San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

2 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW November 27. 19x39 New York Has a Large Number of Very Brilliant Openings MOROSCO'S BIRBANK THEATRE Los Angeles, Cal. "The Best in the Wett" The Leading Stock House. V y Home Office / ^ \ B'JRBJWK THEATRE BUILDING LOS ANGELES, C AL. 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? Well, we guess yes Hamburger's MAJESTIC Theatre The Handsomest in the West Cost $300,000.00 Oliver Morosco. Lessee & Mer For time address John L'oht MA IFSTIf) OPEN TIME VIAAJLOIIU weeks of Dec. 5th, 12th and 19th THEATRE A1 Attractions Only inc AWTFIFC r.i Address OLIVER MOROSCO. Better Hurry Wb bM. OLIVER MOROSCO, Le; see and Manager NEW YORK. Nov. 21.— The opening of the second season of opera at the Metropolitan ( )pera House under the general directorship of Giulio Gatti-Casazza was effected last week amid the brilliant surroundings which for three centuries have been regarded as essential to the ' prosperity of tlje lyric drama. To attempt a description of the pomp and circumstance of the occasion would be to rob the pages of the fashion journals and the social directory of their vital jessence. ( )pera. to be sure, cannot thrive without the support of much wealth, and the board of directors which directs Mr. ( .atli-Casazza is composed of men of high social position and almost, fathomless financial means. The trend of opera in New York is altogether likely to be guided by their tastes and by those of the men. and possibly more particularly the women, with whom they associate. It is perhaps fortunate that so much of excellence is promised by this directorate and that such satisfying evidence of good intent and immediate achievement was offered by last week's opening. The chief singers in last week's performance were mostly members of last season's company. There were, however, two newcomers. These were the barytone, Andrea de Segttrola, last year "at the Manhattan, and Anna Meitschik. The former filled with dignity and dramatic intelligence the role of Alvjise and sang his music most COmmendably. Mine. Meitschik was the Cieca. She is a real contralto, whose voice is of good natural quality, especially in the lower medium. It is by no means perfectly equalized, and there was at times a strong constriction in her tone formation ; but this may have been caused by nervousness. She will probably be a serviceable member of the company, for her style shows acquaintance with the lyric stage and its routine. I '<>r the benefit of all that army to which it is of deathless interest it may be said that Mr. Caruso was in excellent voice. His tones were free, steady, mellow and generally emitted without effort. He sang lyrically and appeared to have broken the yoke of the ejaculatory school for the time. He sang Cielo e mar with beautiful cantilena, just as he was wont to do in his earlier days. Mme. Destinn carried well the burden of the title role. Her delivery showed some signs of labor and her phrasing was sometimes spasmodic. But on the whole she sang very dramatically, and her impersonation had emotional beauty. Mme. Homer repeated a performance of Laura which is already favorably known to the public. Mr. Amato was the Barnaba, and a superb one he was. His noble voice was poured with glorious sonority through every phrase, and withal he sang both musically and dramatically. And thus the new season at the Metropolitan opened with a brilliant presentation of an opera of which Italv has good reason to be proud. * ' * * The City, the last play written by the late Clyde Fitch, had its first presentation last week at the Hyperion Theatre. New Haven, under the auspices of the Shuberts. An unusually brilliant and fasthionable audience was present, and profound expressions of astonishment were advanced at the daring profanity and melodramatic effect of the murder of the heroine in the second act. Two women fainted during this sensational .scene, and had to be revived bv friends. The story of The City contracts life in the country with that in the city, showing that a man's character can never be fully tested until he Iuls. lived in a centre of massed humanity. George Rand. Jr.. falls heir to a large fortune from his father, who, although he has been respected, has practised many unfair methods. The son inherits this tendency, also the secret that his father has an illegitimate son. Rand. Jr.. moves to .Yew York, where he doubles the family fortune and wins the nomination for Governor. There he learns that the illegitimate child. George Hannock, has become engaged to his sister. The girl, unable to understand her brother's opposition, declares that they have been secretly wed. At this juncture of the story the playwright