The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 3, 1904, Page 19

THE { FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY JANUARY 3, 19042 WTTHENHE, FLEYTER BLANCHE- JIPLANED PiNAFoRE ™~ SixXT St v ¢ % way of being y wonderings, I - ) 1 met ar v £ - end v f fr covere ble Mrs. Whiffen submitted w B L4 to being 1 . fell most ghrew er k ace, and we beg we: Not our weath s. Whif had brought v stakable cold, with 1 " g other weather the s hastene her that every - i and we got . what have I ¢ 1 1 just why we P g all this charming gentle- . old Mrs. Whiffen.” Her 1 der its dainty, motherly bon- T t y a few g thread among its plentiful browy r face is E g v ned, her trim littie fig o i s if Mrs en’s. Yet the T e fits I3 bly t is because the I’ 5 s SC nd : inning 1 Juliet” gain it r ible Y t her 3 f Ag ma because, slas! s s re young, ¥ eve f though there's a r r r or so between F t. And far vine Sarah “dear ° Yet, as she sat ther ack gown, quietly e t mig d out of any one of has graced with her to bow bgcomingly to dear old Mrs. Whit- d ladies “'m a tionate from my cogi ng, with a small, pa- ff: “You know it is very dif- get rid of a cold while travel- at the hotels fre- ad of night, generally 1, after riding in iay. You are afraid ng getting over the ons ] r c’est tout par- dor T juot I've often thought at if the footlights knew wouldn’t be any sh them to; wou ¥ ed with,” Your pri- « ern. Ore of pers bad soup. Ye judged by by the s un they are the same stern righteous- the whole of this quiet of art no quarter la ght,” I bowed my best. “You ent to the need of green-eved girl,” in “There is not uch tch of Fitch of “The Whiffen stimates and shudder of protest like to h pl in ‘The Climbe v com- with t I d the Horrid ve * I dub Fitch's t it. It is the character's 1 t makes it =0 appalling.” That awful funeral scene, too. I wanted to leave - the theater after it. And I €hould have done so, only that I was 2 gues the occasion—it was a pro- fesst tinee. Doubtless it w: d recently had sorrow mily that I was so af- there must have been s 80 circumstanced in the But I was glad to have 1 the rest of the play.” * "&ind so you don’t like all old ladies to play,” I remarked. * " %Y don't;. and” — Mrs. Whiffen petked her _sober little. head and emiled~—she reminds quaintly of Jenny Wren, anyway! saying “tE managers rather seem to forget that we old ladies have our ambitions. One gets tired of beca . “playing just the sweet old Games all . the time.” “What pdrts do you like?” “Oh, I've had so many,” she laughed. “I had one in ‘“The Benefit of the Doubt’ that I Hi®d quite well. The lady 8 -sweet, too—but not all the I had a part in ‘Miss Hobbes’ I also enjoved, and the maiden er in ‘Lady Huntworth’s Experi- p very grateful. Then I en- much my part in ‘Cousin should have been playing but I had to leave for my nt in ‘Major Andre.’ Oh yes, you we old ladies are just as ous as the younger ones.” “And what of that other famous old ilbert?"” younger yet by a ripe, ge than Mrs. Gilbert, ttily reverential as she she wonderful? Eighty- year. You know she is to her farewell tour this season. 1l su v come here, I imagine.” said; four' t ake I h pe so,” I said, with a sudden vision of the fragile and queenly old lady, whom I first met on her last visit here, adventuring all ‘alone one . T8 NuIST 4T -z = Fans Vil 7 s N 9 1 e e s | | | | o | | living here. But you should hear him ’ | say, after he has been ‘to London, | | ‘There’s nothing in the world iike old | | New York, mother!" " | ! “You came to America when?" |- _ “Long before you were born, my _;‘_7 |, dear,” she sald prettily. “I came here NG otarsrs o < —¥ with the original production of ‘Pina- MRS. WHIFFEN TALKS OF ! fore’, in '69, as Little Buttercup.” HER EXPERIENCE PLAY- | 1 didn’t know you sang?” ING “OLD WOMAN" PARTS. “That was before I was Mrs. Thomas Whiffen on the bills, though my hus- * T - 4 band and I were marricd a month irch of a good cup of tea— Pefore we left TLondon,” ‘fh»- ex- I had the honor of piloting ::2“;1",;“, T was Blapche Chiion 30 r- “How is it?” I asked then, “that “Isn’t it rather unusual to change we hear so little of the other old your stage name?” ladies of the stage. Practically only “Yes, and it came about curiously. of you, Mrs. Gilbert and Mrs.Walcot?” Dr. Mallory, who was interested in he e it up, with a gentle “I'm the Madison Square Theater, = I don’t know. Perhaps it is a mat- r of per 1lity; perhaps it is be- cause