San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

2 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW November 20, 1909 MOROSCO'S BURLUNK THEATRE Los Angeles, Cal. The BcmI in (Ac Wmtt" The Leading Stock Home. ^^^^yr HOMI Orr cr / **^\ BURBAHK THEATRE BUILDING LOS ANOCLCS, ML. 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? Well, we guess yes Hamburger's MAJESTIC Theatre The Handsomest in the West Cost $300,000.00 Oliver Morosco, Lessee& Mgr For time address John Cort ...GARRICK THEATRE... Starting Sunday, Nov. 21st, Matinee Thanksgiving and Saturday THE SEASON'S EVENT FIRST TIME HERE Direct from a One Year's Engagement at the New York Theatre >*,••»,• "•*«" vt. &>i -fit -3£sw«. >*, At Wf-XZ «SSt &t-iWSV*V&S *i .©; . I TWF 1 ••• X JL XJEi ••• SOUL KISS 31 f Bqoked by HARRY B. SMITH Music by MAURICE LEVI With PERTINA European Dancer HANDSOMEST CHORUS TRAVELING COMPANY OF 75 AUGMENTED ORCHESTRA ROUTE Oakland, Nov. 29, 30. Dec. 1 ; San Jose, Dec. 2 : Sacramento, Dec. 3 ; Portland, Ore., Week Dec. 5. Watsonville Opera House WATSONVILLE, CAL. Seating capacity 700. Modern and up-to-date. Booking two high-class shows twice a month. Gave Sousa $481.00 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 house. ( Hhers thought the' stock company had not 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 eye, 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 appropriately 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 interesting by its proof of the continuance of Mr. Hammerstein's policy of introducing to this public neglected operas and by a brilliant display of his liberality in presenting a novelty. The work brought forward Monday evening was Herodiade, opera in four acts, 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. 11ammerstein was dragged before the curtain to make his usual first-night speech, lie said: "I do not know why 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 1 louse 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 Englishman 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. Next 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 Rushworth. 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 Des Grieux were recalled again and again at the end of the third act. The audience was at all times generous with applause. Others of the cast were Georges Regis, formerly of the Paris ( >pera. who made his debut here in the part of Guillot : Henry Dutillov. who also made his lirst appearance in this country as Lescaut ; Giulis Rossi 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 1909 was a big success. And, oh ! what a hit the big John L. Sullivan horses made in harness ! * * * John Mason and company, presenting Augustus Thomas' fine play. The Witching Hour, began a two weeks' engagement in the Academy of Music on last Monday evening under favorable auspices. ROB ROY. Klaw & Erlanger will send McIntyre and Heath in their new show. In Hayti, to the Pacific Coast this season. They will go West over the northern route, returning by way of Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. The comedians have not been in the Far West with a company in three vears. Hotel St. James Cor. Van Ness Ave. and Fulton St. San Francisco, California Headquarters for Agents and Managers Half Block from Van Ness Theatre. Friars meet at the St. James every Friday night. CHRIS WARD, Manager