San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

February io, 1900 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW made a mark, no after happiness will erase. She went to the stage fresh from a life of books and has won a way that points "to those turrets, where the eye etc.*' " I must have been a very ridueulous person at first," said she. "In fact Mr. Palmer's stage manager has since told me that I was — irrepressible, eager, greedy for work, dauntless and ready to rush into anything. I wanted to do the serious and asked an opportunity of one of the lesser stars. 'My dear child,' he said patronizingly, 1 I must have people of experience. Try Booth, he doesn't care.' Beautiful! And on the spot I decided to act with Booth. When a manager came behind the scenes one night to make me an offer, I told him I was sorry I couldn't accept but I was going to join Booth's company. " " Have you been engaged?" " No, I don't even know him." " But his company is full." "That makes no difference, I am going to join it just the same." And she did, and the how is a very pretty story. She has early rid herself of the advice of the. many, by knowing the power of thought, and with it directing a will that crumbles mountains. She is one of the not too numerous examples of an actress developed through her work, not played upon and rendered souless and degenerate by it. Though having a keen sense of the obligation of the artist to his art, she loves it, not so much for itself as for what it opens to the eye. Not Greek for the sake of Greek, but for what may be read in it. "Yes;" she said, "the price of a whole life is too great to pay for any profession." "My years in London have been so happy and busy and eventful. We have no stock companies there and find time to think and pray and make after dinner speeches and gossip and drink tea with our friends " And she fell to telling of the faddists of London — for they are all faddists there, and of how the truly great can always unbend and be children, mentioning among others, Stepniac, the Russian nihilist, who "looks like a great black bear, and will talk nonsense with the most foolish." "The play of the future? Classic — blank verse; and after the lean dramatic diet of recent years, we shall come to it hungry. See how eagerly Under the Red Robe was accepted— a poor play, but in the heroic vein and honest in intention. Time is telling a new fortune for thedrama and agood one." O, that it would hurry the fortune. See how long we are kept in the kitchen tasting half cooked food when we scarce have time to eat a wellserved dinner in peace. "My future plans ?" That gave her pause. "After all, I believe I shall tell you. In London, I have been silent, for ideas are so quickly made capital of — but this is far enough away. What promises to be a great play is being written for me by Mrs. French Sheldon, a woman of thorough dramatic instinct and brilliant mental attainments— a scholar who has traveled over all the world and comes to the work with the experience of life indispensible to the classic dramatist "The foundation is from a work published forty years ago in Italy and France and called in by both governments because of its radical treatment of characters, the narrow want but one picture of — a treatment likely to be truer than our present knowledge affords. "The manuscript was buried with the Italian author, from whose tomb Mrs. Sheldon has been allowed to take it and copy all that is relevant and of value. "She works at white heat, far into the night, and just before I left London, she read me what she had completed. It was magnificent — the language beautiful. "I shall go back in May, but whether the first presentation is given there or here depends upon circumstances." And so much more was said than can be printed, and words have a hindering way of never picturing atmosphere — but as the shadows fell and the room turned into a dim tapestry, I felt as though one might repeat Davy's experience and find everything becoming thought, a whole ocean of thought, and every object a little thought whirlpool. But I had dropped my glove. It wus ill managed for the light went up and the spell was broken and we talked of complexions and remembered the time. It was very late. I must eat ten minutes less at dinner and run ten minutes faster to the car for two days to catch up. And if she saw fit to make what I finally got, her permanent mood, she might produce unpunctuality in the seasons. C. T. T H fcC The Dramatic Review, $3.00 a Year. Subscibe for it. MARK LEVY Fashionable Tailor.... Moderate Prices and Guaranteed Fit and Workmanship Frawley Company Management of MR. FRANK MURRAY. California. Theatre COMMENCING Sunday Evening, Feb. 11 First Appearance of California's Distinguished Artiste, MISS KK1TH WAKEMAN. In the I.ate Aiigustin Daly's Charming Comedy AN UNCONVENTIONAL HONEYMOON IMPORTANT— Wednesday afternoon, V-'eb. llth, special performance of TRILBY, Miss Mary Van Huren in her famous role. Friday after noon , Feb. 16th, special per lor ma nee of MMR. A A NS GKNK, COniNCl THE FUNNY FARCE. WHO IS WHO ORPHEUA\ THEATER HONOLUIiU, II. I. Til E ORPHKOM CO. (Limited) Lessees. J. C. COHEN, President and Manager Professionals intending to visit Australia. Japan. China or Manila are invited to communicate with us for dates and appearances, addiess The Orphei m Co., Ltd., Honolulu H. I. P. O. Box -UK) Or, L. H. STONE, Langham Hotel, Sole San Fraudsco Agent. Pacific Coast Managers, Send Your Open Time, Quick for Here's Our Paper (We have got it.) 8 kinds of stands 4 ' 3 sheets 18 " Lithos 2 " Snipes 2 " Cloth Banners Cards, Heralds, Novelties Mr. Plaster of Paris The Laughable Cyclone Making Merry Millions of Men. AN ALL-STAR CAST Breaking Records from Maine to Oregon. Seven days behind three advance men and an ocean of the flashiest seven-color Lithograph Paper ever turned out. For Terms and Information, Address, WALTER LINDSAY, DRAMATIC REVIEW OFFICE, SAN FRANCISCO. CAL ThcModcbn I linn Art Illustrators or America. J> AalfToijc EiO'r&vTnrjs American "process Engraving (o 304 BATTERY STREET. San Francisco. ARCHIE LEVY'S Amusement A ssociation The Theatrical Exchange of the Pacific Coast. Booking for Thirty-Eight Houses. Rooms 116-117-118-119-120 No. 6 EDDY STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. take i ;i ,1 ;v a roii tiionk black iroi Sex1 I "A Stltcl? In time saves nine" BAY CITY CLOTHING RENOVATORY 2 2,1 2' CEHRY STREET I 1.00 SUITS CLEANED AND PRESSED 1 00 Monthly Contracts 'Phone Orant IS8 V\ 'IMJAM 1>. \VASS<)\ uriiicihea S Ice to lies, S o n (j s and Plajyn AODRBSSi PKK55 CLUB. SAN FRANCISCO