youth is more interesting. Really, I can't say.” what a really remarkable pro- s for women—"" her like it the act- heartily cribed. “In what could a woman 84 years old not only her livelihood but fame, Mrs. t is doing to-day? But it seems pretty precarious at times. You see everything depends on your health, and th are all kinds of ups and downs,” Yet there are such rich compensations, and I should advise any girl with real talent and the physical qualifications to adopt the stage as a profession.” “The dramatic schools seem to be promisingly crowded,” I remarked. “One rather wonders if their enor- mous output has anything to do with the present depression in the Eastern theatrical circle: “Oh, I think not,” said, thoughtfully. “There is always talk of the army of unemployed actors. Yet it is true that there has been nothing like the hardship among actors for twenty-five years that there has been this year. Play after play pas failed and nobody seems to under- stand the reason. There has been no great financial depression—"" I interrupted: “Joe Hart ascribes it to the quality of the productions of the season, and Mr. Hart seems to me a very sapient sort of person.” “I think he is,” Mrs. Whiffen nodded wisely, “but I hardly think it was the plays, ‘Major Andre,’ for example, I'm sure, though not a great play, would have gone in any ordinary year. But there’s such evidence as the fate of the magnificent production of ‘A Mid- summer Night's Dream,” with Nat Goodwin.” They say that that played one night to $7 in the house in New York.” . “And you do not think that the dramatic schools have contributed to the overcrowding of the profession.” “Yes, of course. But it is simply a change of source. Where acters were formerly schooled in the theater they now study in the dramatic sghools. I doubt if there are any more actors— in comparison with the in- »d population, than there used in my early days.” “Do you find things much changed ?” “Oh, well, yes, I do find things dif- she confessed, Wwithout re- turally. I began my work here is np sut Gilbe Mrs. Whiffen gret. forty years ago this coming year—I can hardly believe it myself.” “That was in—" n England.” “Then you are English?” I ex- claimed. Yet one should have known. In spite of her thirty-five years in America, Mrs. Whiffen has a softness of voice, a delicate primness of speech, a gquaint ceremoniousness of manner that could have been made only in England. “I was born in Islington, within sound of Bow Bells,” she replied, “so I suppose 1 am English. But I hardly know. At the very kernel of my heart I suppose there is England, but I am tremendously American, too. And I have a son who is the most American thing you ever saw! And he should be. He was born here, and makes his husband opened with ‘Hazel believed that a wife should always bear her husband’s name—he was a clergyman, you know. I didn't care very much either way — though, of course, losing my name was losing a kind of trademark—so I have been Mrs. Thomas Whiffen ever since. Then was when I began to play old women parts, by the way.” “I've often wondered how it is first intimated to an actress that she should put on gray hair,” I ventured. ' “I'll tell you how came to me,” Mrs. Whiffen promised, smilingly. “There did not seem to be anything else open for me at the Madison Square Theater when we went there. My husband, of course, wished me to be in the company and the manage- ment asked what line of work I wanted. Then my husband came to me and said: ‘My dear, I'm going to say a funny thing to you. If I were you I would go in as the old woman. I know you're not old enough, but—' then he said nice things about the old women I had played and how he wanted me in the company. Well, I wasn’'t a pretty woman, never was—"" Mrs. Whiffen's dimples deepened as 1 looked a protest. “Look at my nose! “What a funny little nose Mrs. Whif- fen’s got,’ a lady once said, and it was quite true.” And I suppose the gentle, refined face is not pretty, by traditional rule and line. It is so much better. “So I thought it over,” she con- tinued, quiet amusement in her heavy- lidded, clear gray eyes, *“ and became an old woman. I played Mercy Kirke in that first production 486 times in New York, the longest run of my ex- perience, and have been playing old women ever since. At any rate, I started off at a run!”