The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 8, 1904, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 8 1904 ie game for the money Our show's the down to the last me in every to begin with. onfidence in us.” gospel accord- Kolb and Dill the hall of the ussing luncheon with #ee Dill—I mean lesques; ours is musical farce.” “And we're the of our show,” Gus said. “It isn't any collection of stars. We're it. When we find that we can't fill a theater ourselves we'll hire others to do it for us and step down and out.” “We don’t want, don’t you see,” Max appealed, » thousand dollar a week leading ladies and leading men. We want to do it ourselves. to stay together, eh, Gus?” “I should say,” Gus replied, regard- ing his brother and partner with child- like affectic “Weber and Fields, see, have gone split. Not for us. now,” he resumed, “talking of dif- ferences, theirs is a dialect entertain- ment. We don't go much on that. what's the difference? They get money, all right. It's just get the money you' Max noddeqd light timent. Gus solemnity of an eleventh command- ment. Black eyes and blue appealed to me for agte Suppose the thi 10 good."” oval of the sen- ement. vour wares too %ood for our audience—that happens, you know?” 1 ventured. Max looked smilingly along his cigar stars and proprietors And we want you Again But we get the money, so we're both if you can't ivered it with all the tler satisfac- 1 gloat at the is always wel- except as to * the long one gers had the bet- perhaps two was brought On the sins of i bring to San Fran- » then discoursed ainder of his kick was used as persua- slue and merry 1 & satisfied and festive ber Rogers made his appear- but their extreme un- d persuade to the belief the Rogers brothers are brothers. a face round as a dollar, covered with a pair of big, soft, His hair is as black He laughs as seldom as ks sober—which was not at In fact, the erence is of feature, color, thing—until They are then very Dromios. they begin his brother's voice, then asked yye where the pariors were. It decided that there was too large udience for our chat in the hall man did not know. He @oesn't know,” he only works here.” or and Fields came up as soon réached the variors—as hand- = of the Rogers’ Brothers’ Max passed ‘or ways compare us with Web- Gus began. He looked home on the frail gilt with the massive mirror Max com- of you people have We don’t want to be ared with them. Our shows aye Weber and Fields’ are bur- holder and put it then: “Well. there's where you're out. We saw in Phila- delphia,” Gus recalled, “E. H. Sothern plz : Hamlet to two rows of seats, a man whose name should draw with anything. Now, it's a cinch that the ¥ didn’t want Shakespeare.” A case of being too good,” I began. To®good or not good enough, it’s all the same, 8o far as succ goes.”” Gus settled it, a fat forefinger in the air for emphasis. And there you have it, Sir garret genius and starveling poet—the way to success and the St. Francis. To be just good enough, nor to wander in far fields of asphodel, nor haunt the heights where the sunlight quivers into an or- chid. Stay downstairs with the rest of the folk. Give 'em what they want— not what they need—so shall yvbur re- ward be great in the kingdom of shekels! » far as it goes the Rogers brothers’ artistic honesty is absolute. They give full weight of what they have to g If it says “110 peopi€” on the bills of their show you will get the 110 people. If it says the “New York production in- tact ou will have it to the last chorus girl. You can almost be sure of the diamonds! A curious instance of con- science in the small thing turned up. It was a matter of a button. Gus, apropos of productions, asked me if I had noted the costers’ buttons in the coster chorus. “We sent to Europe for those,” he in- formed me. He put up two fingers and continued naively: “Two dollars apiece they cost us. They're silver. Now, we could have saved $500 on that chorus alone if we’d had bone buttons. But we didn’t. For why? Because we wanted it as perfect as money could make it. And it is.” “The people seemed to think pretty well of it last night,” I contributed. “San Francisco’s all right,” both Rogers brothers declared. “We were tickled to death with our rer-opunn last night,”” Max confessed. “It's the nearest thing to New York there is. We don’t bar nowhere—Bos- ton, Chicago, Philadelphia, anything there is. You got on to our points as fast as we made 'em. Didn’t miss a thing.” “That double ‘entender’ "—Gus likes it that way—"about the automobile and the girl. You hitched right on. In some places they just thought the poor man” —nodding at Max—“had made a real mistake. Never laughed. That sort of surprises you unpleasantly, you