The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

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6 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW january lo, 1914 Correspondence NKW V( )RK. Jan. 4.—When Billic Burke was selected for the leading role in The Land of Promise, the new play at the Lyceum, the produc- ers probably failed to fully realize the wisdom of their choice. The full real- ization of Miss Burke's worth in a serious play came to the firstnighters at the end of the third act, when they insisted on dragging her onto the stage to explain nervously how much she appreciated the enthusiastic Christmas reception she had been ac- corded. In her new role Aliss Burke more than fulfills the hopes of even her most ardent admirers. "Billie Burke has never had a chance to show the stuff she is made of," they said after .seeing her in the denunciation .scene in The Mind the Paint Girl. "Try her in a serious play." The role of Norah Marsh, a twentieth century shrew in \V. Somerset Maughan's new piece, a delightful play of the Northwest, gave her the desired op- portunity, and her ])resence in the cast is one of two reasons why the latest offering of the present theatrical sea- son is going to prove a great suc- cess. The second reason is tliat the play itself is a good one. Even with a less talented actress than Miss Burke at the head of the cast it would be recorded as one of the season's worth while plays. For ten years, Norah Mar.sh. a proud little English girl of good family, has been the companion of an old English lady. The death of her mistress leaves her without a po- sition and penniless because an ex- ])ected legacy has failed to materialize. Norah goes to Canada. There her brother has married a waitress and she goes to him. But she and her sister-in-law do not agree, and when the quarrel comes, Norah is given the alternative of making a public apology to her brother's wife or getting out. It is just about this time that Frank Taylor, one of the hired hands, de- cides that he has had enough of single bliss and determines to go to an em- ployment agency for a wife who will mend his clothes and cook his meals. Norah offers herself to him for the sake of a home and he accepts. The next scene shows the bridal couple alone in a shack on the prairie. Frank has determined to be master in his own house, and Norah, after breaking dishes and smashing up things in gen- eral, succumbs to his will. A belated check arrives from England and when she is offered her freedom she realizes that she is in love with her husband and decides to remain. The role of Norah was a difficult one, but Miss Burke more than met all the require- ments. One of the other features was the splendid performance of Shelley Hull, in the role of the Canadian cave man. The acting of Lumsden Hare as Norah's brother; Lillian Kings- bury, as Gertie, the wife, and Norman Tharp, Thomas Reynolds and Barnett Parker gave the audience much for which to the thankful. * * * Eleanor Gates, whose Poor Little Rich Girl charmed New York theatregoers last season, has turned out another play that takes its place with the really good shows of the year. We Are Seven is the title of her latest offer- ing, and the firstnighters at the Max- inc Elliott Theatre accorded it an en- thusiastic reception. The play, de- scribed in the program as a whimsical Dick Wilbur Co. FOURTH SEASON OF SUCCESS THE BIGGEST REPERTOIRE COMPANY ON THE COAST Open in Eureka in stock, beginning January 3—indefinitely. farce, deals with a young lady who has some very decided ideas about eugenics and a joking young law clerk who, posing as a deaf and dumb es- cort, falls in love with the eugenic lady, and of cour.se, marries her. Clever, amusing lines and ingenuous situations that provoke hearty laugh- ter run throughout the three acts. Diantha Kerr, played admirably by Be.ssie Barri.scale. is the heroine of the unusual situations that Miss Gates creates. Her wanderings about the East Side have convinced her aunt that she is in need of an escort, and she agrees to the plan, stipulating that her companion must be both deaf and dumb. A law clerk, who has been having fun at the expense of his friends, quickly becomes a deaf mute when he catches sight of Miss Kerr, and is engaged as the escort. His friends see an admirable chance for revenge, and their visits to him at the Kerr home give oi)])ortunities for the most humorous situations of an amus- ing play While Miss Kerr is looking, the escort is forced to make strange and meaningless signs to his visitors, who rei)ly in the same manner While the young lady's back is turned, he gives voice to some strong expressions in the King's English, imploring them to be gone. Miss Kerr, although she has not met the man who comes up to the eugenic standard she has set, is the imaginary mother of a family of seven. She has named all of the chil- dren of her brain, and has mapjied out their careers. Every time a hopeful young suitor proposes to her she asks herself: "Would Samuel or John or Edward like this man as his father?" .\lvvays the answer has been no, and always the suitor has been dismissed. Miss Kerr is still on the lookout for her eugenic husband when the law clerk is engaged as her escort. In almost every way he comes up to her standard, and in his hearing .she be- moans tile fact that he can't hear or talk. .