—the dear lady’s tiny joke; “may I end at a walk!” ““We got quite away from your early stage days,” 1 suggested then, “‘the difference between then and now.” *Mrs. Whiffen thought a moment and then said: “Here is where the big difference comes in, I think. Now, if you make a small success in a part, vou are immediately designed for a star, and the first thing you know there is a piece written ’round you. In those days we were suposed to make a success. If we didn’t, we next went 'way back—" no, she won't, I wagered, breathlessly, as the slang seemed imminent. And she didn't. The sentence ended, “went "way back to the bottom of the class. We did whatever we could get to do, thank- fully, and for well-doing the reward was certain. When the manager found you could please the audience — the audience was our great school then— with your, ‘The carriage waits, my lord,’ you were trusted a littie further. And =0 on, and on. Nowadays a pupil will come from a dramatic school, schooled thoroughly in one or'two parts, and, when expected to play others, having no further experience to fall back upon, fails. And wonders why.” “There is where your unemployed army is recruited ?” I suggested. “Surely. And where the superior value of the old stock company as a school is so amply demonstrated.” *“You spoke of the old audience as a school 2 moment ago?” “With every reason,” Mrs. Whiffen said. “In the standard plays, Shake- speare, and so on, they could have corrected your smallest mistake—and did frequently,” she laughingly added, “The pit was a power then. They paid only their shillings and sixpences, but they knew the plays just as well as You, and they would be quite happy in telling you so. It was an audience of critics and, it you passed muster with it, things were certainly well with you."” “You would hardly say that to- day?” “Well,” Mrs. Whiffen sald, with a sober, little head-shake, “not quite. I think audlences are too much given to confusing the trappings of the play with the play. I hear things like this all the time in New York: One asks ‘How did you like the play? the an- swér, ‘Not at all; there wasn’t a decent gown in it!" or, ‘Splendidly; I never saw such dresses In my life!” Well,” and the actress daintily threw up her dainty hands, “I don't like it at all.” “Possibly it is the playwright's It that we prefer millinery to meat —that’s what they give us largely ?"” “Yes, the plays Bullt nowadays are not of the kind that live—in the ma- Jority of cases,” the actress decided. “And think of the actors. Wé used to play everything in turn. Now, in the traveling companies, with one of these light plays as material yvou may have perhaps five linps to say, for per- haps a three years’ engagement. How can one improve under such regime? You are worse at the end of the tour than you were at the beginning, be- cause it is humanly impossible to pre- serve your own interest in a part for such a length of time. Imagine if you had to criticize the same play every night for three years!™ “Of course, there is a mechanieal perfection to Dbe obtained in this way—" “And more money to be made,” Mrs. Whiten quietly supplemented. I think the stage was hardly so much of a money-making business in the old days. They thought less then of the reward. It is difficult to serve two masters.” “You approve of the perfecting of the trappings?” 1 reverted then. “Certainly,” Mrs. Whiffen replied, “but not at the expense of the play. The mountings now not seldom get between the audience and the actor. Just by so much they are a mistake. Surely, though, it is well to have the ghost rise without squeaks—I have seen some funny things of that kind in my day. It is very pleasant, too, to see the higher social regard in which the profession is held.” 3 “Mr. Whiffen was an actor? I have heard much about him,” I ventured then. “Mr. Whiffen was a good actor—and a good man,” his wife said, gravely proud. “I—I can look back on twenty- nine years of happy married life. If I did not have to iook back—but I should be glad to have the memory—,, a soft, small sigh ended the sentence. “Your son also is an aector?” I hastened to say. “And doing quite nicely now,” his mother beamed. “Now, I*wonder why Henry Miller can't come out and give us a good, old-fashioned stock company, like that he brought out that wonderful season two years ago. Then we could keep you here, Mrs. Whiffen.” “Ah, yés. Mr. Miller is a wonderful man. There you have an artist,” Mrs. ‘Whiffen said heartily. “There is not a mercenary idea in his whole makeup. Rather than go without the things