legree, and James Newman is seen as the Auctioneer. The Empress is play- ing the usual S. & C. vaudeville and The Clunie plays Orpheum vaudeville early in the week. Plays Engagement in Jail OAKLAND, Dec. 30.—Joseph L. Keys, an actor, who appeared at a lo- cal theatre last Ictober, will play a star engagement in the County Jail until the probation officer has time to investigate his application for proba- tion. Keys is charged with a statutory offense, the complaining witness being a sixteen-year-old girl who followed him here from San Franci.sco and waited for him at the stage entrance until the close of the performance in which he was taking part. Keys l)leaded guilty today. He is from Bronxville, N. Y., where he has a wife and child. Emma Trentini, the dainty light opera ])rima donna, will be seen at the Cort soon in The Firefly, under the direction of y\rthur llaninier- stein. Irma Savage opened with Monte Carter at the Wigwam Sunday. Miss Savage was with Kolb and Dill and other musical comedy companies. This is her first appearance after years out of the business. Landers Stevens and (ieorgie Cooper will open at the Oakland Or pheum, Jan. 11, in a new sketch by Jack I>ait, entitled Lead, Kindly Light. Louis Miller, after a five years absence, when he was here in charge of A Man of the Hour, is in town ahead of Wr. A. Brady's Little Wo- men Company. It is reported that Emmy Destinn, the opera singer who posed for a moving picture concern recently by singing in a cage of lions, received $25,000 for the performance and the company insured her against death or injury in a similar sum.