The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

6 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW April 25, 19141 Send for New Catalogue Stating Kind Desired THEATRICAL CATALOGUE of Show Print- ing. Repertoire. Stock. CirciN, Wild West, Tent Sliows, Etc. FAIR PRINTING. Fairs. Races. A*iatl«n, Aut*. H«rse. Slecli Sli«ws, Etc. MAGIC PRINTING, Hypwgtlsni, lllutiont Mind Reading, Etc. MINSTREL PRINTING. White V C»l»red, With or Without Title. Etc . • MOVING PICTURE PRINTING. Etc. WESTERN PLAYS, Etc. FOLDERS of Non-RoTfllty Plays with Printing. Show and Thiatrieil Printers Lithographers, Engravers National Stoel( Hangers and Posters on Hand for ever) Kind of Amusement Enterprise WRITE ST. LOUIS OFHCE - 7TH AND ELM STS. Correspondence NEW YORK, Ajiril 19.—]ust when the HIPPODROME seemed to be in danger of presenting a stereotyped form of entertainment, suddenly the big playhouse started house cleaning and threw open its doors three days before Easter with a spectacle that grips the imagination as no produc- tion in that house has ever done. II. M. S. Pinafore, on a more ambitious scale than (Albert or Sullivan ever dreamed of is the result. Curiously enough, the beautiful comic opera it- self, which has now become a classic, has been shoved into the backgroimd by the remarkable stage settings, the elaborate stage business and the enor- mous chorus. There is no use! Gil- bert's cleverest libretto and Sullivan's most popular score are unimportant at the Hippodrome. The ship itself * is everything. There was a real thrill when the falling curtain dis- closed the beautiful lines of an old time British man o' war. Here were "the wooden walls of old England'' reproduced with a fidelity that would have pleased Nelson himself. Only a William Clark Russell or a ship news reporter can do justice to the scene. Topmen climbed the masts, furled the sails and went through other man- euvers which can only be described in terms not used by the Secretary of the Navy. Drum beats that out-thundered Alfred Hertz's noisiest effects in W'ag- nerian opera at the Metropolitan fol- lowed. Then there were drills, sig- nals, marches and countermarches. It was verv thrilling. The scene at the Hippodrome is warranted to appeal to youths of all ages from six to sixty, in- cluding both sexes, to whom the lure of the sea is inevitable. And the op- era? Yes, it was sung. But when the chorus is magnified to. the size of an oratorio society, and the stage is as big as an ocean steamship, the re- sult is very different from the or- dinary performance of Pinafore. Josephine Jacoby, who is at her best in the comic vein, essayed the role of Little Buttercup. She sang delightful- ly and was an ideal Little Buttercup. Albert Hart, an old Hippodrome fav- orite, played Dick Deadeye in the ap- proved Hippodrome manner. Har- rison Brockbank as the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Porter made the role as satisfactory as it could be, while Ver- non Dalhart of the Century Opera Company, and \Villiam Hinshaw of the ]\Ietropolitan, were Rackstraw and Corcoran, respectively. The chorus flowed over the ship, made merry in the officers' quarters and descended into the hold, whence they peered out in small installments. They had al- most as much fun as if they were on a real ship. .\nd the lookers-on en- joyed it fully as well. Friday afternoon at the Hippodrome H. ]\I. S. Pina- fore Co. B made its first appearance and valiantly maintained the standard of excellence established by Company A on Thursday. In fact, in one or two instances, notably in the case of Cap- tain Corcoran and The Bo'sun, the cast was an improvement. Eugene Cowles, looking amazingly young and almost svelte as to figure, sang For He Is an Englishman with splendid effect, and Mr. Peacock's Captain Corcoran was a capital performance, both from a vocal and a histronic standpoint. Mr. Gordon's Sir Joseph left nothing to be desired. Miss Hor- gan's Little Buttercup was played in a capital comedy spirit, and she most assuredly lent weight and proper em- phasis to every pound of the role. Mr. l)ardsley disclosed a beautiful voice as Ralph, and Miss Heinemann's Joseph- ine was eminently satisfactory, particu- larly when she sang. Mr. Parson's conception of Dick Deadeye was ex- cellent. As for the production, the sensation which the Voegtlin scenery