The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

6 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW March 14, 1914 Correspondence NEW YORK, ^larch 8.—When a ■young woman with social ambitions permits a multi-millionaire to lend her $10,000 without her husband's per- mission, it is easy to see trouble ahead. That is one of the incidents in What Would You Do? a new play by Augustus MacIIugh. produced at the Hudson Theatre last Monday. Mean- while the husband, to meet his wife's neq/d for money, speculates on the street, using $50,000 of his bank's se- curities as collateral. Having lost this a wily friend advises him to "lx)rrow" more collateral and by "bluffing" the two realize $300,000, and replace the securities before their criminal course has been discovered. Morton Sills, as the reckless operator; A. Byron Beas- ley. as his adviser; Richie Ling, as the wealthy friend who tried to entangle the foolish young wife, and Robert MacKay, as a broker who was nearly broken, carried the masculine burdens of the play. Miss Bessie Barriscale as the young wife, was as blonde as any leading woman could be, and acted in a delightful manner—all sweetness and pretty poses. Miss Gladys Wynne did her best with the role of a young woman whom the dramatist made a hopelessly rude creature, while Louise Drew, in her usual finished way, pre- sented a perfectly hard and cold girl of the period. Miss Hattie Russell, as a scheming old worldling, was excel- lent. * * * Having made his mark as a dramatic author this year with The Lure and At I5ay, George Scar- borough produced his third play, Tlie Last Resort, at the Longacre Theatre last week. The author entered the producing field because, he explains, several managers were reluctant to produce a play which attacked the ju- diciary. "They will probably say such things couldn't hapjoen, but they have liappened," says Mr. Holt, the young lawyer in the play. What hai)pcns in The Last Resort is a melodramatic se- quence of events, but hardly an ar- raignment of the judiciary of the country. The last act shows the young lawyer in a cell of the county jail, where he has been placed for con- tempt of court. While serving his sen- tence he has been nominated for Gov- ernor and on election night the re- turns are flashed into his darkened cell from the street, to the delight of the audience. Wilson Melrose was the young lawyer, a role which he presented ably, while George I'^awcett, as a powerful corporation lawyer, was as evil as any melodramatic villain whom a righteous audience ever hissed. Miss Olive Wyndham as a newspaper reporter was most convinc- ing. Mi.ss Julia Blanc in an Irish character role played easily and hap- pily. Mark Price as an honest judge was unusually good. After the second act there was about fifteen minutes' applause and repeated calls for the author, but Wilson Melrose explained that Mr. Hoffman ,the stage director, would not respond, and George Scar- borough couhl not be located. * * * Willie Collier has been doing an ex- cellent business this season in the Hud- .son Theatre in his latest comedy en- titled A Little Water on the Side, wliich was written jointly by him antl Grant Stewart, who plays a role in the funmaker second onlv in importance to that of ]\Ir. Collier hi mself. Mr. Col- lier and his spirited bunch of players are under the management of Charles Dick Wilbur Co FOURTH SEASON OF SUCCESS THE BIGGEST REPERTOmE COMPANY ON THE COAST Playing Stockton in stock. Address care Kirby Theatre. Froimian and will no doubt in due course of time tour the Pacific Coast where his reputation as a liglit come- dian has been constantly enhancing for the last decade. A Little Water on the Side doesn't refer to the quantity of water ordinarily used as a "chaser" in the modern cafes. Its origin is Abbott's Landing, a tract of ten acres on the river front at Piatt's Cove, which was about the only available asset young James Abbott (Willie Collier) had when he re- returned from Paris upon the death of his father to help his sister keep the general store in that village from going into the hands of the sheritY. The play o])ens with a scene in the store where much is sold but no cash is taken in because everybody has a "charge" or "book" account. Young Abbott changes all that. He calls a meeting of his book customers and gladdens their hearts by telling them to go home and tear up their account books but henceforth come prepared to buy "only for cash." There is a family feud on between the Flemings and the Abbotts and. Romeo and Ju- liet like, the son of an Abliott and the daughter of a Fleming fall in love with each other. This little romance enat)les the authors to close up a wid- ening breach by a marriage that makes all hands friends and allows old man Fleming to trade twenty acres of equally good water front property for the ten acres that young .\bl)ott lias and which is necessary for the fulfillment of a contract Iteming has taken to build a bridge and .save a railroad fifteen miles by a cut-off. Mr. Collier is ably assisted not only by Grant Stewart, but also by Charles Dow Clark, William Collier jr., Paula Marr and Jessie Glendenning. There isn't a suggestive line in the entire play—nothing but clean comedy that has so long distinguished Willie Col- lier as one of America's foremost comedians. After witnessing a wave of white slave plays it is certainly a great relief to go to see a lot of whole- some fun by Willie Collier. * * * 'Piie repertoire of the Metropolitan Opera Company was enriched last week by the revival of Orfeo and Euridice, with Louise Homer and Johanna Gad- ski in the title roles, Lenora Si)arkes as .