San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW December 2nd, 1899 DRAMATIC REVIEW ( Sixteen Pages ) San Francisco, Dec. 2, 1899 EASTERN EDITOR .. ROB ROY 1840 Seventh Avenue Drive, NEW YORK CITY; To whom all Eastern News Matter for the Review should be addressed Eastirn Advertising Office, 2731 BROADWAY NEW YORK B. A. KEPPICH, Representative Ten Cents a Copy — $3.00 per Year For Sale at all News Stands DRAMATIC REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY, Publishers 22yi Geary Street Telbphonk Grant 158 Wm. D. WASSON Editor CHAS. H. FARRELL . . Business Manager C. H. LOMBARD Secretary and Treasurer Entered at the postoffice at San Francisco, Cal., as second-class matter October 3, 1899. IT seems that Manager Gran thinks two weeks of grand opera enough for poor benighted, unappreciative Chicago, and says that smaller Milwaukee is willing to pay more money for operatic productions than the windy city. We are sorry for Chicago's lack of grand opera perception, and think we can be pardoned it we toss a few floral tributes at ourselves, when we have recently stood for over fifteen weeks of the same kind of mental enjoyment, in the Tivoli productions, and are sorry it is all over. Anew field of usefulness is evidently opening for the female theatrical celebrity, that of contributing to the big dailies, and there is no doubt that the "stories of their lives" would make interesting matter. Virginia Earle has lately written an article on the social status of actresses for the New York Telegraph, and Alice Neilsen came out in the World the other day with a sketch other stage career. We should advise them all if they desire to quit the legitimate to try vaudeville, as they will find that field far more remunerative than that of journalism. Amy Castles is the latest Australian song-bird who promises to rival Melba. She was discovered in Bendigo, a small Australian town, and is said to possess a most marvelous voice. The people of the antipodes overlooked Melba on her first appearance when she sang with indifferent success at a shilling a head. They are not making the same blunder in regard to Miss Castles, for at a recent concert given by her before her departure for Paris they showered her with flowers and gifts of diamonds and money. The new singer is under the guidance of some Catholic priests who are her guardians. At Paris she will study with Marchesi preparatory for her debut in opera. Have you ever thought, asks a New York paper, of how many strong men and remarkable singers California and Australia have produced ? Well, just do, and then you will surely come to the conclusion that there must be something in the glorious climate idea after all, for the conditions are much the same in both. The air puts something into the blood, expands the lungs, affects the muscles and thews, or has some other remarkable effect which goes to make fighters of the men and song-birds of the women. Any theatrical manager will say that at least thirty per cent, of all the fairly good female singers in his company hail from California, and some few are among the best on the light opera stage. Of the grand opera class we have Sybil Sanderson, for whom so much was predicted before she met Antonio Terry. She is still in the heyday of her powers, and the announcement that she will once more go upon the stage gives hope that she may in the future do still greater things. Then there is Kllen Beach Yaw, she with the freak voice, who has to have music written for her far beyond the range of ordinary mortals. Those who have heard her know her to be a marvel as well as a freak. In this same class comes Ada Colley from Australia. It is the only other country to produce such a voice, and they are almost of identical quality, although Miss Yaw's is of much greater power. It is remarkable that in this line of natural freaks, as well as in fighting, these two far-away lands should produce like quality. In the grand opera line, too, Australia has been a good producer. Were it only for the name of Melba, that far-off land of strange things could never be spoken of lightly in the operatic line. * ¥ We have with us and all at once three plays of native manufacture, Shenandoah, In Old Kentucky and Yon Yonson, two dialect melodramas and one war ditto. Time was, and not so very long ago either, when three home-made pieces produced almost simultaneously in one city would be a surprising event in dramatic annals, but today it scarcely causes comment. * * * All of these pieces have been remarkably successful, and why — because they are essentially melodramatic, in other words unreal in construction. Especially is this true of the two dialect plays. The realistic drama, the problem play, and the society play enjoy their short runs, but the rank and file of theater goers