San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

November 18th, 1899 mucemence & AT THE GRAND The Merry Monarch will terminate his reign to-morrow evening, and Monday evening Rice's famous Evangeline will have the most magnificent production ever accorded to an extravaganza in this city. New scenery and costumes have been prepared, and over 200 people will take part in what is destined to be the most marvelous performance ever given in San Francisco. Charles H. Jones, the Amazon March King, has invented for the occasion what he terms the march of patriotic colors which will be performed by 100 gorgeously apparelled, beautiful and symetrical girls; also a minuet a la Watteau. Edith Mason will be the heroine Evangeline, and Hattie Belle Ladd the hero Gabriel. Winfred Goff will make his first appearance here as a female impersonator in the character of the beautiful Catherine. Fred Cooper, the popular comedian whose last appearance was at the California Theater nine years ago, has been secured for the lone Fisherman. Joe Weston and Joe Clarke, one of the best dancing teams of New York vaudeville stage, has been brought here to play the intelligent heifer, and little Jack Robertson will enact the rebellious calf. There are over twenty other characters which have been judiciously allotted. The news of this splendid enterprise of Walter Morosco's has already created great interest in the city, and there is a continuous line at the box-office. AT THE ORPHEUM. The bill at the Orpheum for next week holds forth promise of something good as any of its predecessors. The headliner is Cora Stuart, the widow of Tom Robertson and daughter-in-law of the famous dramatist, T. W. Robertson. Supported by an excellent company, she will present The Fair Equestrienne, a sketch adapted from The Circus Rider, the piece made famous by Rosina Yokes. Little Mignon is said to be the cleverest child dancer in the world. She is only eight years of age, but has already many imitators of mature years. Rice and Elmer are two of the cleverest and best known comedians on the vaudeville stage. They will present A Rube's Yisit to Chinatown, in which they will introduce some wonderful work on the triple horizontal bars. Lucie Verdier is a pretty and clever musician and plays well on every instrument known to the musical world. Hamilton Hill, the famous Australian baritone singer, completes the list of new attractions. The holdovers are: Ryan and Richfield ; Cheridah Simpson; Burton's matinees Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. AT THE TIVOLI The box office forces at the Tivoli Opera House are busily engaged from early morn until late at night selling seats for next week's performances of grand and English opera, which will terminate the present highly successful season. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday evenings and Saturday mati nee, the bill will be Yincent Wallace's beautiful ballad opera, Maritana, the cast including Ada Palmer-Walker, Charlotte Beckwith, Christine Stock meyer, William Schuster, Phil Branson, Hubert Sinclair, J. Fogarty and Tom Greene. The grand opera nights will be as follows: Tuesday, Othello; Thursday, Ernani or Trovotore [to lie announced Monday]; Saturday evening, the double bill of Cavalleria and Pagliacci, and on Sunday night, the bill will be Yerdi's greatest work, Aida. The musical public will have but these few opportunities to listen again to the exquisite singing of Signors Salassa, Avedano, Wanrell, Fonari, Zani, Anna Lichter, Ada Walker, and Signorini Politini, in grand opera, and when these gifted singers make their farewell appearances in the various operas, it will be a foregone conclusion that they will do so amid scenes of enthusiasm rarely witnessed in a theater. For this, Saturday, evening, and for tomorrow, Sunday night, the great Yerdi success, The Masked Ball, will be presented for the last times, for which the houses are almost sold out. AT THE ALCAZAR THEATER Another week we have My Friend From India. The play is certainly a clever farce. L. R. Stockwell, in the character of the barber, is an extremely funny character. He, in the guise of the Yellow Robe Order, vainly trying to make his exit, and besieged on all sides by those who have been informed that he is a Theosophist of great prominence, creates no end of amusement throughout three solid hours of hilarity. Mr. Stockwell is surrounded by excellent support, and the stage effects and wardrobe are within keeping with the excellence of the production. My Friend From India will run another week at the Alcazar to be followed by Saints and Sinners. AT THE COLUMBIA Why Smith Left Home will be continued for another week at the Columbia Theater. There will be a regular performance on Sunday night and on Monday evening the last week begins. There is abundant opportunity for humor and roaring complications in the various circumstances that induce Smith's departure from his domicile, and a hearty enjoyment and concurrence by his audience that he does so. The influence of relatives upon newly married couples offers a wide field of interesting study in this lively farce, and furnishes a number of very merry lessons on the subject of how those connected by ties of kinship with the lately wedded pair manage to disturb their connubial bliss. The cast presenting Why Smith Left Home is one ably capable of making all that was intended of each role. Frank Tanuehill, Jr., as the much troubled Smith, is most capital. Lizzie May Ulmer wins rounds of laughter for her impersonation of the lady cook. A GREAT CREATION. The Review shows for the first time in San Francisco a picture of Mr. Henry Miller in his great creation of Sydney Carton, in The Only Way. Black Patti's Troubadours are signed for the Alhambra during the holidays. AT THE NEW ALHAMBRA The New Alhambra