San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

January i, 1910 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW Mrs. Andrews Sees Success Through a Window in Los Angeles LOS ANGELES, Dec. 29.— Season's greetings were received at the Burbank by wire, from Win. Desmond and wife, Robert Morris, Elsie Esmond, H. J. Ginn and Maude Gilbert. Members of the Burbank Company presented Blanche Hall with a handsome neck chain, as farewell token from her co-workers. Mary Bertrand, a niece of Margaret Anglin, who has been engaged by Klaw & Erlanger for the leading role in Mrs. Andrew's play. Through a Window, has arrived in Los Angeles and will alternate in the part with Miss Magrane. On Wednesday afternoon the AlphinFargo Musical Comedy Company tendered a benefit matinee to Blossom Seeley and Maude Rockwell, members of the company playing at the Olympic Theatre. These two actresses have been and are now very ill. Chas. Kavanaugh, manager of the Ferris Hartman Company, is in 'Frisco on business. Jos. Montrose has completed a new song, My Aeroplane Belle, for aviation week, which will be sung for the first time at the T. T. A. ball. Many other novelties are promised at the affair on the night of January 14th. George E. Gill, who brought Victor Moore across the continent, has been very ill at Monrovia. On Christmas day he was remembered by a cheery telegram from the Friars of New York, which helped along what looks like a speedy recovery. The Spoilers Company, which recently played at the Majestic, is now resting, but will start on a tour in about" a week, with St. Elmo, which they recently purchased from Oliver Morosco. Florence Reed is meeting with great success in Seven Days, by Mary Rinehart and Avery Hopwood. BELASCO^Through a Window is the clever play of a very clever woman, Mrs. Gertrude Nelson Andrews, of Los Angeles. Mrs. Andrews has seized upon the soul-stirring incidents attendant upon the earthquake in San Francisco, for the background of her work, and into this she has painted her pictures of graft, reform and love. Judge Costello. a type of jurists who were not averse to accepting the price, is splendidly played by William Yearance. Mr. Stone as Bradley Hamilton, an attorney cut after the pattern of one Francis J. Heney, displays his strength in his quiet, but forceful acting. Thais Magrane has the role of the highstrung, full-of-the-joy-of-living, Filipa Costello, and drawing upon her emotional powers in a more than skil full manner, make this part a most appealing one. Charles Rugglcs again offers one of his marvelous character studies as the Japanese servant — perfect in every detail. To Miss Farrington, as Lil Valera, Costello's mistress, falls the heaviest work of the play, and she handles it with wonderful dramatic power. Ida Lewis and Fancheon Fverhart lend a "Boston" touch, and Jessie Norman has a good piece of comedy in Maggie Dugan. Chas. Giblyn's ranchero fitted into the picture in a small, but artistic way. In the two settings showing Costello's library and a room in the ranch house, Mr. Brunton shows his ability as a thorough artist. It is a splendid play marvelously acted by "the best stock company in America," to quote Mrs. Andrews. It is hard to believe it will be aught but a success when given in New York. BURBANK— The Girl of the Golden West serves as a happy introduction of Frances Nordstrom, new leading lady, to an audience, who should say "delighted to know you." Miss Nordstrom is rich in promise, and her performance of "the girl" but gives us a peep at what she will do in the future. The story of the play needs no re-telling, for it is a familiar one to local patrons, who seem to keep up their interest in this melodrama of early California. Mr. Beasley as the sheriff adds another to his long list of excellent character studies. Mr. Landau, a new member of this company, gives a well-conceived, sincere portrayal of Ramarrez in a subdued but telling manner. This play, like the Christmas pudding, is filled with plums in "fat" character parts, and the Burbank members who stuck in their thumbs and pulled out these plums are David Hartford, as the uproarious Sonora Slim ; John Burton, as the joyful Trinidad Joe ; Harry Mestayer is a most appealing Nick, while Fred Gilbert, Gavin Young, Norman Heep, Henry Stockbridge, Willis Marks and Hobart Bosworth acid to the gaiety of nations, each in a masterly manner. Lovell Alice Taylor is a charming squaw. Scenery and lighting effects, which are a big factor in this play, are up to the mark, and as a whole the performance merits a run, which this particular play seems to have as a rule. MAJESTIC— Filled with delightful nonsense and much catchy music is The Top o' th' World, which opened on Christmas day. Fred Baily and Ralph Austin are making their first visit since their appearance at the Orpheum several years ago. The muchmentioned North Pole is depicted as Christmas Land, ruled by the beautiful Aurora Borealis, all made gay and joyous by Jack-in-the-Box, the Candy Kid, to say nothing of the Friendly Bear, Pearl Revare, a tiny girl, Al Grady, Chas. Harris, Percy Walling, Florence Smith and many others' make this an entertaining performance for the children and "others." A large, well-trained chorus have most attractive numbers, including the Collie Ballet, in which six demure little girls dance with six collie dogs. Th AM )N — ( )lga Xethersole in The Writing on the Wall opens the week at this house. This is a powerful drama from the pen of W. J. Hurlburt, and drives straight at the owners of tenements who refuse to be approached by the reformer. .Mr. Hurlhurt and Miss Xethersole personally investigated the subject and gathered material for this piece. Miss Xethersole as the wife of a rich holder of slum properties interested in the reform, employs her delicate and impressive art in making her character an appealing one. As the subject is one near and dear to Miss Nethersole's heart, one feels the strength of her acting and the lesson she aims to convey. Mr. Hunter splendidly portrays the husband, and as the reformer, Mr. Perry gives a well-drawn character. At Wednesday matinee, Miss Nethersole plays Sapho, and her week's engagement also includes Magda and that splendid