San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

6 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW June 14.19i3.li'* Correspondence XEW YORK, June 8—The Sun- shine Girl with Julia Sanderson as the -tar and Joe Cawtiiorn as the chief comedian is in its fifth month at the Knickerl)ocker Theatre, New York. The Sunshine Girl is hy long odds ' the most attractive musical comedy that has been produced in New York (. ity this season. Next season Miss Sanderson and.Mr. Cawthorn will be seen in it in several of the larger cities and the following year it will probal)ly make an extensive tour of the entire country. * * * l-or its fif- teentli season, Hammerstein's Roof Garden opened in a veritable. Ijlaze of glory last Monday. New features make the famous outdoor resort one of the most picturesque in the city. Houdini's sensational cscajje from a cell filled with water, in which he is incarcerated head downward with hands and feet manacled, is the thrilling feature of the good bill. Seventeen acts of unusual quality made up the long program and in- clude CJertrude \'anderbilt and (ieorge iMoore, Visions d' Art, with a repro- duction of the much-discus.sed paint- ing, September Morn; Lew Brice and Lillian Gonne and Prince Floro, a trained monkey. * * * The anniversary of the inauguration of high-class vau- deville at B. F. Keith's Union Square Theatre was celebrated last week. The entire programe was excellent and well balanced, leaving nothing to be desired in comedy, drama, music and novelty. Mabelle Adams gave the first presentation of a i)laylet, called An Idyl of the Strings. It is by Charles Carver and tells an interest- ing story with much brilliant comedy. Miss Adams portrayed the character of Mona, an adopted daughter, and rendered several violin solos. An- other "premiere" offering was a come- dy called Her First Case, given by Julia Nash. It concerns the vicissi- tudes of two young girls from up State who came to New York to solve the problem of success on small means. The laughing hit of the program was Conroy and Le Marie, two black-face comedians, who have the place of honor on tlie program. * * * At the American Roof Garden atop of the American Theatre last Monday the bill included The Mission Garden, Helen Page and her company, the Four La Delia Comi(iues and others. * * * Summer is really here, and Broadway realized that fact last week when the summer season of burles(|ue began at the Columbia with tiie first performance here of The Kissing Maid. "Sam" Howe is the principal comedian in this offering, with I<"lor- ence Bennett as a comely leading wo- man. There are many musical fea- tures, and some picturesc|ue posing by Helen Western, who might more ap- propriately be called Miss Eastern be- cause of the Oriental scarcity of her costumes. She posed for A Sep- tember Morning. It seemed more like August. * * * Miss Francine Larri- more appeared as Lucine with Ed- mund Breese in The IMaster Mind at the Harris Theatre last Alonday. Messrs. Werba & Luescher ol)tained a release for Miss Larrimore from Mr. Holbrook Blinn, the director of the Princess Players, with whom she recently made a personal success in the small part of A Young Girl in the one-act sketch called Any Night, at the Princess Theatre. * * * At the Dick Wilbur Go. FOURTH SEASON OF SUCCESS THE BIGGEST REPERTOIRE COMPANY ON THE COAST Tracy, Monday; I..ivermore, Tuesday; Lodl, Wednesday; Modesto, Thur.sday; Turlock, Friday; Oakdalt-. Saliirday; Meived, Sunday. Lyric Theatre the moving pictures showing Captain Scott and his South Polar expedition are unrivaled for their thrilling and ])icture.sque quali- ties. The gallant explorer's dash to the pole and its pathetic culmination, are graphically shown. Incidentally, (he wild life of the .