The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

10 THE SAN FR-^NCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW March 28, 191^ Columbia Theatre The first visit of the Stratford- Upon-Avon Players to America is attracting the attention of students and lovers of Shakespeare every- uhcre. For this wonderful company, including as it does, many of the foremost artists of the British stage, has played more of the dramatic works of William Shakespeare than any other organization of which there is any record. Of the thirty- six ])Iays of Shakespeare, the Strat- ford-Upon-Avon Players have pre- sented thirty-four, h^or the Ameri- can tour they have brought over complete equiinnent for no fewer than twelve plays of the bard, all of which thev will present at the Columbia Theatre during the two weeks' engagement which begins Monday night, March 30th. More- over, they are rated by English crit- ics as the foremost Shakespearean repertory company of the present day, the cast including F. R. Benson, at its head: Dorothy Green, who has won success with modern rfiles in London, as leading woman to Sir George Alexander and Henry V>. Irving; A\illiam Calvert, reputed the best Falstaff in England; Chas. Warburton, Basil Rathl)one, Henry Caine, Alfred Harris, John Mac- Lean. Frank Cochrane, Ethel Mac- Dowall. Rosa Burgess, the noted English character comedienne, and others, some fifty in number. The complete repertoire for the San Francisco engagement at the Colum- bia Theatre is as follows; Monday and Friday nights. The Merry Wives of Windsor; Tuesdav night. King Richard the Second; Wednes- day matinee. The Merchant of Ven- ice; Wednesdav night. The Taming of the Shrew ; Thursday night. King Henry the Fourth; Saturday mat- inee. As Yon Like It; Saturday night. Hamlet. Second week—Mon- dav night, April 6th, Romeo and Juliet: Tuesday. King Henry the Fourth ; Wednesdav matinee. King Henrv the Fifth ; Wednesdav night. The Merry Wives of Windsor; Thursdav. The Alerchant of Ven- ice; Friday. Much Ado .-Xbout Noth- ing; Saturdav matinee. Twelfth Night; Saturday night. King Rich- ard the Third. Cort Theatre The second and farewell week of Margaret lUington in A\'ithin the Law' will be started on its way Sun- dav night, March 29th. It is un- likely that the play will return to San Francisco for at least two sea- sons, so it behooves those that have not yet seen this extraordinary American play to secure reserva- tions early. Miss Illington is the shop girl to the life, with all her hopes and trials. When she is led awav to prison at the close of the first act, for a crime she did not conmiit. her denunciation of the grinding methods of her employer, Edward Gilder, is stirring and con- vincing to the last syllable. She is compelling seeminglv without efTort. There is a sympathetic quality to her voice and to every varying mood that corrals every member of the au- dience from the occnnant of the first row to the final gallervite. Admir- able work is done bv Howard Gould. Hilda Keenan. Frank E. Camn. Rob- ert Elliott. Sonia Jasper, Joseph Slaytor, Neil Moran, Agnes Bar- rington and others. The most talked of woman in the world, Evelyn Nes- bit Thaw, comes to the Cort on Sun- day night, April 5th. Alcazar Theatre Hcrlicrt Kclcey and F.ffie Shan- non, for their third offering, will be seen in J. M. Barrie's cliarming and analytical play of child nature and wit and humor and satire, Alice-Sit- by-the-Fire. It is the story of a fifteen-year-old English girl, marry- ing an English officer and ac- companying him to India, and be- coming the mother of three children, a girl and two boys. For their health's sake, the little ones are sent to England while in their infancy and the parents do not see them again until one of the boys is a manly j'oung cadet, the girl a sweet young miss of fifteen and the other boy still a baby. By that time. Alice, the mother, is a gracious lady and the father a grizzled veteran. 'I'hey are full of parent love as they return to the old country, but with the children it is .somewhat differ- ent. Never having known their father and mother, whatever filial love they have in instinctive, and they look upon the ccmiing family reunion with feelings akin to dread. I'rom this point on the story of the ])lay takes a delightful turn and the witty dialogue and infinite Barrie humorous situations crowd in, one U])on the other, with such rapidity and charm as to leave the specta- tor thoroughly enjoving his even- ing's invitation. The production will include, besides Miss Shannon and Mr. Kelcey, a new and sweet little ingenue, Marie Connelly.in the role of Amy, the romantic young daughter of fifteen ; Charles Comp- ton. as her brother, Cosmo; Louise r>rownell, as her friend, Leonora Dunbar; and Howard C. Hickman, as .Stephen Roll(\ a friend of the family. Gaiety Theatre "1 thouglit." says l'".lizabeth Good- now, author of The Market For Souls, "that in my book, I had tftuched the subject with no lieht hand, but after studying your won- derful work, The House of Bondage, even I, who have studied the life of the streets, was shocked and filled with ])ity for the unfortunates we see going along with their little bag.s—'going to work'—they call it. And it is work, the hardest work in the world." Thus writes one of the greatest novelists of the present day concerning the production of the greatest film drama ever projected onto a screen from the pages of a book. The House of Bondage has been prepared for the film drama. The pictures will be seen at the Gaiety irom to a.m. till 11 p.m. everv day while \\'illiam