The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

2 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW February 7, 191 Chicago Grand Opera Com= pany's Season Max Hirscli, the representative of the Chicago Grand Opera Company, is in the city niakinij the i)reHminary arran,q;emcnts for the coniinsJ season of grand opera to take place at the TivoH Opera House for the two weeks beginning Monday, March iCnh. The organization has just completed the most successful season that it ever had in Chicago, ten weeks in all, and is now in Philadelphia for four weeks and then jumps across the continent, playing only Cleveland, Dallas and Los Angeles en route. The company, under the managerial and musical di- rection of Clcofante Cami)anini, num- bers over three hun lred people, in- cluding forty princii^als. a chorus of sixty, orchestra of sixty-eight and a big ballet, (ireat interest centers in the first appearance here of Titta Ruffo, the world's greatest barytone and foremost singer, who will sing the title role in the opening opera, Rigoletto. The repertoire is as fol- lows: March 16, Rigoletto; March 17, Aida; Wednesday afternoon. March 18. La Boheme; Wednesday night, March 18, Louise: March 19. Herodiade; March 20. Thais; Satur- day afternoon, March 21. Cavalleria Rusticana and 1" Pagliacci: Saturday ni.ght, March 21, The jewels of the Madonna: Sunday. March 22, Parsi- fal: March 2.3, La Tosca: March 24, Lohengrin; March 25. The Barber of Seville; March 26, Manon; March 27, Don Giovanni; Saturday after- noon. March 28. Madam Ikitterfly; Saturday night. March 28, gala per- formance. Reserved seats for the sea- son will range from five dollars down to two. and the sale will begin at Sher- man, Clay and Company's next Tues- day morning, February 10th. Seats for single performances will range from six dollars downward and will be placed on sale a week before the first opera. Leo Ditrichstein May Aban= don Stage NEW YORK, Feb. 1.—When Da- vid Belasco closed the season of The Tempermcntal Journey in order that Leo Ditrichstein might have an on- portunity to rest, it was expected that the actor would be well enough after a few weeks to resume acting. He has grown no better in spite of his rest, however, and it is feared that the .ser- ious stomach trouble from which he is sufTering may prevent him from ever resuming his career as an actor. In spite of the advice of his friends, he has refused to be attended by sur- geons in this country, and intends to seek relief in some Euroi)ean spa. It is entirely indefinite when he may be able to return to the stage. No arrangements to that end have been made, and The Tempermcntal Jour- ney, the actor's scenery and all have been put on the shelf for the time be- ing. Robert McKim and Dorcas Matthews, well-known dramatic peo- ple, have .succumbed to the frivolities of musical comedy and are witii the Keating and Flood Company in Se- attle. Ed. S. Allen is carrying the burden of comedy and is getting away with it eft'ectively. Others in the com- pany are Eddie O'lirien, Edna Mar- iDle, Lottie Marble, and George F. Henry. Points of interest about Mclntyrc and Heath, i>.'ho zcill appear at the Cort Theatre for one zceek starting next Sunday night, in John Cort's magnificent rez'iivl of The Ham Tree. They were the first to introduce the negro dances on the stage forty years ago. * The comedians have not been apart for a day in forty years. * * * Mclntyre has earned $300,000 in his Georgia Min- strel suit. * * * Heath is an ex-cir- cus clown ; Mclntyre was a bare- l)ack rider when a boy, in 1871, with the Van Amberg's Circus. * * * Walking railroad tics after failure of their first minstrel show led to the creation of Ham Tree and Bis- cuit Push, over which the come- dians have made millions laugh. * * * Both fun-makers learned all about negroes, whom they imitate, while acting as cooks on Mississippi River steamers. * * * Heath was born in Philadelphia and is 57 years old. Mclntyre is 56 years old and was born in W^isconsin. * * * The comedy team has broken more records than any other actors in the world. Their continuous partnership is one record, the life of their classic, Georgia Min- strels, in The Ham Tree, is another, and attendance at theatres where they appear is another. * * * The contract witii John Cort is for four years at a joint salary of $75,000 a season. Spotlights The custom prevails in Chicago at the Fine Arts Theatre of placing on sale in the foyer the published plays that are being dramatically presented in the theatre. "It is a great advan- tage to the artist," declares Maude Leslie, a talented member of the repertory company ])laying here. "It prepares the audience for a better ap- preciation of the play, and gives them an intelligent conception of the story and the theme. It is a practice