he thought necessary to a pro- duction he would pay out of his own pocket for them. He often did. I al- ways tell the people coming out here that they must bring their best, as Henry Miller has used you to the best.” ‘“He seemed half inclined to'the stock company idea when he was last here,” I contributed. “The difficulty is always with the plays. The people won't have the old 2 pleces. They must have the new ones. And you cannot get them. The old comedies might go occasionally, and Shakespeare, but you cannot count on these for more than a week, and the work of producing them for that time is too hard. As Mr. Miller does it, that is.” “I have seen Mr. hearsal,” I testified. She laughed and said then: “Why, even during that season here we worked almast every Sunday, until 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning some- times.” “But he got there,” I laughed, and she forgave me the slang for the ap- preciation. “Your stock experience has been a wide one, hasn't it?"” "1 was thirteen years with the Ly- ceum Company, six years with the Madison Square Theater Company,” she informed me, “Always the oid lady?"” “Always the old lady. Really, she is easier than ‘straight’ work: she is generally of the ‘character’ genre,” the actress testified. “And there is a quick, pupular appreciation of your work usually.” “Your Lyceum repertoire was a very extensive one?” “Yes, we did all the Pinero plays, ‘Lady Bountiful,’ ‘The Amazons,’ all of them they came out. ‘The Charity Ball,” ‘The Wife,” ‘Prircess Butterfly,’ ‘Tree of Knowledg: ver of French plays—-I forget, there were so many. Mrs. Gilbert was with Daly then, playving all of his old woman roles.” “Glorious days,” I said. “Perhaps they will come again,” said the dear old lady, as I released her, “but not in my time.” oo s FPRE, MANY NEW PLAYS FOR THE THEATERS AT THE OPENING OF NEW YEAR On January 11 Fischer's Theater will be again to the fore with a local production, by the promising name of “The Beauty Shop.” The burlesque is by a . prominent newspaper man, James C. Crawford, the music by a local musician, whose name is yet with- held by the management. The story is founded unon the recent_battle of the beauty doctors in the local courts, and promises excellent entertainment. Meantime “I. O. U.” is running pros- perously, having proved one of the most profitable adventures of the house. Miiler at re- - . . “The Girl With the Green Eyes” is amusing the easily interested at the Columbia, with its jealous heroine, well played by Miss Conquest, its hero ditto by Robert Drouet, and its piquant sideshows in the Vatican, with the life-size Apollo Belveders and Cook’s tourist victims as other at- tractions, The supporting company is good. . . . “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” is in active rehearsal at the Tivoli. There will be opportunity on its production to judge the ususually good company gathered together there for this year’s light opera. “Ixion” is going well, as well as possible, though it isn't the best of possible Christmas shows. The new theater is. however, winning praise on all hands. . The Alcazar offers this week Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett's “A Lady of Quality,” that for the first time will be given in stock. The romance, with its picturesque costuming of a hundred years ago and pretty story, offers a “pleasant oppertunity to the clever com- pany at the Alcrzar. . s They are going to shout “The world is mine!” again this week at the Central, when the favorite old melodrama ‘“Monte Cristo” is given. The house will doubtiess overflow in its usual happy fashion. . - . If “The Head Waiters” is any kind of medium, the Grand Opéra-house wWAS PRETT <A Good hearing it is that the Patti concerts are now arranged to take place at the Grand Opera-house in- stead of the Pavilion, in the connec- tion an absurd cheice. Madame Patti will give two concerts, and you may +pay as the gods and taste dictate any- thing from $2 to $6 for a seat thereat. That it will be paid goes without say- ing, if only for the privilege of acquir- ing the distinction of “having heard Patti.” ' Musically, it is hardly likely that the privilege wili be worth the price, save for the value of observing the finest voice of the last century in 1ts ripe old age. All the critics so far concur in ascribing a still extraordin- ary beauty to the voice, phenomenal, indeed, considering the sixty years of -its possessor. Patti's