San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

April 25, 1908. THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW 5 Byron Beasley is more than clever at Morosco's in LOS AngclCS Los Angelas, April 23. — Always something doing in Angel Town ! This week it's Herr Fischer who's back after a sprinting tour over the State looking up locations for his "Chronophone Theatres." The first of the wonderful machines which "sing, dance and talk" has arrived from the East, and experts arc getting it in shape for the opening of the Los Angeles Chronophone next week. Mr. Fischer has secured an excellent location on Spring Street, near Fourth, and artisans have been working night and day to get the remodelling on the building completed in time for the opening. Comfortable seating arrangements have been made, and artists are at work decorating the interior. A private exhibition is to be given for the benefit of the press and theatrical people Saturday night. ( )llie Morosco and Harry Wyatt have joined hands in managing the Garrick at San Diego. The details of the arrangement are not announced, but from now on the house will be under their joint direction, playing the syndicate attractions. The new musical comedy company at Long Beach hasn't been meeting with the best of support, owing, it is said, to a dissatisfaction among the players with some of the work they are called upon to do, and there are rumors of a change in management. George Barnum, who has been confined to his home by a severe attack of rheumatism for the past month and a half, is able to be up and about again, within limitations, and expects to resume work at the Belasco shortly. Announcement has issued from the Belasco that The Rose of the Rancho, first presented here as Juanita of San Juan, will have a presentation at Blackwood's show-shop within the next month or six weeks. It will be interesting to note the reconstruction accomplished by the author, Richard Watson Tully, in collaboration with David Belasco. John Cort has written Ollie Morosco that the bookings for the New Majestic extend without a break from September 1 to May 15, with possibly two attractions booked still later in that month. Then will come Morosco's musical comedy stock company, and other purveyors of that style of entertainment had best look to their laurels, for when "Ollie" goes at a thing he does it right or not at all. Edgar Temple hasn't found his pathway one of roses as manager of the opera company which bears his name, now playing at the Auditorium, lie imported a prima donna to singalternate leads with Elanor Kent, and she sang just once to prove that it was all a mistake. The young woman was Mile. Marietta Dormoni. a former grand opera star. Her style wasn't adapted to the class of productions planned by Temple, seeing which, the young woman herself saved a very awkward situation by resigning. The Theatrical Managers' benefit for their charity fund is to take place right soon, and the greatest bill ever presented on a Los Angeles stage is promised. Full details later. There will be something from every house in town, and the program will last from 1 in the afternoon until after 6 — encores being tabooed. Among the good things promised is a new sketch written by William Hamilton Cline, business manager of the Temple Opera Company, and a former well-known newspaper man. The skit is called Mayme. Maude Gilbert of the Burbank company, for whom the sketch was written, will have the title role. AUDITORIUM — Pretty, tuneful, picturesque Florodora is being given a decidedly satisfactory production at the hands of the Edgar Temple ( >pera Company this week, and. considering the many difficulties under, which the company worked in making the production, rare credit is due. ( )f course, Elanor Kent is Dolores, the role giving her an excellent Opportunity for displaying her beautiful voice, and her success in the role follows as a matter of course. Edna Maison is singing Angela in a manner quite an improvement over her vocal work in The Filibuster. As was to. be expected, Laura Wallace is the Lady Holyrood, and if she falls a bit short in the singing of the part, she makes it up in her vivacious acting. Harry Cashman as Gilfain, the multi-millionaire; Fritz Fields as Tweedlepunch. and Alfred MacGahan in the tenor role. Donegal, are all excellent. Willard Clawson is a satisfactory Abercoed and Grave Vance is Valleda. Scenically the piece has been well treated, and the chorus shows to decided advantage. It's too bad, though, that one man should mar the good work of all the rest in the famous sextette. However, his awkwardness may have worn off since 1 saw the production, Tuesday night. Next week, an elaborate production of The Geisha is planned. BELASCO— The third, "and positively last week," of The Girl of the Golden West continues to throw Out the S. R. O. sign every night at Belasco's. From the look of things, the great Western play could run on and on indefinitely, but Blackwood insists that they will withdraw it at the end of this week. BURBANK — As I said elsewhere in this letter, when Ollie Morosco starts to do a thing, he does it right. 