The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

•♦^January 31- 19U THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW Columbia Theatre Adele, the light opera success of 'the present New York season, has come to town, registering at the Co- 'lumbia Theatre, on Sunday even- Mtig; registering a bull's eye, com- plete and instantaneous, to be exact and to the point. Adele is one of the most charming operettas we have experienced. Not altogether new, for the retentive mind recalls The Merry Widow in the manage- ment of the opening scene, and Madame Sherry a bit perhaps in the 'plot; certainly the theme of a hus- band falling in love with his own wife is as old as the hills. The mu- sic too lilts along reminiscently here and there, though with a gaiety and rhythm that saves it and gives it character. Not altogether new per- haps, this story; but it comes to us done over in a brand new package, refreshingly attractive and original 'after the old way of telling, with a sauce of cynical epigram and Shavian wit, and a dash of daring that sails very close to the wind and leaves one gasping just this side of ■disaster. I know of nothing more -^ai^Jbable in the whole of libretto ,il^tei-ature than the climax where the < ) j^ntejit of the cuckoo in the garden and the Toreador's "call to Cupid" from below stairs interrupt the legi- timate progress of love's surren- ders; and nothing more tenderly evocative of romance. The present company slides over thin ice with- out offense, to which unusual accom-' plishment is due in great measure .the success of the piece. John Park,. ...ivho- heads the cast as the Baron de Ghantilly, possesses the insight and easy natural method of your true actor. To a physique and personal- ity curiously suggestive of Henry Miller—some years back—Mr. Park adds the temperament and humor-' 'ouS appreciatioii that distinguishes the many-sided George Dameral; and the combination is a happy one. And, like Dameral, Mr. Park is a' dramatic possibility when the musi- cal play ceases to claim him. Caro- lyn Thomson, a young girl of marked ability, plays Adele, the in- genue role whose girlish promise is^ brought into sharp relief by the rich fulfilment of Myriane de Neuville's beauty and mode. It is like the ri- valry of bud and blossom, of violet and rose, and the answer lies within one's self, for beauty is ever in the eye of the gazer. To myself, with Nanette Flack playing Myriane, the scales weigh a little in her favor, though each is perfect in her own way.' For voices, Miss Thomson has much the better of it; not so strong, as well placed and true, and of smooth sympathetic quality; she sings Adele and Strawberries and Cream very winningly. Robert Friebur, Adele's fiance, is in the hands of Alfred Kappeler, a capable young actor with looks and a good voice. He is especially to be congratulated' on the seriousness with which he brings out the absurdities of the ■^arf: Jaques, the valet, is a purely Sltkvja^l'Cf«at{(i>n c^vferly; "^Di-ked up' |^"?Ralph,Naifni. George: O'Dprliiell: Md |ufff"s EsT[?ailly are the rivai^aek-^ fe^y Parmae^^u 'and h^fiefetlr,' whose j^liqesR drffefeOces bring about-the ^^ij^lint. -.^'Tfetl*-,^ convehtionally, teff^ed.but'an^using./espefiiaHy' the? ^Friebur with his little ineffectual Iileat of wrath. Some verv hand- some ladies, who are too individual to be put down as chorus, with a few extra men, finish ovit a company which is unparalleled in the history of second companies. The ensemble is perfection, both with principals and the minor characters; every one on the stage can act and does, and every one sings well, unles we ex- cept Monsieur le Baron, whose voice early in the week seemed temporarily affected by the San P"rancisco climate. As for costum- ing and staging, it is the last cry, the shimmering moonlight on the water at Trouville being an exquis- ite picture. It is not any one thing that places Adele beyond the ordin- ary musical productions; rather the rare combination of the manv ex- cellencies of novelty, wit, ability and scenic embellishment. Cort Theatre E. H. Southern opened his season at the Cort Theatre with If I Were King, Justin Huntley McCarthy's de- lightfully romantic version of the life of Francois Villon, alias Corbuiel or Montcorbier, one time poet and vaga- bond. The one play in their joint repertoire where Miss Marlowe will not be missed, it has been elevated, from being merely incidental, to stel- lar proportions, whereb/ we are the gainers. Mr. Sothern is so taken up with the more serious drama that we have little opportunity to sec him in a field where he is also without a rival. Certainly Villon is one of the g'reat characters in romantic comedy, and re- quires all the delicacy and finesse, all the artistry that Mr. Sothern brings to its interpretation. Like Hajj in Kismet, Villon is the man who is able to take advantage of what little oppor- tunity Fate offers; but, unlike Hajj, he is a man of vision, whose oppor- tunity takes on a spiritual aspect. The master of his environment in his Dionysian dreams, realization brings with it responsibility, the noblesse oblige that forces the roysterer with his drugged soul to live up to the truth that sets his spirit free. 