The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

^1 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW ay Correspondence NEW YORK, April 26.—Declar- ing that Miss Annie Russell ''was brought to the Little Theatre, Phila- delphia, under false pretenses,'' L. J. Anlialt, her manager, has announced that the actress and her company have terminated their engagement because Mrs. Beulah E. Jay, its pro- prietress, according to Air. Anhalt, "took advantage of a technicality and refused us the extension I was f'iven to understand we would have the privilege of exercising." Mr. Anhalt announced that Miss Russell would reappear there next season and that plans were under way for the construction of a playhouse for her. Mrs. Jay denied that Miss Rus- sell was brought "under false pre- tenses," explaining that the actress's contract with the Little Theatre had run out. Mrs. Jay said she did not care to renew it, "merely as a busi- ness proposition. The scenic beauties of Omar the Tent- maker have never been revealed more attractively than on the stage of the MANHATTAN OPERA HOUSE last week, although three dififerent stages have already showed them. It was in the second act especially that the home of Omar and the life of the little medieval village in India were better enjoyed than ever before. In the first per- formances at the Lyric Theatre there was some confusion owing to the crowding of the stage, but now the two streets dividing the little antique town are distinctly shown. Moreovei, the spaces of the stage enable the vistas of the first act to stretch farther into space than they ever did before. In all other parti- culars the play remains the same. With its spectacular beauties so much increased this combination of the poetic Omar and the melodra- matic if prosaic R. W. Tully ought to be as prosperous here as it had been for the four months in other playhouses. * * * The hospitable stage of the ROYAL Theatre was last week dedicated to a dramatic version of that "September Morn" of best sellers, Hagar Revelly, Law- rence Dwyer had put Daniel Carson Goodman's story into four acts, which revealed, with a particular thrill fcr the audience, the amatory adventures of the heroine in Harlem and Paris. They were not notably dilTcrent in either locality. No po- lice or oiher interference interrupted the performance, which could have been justly disciplined onl}' by som.e agency for the prevention of ennui. * * Adolf Philipp's original pro.luct?on of The ]\Tidnight Girl at his theatre in East Fifty-seventh street was responsible for the suc- cess that is now at the FORTY- FOURTH STREET Theatre. The music and the text are as attractive in the original as they are in English. Then tliere was enough English in the text to make the audience at tlie MONT AUK enjoy the jokes. Greta von .Vlayhof, who m :i winning sou- brette, still has ihc leading role. * * * Cyril Maude, the English actor, who has been plaving Grumpy all this season at WAI.L.\CK'S Theatre and who had planned to close the engagement on Sat'irday night, has arranged to give one extra perform- ance on Mondav night. He is will- ing, lie said, to play the piece righ.t up \(< the sailing of the Mauretania, on which his company will depart for Euro])e. The company is coming back next season to play Grumpy on the road. T!r. Maude's daughter. Miss Margery, who left the cast of Grumpy to ajjj'ear in Lady Winde- mere's Fan w-ith Margaret Anglin, will return to the cast for the final performance. * * jj. ^^,j^g ■\'ovembvr 17 that the season o! ooera at the METROPOLIl'AN OPER.V HOUSE was started with a performance of Ponchielli's 'La Giocoiida. Last Monday evening the final week of the series of twenty- tliree was u.- hered in with a repeti- tion of Puccini's La Boheme, the eighth jierfonnaTice of this popular work, 'i'liat the Monday night audi- tors should have the opportunity to bid each other good-by for t!ie sea- son with this opera was perhaps quite suital)le, albeit they were not invited to hear Mr. Caruso. Three intermissions, however, gave them abundant opportunity to see one an- other in their boxes for the last time tliis seas\.n. As for the opera, that at least prov ided them with a fare- well hearing of Gcraldine Farrar in one of her tavorite r<. les. Mimi has come to I>e almost her exclusive property. Occasionally one of the other prima dov.nas is heard in it, but Mi i'"a-rar continues in the lead. Her ]X)pulari*-y in the role is easily accounted for. She has the combination of youth, beauty, per- sonal charm and pleasing voice re- quired to satisfy the typical opera- !;Oer. She sang well last evening and ,vas much applauded. Since Mr. Ca-uso w-as not to be heard last evening the role of Rodolfo fell to the lot of Riccardo Martin, the American tenor. He had as his chief associate among the male members of the cast Mr. A'nato as Marcello. This is a part ^vhich Mr. Amato sings -. ery well indeed, but his his- trionic technic does not include any large element of humor or infectious gayet}'. Mr. ^Martin continues to sing with clear, transparent, perfectly cool tone, which excites admiration by its quality. Others worthy of enumeration were Miss Alten as Mu- setta and Mr. de Segurola as Col- line. The latter's delivery of the highh' artificial farewell to the over- coat has good routine behind it, while Miss Alten's Musetta is quite the ideal if the vivacious Bohemian. Polacco co'ulr.cted with skill. * * * The Hasty Pudding Club of Har- vard gave its first New York per- formance of the organization's an- nual musical .show, The Legend of Loravia, at CARNEGIE LYCEUM last week. It was a musical comedy in two acts, the book and lyrics by J. K. Hodges, '14. and E. Streeter, '14, and the music by Vinton Freed- ley, '14. It was previously presented with success in Cambridge and Bos- ton. * * * The Midnight Girl, a musical comedy with George Mac- Farlane as a feature, has been filling the