and effects aroused was infinitely greater yesterday afternoon than it was at the first ])erforniance. At the close of the performance the audience rose and cheered and clapped in a manner which is quite unusual in a New York theatre. After all, though, they had due cause. * * * A produc- tion of Clyde Fitch's, The Truth, is \\'inthrop .Ames's contribution to the theatrical renascence which arrived with the Easter holidays. Its per- formance on Saturday night before an invited audience at the LITTLE THE.VTRE, preparatory to its public disclosure tomorrow evening, attracted much greater interest than usually is given to a revival, for the reason that since its original production and fail- ure at the Criterion Theatre in 1907 two irreconcilable sets of opinions have existed regarding it. Grace George is the new Becky Warder. M\ss George was able to give a caj>- ital impersonation of the subtle, fe- brile Becky in the revival. She clothed the character with the com- passion that the author intended for it, and emphasized the struggle of the weak woman against the moral taint inherited from her mendacious father. .As a psychological exhibit Becky, in her dual nature, is a pro- foundly interesting creature, who falls easilv within the range of probability, though, like Marie Louise Voysin, she is an extreme type. Air. Fitch's dia- logue, after seven years, has preserved its freshness and sparkle and humor- ously satirical meaning to a surprising extent. To a higher degree than any other native playwright he had the ability to represent the atmosphere and manners of social life on the stage, and since his death no drama- tist has come forward to take his place. Air. Ames's actors revealed every merit of the comedy. There was no individual performance superior to Ferdinand Gottschalk's lifelike incar- nation of the ruined father. In his traces of an old-time pride, his utter selfishness and his occasional flashes of bitter regret at the lost opportunity, the actor attained a high level of his- trionic art. The character is, of course, there. Air. Fitch has drawn it. But the actor glorified its oppor- tunities on Saturday. Grace George played Becky. She imparted to the wife charm, a graceful pathos, plausi- bility and a delightful sense of the coniedv values of certain moments in the play; she gave it. in fact, every quality and that of girlish irrespon- sibility. .And that also had its effect in incurring the sympathy for her. Isa- bel Irving, who acted well the jealous w ife, who precipitated the tragedy—or what should have been the tragedy— was excellent. Zelda Sears won high praise for the naturalness of her per- formance of Airs. Crespigny at the first production of the play, and it is still good enough to carry any woman to fame. Conway Tearle as the lover and Sydney Booth as the extremely forgiving husband were capable. Geo. Foster Piatt had produced the play with a perfection that revealed every one of its good qualities in its best estate. So for the Little Theatre the manner in which The Truth was acted was altogether triumphant. In tiie audience were representatives of the fine arts, literature, education and so- ciety. Long life to Air. Ames's thor- oughly capable revival. * * * Since Alontgoniery and Stone stepped out of vaudeville and made a reputation and a theatrical name for themselves in The Wizard of Oz, nearly a dozen years ago, at the Alajestic, now the Park Theatre, first nighters have be- come accustomed to have actors hith- erto unknown to them step right down to the footlights and make more than a pleasant impression. So it was no surprise last Alonday at the LYRIC Theatre that T. Roy Barnes, of Barnes and Crawford of vaudeville, who was known to only a few in the audience that witnessed the initial performance here of The Red Canary, took the hon- ors of the evening. As a composite of Harry Fox, Frank Tinney and Jimmy Thornton, Air. Barnes took the bur- den of the funmaking on his shoulders and aided by the excellent work of Leila Hughes and capable .Adele Rowland, he made a great suc- cess of his undertaking. The Red Canary is a new musical play by Will B. Johnstone and Wm. Le Baron, who wrote The Little Princess, which had a ' week's run at the Park Theatre Christmas week a year ago, under the management of John Cort. The mu- sic was written by Harold Orlob. Like