\nartic Circle and innumerable phases of the life there keep the audience at a high pitcli of tension. * * * At Keith's Harlem Opera House the regular stock com- pany presented The Traveling Sales- man, by James Forbes. All the hu- mor of this favorite comedy was ad- mirably ex]3ressed, to the manifest pleasure of the audience. * * * Helen Ware won new laurels by her bril- liant ])crfnrmance of Mary Turner in Within the Law, at the Eltinge Theatre last ^Monday. * * * ^t the .Manhattan Opera lIou.se David l>el- asco's Tile Girl of the Golden West was jirescnted by the resident stock company with all the thrills that marked the original performance. * * * One of the promised events of inter- est next season is a production of Robert W. Chamber's story, lole, in musical play form. H. H. Frazee has acquired the stage rights of the story from Mr. Chambers and the author himself has undertaken to put it in libretto form. In this task he will have the assistance of lien Teal. Mr. Teal also will stage the resultant work. The score will be by William Fred- erick Peters, whose music in The Pur- I)le Road has won him considerable acclaim. * * * Kitty Cheatham is a harbinger of spring. Some years it would be impossible to realize that spring had come if it were not for her official amiouncement of the fact in her annual Easter matinee at the Ly- ceum. Last week she divided her program into three parts, one of which was devoted to a number of highly interesting negro melodies which have never been written down, and, as she explained, could not be. * * * Sweet- hearts, a new operetta in two acts, with Christie MacDonald as the star, was presented for the first time by Messrs. Werba & Luescher at the .\cademy of Music, Baltimore. The offering has a Victor Herbert score, witli book by Harry B. Smith and Fred de Gresac and lyrics by Robert B. Smith. Miss MacDonald is again a comic opera princess, as she has been in a score or more productions. Her song iiits include the waltz number, entitled Sweethearts, and also Cricket on the Hearth, In the Convent They Never Taught Me that. Mother Goose and The Angelus. Two comedy roles have been provided for Tom McNaughton and I.ionel Walsh. The Academy of Music was crowded to the doors and the house record was broken for first performance. Balti- more music critics declare Sweethearts has a most tuneful .score and is Her- bert's light opera masterpiece. The performance was a triumph for Miss MacDonald in a role that all agreed afi'orded her a better opportunity l>oth as actress and prima donna than The Spring Maid. New York will not see the opera until next autumn. GAVIN D. HIGH PORTLAND, June 9.—Heilig The- atre (Calvin Heilig, mgr., W. T. Pangle. res. mgr. ) : liella Donna, a rather gruesome l)lay, but which gave Madame Nazimova full scope for her wonderful talents as a dramatic ac- tress, attracted large audiences during its siiort engagement. Mr. Fagan in preparing the stage version has fol- lowed the novel closely and the theme has been well handled from a dramatic ]K)int of view. Nazimova's supporting company was excellent and special in- terest centered in Charles Bryant, owing to the fact that Madame Nazi- mova has quite recently become Mrs. ISryant. Mr. P.ryant's Dr. Isaacson left nothing to be desired. Others in the cfitnpany are Herbert Percy. Rob- ert Whitworth, Edward Fielding, A. Romaine Callcnder. Claus Hogel, Ar- thur Hurley, .-\my Vcncss and May (iayler. Frances Starr in The Case of IJecky opens tonight for a week's engagement. As this is. her first ap- pearance in Portland, her visit has been eagerly anticipated. She will be followed by Raymond Hitchcock in The Red Widov,'. I'aker Theatre (Geo. L. I'aker. mgr., Milton Seaman, bus. mgr.): The Man From Home, telling the .storj' of a Hoosier law- yer who goes to Europe in belialf of two wealtliy children who have been left in his care and who falls inti) the clutciies of a gang of foreign adven- turers, and incidentally falls in love witii his ward, is a strong drawing card. Henry Hall wiio plays Daniel X'orhies Pike, the Man From Honie. has been .so closely associated with this role that it is needless to dwell on his acting, but his i)rotrayal makes the ])lay interesting and entertaining.. Mary Edgett made