know.” ““We've had a good education in your kind of thing here,” I offered in expla- nation of our phenomenal intelligence. “Do you think we don’t know it?” Mag laughed. “Why, we were more nervous about opening here than on our first night in Buffalo. We heard all along the line that there wasn't any room for us after Cobbs and Pills—" “Kolb and Dill,” I corrected. “And Weber and Fields were before us, and our own shows down at the Grand Operashouse. Then the Orpheum has had some of our songs, and so on. It's hard to be last.” WITH THE PLAYER.S ~ and ihe MUSIC FOLK BLANCHE PARTINGION ut every girl in the show,” Gus contributed, “just made up her mind to do her best. They worked like niggers— we all dld. But we were pretty well scared.” “You see, we were bound to be com- pared with every one that had gone be- fore, and veonle get prejudices,” the other brother took it up. “But you see we get it from the crit- ics for what we're not, not for what we are,” Max astutely put it. “Are we more Dutch than so and so, or—one of them actually said we were not as good as E. H. SBothern in ‘Hamlet!” Give you my word.” . “That's the worst,” Gus decided. A critic don’t like our style of show. He's going to blame us whatever he gets for our not being something else. Yet he'd think a man a fool for soaking a cat for not being a camel. But that's what he does. When he com: “We lose before the curtain goes up,” Max finished it. “If he comes in to roast he's going to roast. And he won't mention the good thir He won't speak of the Maypole dance, say—and ain’t it pretty he appealed to me, “Charming,” 1 heartily assented. And indeed there has been nothing prettier in stage pictures here than the girls and gowns and rose garlands and twinkling feet of the aforesaid dance. “That cost us about $4000,” Gus said. “Rehearsed every night for three weeks steadly for hours on it. But along comes a little m with a pencil, and puff! all your uble goes for nothing.” in New York,” Max said and smiled as one with memories, “who does nothing but roast. He got a reputation that way—got talked about, that i Doesn’t count at all now. Folks know that everything can't be bad. But every little burg of 5000 peo- ple between here and N’ York has one of him. He's cute, too. His kind pick out the good shows to roast particu- larly. They know that they can't get a reputation on roasting a dinky littls road show. They take, sa. And people say’—the ey opened in respectful wonder with his mouth, My sakes! roast Mansfield. Jot.’ ” But we don’t blame him,” Gus has- tily interposed. He had been watching my more or less amused countenance. “Oh, don’t mind me,” I laughed out- right. If the actor may not sometimes criticize the critic where’s the justice of things? Besides, it is Interesting to know what you are supposed to be doing when you fancy yourself to be doing something quite different. Gus evidently thought the attendant scribe needed further soothing by his next: “Well, the critic's working for a name like we all are—the best way he knows how. But,” he added acute- 1¥®“it's a good way not to copy an- other chap’'s way if you're looking for one. What your paper wants, what your readers want, is you, you, your way of seeing things, your way of say- ing things. Just as we choose actors.” ‘At any rate you chose Joseph Coyne that way,” I decided, and some talk of that elaborately gifted comedian foi- lowed. I hope my warmly expressed admiration helped him with his pro- prietary stars. Mr. Coyne is the neat- est thing of his kind we have had here. He is that unusual quantity—a per- sonality. Perhaps the good breeding and good humor of his Englishman— the “sill# ass” kindeare its salient and most delightful points, but the part stands out as a new thing in racial naivete, a character in the midst of the vaudeville puppets. The brothers told me then of their play-monger, John McNally, once city editor of the Boston Herald. “McNally says,” Gus Informed me, “that those who laugh about how easy it Is to write vaudeville farce should try to sling one together. He says ‘T'll write a legitimate play every week for one farce in six months. It's harder.’ And we believe he’s right. They left then to attend a ball game between members of “The Girl From Dixie” company and their own, and I came away with a new scale for meas- uring success: “If you can't get the money, you're no good.” COMING WEEK WILL . BE REPLETE WITH STAR ATTRACTIONS “There’s a critic along “*What do you think: This man has the nerve to He must know a It is the Tivoli week this week, with the first production here of “A Run- away Girl,” a new musical comedy that has 600 nights of a run in London and a 300 nights’ run in New York to its credit. Migs Dora de Filippe, the dainty lit- tle soubrette who has so far hardly had fitting opportunity for the display of CARICATURES OF ROG- ERS BROTHERS BY AN - ACTOR. — — her talents, is cast in the name role of the plece, in which she is said to find congenial scope. The rest>of the bril- liant company the Tivoli now numbers will almost all be represented in the cast, and the staging is said to be of unusually splendid order. . P A highly attractive bill is the Cali- fornia’s this week. The play is “Our New Minister,” the wholesome and en- gaging drama that found so much fa- vor here during its week’s presentation last season. The cast will be the same as the competent cast that then pre- sented it with the exception of Ernest Hastings, long and favorably known here, who will appear in the leading role. The reappearance of Mr. Hast- ings and the pretty play will doubtless attract large houses. P gee The Rogers Brothers to-night enter upon the second week of their highly successful musical farce, “The Roger Brothers in London,” at the Columbia. Praise on all hands is heard of the pro- duction. D The bill of the second week of Mel- bourne MacDowell's engagement at the Grand Opera-house will the Sardou “Cleopatra.” Mr. MacDowell is doing excellent work this season and finds in Miss Ethel Fuller, his leading lady, competent support. . . The Alcazar is to the fore again with a new comedy, “The Two Schools,” said to be veryMunny, and hailing from the Madison Square Theater, New York. o s The dashing romantio play that will be the Central's offering this week, “The Three Musketeers,” offers Her- schel Mayall another good chance as D’Artignan. The Central is making a record of good plays, well played, lately. s e The Orpheum headliner this week is the English prima donna, Mme. Slapoff- ski. There are many other good num- bers. PRET F Barr and Evans, character comedi- ans, headline the Chutes bills. There are many new stars in the zoo. INTERESTING DOINGS OF THE PLAYER FOLK IN EAST AND WEST * The Theater Magazine for May con- tains the first of a series of grticles to be devoted to “Famous Families of American Players.” The opening pa- per is taken up with the Booths, giving the history of this celebrated theatri- cal family, from the time of Junius Brutus Booth’s historic quarrel with Edmund Kean down to the death of his illustrious son, Edwin, in New York in 1898. The article is profusely illustrated with rare photographs and engravings borrowed from important collections, and they include a very scarce autograph of John Wilkes Booth, who killed President Lincoln. Other articles in the series will be devoted to the Jeffersons, the Drews, the Hacketts, the Boucicaults, etc. In the same issue of the magazine there is an interesting interview with Wilton Lackaye, in which that artistic player 3 — -+ Interesting in view of the “Camille” craze that is at present raging in the East is the following dictum of Tschai- kowsky's on Arensky's choice of the Dumas story as the basis of a sym- phonic poem. It is from modest Tchai- kowsky on Arensky's choice of the brother—a book of first interest to all musicians and any one who rejoices in illuminative biography. In a let- ter to his friend in art the composer wrote: “It pained and wounded me and all your friends to learn that you had chosen such a subject. How can a cultivated musician pass by Homer, Shakespeare, Gogol, Puschkin, Dante, Tolstoi, Lermont-off and others to in- terest himself in a production of Mr. Dumas, the younger, which has for a subject the adventure of a public punk, when this adventure is described in a fundamentally false, sentimental man- ner, and net without vulgarity. al- though with French skill and effect?” The Eastern critics have almost to a man, by the way, taken the recent “Camille” preductions anything but serfously. The falsity of the sentiment is throughout insisted upon and the drama declared obsolete in the most absolute sense. Nor have the actors therein received little but blame for Wheeler, Professor W. C. Jones, Pro- fessor Cv H. Rieber, Professor J. T. Al- len, Professor G. C. Edwards, Warren Olney, Dr. Jessica Peixotto, Mrs. L. J. Richardson, Mrs. M. L. Cheney and Dr. Mary B. Ritter, chairman. This concert is under the direction of Dr. H. J. Stewart of San Francisce. The soloists will be Miss Careline H. Little, soprano; Mrs. L. Snider-John- son, contralto; Nathan Landsberger, violinist; 8. Homer Henley, barytone. Numbers will be given also by the Uni- versity Glee Club and by a string quar- tet. The charge for admission will be 25 cents. R S “Masters in Music” devotes this morth's space to consideration of Jo- hann Strauss, the waltz king. There are many interesting articles in the connecticn and the musical