\ doctor friend has warned her that there is danger that the children might be afflicted in the same manner, and she sighs as she remembers the "100 per cent perfect" mark which she has set. The troubles end when the escort and his friends find themselves under arrest in a police stationhouse. There they quickly recover their senses of hearing and speech and the escort is accepted as the eugenic hus- band. As Miss Kerr, sobbing with happiness, leans on his .shoulder, a siiadowy line of seven children is seen against the window shade. ]\Iiss l>arriscale possesses both talent and beauty. Efifie Ellsler returned to the stage after a long absence, and her performance of the part of the aunt was one of the best things of the play. Russ W^iytal, Jane Peyton, Robert Peyton Gibbs and William Raymond added strength to a fine cast. * * * The Secret, in which David Belasco brought Frances Starr back to New York last week, is the least theatrical and by far the most sincere of all thf dramas by Henri Bernstein which have been shown in this country. Without an\' such universally appealing motive as actuated the wife, Marie, in The Send for New Catalogue Stating Kind Desired THEATRICAL CATALOGUE of Sh«« Print. ing. RsDerioiro. Stock. Circua, Wild Wtst, T*nt Shows, Etc. FAIR PRINTING. Fain. Racof. Aviation, Auto. Horse. Stock Sliowi, Etc. MAGIC PRINTING. HypKotltm, Hlutioiu, Mind Reading, Etc. MINSTREL PRINTING. White or Colorado With or Without Title. Etc MOVING PICTURE PRINTING. Etc. WESTERN PLAYS, Etc. FOLDERS of Non-Roialty Plays with Printing. Show and Theatrical Printers Lithographers, Engravers National Stocl( Hangers and Posters on Hand for every Kind of Amusement Enterprise WRITE ST. LOUIS OFFICE - 7TH AND ELM STS. Salt Lake City, Utah Wlitre the Cuisine and Cabaret are tlie ?E:f)e jWecca'of tf)e ^Profesigion E. L. WII.M:, .Mgr. Thief, IJernstein has in this instance dug down into the depths of a wom- an's nature and exposeid a strange phase of psychology, but one which every man and woman who saw it had to admit was perfectly true. It's a study in jealousy which handles its unpleasant theme most assuredly with- out gloves. It shows the havoc and misery which one woman, possessed l)y the green-eyed monster, can bring down upon the heads of those whom, in her more normal moments, she loves best in the world. This woman, a loyal and devoted wife, simply can- not bear to see otiiers hapjjy except when .she herself has been responsible for their happiness. This disease— or raflhcr this mania—of hers causes her deliberately to lie and plot re- lentlessly until she has broken the great love between her husband and his sister—a love which is objecticHi- able to her simply because it seems to make an outsider of herself, and, again, she wrecks the happiness of her closest woman friend with both the man she loves when she is a young widow and subsequently with the man she marries and adores. The result of this woman's machinations make her little short of a fiend. Bern.stein strips this strange, weird character to the raw, and presents her without ex- cuse or palliation. The result was painful, to be sure, but it was a play— a play .splendidly built, full of suspense from its beginning, and one which in- creases steadily in intensity to the cul- mination of its remarkable second act —not a star play in any popular sense of the word, and robbing its central figure deliberately of any chances of sympathy, it still affords to all its prin- cipals splendid acting opportunities and brought Miss Starr another chance of achieving a raie histrionic feat. It is a role which any actress might well fear to play, for since lago no more despicable creature has trod a stage; again, too, all the .sympathy and one of the biggest scenes from a theatrical point of view go to two of the characters whom she has most deeply wronged, but Miss Starr amply proved Mr. ilelasco's great faith in her by accom|)lishing an extraordi- narily subtle and ])oignant piece of act- ing. The .scene in the last act, where she made her confession to her hus- band, was a consummate piece of act- ing in its depiction of utter abandon- ment and despair. ^liss Starr has had far more popular roles, but none in which she has proved herself so consummate an artist. It was in the last act, too, that Mr. Basil Gill, as-the forgiving husband, rose to his finest effort. He brought both dignity and tenderness to an extraordinarily try- ing scene. In fact, beyond a doubt, it will be on the really magnificent manner in which the play is acted throughout that The Secret must de- pend for its .success. Belasco has never handled any play with more consummate skill. The cast was flaw- less. Frank Reicher played the jeal- ous husband remarkably well. Mar- garet Leslie as the friend was delight- fully sympathetic and sincere, and in his one big scene we have never seen Robert Warwick come so completely out of his shell and forget himself as he did last week. lie gave a re- markably fine performance. The Se- cret is a big play, magnificently handled, is certainly as true as that it raises Frances Starr to still a higher place in her profession. * * * Carmen was sung last week at the Century Opera House. The production was brilliant from the standpoint of scenery and accessories. Mr. Szcndrei had obviously devoted much atten- tion to his share of the work, because the orchestra supplied good support to the singers. Those in the leading roles were Kathleen Howard in the title part, Morgan Kingston as Don Jose, Beatrice La Palme as Micaela, Thomas Chalmers as Escamillo and Alfred Kaufman as Zuniga. Miss Howard has never shown herself a better actress than in the ])art o^f the self-willed gypsy cigarette girl. Most of the music she sang well, although showing traces of a cold. She was successful, too, in the costuming, which set unusually well into the stage picture. Mr. Kingston was as usual satisfying vocally. He has a voice of marked beauty. The flower song was especially well done vocally. Both Mr. Kingston and Miss Howard elicited luuch applause. No better work was done than that of Miss La Palme, who sang the Micaela music with pure nuisical (jualities. She was appealing in figure and in stage details. Mr.