repertoire, on the other hand, has been variously assailed. Her.two songs, in the fol- lowing programme, that will be given on Thursday evening next at her first concert are, however, unexceptionable. It is to be strongly desired that the diva’s encores, with which she is said to be not ungenerous, wiil be in equal- Iy satisfying key. The singer has a large corps of assistants, six in all. As director she has Signor Romualdo Sapio, who has formerly managed Patti tours. Miss Vera Margolies, a London pianist, will preside at the piano; Miss Roza Za- mels is a fa rorite pupil of Ysaye and a violinist of distinction according to re- port; Anton Hegner, the 'cellist, is the most famous member of the support- ing company. There are two vocalists also—Wilfred V a tenor, and Claude A. Cu , a barytone— both well-known Following is the taining nothing, it will be observed, of unusual interest, only the Widor trio being new. Seats are on sale to-mor- row morning: PART I cello and piano C. M. Widor and Serenade for viols ...... F fa Mies Hegner Vera Alr—""Lend Me Your 2 “Queen of Sheb Wiitred Vrigo. Violin solo—Alrs Russes M 2 Wienia i No. 12..Lisat s Alr—"Voi che sapete’ Nozze di Figaro™) .. B Mozart Mime. Adelina Pattl PART II *Cello _solos— (a) Lento du Concerto Lalo (b) Gavotte Hegner (c) Dance of the Fairies Popper A 1-gner. Prologue, _“‘T'Pag’ Leoncavailo Claude Viclin _solo—Pre Meister- singer’ Savie -Wilhelm) fiss Roza_Za: Air des Bijoux (“Faust”).. Gouned Mme. Ad a Pattl Duet for tenor and barytone (Alessandro Stradell) Flotow Mesers. Vrigo and Cunningham. . B . After Patti, t> most important musical event will be the gppearance of Mme. Lillian Blauvelt, who has been winning high honors on her re- cent tour in England. Mme. Blauvelt has a lyric soprano voeice, whose purity and flexibility have aroused the most favorable comment. The voice is said to be used with consummate skill. The singer appeared in New York with the Oratorio Society iu “The Messiah” this week and on the 15th of this month will make her fifth con- secutive annual ar_-arance with the Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra in Pittsburg. She will appear here some time during the comipg month, under the management to which local con- cert-goers owe so many good things— Will Greenbaum. . . . Miss Corneiia May Little, well known locally as a contralto singer, has’been recenfly appearing with con- siderable success in Sydney, Australia. Miss Little gave a song recital at Cen- tenary Hall urder distinguished pat- ronage and was heartily greeted by a large audienfe. Miss Litgle is the daughter of Archie Little, chief engi- neer of the steamer Sonoma, and well known in shipping circles. g ol Harrison Grey Fiske has secured the American rights to Maurice Maeterlinck’s widely discussed drama, “Monna Vanna,” from its author. Mr. Fiske entered into negotiations with Mr. Maeterlinck several months ago, and an understanding between the parties was reached in October. Under the contract, which bears date of No- vember 1, 1903, Mr. Maeterlinck grants to Mr. Fiske in perpetuity “the sole and exclusive right and authori- zation to produce ‘Monpa Vannag or to have that play produced in all Yn guages, except the French language. on the stage within the United States of America and the Dominion of Canada.” Mr. Maeterlinck had received many offers for the American rights of Monna Vanna” from others in this country, but he was desirous that the e +* should have an attractive bill this week. Joe Kelly, whose cocaine flend at the Orpheum some time ago was the best of weird portraiture, is lead- ing man. . - . The comic picture play will have yet another exposition this week, “Happy Hooligan"” being to-night's bill ‘at the California. - - - It was good-by to the “Road Show” at the Orpheum yesterday. This after- noon-the bill is new from one end to the other. le . . The Chutes . has “high-class spe- cialties every afternoon and evening in the thoroughly heated theater. role should be played by Mrs. Fiske, feeling that in her hands the play would be presented according to his Ideas, and that it would be properly produced. A short time ago a production of the play in German was announced by, Heinrich Conried at the Irwng Place Theater, in New York, and Miss Alice Kauser, agent for Mr. Maeterlinck in this country, communicated with him respecting the matter to inquire whether there was any sanction, war- rant or authority for his production. The