play, The Second Mrs. Tanqueray. GRAND — Ferris Hartman opens his second week of The Toymaker and is drawing as big houses as last week with this delightful performance. ORPHEl'M— Win. H. Thompson opens the bill in Pride of Regiment, a simple English sketch containing no melodramatic dialogue, no stagey speeches, but whose characters are absolutely true to life. Mr. Thompson's performance is one of those delightful, easy bits of character work that show years of hard work, and he is ably assisted by Lauretta Allen and Fred J. Weber. Dan Quinlan and Kellar Mack, in The Traveling Dentist, find plenty of chances for song and fun. Donald Bowles, better known as juvenile man of the Niel Company, appears in a sketch by Victor Smalley called Guilty. While this sketch is not up to the one presented a few weeks ago by the same author, it is entertaining, and the actor makes the best of the opportunities offered. Bob Adams and Bob Alden, well known as composers and writers, have a pleasing act and bring in numerous new songs. Ben Welch is still the bright spot on the bill ; the only regret is that one so clever shoidd have to cling to so much old material. Other holdovers are The Devil and Tom Walker, Vittoria and Giorgetta and Fraulein Katchen Loisset. LOS ANGELES— Ed Gallagher and company present The Battle of Bay Rum, a scenic comedy novelty that is very clever. New York's Bowery Mayor brings laughs through the efforts of Harry Thompson. Steeley and Edwards furnish plenty of music, being expert on many instruments. Bell and Caron offer a nunibero of acrobatic surprises, and Bandy and Fields are clever dancers. The Rosedale Four prove themselves a very good quartette. FISCHER'S— Tim Toolan's Double gives Billy Onslow plenty of leeway for his talent in the part of Tim Toolan, a friendly Irishman who impersonates a friend in order to let same friend meet his sweetheart on the sly. Frank Morton as the lover is capital, and Esco Ives is the stern father who tries to upset the plans of Cupid. Nan Halperin is as dainty as always in the role of the daughter, and Annie Banman as a school teacher adds to the fun. There is a challenge dancing chorus under the direction of Nan Halperin that is new and novel. OLYMPIC— In The Gay Senorita, the AlphinFargo company offers new novelties from the fertile brain of Chas. Alphin, The fun develops through an amusing run of situations arising out of the report of the arrival of the King of Patagonia, who in reality is but a private body-guard just returned from Manila. Jules Meniel, Dave Morris, Leonard Brisbane and Walter Spencer supply the fun and dash, while Laurel Atkins Blair, Hazel Baldwin, together with a handsomely dressed chorus, make up a splendid hill witli plenty of good music. UNIQUE — < )ld, hut still a favorite, is The Two ( )rphans, which the EarlRauworth Company are presenting. The touching story of the two sisters is too well known to need much notice. Grace Rauworth as the hag gives an artistic impersonation, quite one of her best. Harry Earl, Ivan Miller, Herbert Cramer and James Spencer are 5 happily cast, while Dela Earl and Lelia Noel are seen to good advantage. The Earl Company, owing to their popularity, will remain at this house the balance of the season. WALKER— The Le Moyne Players appear for the first time in At Valley Forge, dealing with one of the most romantic episodes of the Revolutonary War. This company has just finished a long season in Philadelphia and promises to do good work. Chas. Le Moyne, head of the company, is well known locally. Frederic Belasco is in town and the Morosco-Belasco partnership is in protracted and violent operation. Mr. Belasco took up the stage direction of his brother's play, The Girl of the Golden West, now being played at the Burbank Theatre. Following that, he said in a talk: "In a few weeks Mr. Morosco and I will make a tour of the West, visiting Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City and New Orleans, with a view to establishing our chain of stock theatres. My regret is, that we didn't get together ten years ago. We should have done it, and had we, we now would have controlled a chain as big as the Orpheum circuit. There were people — Mr. Meyerfield and Mr. Beck — who saw western advantages, and saw them early. I may say that we have large opportunities in all of these cities, and it is just up to us to select the best chances. We propose to have these new stock companies in operation as soon as possible. Each will be a representative organization. Plays? We will have the best plays, right along. We will have our pick of all of them. For another thing, should we wish to send out companies of our own, we have Mr. Erlanger's personal assurance of the choicest syndicate bookings. This makes us doubly sure — we have the thing both ways : We will get their best plays for stock, and if we want to produce new pieces of our own, we will get their best bookings. This will enable us to give a higher grade of offerings than have ever been presented before in western stock theatres, or in stock anywhere. We will be aide to maintain that standard from season to season. Shortly after the New Year, Mr. Morosco will go to San Francisco to lay the corner stone of the new Belasco Theatre there, and thereafter we will commence our trip through the West." Florence Emery* Tony Lubelski, the energetic and astute showman, who for several years was notably successful in ( )akland, has come to the front with a new idea which will be inaugurated next Monday at the big and handsome I'ortola Cafe, where will he offered a highclass amusement program, showing such clever and noted people as Man Bergere. the Hungarian Rigo; Jose de la Franconia, dramatic baritone ; Edith Helena, lyric soprano: La Estellita, Spanish (lancer; Helen Byron, operatic comedienne; Senor Garcia, dancer ; Augustin Calvo, grand opera basso; Count Felix de la Sierra, dramatic tenor, and the Columbia Musical Four; late of the Boston Faddettcs. Mr. Lubelski is the amusement manager of the I'ortola Cafe and is associated witli C. O. Swanberg, who is president of the Portola Cafe Company, and is well known to all San Franciscans. I le has been interested in many of San Francisco's larger enterprises.