crowd the play houses over and over again when the dear melodrama comes to town. And all the time the bills aud the advance agents continue to exploit the "realistic" scenes in these unreal creations. "See the realistic horse race," the "realistic log jam," the railroad train, and the "real" pickaninny band. There is no doubt about the pickaninnys being ' 'real' ' at one period in their lives, though the majority of them are big enough for plough hands now. To attempt to point out the unrealities in the "realistic" scenes in these plays would be a wearisome task, but that they abound in grotesque variety is as true as that it is decidedly unreal to see a woman turn a somersault through a window, as the railroad boarding house mistress does when in pursuit of the guileless Swede in Yon Yonson, or that Madge in Old Kentucky should not hear the report of the gun fired close to her mountain dwelling, but chases out in wild alarm when the dynamite is exploded. As the head of the Jewish house wrote to his travelling salesman, "Wat we want is orders," in melodrama, what the public wants is features. The language and the construction are secondary considerations. Dramatic situations are great things, but features are what make the melodrama go. The beat of the horses' hoofs behind the scenes in Shenandoah, and the uniforms are "features" of that piece. The sight of the blue stirs the heart, and the hoof-beats make the pulses throb in time. The logjam, the railroad train, and Yonson dropping through the ceiling are "features" in the Swedish drama, the pickaninny band, the race, and the female jockey are "features" of In Old Kentucky, and these things the people are willing to pay their money to see, though most of them know all the time that they are but "glitter to catch the eye." So to the aspiring playwright we would say, if he longs for the plaudits of the public let him construct a piece that is fairly coherent with a touch of heart interest, and if it lacks congruity and cohesion, it will go if loaded with features. Fred Beckman, the genial advance man with In Old Kentucky, is jubilant over the immense business the popular piece has been doing at the New Alhambra. "Of course," said he, "we expected a very successful engagement, but the first week exceeded our most sanguine anticipations, and this week is a recordbreaker. We have done our best business outside of New York right here at the New Alhambra." cAid the Charity Fund "P he big show in aid of the players' charity fund, under the auspices of the Associated Theatrical Managers, promises to be the great theatrical event of the season. It takes place Thursday afternoon, Dec. 14, at the Orpheum, and a monster program has been arranged for the occasion. In fact it will be the greatest bill ever offered in this city Here is the list of attractions that will be presented, and no doubt the San Francisco public will take pleasure in assisting in this worthy cause: Frederick Warde and Company from the Columbia, the Frawley Company from the California, an act of His Majesty from the Grand Opera House, a lively comedy from the Alcazar, Camille D'Arville, George Fuller Golden, and the cream of vaudeville from the Orpheum, an operatic surprise from the Tivoli, original Georgia Minstrels from the Alhambra, Major Mite and big things from the Chutes, Cad Wilson and vaudeville lights from the Olympia. Curtain rises at 1 o'clock sharp; carriages at 5:30. Box-seats, $1.50; all seats down stairs, $1; balcony, 50c and 25c. vSale of seats will begin at the Orpheum box-office Monday morning, Dec. 11, at 9 o'clock. Death of Chas. Coghlan r^HAS. Coghlan, the actor, who . has been ill since October 30th, died November 27th, at Galveston, Texas, of acute gastritis. Coghlan 's Royal Box Company played all through Texas with the understudy as star, who impersonated the famous actor, apparently to the satisfaction of the public. Coghlan was 56 years of age. He was of English and Irish parentage, being born in France. He early manifested a fondness for the stage and became an actor when a boy. He was educated for the bar, but never practiced his early profession. He was the author of several successful plays, among them being Jocelyn and The Royal Box. At the time of his death he had nearly finished his dramatization of Vanity Fair for his daughter. The remains will be taken to Prince Edward Island, his summer home. The manager of the company has been instructed by wire to cancel all further engagements. The advance sale of seats for Frederick Warde's engagement begins Thursday morning at the box office of the Columbia Theater. Hall Caine's great play, The Christian, is nearing the Coast, and local theater goers will soon have their first opportunity to see the production that has created so profound a stir everywhere.