The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

lO THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW May i6, 1914 WINFIELD BlaKe and Amber Amusement Agency (Un<ler City and State I-icense) Talent supplied for all occasions. Our AUTHOR'S EXCHANGE has on hand at all times a number of original dramatic and comedy sketches and plays for sale or on royalty. TTVOLI OFEKA HOUSE—3rd floor. Phone Doxig-Iasa 400 Cort Theatre The Pas.sing Show of 1913, which has scored an unquestionable hit at the Cort Theatre, opens the second week of its engagement tomorrow night. Never in the history of any entertainment sent on tour from the New York Winter Garden has any production been so lavishly mount- ed, both as to scenic embellishment and costuming. Since the opening night a scries of very large audi- ences have greeted the company of singers, dancers and comedians. The travesties and burlesques on popular plays, current and past, find skillful interpretation in the hands of a superior host of America's leading fun purveyors. Conroy and Le Maire, who figure extensively in the fun making, are two clever burnt-cork artists who have stirred innumerable audiences into gales of laughter. Others in the big cast who are destined to become local favor- ites are Elizabeth Goodall, with her battery of comic non.sense; Whiting and Burt, a pair of clever Califor- nians who specialize on popular songs; Mazie King, the toe dancer; Charles and Mollie King, clever singers and dancers; Teddy AVing, Artie Mehlinger, one of San Fran- cisco's own favorites; Louise Rates, Laura Hamilton, Henry Norman, Ernest Hare and George Ford. The ballet divertissement of Perfumes gives a chorus of sixty beautiful and shapely girls the opportunity for displaying the new Paul Poiret Lampshade gowns, the most novel piece of costuming shown on the stage in a decade. The scenes, eight in number, include the big set- ting showing a reproduction of the Capitol steps at Washington, upon whose broad area are performed a series of startling dancing numbers and marching evolutions. Alcazar Theatre A return to llie serious drama will be made next week, beginning on Monday night, May 18, when two strong, gri])ping plays from the pen of Willard Mack, co-star with Mar- jorie Rambeau at that theatre, will be produced. This is tlie first time in years that a double bill has been at- tempted at the Alcazar and the out- come of the experiment will be watched with interest. The first of the Willard Mack plays on the pro- gram for next week will be a keen, crisp political play in four acts, en- titled ]\Ien of Steal. This play tells a story of political intrigue and police graft in a bold, fearless way. Actor- Author Mack s])aring the sensibilities of no one of his characters—all of which, incidentally, are drawn froui real life—in the handling of the big tlieme he has undertaken. Tlic ex- tremes to which a machine will go to defeat an honest candidate for a posi- tion of government are clearly brought out in this new play, and it is said for the story, in advance, that it is bound to strike home in the audi- ence that witnesses it, and make some of the members thereof do a little shifting and squirming in their .seats. Mack himself will play the leading role of John Thorne, the district at- torney of a large city in an unnamed State, and Marjoric Rambeau will be seen in the opposite role of Kate Coast Costume Co. American Theatre Bids'., Market and 7th WAKSROBE AND COSTTTMES FUKNISHED FOK AI.Ii OCCASIONS Largest and Rest Musical Comedy Wardrobe in the West Phone Park 5104 Thorne, his wife, whom the political jilotters attempt to blackmail in order to ruin her husband. Immediately following Men of Steal, on the same bill, will be produced ^Mack's thrill- ing little one-act play. Kick In, which was a dramatic sensation at the Or- pheum last summer, when performed tiicre by the two stars now at the .\1- cazar. Gaiety Theatre But a few mure i)erformances of The Girl Behind the Counter at the Gaiety and that merry musical come- dy in which Al Shean, Daj^hne Pollard and the rest of the gay Gaiety folk have been appearing for the last four weeks to delighted audiences will be shelved indefinitely. Monday night, May i8th, is the date of the final per- formance. There will be no perform- ance Tuesday night, nor for the bal- ance of next week, as the company, with the newly acquired stellar play- ers, will be rehearsing for the forth- coming production of The Isle of Bong Bong, a glittering Broadway success of girls, comedy and music. For this i)roduction, the stars already gleaming at the Gaiety will be added to by the presence of Walter Law- rence and Frances Cameron. The latter will be remembered as one of the ^lerry Widows, the star of Madame Sherry and of many other Broadwax- attractions. She will assume tlie prima donna role in the Gaiety's all-star cast. Walter Lawrence not only will direct the production, but will assume one of the most impor- tant roles. William Lorraine, musi- cal director, has also been added to the Gaiety forces. He will wield the baton as he did with Henry W. Sav- age's productions and assist in the establi.shment of a Broadway atmos- phere at the Gaiety. Al Shean, at the head of the present production. The Girl Behind the Counter, will also appear and continue the successes he has achieved in The Candy Shop and the i)resent vehicle. The chorus will be large, the costuming gorgeous, the production new and the piece that has been selected has the advantage of a long and successful run in New York and an exteiified and likewise success- ful tour throughout the Eastern cities. The Orpheum The ()rpheum program for next week will be of sur]jassing