1 fence it goes without saying that his personally supervised production of A Trip to Chinatown is a howling success. The general type of I loyt farces is so well known that a repetition of the somewhat tenuous plot seems out of place here. There's just enough of it to provide for the introduction of a big bunch of well-done specialties, with a goodly sprinkling of the Hoyt satire in between whiles. And the Burbankers are surely right at home. The stage lost the best kind of a good soubrettc when Blanche Hall turned leading woman. The more frequently she is induced to lapse into " 'er old 'abizs," the more firmly we arc convinced of it. This week her work with Henry Stockbridge in a Merry Widow Waltz parody is immense. So is her other song. Stockbridge is just as funny and resourceful as ever, and A. Byron Beasley. whose name it seems strange to associate with musical comedy, more than makes good ; in fact, he all but "steals the show" in his role of Welland Strong. He sings If I'm Going to Die. I'm Going to Have Some Fun. and he does. So does the house — whole oceans of fun — on which comes floating the Montrose-Morosco hit, My Yankee Sailor Boy, and its sequel by the same resourceful pair. My Sweetheart if the I". S. A. The presence of a beauty chorus for the ensemble numbers helps some. As for the cast, apart from what, in Hoyt's day. used to be called the "specialties," John W. Burton plays an old rounder in amusing fashion and H. J. Ginn is funny as a waiter. Beasley and Miss Hall, however, romp merrily off with the acting honors of the piece. Desmond has practically nothing to do. and Henry Stockbridge. Maude Gilbert, Margo Duffet. Elsie Esmond and a half dozen more help him to do it. GRAND OPERA IIOLSE— That rare, good old melodrama. The White Squadron, a hit from the day of its first presentation a dozen or more years ago. is given an entirely adequate presentation by the Llrichers this week, under the direction of Gilbert Gardner. Florence Barker is a Brazilian girl this week. Harry von Meter, the "commander" of the U. S. S. Chicago, is in love with her, and their love affairs embroil them in all sorts of unpleasant predicaments, though Harry is always equal to the occasion. The play is a hit with the sailor boys from the fleet, who have been filling the town all week. George Clancey's singing of Sailing 'Round the Horn, written and composed by a local newspaper man and his wife, is a feature of the show much appreciated. LOS ANGELES— The Whirlpool, an adaptation from the French of Maurice Donnay, made by Mary Shaw, is being presented by that talented actress at the Cort-Heilig house this week. The play deals with the affairs of a family, the man of which has fallen in love with "another .woman." The affair has not progressed beyond rather formal avowals before it is discovered, and the balance of the play is devoted to straightening out affairs and ending the story with a reunited family. It is a study in the emotions of men and women — the all-absorbing love of a woman contrasted with the craving of sensuality as well as the higher lovejn a man. The subject has been delicately handled, and the plot is interestingly developed. Miss Shaw plays the injured wife, and her creation is delightful. Her Georgette Lemuniers is distinctly an addition to her repertoire. Mace Greenleaf finds the role of the erring husband rather beyond him, hut the part is a difficult one at best, and is hardly suited to Mr. Greenleaf n line. At that, he is far from bad. Gertrude Rutledge, "the other woman," displays a rare understanding of the part and plays it well. Mr. Cohill, Mr. Aylmer, Mr. Pitman and Miss Pettes, of Miss Shaw's own company, have effective small parts, and Brenda Fowler and Carroll Marshall of this city have minor roles also. The play is well staged. MASON OPERA HOUSE— Hall ( aine's well-known novel. The Bondman, with Wilton Lackayc in the stellar role, has been achieving a most artistic triumph at the Mason this week. The story of the play, as of the novel, is so gloomy as to be almost morbid, yet it is a pathetically interesting play, well acted by Mr. Lackayc and his principal assistants, Elsie Ferguson as Greeba and Sidney Ayres as Michael. Mr. Lackayc's Tason is a splendidly conceived and executed characterization. Strong and virile is this Jason, strong in his loves and his