San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

January 8. 1910 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW 5 Los Angeles Is Entertaining Many Visiting Professionals LOS ANGELES. Cal., Jan. 6.— At last, at last, ground has been purchased for a new Orpheum, to be built upon Broadway. John Blackwood has been confined to his home on account of illness. Dave Morris leaves the Alphin-Fargo Company, this week to go East. The many friends of Charles W. Clark will be glad to note that he has returned to the Grand Opera House, as assistant treasurer, a position he has held for many years. Elthel Waldron, the new ingenue of the Burbank Company, makes her first appearance in The Heart of Maryland tliis coming week. AL'DIT( )RIUM — Harry Lauder, 'with Julian Eltinge and Co., open Jan. 7 and 8; will be reviewed next week. BELASCO— Through a Window has truly made good and because the public still want to see it enters its second week. Since its first appearance, the author has reconstructed and re-enforced her play, until it moves smoothly and briskly. The cast remains the same. BURBANK— The Girl of the Golden West is running into the second week, bringing great success to Miss Nordstrom and the balance of the Burbank cast. MAJESTIC — Forty-five Minutes from Broadway, the first of the Cohan musical comedies, is repeating its former successes. There are plenty of funny lines, although one feels a little more music might have entered into the creation. Like all of Cohan's shows, there is quite some plot, amounting almost to melodrama, with two big' character studies and several lesser ones. Charles Brown fitted into the role of Kid Burns in a clever manner, and his song, Forty-five Minutes from Broadway, is one of the hits of the show. Eugene MacGregor, as Tom Bennett proves that he might be a clever dancer if he had a bigger chance. lames Manning takes the part of the villain in a life-like manner. James Davett makes a most comfortable looking Blake, general peacemaker, and Harry < mynette is excellent as Andy Gary, the.butler. Elizabeth Drew has more looks than voice and makes an altogether charming ''Mary,'' while Louise Gardner and Ninon Ristori. as mother and daughter, are satisfactory. A prosperous looking chorus dance well and dress well and are seen too seldom during the performance. MASON — A company of Yiddish players occupy the stage this week, headed by Rosa Karp and David Levenson. GRAND — San Toy was one of the most popular of James T. Powers musical comedies, and it seems to have plenty of lasting qualities. Ferris Hartman and his splendid company have seized upon every opportunity to make this dainty and picturesque musical comedy well worth seeing. The play is an English one, with scenes laid on the coast of China, and tells of the love of one Bobby Preston, son of the British Consul, for San Toy, a Chinese girl. As Li, the Chinaman, Ferris Hartman has abundant material for his fun-making power, and he is as funny as James Powers ever hoped to be. Walter Catlett is a splendid Sir Bungo Preston, Walter De Leon as Bobby Preston has much delightful music to sing. Myrtle Dingwall is a uewitching San Toy. while Muggins Davis has another chance to display her ability to create fun. Joseph Fogarty, Josie Hart, Anna Little and the balance of the cast help to make up the many roles of this comedy. ORPHEUM — An irresistible skit that brings a laugh and good feeling is Mrs. Jones-Smith-Carey with Lawrence Grattan as the author and his clever wife, Eva Taylor, to' appear in the principal role. Florence Bindley, who until recently has shone in melodrama, together with her "diamondstudded dress," has a monologue, An Afternoon at Home, in which she impersonates all the invited guests at a party. The best of these is the muchmaligned French Soubrette. Stella Morrisini looks stately and handsome as she puts her animals through their turns. Harry Fox, fat and rollicking, whistles, dances and flirts with the Millership Sisters in an entertaining manner. The Four Floods knock each other about to the intense enjoyment of the audience and themselves, incidentally doing some clever acrobatic turns. The holdovers are Wm. Thompson, in the one bit of dignity on the bill ; Quirilan and Mack in The Traveling Dentist, and Adams and Alden in song and parody. LOS ANGELES— Owing to being tied up in railroad washouts, Max Duffek and the Five Musical Lovelands made their debut at this house in their traveling clothes, as the show was on when they arrived. Duffek is a clever contortionist, has a musical turn of mind, who makes music as he twists and turns. Bradlee Martin has a clever sketch called Jessie Jack and Jerry, which moves along in a spirited manner, and is one of the best things on the bill. "The long and short of it" are Crimmins and Gore, appearing in a Bowery restaurant sketch, W hat are The Wild Waves Saying. Billy Clark is a minstrel monologist, with puns and jokes that are fairly new. Mile. Martha closes the specialties in a diverting gymnastic performance that reveals cleverness and a wonderful smile. FISHERS— The Rival of Jeff cries, a musical farce in which the plot is conspicuous by its absence, is filled with so much hilarity and so much music that its absence is scarcely felt. Billy Onslow in the part of O'Reilly has the best comedy role he has yet attempted, and Esco Ives shares in the big laugh. Frank Morton as Sam Berger is splendid, while Annie Banman, as Mrs. Gilhooley and Nan llalperin, as her daughter, pleases the audience. The chorus have a change to show up to good advantage. OLYMPIC— Are You a Tourist is the offering of the Alphin Fargo Musical Company this week, and brings forth a new member, John Martin, a good comedian and a sureto-be favorite. Marie Nelson is also a new member. The scene is laid at a local Spanish resort, ^vhere a German tourist and his brother get mixed up most beautifully. Walter Spencer, Leonard Brisbane, Minnie Baldwin and Laurel Atkins Blair work out the fun and the chorus look handsome in Mexican garb and sing their many numbers with dash and vim. UNIQUE— The Sheriff is a wholesome melodrama of the Kentucky Hills and has enough of thrilling situations to keep the audience keyed up until the final curtain. Harry Earl, Herbert Cramer, James Spencer, Frederick Palmer, Lelia Noel, Delia Earle and Anna Robinson are well cast. Between the acts illustrated songs and motion pictures fill in. Correspondence SEATTLE, Wash.. Jan. 5.