following cablegram was received by her in answer: “Paris, Dec. 16, 1903. — Harrison Grey Fiske has the sole and exclusive rights for representations of ‘‘Monpa Vanna' in the United States. “MAURICE MAETERLINCK.” In explaining his production of the play in German, Mr. Conried stated that fe had secured it from the trans- lator who turned the play from French into German ‘T do not know whether he had the rights to sell,” Mv. Conried said to a reporter of the New York Sun, “but I am confident that my action is warranted.” Notwithstanding Mr. Conried’s statement, the German production is made without the sane- tion or authority of Mr. Maeterlinck, who is the author and sole owner of “Monna Vanna.” Through no fault of - Mr. Maeterlinck, the American copy- right of “Monna Vanna" is invalid. Mr. Fiske, knowing this fact, instead of seizing the play, desired not only to have the authorization to produce “Monna Vanna” from its author on principle, but to secure Mr. Maeter- linck’s full sanction to the further end that the drama might be represented in this country by Mrs. Fiske in full accordance with the author's ideas. Thus Mr. Fiske entered into negotia- tions and completed contracts for “Monna Vanna,” the sole moral rights to which he holds from Mr. Maeterlinek, to whom he has agreed to pay liberal royalties. It is believed in this case, as it happened in the cases of “Cyrano de Bergerac’” and other noted plays, the copyright of which was lacking or de- fective, that the public will protect the rights of the author as they are repre- sented by the manager who has re- spected those rights, pays for them and purpeses to interpret the author's work faithfully. The Engiish translation of “Monna Vanna” is now being made for Mr. Fiske, and it will be a faithful render- ing of the work. Orders for the éos tume designs have been placed abroad, while the scenes for the production by Mr. Fiske will be painted in conform- ity with sketches approved by Mr. Maeterlinck. e GOSSIP ABOUT PLAYS AND THE PLAYERS WITH US OR ABROAD Oza Waldron, the clever little in- genue of the Alcazar Company of last year, joined the Baker Theater Stock Company in Oregon last week. The m: er, George L. Baker, is very confident of the abilities of his company, purposing, after its presont season, to send the company on a tour to Los Angeles and this city. . a . United States Circuit Court's that Frank Moulan cannot r any other manager than Henry v for next year and a half has caused consternation among those actors and actresses who have no respect for their contracts. Moulan undertook to “jump” Mr. Savage in the middle of his engagement and was permanently enjoined. . . . Henry W. Savage's English Grand Opera Company received a stirring welcome last Monday evening at the West End Theater, New York, where a five weeks' season began with the first English performance of Verdi's masterpiece, “Otello.” in New York. During the season two operas will be given every week, each with a com- plete equipment of scenery and cos- tumes. There are thmee separate sets of principals in this organization. to- gether with an enormous chorus of fresh American voices and a large orchestra that is engaged for the en- tire season. In this way ewery rendi- tion, no matter where given, is com- plete in all its details. . . . Those who attended any of the lec- tures given Mst season by Burton Holmes, the well-known traveler, au- thor and lecturer, will be glad to learn he is again to visit San Francisco, for the purpose of delivering at the Lyric two courses of his famous illustrated lectures, the first entitled “From Broadway to Bering Sea” and the sec- ond course “A New Way Around the Worid.” During the last summer months Mr. Holmes traveled over 17,000 miles within the borders of, the United States, and his resulting all- American series, which is now being given with immense success in the East, consists of “The Yosemite Val- ley,” “The Yellowstone Park.,” “The Grand Canyon of Arizona,” “Alaska I, Through the Fiords to Sitka and the White Pass,” and “Alaska II, Down the Yukon to the Klondike and Cape Nome.” The other series embraces “St. Petersburg.” “Moscow,” “Siberia,” “Peking,” “Seoul, the capital of Korea.” Both of these courses will be given at the Lyric Hall during the two weeks beginning January 11. The sale of course tickets will begin to-morrow morning at Sherman, Clay & Co.'s. Single seats will be on sale om and after Thursday, January e w.