hates, but convincing always, and never melodramatic, never the ranter. Miss Ferguson's Greeba, indeed, is a sympathetic and lovely interpretation, appealing and tender and full of feminine charm. It may not be amiss to add that Greeba is as delightful to look at as she is to listen to. For the most part, the supporting company is acceptable, and the scenic equipment is adequate throughout, especially so in the sulphur mine s"ccne. OR PH ELM— Master Gabriel, the original "Buster Brown" of the stage, is carded away up at the top of Manager Clarence Drown's bill this week in a skit called Auntie's Visit. George All is the able ally of Master Gabriel, in the old familiar skin of Tige. Other characters are papa, mamma, auntie, and an impecunious nobleman, muchly in love with "auntie's" money. The "loud, long and hearty laugh," which always works overtime when Buster is about, is muchly in evidence. Ida O'Day. "the dainty musical maid," who is always a favorite in Los Angeles, is another toplincr in the bill. Her songs and banjo are as good as ever, and she's a hot favorite. Daisy Harcburt. an English comedienne, has several good songs, as do Hoey and Lea, comedians. The latter team offer parodies that are surely laughable, whatever might be said of their originality. The holdovers are the Macarte Sisters, Fred Sosman, Rosario and Doreto and Brown and Nevarro. 10MPIRE — Bvron and May, in Matrimonial Sweets in Family Jars, are the leaders in the fun-making at the Empire this week. Charles Morrell does a good "minstrel turn in one." with his good old Stand by, the banjo, to assist him. Morrell tells some old ones and some new ones, but his laugh is infectious and he carries the house with him all the time. Me also plays and sings a couple of good songs and a new parody worth while. John Zimmer, with some excellent juggling, the Hill Sisters, in illustrated songs, and new motion pictures complete the olio, the Empire stock company closing the program with a nonsensical absurdity, The Sultan and the Sailor. Al Franks is the sailor and Eugene Topping the sultan, to reverse Untitle. Both are good. Also the Hill girls sing Montrose's song hit, My Yankee Sailor now fetehingly. FISCHER'S — There Is no questioning the hit made bv the Five Musical Hawaiians at Fischer's this week, for the way they have been encored was so sincere and insistent that it was frequently almost impossible to go on with the rest of the snow. The dusky sons and daughters of our new island territory sang their native songs, played their native instruments and generally made themselves popular. So popular has their work proven that Herr Fischer has secured their services for a second week. Then some light pictures delight the sailor lads, and to conclude the bill the Fischer players present The Queen's Dilemma, a comedy well staged and replete With musical numbers. The prettiest number of the show is Under the Jungle Moon, presented by Bessie Tannehill and the chorus. Miss Jardineres Merrv Merry provided a tilting pictorial accompaniment for the beautifully sung love tale of the tropics. Other songs of moment were I Want to Be a Sailor Boy, by Nellie Montgomery and chorus: All You Get from the Iceman, by George Morrell and ohorifs, and Life Is a Seesaw, sung as a solo, by Evan Baldwin. Til MAT RE ROYAh — Sold to the Sultan is the burlesque offering at the Royal this week. The show opens with a pretty setting for the musical Brat part, during Which Worth, Whistler, Gracie and Reynolds act as minstrel end men and the twenty or so pretty girls in the "company sing popular songs. Then follows ;i brief olio, including Lew Worth in imitations and Helen Pavonia in a character change act. followed by Hie burlesque proper. During the piece Oracle and Reynolds do their knockabout specially. Jennie Delmar sings Bv-Hy. My Sailor Hoy Jack Tar. and Gladys North offers, Give Me Your Love, in a most alluring manner. Florence Leslie has staged the numbers most attractively, and the production has well merited the substantial patronage extended all week. UNIQUE — Fatinitza Is the tabloid opera at the I'nlque this week, several naval numbers bein Interpolated for the enterlainment of fleet visitors. Maude Beatty sings Stars and Stripes and You in tons ing fashion and George Rehn offers The Girls of the U. S. A. Kate Carlson sings Little Eskimo, and is seen also In a dance number. The current farce Is Cummlngs' Colt, an absurdity bv Richard Cummlngs, who is himself cast as a rube farmer. Maxle Mitchell who has just returned from her vacation, is seen in this bill for the lirst time in several weeks. James R Lee is under engagement at the Unique, to return next month as producer of the one-act comedies, succeeding Dick Cummlngs. C. M. EMERY.