illustra- tions include some four of the compos- er's most popular waltzes —_—————— — Wealthy American Popular in London. One of°\the most successful leap vear balls in London this season was given by Gustav Natorp, an extremely wealthy American who is known to everybody in London society. The cotil- lon topk place at Mr. Natorp's studio. explains the psychology of acting, and another contribution describes the personalities of the three funniest women now on the stage. Millicent Moone continues her amusing let- ters to actors she has never seen, and there is an account with pictures of the Greek play acted by Greeks In New York recently. The article de- scriptive of “How Theaters Are Man- aged” is continued, the second install- ment dealing with the man who guards the stage door. There is also the second chapter of the “Confessions of a Stage Struck Girl” interesting and amusing pen pictures of the real theatrical life. The pictures include a full-page plate of Clara Morris in “The Two Or- phans,” in addition to two other pages showing scenes from this famous mel- odrama. There are also scenes ftom Willie Collier's new farce, “The Dic- tator,” aucy Sally,” Margaret An- glin in “amille,” the “‘Shepherd King,” “Piff, Paff, Pouf,” and the “‘Su- perstition of Sue.” The colored cover shows Miss Eleanor Robson in “Merely Mary Ann.” . . . Edna Wallace Hopper has made the expected hit in her vaudeville ven- ture. She plays this month in Shea’s Theater, Toronto, Canada; Temple Theater, Detroit, Mich.; Empire The- ater, Cleveland, and Cleveland’s The- ater, Chicago. . . . J. 1. C. Clark will dramatize Lew Wallace's novel “The Prince of India,” and it will probably be produced next season. . * . Clara Morris celebrated on April 18 the fortieth anniversary of her first appearance on the stage. When she went to the theater to prepare for her performance as Sister Genevieve in “The Two Orphans” she found her dressing-room _beautifully decorated wl!h flower- . . Henry Savnzel latest comic opera noveity, “Woodland,” by Pixley and Luders, scored a great success in its initial production at Providence, R. I The characters all represent birds. The costumes merely suggest the birds represented and are not fitted with feathers, talons, beaks or other essen- tial things which are found on the real article. . . The Theatrical Managers’ Auoc‘s- tion, after having abolished window advertising, are going to do away with bill posting. They intend to erect kiosks similar to those now in use in Paris, on which theatrical”” announce- ments can be made. If they can ob- tain permission from the authorities to erect these on prominent street cor~ ners they say, they will do so at their own expense. . . Olfano, the Italian composer, Is at work on an opera founded on Tolstoi's “Resurrection.” . . . George Tyler is going abroad to make arrangements regarding the coming engagement of Tomaso Salvini in this country next season. He will also try to induce Duse to come here. ————————— SPEAKS IN PRAISE OF AMERICAN ENGINEERS Admiral Melville Says the Yankees Are Superior to the Englishmen. LONDON, May 7.—Admiral Mel- ville, formerly chief of the Bureau of Steam ~ Engineering i the United States navy, now making an investi- gation here with respect to the appli- cation of the turbine principle to American battleships, thinks a good deal is yet to be done before turbines can be so utilized. Comparing the British and Amer- ican marine engineers, Admiral Mel- ville said to an English interviewer: “Without the smallest desire to boast, stating simply what I am cer- tal is a fact, I consider our men brighter, better educated, more tem- perate and in every way better work- ers. 1 am referring now to the ordi- nary hands. As to the upper ranks of the service, 1.do not doubt you have individuals as good as we luve, but I think our general average is higher. “Taking our men all around, I fancy they are better equipped, and I haven't a doubt as to the cause of this su- periority—our publie education.” “Have you noticed many differences otherwise between our ways and your own?” he was asked. “Little or none,” he answered. “Marine engineering is the same now- adays all the world over. All nations know what others are doing and there are no trade secrets,” \ ‘ L their misdirected effort in its revival William Winter simply mentions the names of the members of the two chief companies—Virginia Harned's and that of Henry Miller and Margaret Anglin— with the caustic comment that it is not of the slightest importance by whom the drama was played. “The Matinee Girl” in the Dramatic Mirror con- descends to a little serious criticism. Acute as always, she touches a finger to the weak spot in Henry Miller's otherwise admirable Armand, its