Rock, till Sunday night, at the head of The Candy Shop, rehearses the company in a great musical revue, The Echo, wliich will open at the Gaiety on Easter Sunday night and resume that plavhouse's career as the lead- ing producing theatre in the West. Savoy Theatre The first week of the Harrv Lau- der singincr and talkin? pictures will be rounded out with the perform- ance Saturday night. The present WINFIELD UAUDE BLAKE and AMBER AMUSEMENT AGENCY (Under City and State License) Talent .supplied for all occasions. Our Author's Exchange has on Iian'l at all times a mirnhcr of original dramatic and comedy sketches and plays for sale or on royally. TrvOM OFEBA HOUSZ:—Srd floor. Phone Doug-lass 400 bill includes I Love a Lassie, She's the Lass For Me, She's Ma Daisv, Parted on the Shore, The Saftest O' the Family and A Wee Dooch-An- Doris. A change of program will go into effect Sunday afternoon, starting the second week of the en- gagement. She's Ma Daisy and A Wee Dooch-An-Doris will be re- tained. Lauder him.self has to sing them on every program before an audience will let him go, and seem- ingly the same is exoected of the pictures. The Weddin' o' .Sandy McXab, Roamin' in the Gloamin' Same as His Father Was Before II im. The Lass o' Killicrankie, When I Got Back to Bonnie Scot- land and other selections from the extensive repertoire will be added to the entertainment. The motion picture which .shows Lauder as the guest of Mayor Rrilph at the Pan- ama-Pacific Exposition Grounds has made a distinct hit. Eraser's Scot- tish pipers, dancers and vocalists contribute numbers to the program that are away from the beaten track, and there are other novelties. .\ matinee is given every day and the prices are 25c and 50c. which is proving an immense sen-i sation. The Orpheum The Urpheum will have for its headline attraction next week Olga -Xethersole, the emotional actress. .Miss Nethersole will present for this, her first vaudeville engagement in San Francisco, the third act of Clyde I'itch's adaptation of Al- phonse Daudet's novel and Daudet and Belot's play, Sapho. Herman Timberg, the comedian and later star of School Days, will contril)Ute a new supply of character songs and stories. The Three Varsity Fel- lows, Burns, Kilmore and Grady, will appear in A Campus Rehearsal. College men on the stage are not unusual. It is however an excep- tional occurence for three class- mates to leave a university together to enter vaudeville as a lark and made so good as to be given lengthy liookings. Their act is an enjoyable mixture of song, dance and patter. Mosher, Haves and Mosher, direct from the .Mhambra Theatre. Lon- don, will execute the most difficult feats known to the trick bicyclists and also introduce a line of irresis- tible comedy. Helen Ruggles, the demi-tasse prima donna, who has sung prominent roles with the iM-ench Opera Comif|ue and the Roval Opera Company in Milan, will make her vaudeville debut in this citv. Dale Winter and May Field, two charming girls who have been stellar members of big musical com- edy companies in the East, will offer a delightful bit of comedy and mu- sic, which has for its title. Scattered Dreams. It will be the last week of the Hartlevs and also of Paul Arm- strong's play. To Save One Girl, The Empress ^ 1 he most attractive show seen atl the lunpress in many months wild include Kara, the juggler. Kara'^ tricks are all original and nearly al5 his feats have a tinge of comedyT Staine's Comedy Circus, featuring'* an unridable mule, will be the extra* attraction. Mules, ponies, dogs and other animal actors take part in this! act. Edith Clifford, a talented and' pretty girl, will sing several songs," her repertoire being composed en- tirely of recent song hits. Kier-'" nan, Walter and Kiernan, travesty stars, are next in the laughable burlesque, Mac-Beth. This act is similar to Othello Outdone, a Shakespearean travesty which made a great hit at the Empress a fevr^ months ago. The costuming of the* act is said to have a laugh in every^ line. Jack ^lack and Juliette Atkin- son, musical comedy stars, will also be one of the features. Their act, cimsists of bits of song, patter and^ dancing. Borden and Miller wilK offer a fast line of acrobatics withi a heap of comedy mixed in here and there. Other features and the world's best photo plays will con-^ stitute an excellent bill. Still Another Oakland Theatre Oakland reports have it that Harry Bishop is to builil a new theatre at. I'ourtecnth and Harrison streets in'^ that citv. > Mixes Vaudeville and Church Services ; Divine worship with vaudeville trimmings, with the organ loft for a stage and the pastor impersonating all of the headlincrs of the bill, was the diversion given those who attended services last Sunday night at Golden Gate Baptist Church, I'iftv-fourth and Park Street, Oakland. Rev. J. M. Heady, the pastor, called it a drama sermon or religious vaudeville, and the title was "Tiie Things Wortli While.'' Rev. Mr. Heady believes in being sen-« sational to attract i)eople to his pewsjj When he was ready for the perform-| ance he climl)e(l into the organ loft* and proceeded to impersonate an or- ganist and his daughter, all the while in his dialogue bringing out the points and the morals of his sermon. He de- clared the idea was not new and not original with him, and that as far I'ack as the prophet Ezekiel it was tried as an inducement to bring the'. l)tople t« divine worship. His vaude- ville bill consumed thirty-five minutes* He declares it was such a success thap he will give similar bills every Sunday until further notice.