\more, v\nna Ca.se as the llappy Shade and Arturo Toscanini in mu- sical command. Cduck's ins|)ired glo- rification of marital love is umiuestion- ably a milestone in the history of lyric drama. For a century and a half this masterpiece has withstood the gnaw- ing tooth of time without loss of emo- tional vitality, and it holds its own in the twentieth century with the most elaborate compositions of the post- Wagnerian schools. Whether the general public would have responded as readily, however, to the appeal of this immortal work if Giulio (Jatti- Casazza had not offered a production that brought into clear relief all the treasures of the score may well be doubted. What with Arturo Toscani- ni's exquisitely modeled, transparent, melodious and wonderfully expressive reading of the .score, Paul Paquereau's pictures<|ue and poetic scenery, tlie ex- celknt singing of Giulio Setti's choris- Send for New Catalogue Stating Kind Desired THEATRICAL CATALOGUE o( Show Print- ing. Rapertoiro. Stock. Circus, Wild Wast, T*nt Sliows, Etc. FAIR PRINTING. Fain. RacM. Aviation, Auto. Hone. Stock Shows, Etc. MAGIC PRINTING. HypaoUsm, lllysfou. Mind R«adin«, Etc. MINSTREL PRINTING. White or Colorod, With or Without Title. Etc MOVING PICTURE PRINTING. Etc. WESTERN PLAYS, Etc. FOLDERS of Non-Royalty Plays with Printing. Show and Theatrical Printers Lithographers, Engravers National stock Hangers and Posters on Hand for every Kiad of Amusement Enterprise WRITE ST. LOUIS OFFICE - 7TH AND ELM STS. Sah Lake City, Utah \\ ln_r.- till- r'lii.sini- and Cabaret are the ^tlje jMecca'of K. I.. WII-l.i:, MKr. ters and Louise Homer's incompar- alile ])ortrayal of Orpheus, an inter- pretation of Gluck's opera approach- ing^ more closely to the ideal could hardly be imasjined. From every point of view, in every detail, the perform- ance was a delight. After the mental tortures intlicted by jnodern sensa- tionalism it seemed like a bath in a pure mountain stream. Special inter- est centered, however, in Louise Ho- mer, who harl made only one previous appearance this season. So popular is the American Contralto, whose pro- longed absence has been a source of regret to many, that slie would have jeceived a royal welcome, no doubt, even if she had achieved less brilliant results. But it is .safe to say that I\Ime. Homer never has given a finer exhi- bition of "bel canto" than she did, and at the same time a more beautiful and sincerely felt impersonation of the best role in her repertoire. To hear such pure and reposeful singing after some of the nerve-racking extrava- gances to which the i^ublic has been treated in recent years—singing tem- ])ered by an artistic sense of reserve and balance and beauty—is indeed a l)leasurc. No wonder the audience showed its satisfaction in terms so convincing. GAVIN D. HIGH. CARSON CTTY. Nev.—Grand Theatre. W. S. I'.allard, manager.— Prince Pat. the educated iiorse, at- tracted full hou.ses three evenings last week. ]""xcellent pictures are given by the management (jf the theatre every night with a Saturday matinee. The amateur vaudeville entertainment given by a s])ecial committee of the Leisure Hour Club at their new hall, March 6, was a most gratifying suc- cess. The local orchestra, .Mrs. W. Furlong, ])ianist; Mrs. C. H. Hrulin, violinist, and ]•-. C. Peterson, trap drummer, opened tiie programme with a fascinating Persian Dance and a Hesitation Waltz. This was fol- low eil by a vocal trio by the Misses Stewart. Wood and 13erning, the Ve- netian Love Songs of Nevin being artistically and harmoniously ren- dered. The Fmancipation of Mr. Pankhurst-Laidlaw, a skit written by C. H. Norcross of the Publicity Com- mission, was most cleverly presented by Miss Jane Torreyson and Mr. Jack Richards, and the graceful dancing of the octette, Miss Wood and Mr. Stenz, Miss Stewart and Mr. Smith. Mis' Perning and Mr. Heidinger, and Mis Rose Stewart and Mr. Payne, was ; revelation to the on-lookers. Th' solo singing by Miss Wood was givei with a dramatic finish that was pleas ing in the extreme. The presentatioi of the Tango by Mr. and ^Irs. Georg Smith was a pictuie of grace ani beauty and was so vociferously ap plauded that the dancers responde' with the Hesitation Waltz. Mi Smith is connected with the State Eii ginecr's office and but recenti brougiit his bride to this city froi San hVancisco. They are alread great society favorites. Mrs. Georg lirodigan. wife of Nevada's Secretar of State, who is a vocalist of no sma order, made her first public appear ance in this city and astonished thos who had never heard her sing by tli strength, sweetness and correctnes of her voice and her successful man ner of using that voice. Her enuncia tion is perfect, adding .so much to th enjoyment of her singing. The laugli able farce. In an American Haren was delightfully "put over." ]\Ia Stenz, Miss Jane Torreyson and Jac Richards are good wherever you pii them and they did ample justice 11 tiie parts assigned them in this litti i l)Iay. Miss Frances .Adams, daugiitc of ex-(jovernor .\tlams, made iier in itial bow as a player as the wife i hrank Glynn, and her stage presence her beautiful contralto voice an I)i(|uant manner made the character natural one. Mrs. G. E. Tiedeman also made her first appearance as a amateur player and she was a moi attractive sister, being naturally a ver handsome woman who dresses wit excjuisite taste. .She knows how t act, too. and made the character on of the best of the evening. Miss S|>ei ry, of tiie local high school facult; was in verity the cousin of Mr. Glyni l)rim and circums])ect, yet ready 1 tell a white lie to help her cousin 01 of a scrape. Miss Obeline Soucherea as Norah, the .servant girl, was b< yond critici.sm and kept the hou roaring with her brogue antl awl wardness in trying situations. Dani ing by entertainers and entertaine concluded the evening's nierrimei and a goodly sum is laid by for t\ aniuiimeut of the debt on the clu house. A. H. M.-