has resorted to "the murder of the heroine. The family then realizes for the first time that life in, the village is not so bad after all. The author has introduced a psychological phase in which he shows that Rand, although dishonest at heart, does not know it. Long speeches were avoided in the play, and action instead of talk is constant in the unfolding of the theme. John Emerson, long associated with the playwright, staged the play. The cast includes Walter Hampden. A. H. Stewart, Eva Vincent, Lucile Watson, Mary Nash, Tully Marshall. George Howell, Helen Holmes, Edward Emery, Jane Gail, John Jex, and Fred Courtenay. * * * The second week of the regular season at the Manhattan Opera House began last Monday with a performance of Donizetti's tuneful and melancholy Lucia di Lammermoor. The casual observer of operatic affairs will suspect that the presentation of this familiar work occasioned what is curtly described as a Tetrazzini night. Mme. Tetrazzini achieved her most lasting success in the previous season by her delivery of the fiorescent babblings of the demented Lucy, and it was to be expected that the populace would hurry forth at the first opportunity to hear again the extraordinary cadenza at the end of the "mad scene." Associated with the eminent coloratura singer last night were John McCormack, the Irish tenor, and Mario Sammarco. the Italian barytone. It looks as if it were Mr. Hammerstein's purpose to make of this trio a regular cast for operas of the older lyric school. If so, his design should achieve excellent results. Mr. McCormack is likely to become popular by reason of the very pretty quality of his tones and the grace of his style, while Mr. Sammarco. who is first of all things a singer, fits admirably into the scheme of the operas of the early nineteenth century. Last week's performance was heard with evident pleasure by an audience of considerable size, which expressed itslf in most enthusiastic terms after the famous sextet as well as after the scene of emotional insanity. The chorus and orchestra discharged their duties efficiently. * * * James O'Neill, who is now with Viola Allen in The W hite Sister, celebrated his sixtieth birthday last week at the Majestic Theatre, Boston. At a luncheon given him by Miss Allen and her company he said that his one ambition was to reappear as Iago before retiring from the stage. * * * Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm was produced by Klaw & Erlanger and Joseph I .rooks at the Court Square Theatre in Springfield, Mass., last week. Mrs. Kate Douglas Wiggin and Miss Charlotte Thompson have built the play on both of Mrs. \\ iggin's Rebecca books. * * * His Name on the Door, by Frank Lord, will have its New York opening at the Bijou Theatre next Monday evening. It is a modern play in three acts of uptown and down-town New York. It had its first performance at Springfield, Mass., three weeks ago. * * * Paul H. Liebler has contracted with Charles H. Brown and Paul Tietj ens, author and composer respectively, for a fantastic musical play to be produced about the first of the year. Mr. Tietjcns was the composer of The Wizard of Oz, and Mr. Brown wrote the cartoon musical comedies, Simple Simon Simple and Little Mose. R< >B R< )Y. Al Flournoy's Notes from Minneapolis Stepp, Mehlenger & King, formerly San Francisco entertainers, made their first New' York appearance last week. Their act was the hit of a big bill at the Orpheum, Brooklyn. Jim Neil, Princess Theatre. Minneapolis, is meeting with great success in a series of Sol Smith Russell's plays, l'.usiness is improving rapidly. John Coytsidine spent several days in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and all kinds of rumors are afloat in the vaudeville field. Dustin Farnum in Cameo Kirby delighted the fair sex of Minneapolis last week at the Lyric (Shubert'sy] "Dusty's" a handsome brute and is "some" actor. Pretty Billie Burke in Love W atches, and James K. Hackett in "Sampson" filled the Metropolitan in the Twin Cities. Blanche Hates comes Thanksgiving week. Strong Stock for Reno The Grand Theatre Stock Company of Reno, management of Harold Holland, opens next Monday with the following company : Harold Holland, Paul Harvey. Sidney Diamond. Harp Rattenbury, Harry Stuart, Roy Avery, Floyd Covelle, Virginia 'Thornton, Evelyn Selbie, Merle Stanton, Ada Lucas and Chas. V. Laquerc, scenic artist. Eddie Mitchell JUVENILE LEAD A Y I ) LIGHT COMEDIAN At Liberty^ November 28th • Care of Dramatic Review Watsonville Opera House WATSONVILLE, CAI.. Si'.itiny 1:1 jiiic i t \ TOO. Mocli-rn ami iip-tn-<lat<\ Honking two liiKh-olass shows twice a month. Gave Sousa $481.00 on a matinee Nov. 1. CHAS. PRYOR, Manager 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. CHRIS WARD, Manager