San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

4 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW September 9th, 1899 1 THt .SAN FRASCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW B (Sixteen Pages and Supplement) San Francisco, Sept. 9, 1899 Ten Cents a Copy — $3.00 per Year For Sale at all News Stands DRAMATIC REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY, Publishers 22yi Geary Street W. D. WASSON CHAS. H. FARRELL Business Manager C. H. LOMBARD . Secretary and Treasurer The Dramatic Review makes its first appearance to-day. It needs no apology for its publication. It does not come to fill any longfelt want. Nobody wants it, because nobody ever saw it before and naturally would have no secret hankering after something about which nothing is known. But there is such a thing as creating a demand, and that is exactly what the Dramatic Review Publishing Company intends to do. The Dramatic Review will be made the leading theatrical paper of the West. It will be to the West what the Dramatic Mirror of New York is to the East. But there will be no dramatic journal in the United States, the Mirror not excepted, that can equal it in the scope of territory to be represented, or in illustration and reliability. All this cannot be accomplished in a day; therefore we ask the hearty cooperation of the profession throughout the country, the interest of the local managers and a good word from the public. The West has produced some of the best and most successful actors and actresses who have attained fame and fortune in the East and across the Atlantic. California glories in the success of a score of her noted men and women who have risen far above the mediocre in the theatrical profession. There are others yet to be seen and heard — -those whose natural ability is being guided by the dramatic school and by the experience of managers and teachers. It is this idea that the Dramatic Review intends to foster and protect, never, however, overlooking the interests of the hundreds of the profession from the East and from Europe who regularly visit us. The Dramatic Review will have a correspondent in every town and city on the coast and in the principal cities of the East. It will keep thoroughly up-to-date in all matters of interest and benefit to those whose livelihood is obtained behind the footlights. In short, it will represent all phases of the theatrical business. Touching the matter of the fracas at the Tivoli the other evening between Basso Schuster and critic Luchessi, the consensus of opinion seems to be that Schuster had just provocation to take the law into his own hands and give Luchessi a sound shaking. The critic has been continually "grilling" the basso and his wife, Anna Lichter, in the columns of the Wasp, his squibs veiled under the name of criticisms but partaking largely of the nature of malicious roasts. Schuster had no paper at his disposal in which to strike back; in fact he did not strike at all, but contented himself with gathering Luchessi up in his burly fists and shaking him, at the same time venting his opinion of the critic and his criticisms in forcible language. Both singers are very popular with the San Francisco public, and the adverse reviews are plainly the result of the Tivoli's failure to advertise in the paper aforementioned. The Tivoli has the name of giving the best grand opera in the country for the money, and the house and its singers are certainly entitled to fair treatment from any paper that pretends to give the theatrical news 01 the town. The Broadway asks the old, old question, "are tights to be discarded?" yet fails to say what (if anything) will take their place. This question, in the abstract of course, has been more or less forcibly presented to the public during the past season by the very managers who cannot answer the query for themselves. Every year sees a diminution in the number of those thin and fat, and blonde and brunette ladies who wear tights with professional aplomb and careless gayety. The laciness and swishing skirtiness which George Edw^rdes has for years made a feature of his performances at the Gaiety in London, have gradually become a part of our American stage methods. Even E. E. Rice, the Dean of the Dimpled Drama, and a man to whom tights have been the very Alpha and Omega of dramatics, has discarded the obvious tights for the more teasing whisperings of laces and silks, and soft materials in trained and dainty hands. Verily, the American drama is progressing. ¥ The critic of the Oakland Tribune not long ago said that " death had removed Augustin Daly from participation in theatrical affairs of this world," which might leave the impression that there was some chance of him participating in such things in the other world. If some of the goody goody men of the pulpit are to be believed, there is no such good luck in store for poor Daly or anyone else who ever dared mix with the theatrical business. Judging by the great success in London of Maclyn Arbuckle, it might not be amiss to enquire if all his admirers are aware of the fact that not many years ago he was a Justice of the Peace in a backwoods town of Arkansas, as awkward as it is possible to imagine, and having no prospects of a successful stage career or anything else. His success is well deserved, and his friends hope to see him here again soon. Chester Bailey Fernai.d since success of his Chinese sketch the "Cat and the Cherub" and its successful production in London has become quite an important figure in London dramatic circles. He has adopted for acting version in English of Henry Heyeman's " The Ghetto " for Mrs. Potter who will soon produce it. The benefit performance given at the Orpheum recently for the California soldiers, brought out some big box sales. Mrs. A. S. Townsend purchased a box for $1200 and Mayor Phelan gave $1000 for a box. It was one of the best managed benefits ever given in the city. If the world doesn't know pretty soon "Why Smith Left Home," it never will. The play is being translated into German, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, Italian and Danish. Mrs. Langtry is impersonating herself in a new play, "The Degenerates." One of our irreverent scribes wonders why she doesn't try the novelty of impersonating an actress. Snap Shots Mary Van Buren is playing Catherine Hubscher ' 'Madame Sans Gene, " in place of Blanche Bates in Los Angeles. Frank Coffin, the well-known church singer, who has sung several times in Tivoli productions, leaves soon for a season of voice study in Europe. Harry Samuels, son of J. Samuels, a well-known pioneer merchant, is home after several years spent in violin study in Europe. He returns an artist of more than ordinary merit. We call attention to the new and artistic studio of Mr. Louis Thors 826 Market street, Phelan Bldg. CORRESPONDENTS and SMa.na.gcrs Out-of-T&wn Should remember that all copy for the Review must be in the office not later than Wednesday of each week to insure publication. Have it reach the Review by Wednesday afternoon. S. H Friedlander— his picture is here, but his energetic self is traveling eastward, going to tie up some good bookings. The best likeness we could secure of the good looking, but modest manager of the Tivoli, 'Doc" Leahy. Some day we'll give our readers a better view. Phil Hastings, concert manager and press representative. His appearance indicates that he is one of the best in the business. MISS CHARLOTTE THOMPSON It is a pleasure to notice how ;Miss Charlotte Thompson — the new playwright — is forging to the front as a dramatic critic. It is not a surprise to her intimate friends who have felt all along she was preparing for a great future. Her wonderful command of language makes her an elegant writer, who always has the only word to give the exact shade of meaning to express her thought.