Theater will present the great local favorite, In Old Kentucky, to-morrow night, to continue for two weeks. The wonderful popularity of this play has been attributed to a variety of causes, notably its parentage of the now famous pickaninny band of diminutive darkies, whose music and mirth are now considered one of the most attractive elements of the play. The skillfully manipulated horse race has also l>een declared the element of striking merit in the production. The scenery in the coming production is worthy of special mention. A great feature is made of the horserace, and it is a real race so far as it is possible to have one on the stage — the horses, full-blooded Kentucky thoroughbreds, making a wild dash across the stage and under the wire in full view of the audience. Nearly 100 people take part in the performance, thirty of these being the famous little darkies, some of whom compose the Whangdoodle brass band, while others sing, dance, shoot craps and amuse themselves in various ways. The cast of the play is a good one, containing the same male contingent that appeareel here before. New faces will be seen in the feminine roles. Elsa Ryan, who was brought out by the late Augustin Daly last season, will play the part of Madge. Charlotte Winnett, who plays the part of Alathia Layson, the breezy and gallant Colonel's adored one, is a very accomplished actress. The company altogether is a strong one. HER BIRTHDAY Mrs. Gilbert, of Annie Russell's Co., celebrated her eightieth birthday at the Lyceum Theater, New York City, Oct. 2t, the company making the occasion memorable by the presentation of a silver loving cup during a supper given in her honor after the performance of Miss Hobbs. Just as the curtain fell on the last act, being raised for an encore, Miss Russell presented a handsome silver service in behalf of a committee representing a number of local theatergoers who had in years past derived such an abundance of pleasure from Mrs. Gilbert's work. With the set of silver this letter was handed to Mrs. Oilbert. "On this, the anniversary of your birthday, a few of your many friends before the footlights beg your acceptance of the accompanying silver service as a slight evidence of their regard and affection for you. During your long and honored e-areer on the stage it is safe to say that no artist has won the respect and admiration of the public more signally than yourself, both by the admirable quality of your art and by your dignity as a woman. We trust that the small remembrance may give you, in part, the pleasure your acting has so often given us, and that you may be spared for many years in the fullness of your powers to continue one of the chief ornaments of your profession, and to let the rising generation know you and love you as does the present." OBITUARY Florence Marryat, a well-known author and at one time an actress in London, died last Friday morning. Miss Marryat was known on the stage in operatic work and comedy work. In conjunction with Sir C. L. Young, she wrote a drama in three acts, entitled Miss Chester, and in February, 1 88 1, she took the principal comedy in her own drama of Her World. Her well-known novel, Her Lord and Master, which was published in 1871, furnished the basis of Daly's famous play, Pique, which proved a profitable play fcr several years. In private life Miss Marryat was Mrs. MacLean. * * Imogene Comer, the singer, died in New York a week ago, after a lingering illness, at her home in that city. Her last engagement was in vaudeville, in which she appeared a few weeks ago, but she was compelled to cancel more than a dozen lucrative dates owing to bad health. Miss Comer was still a young woman, being only 27 years old. She brought into popularity many songs, the most famous being Those Wedding Pells Shall Not Ring Out, The Cruel Hiss and The Tattoo on the Arm. Rumor Denied Since the opening of the New Alhambra Theater, there have been many rumors circulating throughout the local theatrical world connecting another prominent theater with the new enterprise of Managers Ellinghouse and Mott in a financial way. The latter emphatically deny the rumor, as shown in the following communication: San Francisco, Nov. 13. Editor Dramatic Review — Dear Sir — The impression apparently prevails in this city that another prominent theatrical management here is connected with the undersigned in the New Alhambra Theater. This we wish to refute through the columns of your paper. No person or persons are interested in any way, shape or manner in the management of the New Alhambra oilier than ourselves We are supplying the entire finances and have adt pted our own policy for conducting the new play house which we hope will meet with the approbation of the local theater-goers. ELI.INC.HOrsii & MOTT, Managers New Alhambra Theater. Ne°tt> Los Angeles Theater The news comes from Los Angeles that T. Daniel Frawley may manage a theater to be built on Broadway. Frawley says he was offered a tenyear lease of the proposed theater and adds: "As I understand it, the new theater will be a portion of a big business block, and the location is almost within a stone's throw of the Van Nuys Annex. The location could not be better. Of course, you know there are a lot of theaters built upon paper, but this looks as if it might be made of something a little more substantial." The names of the promotors are not given. A Boer Play TDamki. Fkawi.j-.v and his com• pany have closed their Los Angeles engagement, and, with the exception of Mr. Frawley, have come back to San Francisco where they will open in a few weeks. Mr. Frawley has gone to New York to see Lue'ctte Kyley. and have her write a play having the Hoer war as its foundation. Frawley himself originated the plot. He will be here next week. The Dramatic Review contains the all news. Subscribe now.