most of the summer plays there was but little plot, and what plot there was centered around the idea that cer- tain colors influence the emotions. Through the color arrangement in four different rooms, the principals concerned in the plot managed to make many mixups and complications in the love affairs of the other members in the cast. But. as all musical comedies should, the plot gets together in the last act for a satisfactory curtain. The play last night was produced under the personal direction of J. C. Rigby, and was staged by Ben Teal, which in- sured an elaborate production. There was an unusually large chorus, which sang Air. Orlob's ensembles in a charming manner. Alost of the music in the first act called for rapid tem- po, but in the second act there were several tuneful numbers and some in- teresting specialties. The Red Canary is a summer show pure and simple, and there is no reason that it should not attract the public to the Lyric The- atre until the Shuberts decide to close the house for the usual summer reno- vation. Notwithstanding there were three other first productions, the thea- tre was filled, and the big audience was glad to stay until the final curtain. * * * Alaude .Adams gave last week, at the EAIPIRE Theatre the first of 12 afternoon performances of John Barrie's Peter Pan. Aliss Adams is well known in the role she has played so frequently. Already the happy event of the author's genius and Aliss .Adam's rare skill in interpretation have placed this portrayal in that siiort list which includes the Rip Van Winkle of Josejjh Jefferson and a few equally cherished achievements of the .American stage. Aliss Adams's per- formance has lost none of her mi- grant, poetic charm, and was received with the accustomed rai)ture. * * * The largest and most beautiful mov- ' ing picture house in the United States, the STR.AXD. I'orty-seventh street and Broadway, opened last Saturday with the initial jxjrformance of The SjKjilers. by Rex Beach. A few years ago it would have been hard to con- ceive of a tyijical New A'ork "first nighter" appearing at a moving pic- ture show, but the "first nighters" and a host of New York's most fainoiis theatregoers were present at the Strand Saturday night. The house is the last word in theatre as well as moving-picture construction. Everj-- - thing possible has been done to add ■ ■ to the attractiveness of the stage effect' i and to aid the eye, which is so impor- ■ tant in moving-picture settings. The conception, develo])ment and erection of the Strand Theatre are the logical sequence to the trend of public taste in amusements. The first idea of the \ Strand was conceived by Alax Sj)iegel and Aloe Alark, who associated them- selves with Alitchel H. Alark, and in. • October, 1912, started to organize a company with a million dollars capital, which in a short time was incorporated under the laws of the State of New A'ork, with Mitchel H. Alark as presi- dent. Eugene L. Folk as treasurer, Aloe Alark as vice-president, and Alax Spiegel as secretary, and the following board of directors: Walter Hays, S. H. Bunce. David Baskcr. Joseph M. Levenson and J. A. Schughert. * * * First nighters and a large audie generally in the GARRICK Thea last Alonday saw a strong play, in four acts, and the consensus of opinion was ii that The Governor's Boss would win its way and have a considerable "fc^ \ lowing." As the Governor, the Hon. Lancelot Shackleton, John E. Kellard did very well and made a good im- pression. His firm refusal of the mands of the Boss, on the grounds honest government and in spite threats of impeachment, sounded strong note. The play practical hinges upon the refusal of the Gov- ernor to obey the orders of the Boss, with a resultant impeachment trial, in which the Governor is cleared by dic- tagraph records and pictures intro- duced as eleventh-hour evidence. Do- ings of the "invisible government" are cleverly worked into the plot. * * * I'ollowing Grumpy at WALLACK'S Theatre, the New Epoch Producing Company, Inc., will present on April 29 a new play called Vik, that being the name of the leader of the Helve- tian tril)es during the early history of the country now known as Switzer- land. The story is one of the great hu- man emotions, tense situations, and very rapid action. The customs, tribal rites and costumes of the period aiji