that slioulcl prevail universally," .she con- cluded. "In London it is frequently done and its success in Chicago should encourage other cities to follow." Dorothy Donnelly, with Lou Tcllegen in Maria Rosa, is the w^iy in which Fred C. ^Vhitney announ- ces his new production which opened January 19th at the Thirty-ninth Street Theatre, New York. The play is a translation from the Spanish of Angel Guimera, who is considered to be the foremo.st dramatist of his country at the pres- ent time, and deals with the theme of vengeance in a most sensational manner. Mr. Tellegen, who is now appearing for the first time as an English-speaking actor, was former- ly leading man for Sarah Bernhardt. Harry Lauder is announced for early appearance at the Cort Theatre. Lauder is under the management of Wm. Morris, and is at the head of a great vaudeville aggregation. The l>lue Bird, which completely cai)tivated San Francisco theatregoers last season at the Cort, is scheduled for a return engagement at that play- house. It will be presented on the same elaborate scale as before. Jack Lait, who wrote the success- ful play. Help \\'anted, has established a theatrical weekly in Chicago, under the title of The Saturday Evening Telegraph. Mr. Lait is a successful newspaper man and has already won success with his latest journalistic ven- ture. Help Wanted has established a new record in Chica.go for success, and this week a second company opened at Springfield and will be seen in New York next week. .\ company is to be sent to London in August as well. Margaret .Anglin will begin her Boston season alx)ut the third we in I-'cbruary. This will be her m notable engagement since she essaye a Shakes])earean repertoire. Her Pxis- ton season will extend over a period of four weeks, during which time she will ])lay her entire rei)ertoire. Jan Maclaren plays the leading roles with Miss .\nglin. He is an English actor by birth, but is now American l>v ado])tion, having recently invested in a summer hou.sc in New Hampshire, and announced his determination of living in this country hereafter. The .sen.sational "sex hygiene" trag- edy, presented at the Fine Arts Thea- tre, Chicago, under the title of Cow- ards, continues to attract unusual dra- matic discussion. The play was produced under the direction of B. Iden Payne at the Fine Arts Theatre, and is designed to drive home the les.son of the necessity for teachinsr sex hygiene to children. The pi tells a story, epitomized a dozen tim or more each week in the corone records of any large city. It is to simply, but with great effect, whcri in lies its chief power. In Ciiicago wlu rt it was produced some time since, the special workers in general have en- dorsed it in highest terms. This plav introduces one of the most vibrant characterizations in that of T. W. (libson, as Jan Ha.ste. Mr. Gib.soii. ni this role, has created the most fa\ r- able impres.sion of all his charaetrrs with the Fine Arts Theatre Companv. .Associated with him are Whitfi rd Kane. Dallas Anderson, Frances War- ing, Walter Hampden, and a you mi,' girl. Marguerite Hertz, who was i ^- pccially engaged for this productioiL "Tile more plays of the brothel thai arc ])roduced, the more demand thctf will be for plays like Peg O' My Heart," declares Lillian Keller, wh' • is playing in the latter play. "The ene- mies of the decent drama will do moi ng I to promote an interest in it than a its friends. The plays that last are not the plays that win tempora financial success by sensationalis but the ])lays that are appreciated am remembered and enjoyed as muc after they have been witnessed as tiiey are during the progress of the i)lay. Dramatists must write about dramatic incidents, l>ecause life contains many! dramatic episodes, but after all is said and done, the play that makes the greatest impression is the play that \v< recommend to our friends, and wi are generally rather particular not t reconunend plays similar in charactei to those that have engaged editori attention during the past few months. Robbert Hilliard, in The ArgyW Case, will be here in the very near fu4 ture. This has been considered oni of the biggest hits of the past two sea| sons. The detective-crook play madf a fine record during its Eastern run] The De Koven Opera Company it the revival of Robin Hood will follov^ Milestones at the Columbia Theatn^ 'J'he big organization has had a tri umphant tour across the country, am' the favorite opera is sure to receive hearty welcome in San Francisco, es* peciaily when sung by the big peopl^ in the De Koven Opera Company. Milestones comes here direct froi New Orleans, plays this city for twi weeks, travels to Los Angeles an then goes direct East. Its transcoi^ tinental tour is a series of grea< jumps, as the company plays only the very largest of cities. i