FORTY-FOURTH STREET Theatre this season in a manner which should please the Messrs. Shubert who are responsible for the scintillating production of cabaret girls and professional nurses be- sprinkled with military officers and French Senators. The libretto of the comedy is by Paul Herve. The music is ')y Jean Briquet and .Xdolph Phil- Send for New CatalogQe Stating Kind Desire THEATRICAL CATALOGUE •! Sh»« Print- Ing. Repertoire. Steele. Circus. Wild W«st, Tint Shows, Etc. FAIR PRINTING. Fairs. Racas. Aviation, Auto. Horse. Stock Shows, Etc. MAGIC PRINTING.. Hyp»otlsin, llliisKn Mind Reading, Etc. MINSTREL PRINTING. While or Colore With or Without Title. Etc MOVING PICTURE PRINTING. Etc. WESTERN PLAYS, Etc. FOLDERS of Non-Royalty Plays with Printing. Show and Ttieatricii Printers Lithographers, Engravers rHatlonai Stocl( Nangirs ind Poste' 1 on Hand lor every Kind - Amusement Enterprise JVRITE ST. LOUIS OFFICE - 7TH AND ELM STS. ipj), composers of Adele. The .\mer- ican version of The Midnight Girl is by Mr. Philipp and Edward A. Paultttn. In addition to George Mac- l-'arlane, who sang several numljers in a pleasing baritone voice, there \v:is one other singer who endeared herself to the audience the night I saw the performance last week. She was Margaret Romaine, a soprano, who seems to have had considerable grand opera experience. Then there was cur own little Teddy Webb who is car\ing out for himself a Broad- way reputation like that he won at the old Tivoli in San Francisco. Eva l-allon was a clever singing ingenue who was to have married a French general, but who found his nephew more attractive and ended up by get- ting the blessing of the uncle. .Among others in the cast were: Clarence Ilarvery and Harry Delf. The story of The Midnight Girl is that of Gustave Criquet, who makes believe that he is the celebrated orator of that name. Senator Cri- quet. Before the play ends there is another bogus Senator Criquet besides the real Senator, who is proud of the fact that he is the i';ither of fourteen children, twelve of whom appear on the stage. The name ]\!idnight Girl is derived from ,the fact that two of the brides have been cabaret girls and had become so accustomed to starting off for the cabaret show on the stroke of twelve, midnight, that no matter where they were they had to begin singing and danci'ig. With this clever iilea as a basis, the authors were able to intersperse new songs and thr latest styles of dancing throughout the evening without l)reaking Ihj thread o* the story. The scenery, costumes and show- girls were alone worth the price of admission and will caus-e favorable comment .v'Terever they may roam. * * * diss Billie Burke, who has *'or several seasons helped Charles Frohman s.vell his fortune and en- hance Ms reputation as the Napo- leon of tiie Theatrical World, has been e"<ce;)t;onally fortunate this season in her vehicle, entitled Jerry, a comedy in three acts by Catherine Chilsolm Gushing, wdiich is now holding the attention of the city at the LYCEUM Th.catre. The scene is laid In a suburb of f'h'ladelphia. The first two acts are in the library of the I j.>iib]edays. The characters include, besides ^liss Burke, who is Jv-rry, Miss Joan Doubkday plt^vcd by Gladys Hanson; Mrs. Harriet Vownsend, loan's si.uer, played by .Mice John; Monvague \\ itde, loan's fiance, by Shelly Hull, : nd Peter Flagg. Joan s cousin, by .\llan Pullock. Jerry the pro-'.uct ci" one oi the modern young lai'.ics' seminaries-, where 'i>e girls of f.f- tcen know more than their graiu!- irothers did all tlie'r lives, ■comes on llie scene ^1 ;< time ^ her aunt Joan has besi. engag twenty years to "Monty" who somehow keeps putting oi ceremony. Jerry decides tha she likes Monty better than'ij aunt seems to, she will marry How she brings it about to" t| satisfaction of all concerned f^l the humor of the play. It en<fc her having been locked in her ij|c] for four days because she telepioj ed to the Philadelphia Ledger tf engagement of Joan and her cons] Peter after having been one of t f contributing causes of the breakiil of the engagement between JfosJ and Monty. The last act sho\I Miss Burke in her pink pajannc She is one of the very few youij women on the stage who is sufl ciently petite to wear pajamas gij "get away with them" artisticall] Jerry is one of the most succea of ^liss Burke's stellar vehidt, Don't miss seeing Jerry if it cc vour way. * * * The CENTl (:)Ph:RA HOUSE brought this son's repertoire to a close by a nificent production of Natoma, opera in three acts which was ten by that well-known Easf Californian Joseph D. Redding set to appropriate music by Vi^ Herbert as his first essay in the of grand opera. Xatoma is laid Santa Barbara, California. The act is on the island of Santa Ci off the coast of Santa Barbara the other two acts on the mainla The last two acts show the brated Mission Santa Barbara, from the Plaza outside and then-' an interior scene. The night I haf pened to go to see Natoma. Josej) ^filler was in town with his Kane loi Indians and cowboys while gei ting ready to play an engagcmei in Madison .Square Garden. .So I took all (jf his Indians, both mal and female, including the babies, t see Natoma because that India maiden was the central figure of th opera. The Indians were wrough u]) to war-whoop enthusiasm at th end of the second act when Xati ma in the middle of the ancieri "dagger dance" seized a weajjon an* stabbed the young Snanish nav:. Lieutenant. That was just th kind of hot stuff' the oble red liked. Mr. Miller wisely led thi out at the end of that act as he H|k seen the opera before, and did(k' think the Indians would be int# ested in seing how Natoma subit quently joined the church and came a nun. .After conferences wf architects and contractors dur several weeks past, the Board Directors of the Century Opt Company decided to have the tensive alterations, planned for purpose of increasing the seati