excellence and will contain seven new acts. l!lanchc Bates, whose engagement is limited to one week only, will head the new bill. 1 ler appearance in vaude- ville takes precedence among the re- cent theatrical activities because of the fact that Miss Bates is bein.g presented by Charles Frohman and is appearing in a playlet, entitled Half an Hour, by Sir James Barrie. Miss Bates' re- turn to this city is in the nature of a homecoming, for San Francisco was the scene of her amateur days and her first ])rofessional engagement. Lillian Shaw, the most celebrated and successful of America's vocal dialect comediennes, will present an enter- tainment of which she is the origin- ator. Her dialect ballads of the Italian- American have become vaudeville classics. Henriette De Serris and iier com])any of fifteen selected profes- sional models will be seen in living reproductions of famous works of art. Horace Wright and Rose Dietricii will be heard in a happy combination of operatic and popular melodies. The I'errens will furnish a musical novelty. Their violin and piano playing is ex- ceedingly fine. Charles Nevins and Ada Gordon will appear in their laughable skit. The Typewriter and the Type. Powers Brothers will con- vince the audiences that they are two of the strongest men in existence. In addition to their muscular prowess, they have the art of posing reduced to a science. There will be only one hold- over, Odiva, "The Water Queen," and her School of Trained Sea Lions. The Pantages Pantages is oft'ering some ex- tremely fine and entertaining shows these days. Next week the bill will contain such clever people as Mu- sette, the dancing violinist; Racket, Hoover and Marlarkey; Bob Al- bright, the male Melba; Cornelia and Wilbur; Laskey's Six Hoboes, and Lottie Mayer's Diving Nymphs. Surely this is a splendid bill and one that could hardly fail to attract en- thusiastic audiences. Gaby Deslys' Trunks Are At= tached in New \ork NEW YORK, May 13.—Deputy Sheriff Mc.Xvoy has attached trunks of Gaby Deslys, held in bond since she arrived in this country. The at- tachment was obtained by Jeremiah S. Sullivan and Richard S. Teeling on a claim for $1500. The trunks are valued at $3000. Musicians Score No Orchestra Plan, But They Have Them= selves to Blame DES MOINES, la., May 13.— Complaints that a number of the- atrical managers are back of a move- ment to abolish the orchestra from the theatres of the country led to the introduction of a resolution which has as its object the forma- tion of a theatrical syndicate by the musicians at today's session of the .American Federation of Musicians. The resolution provided for the ap- pt)intment of a committee to take up the matter, but was lost after con- siderable debate. The members considered the proposition too im- ])ortant to be taken up just now. Tiie resolution was directed espe- cially against the high-class theatres, according to delegates who took the floor. The vision of empty orches- tra pits during musical comedy per- formances caused a debate which took up the entire time of the after- GOLDSTEINS CO. GOSTUMERS GoldstelnsHaIr and Wis Store Make-up. I'lay Books. Established 187J. Iilncoln Bulldlnr, ic«rk«t and rifth 8ta. H. Lewin H. Oppanheim GORDAN TAILORING CO. 938 Market St., liet. PowsU and Mason TIHB CZiOTKBS MODXKATB PBIOaS No Branch Storee The Butler-Nelke Academy of Dramatic Arts Now located In Golilen Gate Commandery Hall. 2137 Sutter St. Most complete and thoroughly equipped dramatic school on the Pacific Coast. Courses in Dramatic Art, Voice Development, Vocal Expression, Pan- tomime, Literature. French, Dancing, Fen- cing and Make-up. Amateur clubs re- hearsed: entertainments furnished. Send for catalog. Miriam Nelke. director; Fred J. Butler, principal (stage director Alcazar Theatre). noon session, and resulted in the postponement of the nomination of ofificers until tomorow. Delegates are continuing their efforts to have President Joseph N. Weber of New York City reconsider his determina- tion not to be a candidate for re- election. He remains firm, however, and the matter of candidates for the ])residency is much in doubt. San I'^ancisco delegates were active for the next convention. Souvenirs of tlie ranama-I'acific Exposition were tlistributed in the convention hall. New Shows for A. H. Woods Al. H. Woods, who has been in London and on the continent look- ing over the theatrical field for new attractions, is in New York again with what he considers is the best lot of plays and musical comedies he has ever brought over to the United States. Mr. Woods will not divulge the names of all the plays that he has bought for production in New Yt)rk next season, but he has admit- ted that he had acquired the rights to two of the musical successes of London and I'erlin. A few days ago Mr. Woods bought the American rights to Mile. Tra-la-la, which opened at the Lyric Theatre in Lon- don recently. He was so pleased with the piece that he made a bid for it as soon as the curtain went down. It has proved to be a great hit and will be one of the most im- portant productions next sea.son in New York. It develops that Mr. Woods has also bought Sleepy Theo- dore, which has been running in Berlin for a year. This is one of the biggest musical hits on the con- tinent today. It is a piece for a stellar comedian, but Mr. Woods has not indicated whom he has in mind for the i)rincipal role. Milliard Closes in Los Angeles Robert llilliard will close his present tour in The Argyle Case in Los Angeles one week hence. Mr. llilliard will be seen in New York City next season, after a preliminary tour of 12 weeks in The.Vrgyle Case, in a new play which has been writ- ten especially for him.