— Moore Theatre — Mary Jane's Pa is the best thing that Max Figman has appeared in so far in Seattle. The role assigned to him is one that gives him an opportunity to display his capacity for pathos as well as humor, and the large audience which greeted him last night was delighted with his rendition. Gretchen Hartman is an inimitable child actress, while the rest of the support is extremely good. Alhambra Theatre — The Gay Musician opened at the Alhambra on New Year's afternoon, and proved to be the best musical comedy of the season. There is a good looking chorus and the music is splendid and splendidly interpreted. Texas Guinan has a delightful personality and will always be welcome in Seattle. Grand Opera House — A dramatization of George Barr McCutcheon's Beverly of Graustark is the attraction at the Grand. The play, although melodramatic in character, has several pretty situations. The cast is fairly good. Seattle Theatre — A realistic Russian play is For Her Sake, which is pleasing Seattle Theatre patrons this week. The Russel & Drew Company are giving it a good presentation. Lois Theatre — The Pantages Stock Company is seen in a revival of Trilby. Mr. Lawrence plays Svengali. Miss Kelton is Trilby. Harry Lauder Next Week The announcement that Harry Lauder, the celebrated Scotch comedian and entertainer, will appear for six nights and five matinees in this city at Dreamland Rink, starting next Monday evening, Jan. 10, has created great interest and since Monday morning, when the seats were first placed on sale at Sherman, Clay & Company's, there has been an unbroken line of admirers of the wonderful little Scotchman who were anxious to secure choice locations for one or more of his entertainments. His entire tour across the continent has been a series of ovations. "It is just Bobby Burns that Lauder's Lyrics recall," writes a Leeds, England, admirer of the famous comedian, in the Yorkshire Evening News. " The odor and incense of the muse of Burns is present in all he sings, and one is awakened to the surprised recognition of an actual physical resemblance to the traditional portraits of Burns reproduced subtly in the attitude, the smile and the sub-acid flavor of tears in his broadest passages as he lingers on the stage to soften the sternness of a tacit refusal to sing again, and tells a comically tragic tale of a lone lodger and his landlady's notion of cooking sausages." Mr. Lauder, alone, holds his audiences for over an hour and for the rest of the entertainment William Morris, Inc., under whose direction the tour is conducted, brings' Julian Eltinge, who stands alone in his line of work, in his latest feminine characterizations. The Nell Brinkley Girl. The Bathing Girl, Eily Riley and his latest sensational dance, The Cobra. Cyrano, the famous juggler, who has never appeared in this city, will perform some startling feats. Mile. Berthe, a distinguished Hungarian violinist, w ill he heard in classical and popular selections, and the Marimba Band, composed of native Guatemalan musicians, will discourse their quaint and charming music. The 1 larry Lauder Orchestra of fourteen pieces, under the leadership of Mr. Lauder's personal director, Charles Frank, will accompany the Scotch singer in his songs, some of which are Tobermory. Stop Yer Ticklin", Fou th' Noo, Safest o' the Family, Wedding o' Sandy McNab, Queen Amang the Heather, I've Loved Her Ever Since She Was a Baby, Over the Bounding Sea, I Love a Lassie, She's Ma Daisy, He Was Very Kind Tae Me, When I Get Back Again to Bonnie Scotland, and A Sprig o' White I leather. Portola Cafe Society was out in full blast to witness one of two things last Monday night — a success or failure of the new venture which Mr. Swanberg and Tony Lubelski have undertaken at the Portola Cafe. Well, society witnessed one of the biggest surprises and success San Francisco has been treated to. These two gentlemen are to be congratulated on their wonderful success in every way. They have given the public what they have wanted and been hungry for for years — a good place to eat and also an entertainment. This is the first time in years such a bill of real talent has been presented to the public. Each and every number on the bill are artists and stars. I Han Bergere opened the bill, and when she had finished singing every one was convinced that the program was going to be a success. She won her way in the hearts of the audience and sang as she never sang before. She was called back many times. She has a beautiful voice and a very sweet, unassuming manner. Jose De la Franconia, Augustin Calvo and Count Felix de la Sierra are three distinguished looking young men who sing as grand opera artists. Helene Byron, the operatic comedienne, is fascinating, clever and can sing. She is well known for her work as a star from coast to coast. She will probably stay all season. Edith Helena, lyric soprano, is immense. Just to hear her sing the Last Rose of Summer! She does impersonations, and her imitation of a violin is perfect. Miss Helena has a range of three octaves and sings F most clearly. Last, but not least, we have La Estelita, the Spanish dancer. This Spanish beautiy won a tremendous success. La Estelita is ably assisted by Senor Garcia, who is an artist also. The Portola will be the society cafe of San Francisco from now on. Tables arc filled all evening, and the great feature of the cafe is they have not raised the prices. There is nothing like this in America, and no doubt New York will soon follow suit when she learns what a success Mr. Swanberg and Mr. Lubelski have made of the Portola.