the girl from home sim])Iy and strikingly sincere, Frank Darien, a new member of the I'aker Players, as Horace Granger Simp- son, the American boy, plays convin- cingly. Walter Gilbert as the Grand Duke of Russia, with democratic ten- dencies, was excellent. Elizabeth Ross is a fascinating French adventuress. The stage settings are excellent and Manager Baker should be rewarded with large houses during the entire week. Lyric Theatre (Keating & blood, mgrs.'): Commencing today. The School Girl, a musical extrava- ganza, will be .seen. The Rosebuds will be seen in some clever dances and songs, and the ])rincii)als are well ca.st. Billy Onslow and Lew Dunbar will furnish the comedy. Ilene Edwards will be seen in a congenial ingenue role, and \'era .-Mvvyn has several of the later popular songs. Oqiiieum Theatre ( Frank Cofffnberry. mgr.) ; Zelda Sears in the Wardrobe Woman; Percy I>ronson and Winnie P.aldwin; Frank Combs and Ernest Aldwell; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Wilde; .\ll)cr- tus 1st and Jessie Millar, and Johnny Johnston and the b'our Rotters. Em- press Theatre (W. H. Pierong, mgr.) : Fun in a hoarding House; Del Adel- phia, ma.ster magician, with four other tip top acts are giving Empre.ss pa- trons more than their money's worth this week. Pantages Theatre (John Johnson, mgr.) : ICdwin Ford and his (iirls; Jack Simonds; Jordane Trio; Davis, Allen and Davis, and La Ber gere. with an extra added attractio||,i^ tlie (Jreat Heras I'amilv. ' A. W. W TACOMA, Wash., June 9.— business was the rule at the Tacoi Theatre last week. On June 41 Nazimova gave her artistic j)resenti- tion of Bella Donna in a manner^ tiiat left nothing to be desired. Her su])port, which was excejitional, i eluded Charles Bryant. Herb Percy. Edward b'ielding. Robeft Whitworth. and Amy Veness. The staging was effective and realistic. Fine Feathers, teaching a lesson as well as furnishing good entertain- ment, was superbly acted by the a%j star company composed of. RobeftV Ede.son, Wilton Lackaj^e, Max Fi^ man. Rose Coghlan, Lolita Robert- son, Helen Hilton and Amelia Sum- mers. The staging was magnificent in detail. A big Sunday night crowd laughed at Eddie Foy last night. ()nly six of the seven handsome children appeared, one having cut his foot badly at a bathing beach. EleanoE Kent and William Sellery and Milt<J Dawson, well known favorites her^ figured conspicuously in the su])|)ortl Davis and Matthews were unusuallj!' capable dancers. Coming: Ulanc' liates on June 14; Frances Starr, 21. The Princess Theatre St Company opened yesterday in a goi production of Rip \'an Winkle wi' I.oring Kelly featured in the leadi part. The I^avroff Children and S; die Weston were the clever younj sters, and Laura Heimlich t Meenie. Betty Barrows, Robert M& Kim, J. W. Dumont, Neil McKinnoBi and Chester Warner and a large num- ber of especially engaged i)eo])le added to the success of the produc- tion. The big hit at the Empress last week was Julie Rooney's dancing. Many laughs were furnished by the Bowman Brothers in blackface, Archer and Bedford in a comedy .sketch, and Fun in a Boarding Hou.se. Alvin and Kenney on the flying rings and .Mbini. the magicia filled out the bill. The Pantages fe; tured the Heras b'amily of acroba and Edward Ford and his dancing girls. The Jourdane Trio of singers, La I>ergene and her posing dogs, Davis-.'Mlen and Davis, all found fa? vor. Jack Symonds was fair in m^ nologue. fa? i(^ War Movies Censored S1-:,\TTLE, May 26.—A moving ]MCture drama illustrating the Waf of 1920 between Ja])an and the I'nited .States, and introducing Theodorf Roosevelt and Wcwidrow Wilson a| I)artici])tants. wdiicli has been exten ively adverti.sed at one of the ])rincip: theatres, was forbidden to be show after the local board of cen.sors ha( seen the film. It is said to have re resented the Japanese in an unfavor- able light, and tiie city officials tool the view that it woulil stir up rai feeling. jr- The Moore-I'^tbier Co. are booked through northern California.