San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

2 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW November 20, 1909 MOROSCO'S KOMI Orrice BURBm THEATRE BUILDING LOS XNOCLCS, CAL. BUI ANK THEATRE is Angeles, Cal. "Th. ?„r ln thm The :idinc Stock House. Oliver Morosco's Plays Ready for Stock The Judge and the Jury The Halfbreed The Empress and the Soldier In South Car'liney Is the New Majestic a winner 7 Well, we guess yes Hambu r'sMAJESTlGiheatre The ti dsomest in the West • st $300,000.00 Olivet orosco. Lessee & Mgr For ti address Job* Co»t ...GARRICK THEATRE... Starting Sunday, Nov. 21st, Matinee Thanksgiving ind Saturday THE SEASON'S EVENT FIRST IME HERE Direct from a One Year's Engagement at the New rork Theatre •••THE*** SOUL KISS it Bqoked by HARRY B. SMITH Music by MAU ICE LEVI With PERTINA European Dancer HANDSOMEST CHORUS TRAVELINC COMPANY OF 75 AUGMENTED ORCIESTRA ROUTE Oakland, Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 1 ; San Jose, Dec. 2 ; acrament< Dec. 3 ; Portland, Ore., Week Dec. 5. Watsonville Opera He use WATSONVILLE, CAL. Seating capacity 700. Modern and up-to-date. Booking two hit-class sh twice a month. Gave Sonsa $4S1.00 on a matinee Nov. 1. Correspondence NEW YORK. Nov. 14— The much heralded New Theatre has been opened. The prices are from $2 down to 50c, or those prevailing in all first class theatres in this city. The idea is backed by ample capital to make artistic successes of productions regardless of expense. The first production was on Monday night, the bill being Antony and Cleopatra, with E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe in the name parts. On Thursday Chas. Knoblauch's comedy, A College in Air, was produced. A dress rehearsal had been held on the previous Saturday night. Some of the critics seemed "to find fault with the acoustics of the hous'i. Others thought the' stock company had nol been long enough in training. Each local paper gave columns to descriptions and pictures of the beautiful building. Of the opening performance the Times said in part : "Whatever the ultimate effect of The New Theatre's production of Antony and Cleopatra, there can be no two opinions about the difficulty of the task in this its initial enterprise, the generous spirit in which it was approached, and the earnestness with which the effort has been made. The theatre itself is a delight to the eve, even if. as appeared on the opening night, something yet remains to be accomplished to bring complete satisfaction to the ear; it is rich in detailed comfort, and in every sense equals, if it does not surpass, the promise that the founders made. It provides, in other words, a playhouse which if not superior in beauty and appointments to the great state endowed theatres abroad, is yet the peer of any of them in solidity of construction, beauty of design and splendor of decoration ; it is an institution of which the city may be distinctly proud, and deserves liberal patronage and encouragement at the outset. There was less complaint of the acoustics last night than at the general rehearsal, but some changes will probably be necessary before the theatre is completely satisfying in this respect. And the question of whether the house is not too large for modern drama and more intimate comedy may not well be decided until experiments have been made. The task has been a large one, and, in all fairness, patience should prevail until the initial problems have been overcome. This, too, in spite of the fact that the net result of its first production is disappointment. Spectacularly and histrionically much more might have been accomplished. The effort to avoid excessive elaboration has occasionally resulted in an underemphasis of what might have been more pictorially effective." * * The regular season opera at the Manhattan Opera House opened last Monday night amid demonstrations of general pleasure. Mr. Hammerstein's auditorium was occupied by a large and appropriate; ly clad assemblage which applauded warmly the production of the evening and encouraged heartily the efforts of the singers to interpret grave thoughts. The beginning of the new Mason was made especially interest ing by its proof of the continuance of Mr. Hammerstein's policy of introducing to this public neglected operas and by a brilliant display of hi> liberality in presenting a novelty. The work brought forward Monday evening was Herodiade, opera in four act^. book by Milliet and Gremont, music by Jules Massenet. The production was splendid in its apparel and of high achievement in its musical and histrionic features. It dazzled the eye and beguiled the ear. More than this, it seems, is not required of the popular type of opera today. After the third act Mr. Hammcrstein was dragged before the curtain to make his usual first-night speech. Me said: "1 do not knowwhy I should be made to speak. I will do the best I can this season for the love of the cause, the love of music and the love of you people for me, I thank you." Under the usual inspiration of Will Guard, the general press representative for Mr. Hammerstein. every newspaper in Xew York and other Eastern cities gave up a great deal of space to the opening night, even to giving long lists of the notable society men and women who were present. * * * Another of those dainty little English musical comedies got through the Custom House without being torn apart, some time since summer, and served to introduce Frank Daniels and his two trained eyebrows at Daly's Theatre last week. This one is called The Belle of Brittany, and although it bears the same unmistakable made in England label on every scene and musical number and departs in no wise from the established order of English musical comedy in. general, it proved to be a thoroughly pleasant evening's entertainment, just as some of its predecessors, such as The Three Little Maids did. Without any definite information on the subject it seems more than a good guess that the part of the star and the aforementioned trained eyebrows have been added to and built up by local talent. One can hardly imagine an English man playing the part that Mr. Daniels did. But in this case the addition only increases the hilarity of the piece, so probably it is better than it was when it was seen across the water. Xext to Mr. Daniels. Miss Elsa Ryan took away most of the honors. Her song about the dairymaid was easily the most popular number, unless it may be the dance which she and Martin Brown did together near the end of the last act. Miss Winnie O'Connor had the principal feminine role. Frank Rush w orth, George M. Graham. Daisy Dumont and Frances Kennedy had the other important parts. A chorus of girls who could sing well and dance gracefully added the "classy" touch which the producers seem to accomplish better across the water than they do here. * * * The Metropolitan ( )pera Company opened its season last Monday night with a performance of Manon at the Academy of Music in Brooklyn. Miss Geraldine Farrar as Manon and Carl Jorn as i )e< Grieux w ere recalled again and again at the end of the third act. The audience was at all times generous w ith applause. Others of the cast were Georges Regis, formerly of the Paris Opera, who made his defeat here in the part of Guillot : Henry Dutilloy. who also made his first appearance in this country as Lescaut : Giulis Ros>i as theCompte des Grieux and Lenora Sparkes as Poussette. Vittorio Podesti conducted. It was his first appearance here. * * * The annual Horse Show has been going on all the week in Madison Square Garden, and served to draw visitors to the city. The Garden at night seemed a veritable garden arranged for a fete. Then the boxes and seats were filled with women in brilliant costumes and their escorts in somber black. The ring promenade was thronged with folks gazing alternately at the fashionables and the horses : the railbirds hung four deep along the ring, intent only on the showing and judging of the horses; the band played Madame Butterfly, and the National Horse Show of [909 was a big sucks. And, oh! what a hit the big Ji n L Sullivan horses made in ban >s ! * * * John Mason and comany, presenting Augustus Thon s' fine play. The Witching Hour began a two weeks' engagement ii the Academy of Music on last M iday evening under favorable ausp es. OB ROY* Klaw & Erlanger ill send McIntyre and Heath in tl ir new show, In Hayti, to the Pac c Coast this season. They will j West over the northern route, .'turning by way of Los Angeles . d Salt Lake City. The comedians ave not been in the Far West with company in three vears. fliaiBfliii r: ": v. " •* -a » ? Hotel St. Jimes Cor. Van Ness Ave. and 'ulton St. San Francisco, Calif' ttla Headquarters for Agents an Managers Half Block from Van Neat Theatre. Friars meet at the St. J. >ea every Friday night. CHRIS WARD, Manager