'T have learned that there is a thing called honor," he says, and the new light brings with it suffering and joy. Ten years have made a great change in Mr. Sothern's art; aspiration and ideals have carried him far, and no- where is it more apparent than in Vil- lon, developed from a sketch, radiant and poetic, into a soul glowing with inner light. Mr. Sothern's characters do not stay on the other side of the footlights, they become for the time a part of our life. Plis mastery of mechanical device and his mental out- look have grown together, until, even with light comedy he grips with his grasp of life. The company that comes with him is notable. J. Sayre Crawley, who first came out with Ben Greet in Everyman and Elizabethan Sliakespeare, plays Tristian L'ller- mite, the hangman and familiar ad- viser of Louis XI, and the play of fa- cial exjjression in the first act alone would stamp the excellence and finish ■ of. the interpretation. Sidney Mather r.s. the Rene de Montigny, and brings ..out,.among other things, the shreds of aristocracy that still cling to the bravo. I.onis XI is wonderfully worked up by Geo. W. Wilson, with a dry . humor and cynical egotism not out of keeping with the king who made France a nation. Walter Con- nolly, Joseph Latham, Milano Tilden, P. J. Kelly, James P. Hagan, Gustave Klinge and Arthur Norton make a realistic set of rogues offset by Milli- cent McLaughlin and a clever group of women who play the outcasts. Mother Villon is in the hands of Ina Goldsmith, too young for the role, but with a goodly share of sympathy—as who could not have, playing with such a son? Helen Singer is picturesque and attractive as Huguette, thougii there is some question as to the depth of her love for Francois and the un- tamed fierceness of her nature. And Elizabeth \'alentine makes a very charming Katherine, beautiful and dignified and responsive. Her voice is an asset, though she may learn much from Mr. Sothern, the master of voice, in the matter of color and qual- ity and cadence. Miss Valentine's ability is unquestioned and her work l)ron-iises well. As for the setting, it is all that a Sothern i)roduction leads us to expect: the rose garden, where Villon's bewilderment changes before us to purpose, is exquisite. Alcazar Theatre The Way to Kenmare, the work of Edward E. Rose, is the vehicle ex- ploiting Andrew Mack and his Irish wit this week. The story of The Way to Kenmare travels from a Fifth Avenue mansion to Ballyscan- lan, Ireland; and the play has many moments of humorous situations, Irish wit and sparkling dialogue. Mack appears in the stellar role of rollicking Dan Maguire. In the course of the play he sings four songs of his own—The Legend of Maguire, Rose, Sweet Rose, Dan, My Darling Dan, and Sweetheart from the Emerald Isle. Louise Hamilton, Annie Mack Berlein, Bert Wesner, Kernan Cripps and J. Frank Burke have the leading parts. The scenery is a revelation, and nothing more elaborate or truly rep- resentative of the scenes depicted have ever been shown on the local stage. Savoy Theatre The Lmdying Story of Capt. Scott and Animal Life in the Antarctic, those wonderful motion pictures secured by Herbert G. Pouting, F. R. G. S., on the memorable trip to the South Pole, are back and proving as ])opular as if they had never been seen before in this city, instead of having played to packed houses for six weeks. Monday night, owing to flood conditions, tlie ]Mcture failed to arrive, and The Ro- deo pictures of the Pendleton Round- Up were substituted, with good re- sults. Next Sunday the wonderful Traffic in Souls pictures will be shown. Gaiety Theatre The film drama. Traffic in Souls, was first given Monday afternoon at the Gaiety Theatre to an audience that was greatly impressed. The conditions that prevail in large cities were revealed frankly but modestly, and the observers were instructed while entertained. Traffic in Souls undertakes to expose the devices of evil men who bargain for girls. It is a hideous story, but it is told dis- creetly. There is no offense given in any one of the scenes that con- stitute tjie"'six gicts ot the screened play. Those ])laces w.ffere "foofsteps take hold on hell" are shown and their denizens are ex]X)sed in the fulness of their viciousness, yet there is nothing disclosed to offend in- nocence. Singularly enough, this is the first drama of the slums which presents the ])oliceman as a. human being. Patrolman Burke is the hero of the plot, and acquits himself so well that he earns a honeymoon with the sister of the girl he rescues from the slavers. Forbes=Robertson Retires from Stage NEW YORK, Jan. 24.~Before an audience which filled the Manhattan Opera House to the doors. Sir John- ston Forhes-Rol)ertson gave his final performance tonight in New York, and bade farewell to the stage of this city, on which he first appeared 40 years ago. After the fall of the final curtain letters of tribute to the actor from former President Will- iam Howard Taft, Governor Martin II. Glynn, and Mayor John Purroy Mitchel were read. David Bisi)liair. presented Forbes-Robertson with a floral tribute from the players of America, and Hartley Manners gave a wreath from the American dram- atists. Rabbi Steven S. Wise spoke of the great good done the stage by Forbes-Robertson, and then the English actor responded, bidding the New York stage good-bye forever. Anna Held Wants Tenderloin Queen's Money Investigation of the report from Chicago announcing that Anna Held had been made the beneficiary of a woman in California and had been left a fortune of $100,000, di- vulged the fact that Attorney Charles F. Hanlon of this city was endeavoring to lay claim for Miss Held to the estate of Cherry de St. Maurice, queen of the red light dis- trict of Sacramento, who was mur- dered in the capitaP city, July 8th last. The money involved is said to amount to $60,000. Attorney Charles F. IIank)n stated: "^liss Held was the only relative of Cherry de St. Maurice. In 1911 when ]\Tiss Held played in Sacramento,*' said Hanlon, "Cherry de St. Maurice called on her in her private car and said,' 'You are my only heir. If I outlive you I shall leave everything I have to you.' She told Miss Held that her mother was a sister of Miss field's father. As Cherry de St. Maurice did not leave any will her estate is in escheat to the State of Califor- nia, but I shall endeavor to forestall escheat pnKcedings on behalf of Miss Held." Cherry de St. Maurice was the proprietress of the notorious Clierry Club in Sacramento and was reputed to be very wealthy. ICarly on the morning of July 8th she was found strangled, to death iu her rooms and her jewelry missing. Shortly afterward a i)rizefighter named Jack Dxumgoole and a cafe entertainer named Sam Uiber were arrested and accused of the crime. Last week Driimgoole was found guilty and sentenced to 'be hanged. J. Goodfriend is building a new the- atre in Goldfield, Nev.