San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

2 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW September 25, 1909 Home OrriCE 8'JRBANK THEATRE BUILDING LOS ANGELES. CAL. Oliver Morosco's Plays Ready for Stock The Judge and the Jury The Halfbreed The Empress and the Soldier In South Car'liney Is the New Majestic a winner? WeU, we guess yes MOROSCO'S BIJRLUNK THEATRE Los Angeles, Cal. "The Beit in the Wett" The Leading Stock House. Hamburger's MAJESTIC Theatre The Handsomest in the West Cost $300,000.00 Oliver Morosco, Lessee & Mgr For time address John Cort Old Curosity Shop as a The Orpheum Play The era of Charles Dickens' stories dramatized and illustrated .for stage purposes, inspired by the coming centennial celebration in 191 2 of the great English author's birth, will be commenced on Friday night, September 17, at the Tulane Theatre, in New Orleans, by the eminent comedian, Max Figman, under John Cort's management, who will present for the first time on any stage a new version of The Old Curiosity Shop, made into a comedy by Harry P. Mawson. The dramatist has selected incidents and characters from the story and woven them into a consecutive consistent dramatic whole of a comedy nature, with Richard (Dick) Swiveller as the central figure. Mr. Mawson used the dramatist's license in certain liberties with the theme, but endeavored to adhere as closely as feasible to the author and to retain as much as possible the distinct Dickens atmosphere. The play is produced and staged under the personal direction of Mr. Figman and is divided into four parts. The first occurs at the Old Curiosity Shop, the second at Sampson Brass' office, the third at the Inn of the Three Jolly Sandboys and the last in Richard Swiveller's apartments. The cast of characters will be as follows : Richard Swiveller, Max Figman ; Grandfather Trent, Sydney Price; Mr. Garland, George Centre; Daniel Quilp, Ilallet Bosworth; Sampson Brass, Ernest C. Warde; Kit Nubbles, J. H. Stuart; Fred Trent, Herbert Denton ; Landlord, James Hardy; Codlin, Arthur C. Davis ; Trotters, Thomas H. Krueger ; Little Nell, Lolita Robertson; Sally Brass, Gladys Fairbanks Murry; Marchioness, Minnie Barrie ; Mrs. Quilp, Vera Townsend. Fannie Ward will open her season in America in a play by Forrest Halsey and Lee Arthur, entitled Van Allen's Wife. H. Reeves Smith has been engaged as her leading man. Miss Ward's London season was a personal success. Her development in her chosen field of endeavor has been sure and most artistic. Van Allen's Wife is a modern play. Its scenes are laid in New York City and on Long Island. The characters depicted are those of men and women of good breeding into whose circle circumstances force a young woman of the best instincts and sterling worth, but a toy of the fates. Her life falls in pleasan* paths and happiness comes to her. In the midst of her contentment she again becomes a plaything of the unforeseen and is forced out of the warmth of her husband's home and her child's heart to take up the life of paying the penalty for the misdeeds of others. The company will be carefully selected and the play staged with taste and discretion. Edna Aug, the comedienne, will be the headliner of next week's program. She names her offering Types, and it is a series of characterizations, partly serious and partly humorous. It includes her Stupid Scrubwoman, which first brought her into fame at the New York Theatre a few years ago. The Big City Quartette, whom the Eastern critics consider the sweetest singing four in vaudeville, will afford a distinct musical treat, as they only sing the better sort of solos and concerted numbers. They are all excellent vocalists who have individually won recognition. Lea Myosotis are premiere or solo dancers. The beauty and grace of these girls has made them famous. They have chosen a varied program, including a grand pas de deux and a beautiful rendition of the Old Vienna Waltz. Henry Clive, a clever entertainer who has won golden opinions in the East, will with the assistance of Mai Sturgis Walker, present an unique and original offering. Mr. Clive makes no claim to being a great magician, but uses sleight of hand for comedy purposes only. Next week will be the last of Tom Waters in his original piano pastime; Spaulding and Riego, Murray and Mack, and of the beautiful dancer, Rosario Guerrero, in the musical pantomime, The Rose and the Dagger. Alcazar Theatre One of the Alcazar's most successful offerings last season was Sweet Kitty Bellairs. It ran three consecutive weeks. David Belasco found his inspiration for Sweet Kitty Bellairs, which he describes as "a comedy of the heart," in Edgertofl Castle's book. The Bath Comedy. Its scenes are laid at Bath, the British spa, made famous by Beau Brummel, Beau Nash and other foppish celebrities of the Gainsborough period, during the French republican wars. There the heroine, Mistress Kitty Bellairs, a piquant young Irish widow, adored by the officers of the Inniskillings, of which regiment her husband was a shining light, meets her fate in the person of an English baronet, and the play is largely made up of scenes in which she is flouted by envious women and championed by the red-coated soldiers, every man of whom is eager to fight for her. There is the usual happy ending, of course, but it is brought about in a way that surprises. Music is a feature of the play, and to give full justice to the score, composed by William Furst the Alcazar orchestra will be considerably augmented. The production will tax to the utmost the Alcazar's unequaled artistic and mechanical resources. All the critics agreed that Miss Yaughan never appeared more winsome than as the merry young widow with the sharp tongue and soft heart. As her noble English admirer, Augustus Phillips, will have opportunity for effective acting, and his handsome face and figure will lose no charm by their saitorial setting. Val encia Theatre The last performances of Going Some will take place this Saturday afternoon and evening and on Sunday night. Corinne, with a large company in Mile. Mischief, will begin a two weeks' engagement. This Viennese operetta by Carl M. Ziehrer, book Englished by Sydney Rosenfeld, is said to be better suited to her talents than anything she has ever had. In addition the Shuberts have surrounded her with a company which, if numerically large, his been selected with an eye to individual excellence. Corinne takes the part of a model who is betrothed of an artist, Andre Claire, and in order to win a fortune she accepts a wager that in the guise of a boy she can remain twenty-four hours in the local barracks without detection. As she is at her wit's end to accomplish this, she chances upon a discarded suit of one of Andre's pupils, Freddie Meline, the callow son of a wealthy manufacturer, and, to add to the good fortune, finds his pocket book and papers. Armed with these she presents herself as a recruit and is immediately put through the rigorous discipline of the garrison, being infoimed thrt the special regimen of the colons. 1 is baths, hot and cold, and that he is especially severe to those who have been accusto med to the over-indulgence of millionaire parents. Among the players and singers are Albert S. Howson, Charles F. Meyer, Edward \V. Cutler, Alfred Wilder, Harry Linkey. Fred Connell, Frank Famngton, Ford LeDoux, Kittie N. Baldwin, Anna Mortland, Dorothy Lamar, Loretta Healy, Bonnie Farley and Louise Brunelle. Matinees ef Mile. Mischief will be given Wednesdays and Saturdays, with reduced prices on Wednesday. George Fawcett in The Great John Ganton will follow Corinne in Mile. Mischief at the \ alencia Theatre. On the Road Called Santa I e This is the cover of a new song that will interest you. Tear out this page, write your name and address across it and mail to me. I will send the song by return post. IT IS FREE. If you think of going East mention the fact and several interesting illustrated travel books will be included. JAS. B. DUFFY, GENERAL AGENT, SANTA FE 673 Market Street, San Francisco 3 Hotel St. James " Cor. Van Ness Ave. and Fulton St. San Francisco, California Headquarters for Agents and Managers Half Block from Van Ness Theatre. Friars meet at the St. James every Friday night. F. P. SHANLEY, Manager, formerly of New York