too experienced, over mature quality. She finds in Miss Anglin's Camille an im- possible refinement and in Miss Har- ned’s much more of the stained and morbid creature of the play. . An event of exceptional interest will be the first presentment here of Elgar's “Dream of Gerontius,” to be given by the San Francisco Musical Club on May 19 at Steinway Hall un- der the direction of Dr. H. J. Stew- art, An odd song or two is all that has vet reached us of the Elgar composi- tions. Yet only a few weeks ago Lon- don held a three-day Elgar festival, at which the musician was acclaimed as the foremost English composer of the day. His programmes show a wide range of theme. Tone poems, cantatas, symphonies, songs were all included, Dr. Elgar appearing him- self as conductor. The “Dream of Gerontius” is recognized as ome of his most valuable compositions. # o8 e The programme of Dr. H. J. Stew- art’s concert, which takes place at Steinway Hall on Thursday evening, May 12, contains many attraective nov- elties. Several of Dr. Stewart's recent- ly published songs will be heard for the first time in public and among these may be mentioned “‘Contrasts” and “A Boat Song” (Mrs. Carrie B. Dexter); “A Winter Love Song” (Mrs. L. Sni- der-Johnson); “A Little Way"” (Miss Ella V. McCloskey); “For Love of Thee¥ (Miss Camille Frank); “A Cali- fornia Night Song,” with 'cello obligato (Mrs. Wallace Wheaton Briggs); “The Lords of Song” and “The Angelus” (S. Homer Henley). Mrs. Blanche King Arnold will sing Beethoven's “Ade- laida” and “In questa tomba,” and Paul Friedhofer will contribute some violoncello solos. The concerted music includes the celebrated trio of the Rhine-Maidens, from Wagner's “Got- terdammerun, e v . Berkeley graduates and others . will be interested in the following an- nouncement of this afternoon’s concert at the Greek Theater, Berkeley: This afternoon at 3 o’tlock a sacred concert will be given in the Greek The- ater of the University of California for the benefit of the clubhouse loan fund. This is designed to enable stu- dents who wish to form house clubs to provide suitable furnishings for them. Two such clubs have been in successful operation for four years. The fund is administered by a board of trustees consisting of President and Mrs. B. L + which adjoins his house in Ennismore Gardens. the host being a very well known and clever amateur sculptor. On several occasions he has exhibited examples of his work at the Royal Academy. He is also a painter of more than average ability. It is from house property in New York that Mr. Natorp derives most of his great wealth, though he is a part- ner in Vickers’' Sons & Maxim, Limited. the famous armament firm. which was founded by his uncle. Although a tre- mendous catch in the matrimonial mar- ket fer s0 many years, it was not until two or three years ago that Natorp married an English lady whose sister is just about to make her debut as a professional singer. The latter is ex- tremely beautiful, while Mrs. Natorp is always remembered for her beauti- ful figure and charming manners. Both Mr. and Mrs. Natorp are great friends of Mrs. Ronalds, who is always among the most prominent of Americans iIn London society. . Gustav Natorp is an authority on cooking, of which he knows probably more than many famous chefs. His views on this subject are acknowledg- ed to be most sound and the greatest epicures speak of his luncheons as something to be rememberdd always. He is so enthusiastic about the per- fect preparation of food that he has himself written a book on cookery, which, however, is not for sale, but, in a beautiful edition de luxe, is a gift that he presents personally to his friends. His notable lunches invaria- bly take place at his beautiful house in Ennismore Gardens, where he has for his opposite neighbor the Dowager Lady Esher. Natorp is an expert fly fisher and his wife is also known as a trout fisher- woman. At one iime they rented In- verlochy Castle from the late Lord Abinger and they are now on the out- look for a similar place, where they may pursue their favorite sport. —_———— Livton in a New Role. Sir Thomas Lipton, who generally can be counted on to assist any move- ment or scheme thag has as its ob- ject the advancement of Ireland’s in- terests, has agreed to co-operate with the number of Irish writers who are trying to popularize Irish literature in the United States. It is proposed to issue a volume of original essays. poems and stories under the auspices of the Irish section of the St Louis Exposition and to this volume Dr. Sigerson,’ Dr. Douglas Hyde, W. B. Yeats, Miss Jane Barlow, Mrs. Hinkoon (Katherine Tynan), Mrs. Clement Shorter, T. P. Gill and Steph- en Gwynne with others will contrib- ute. The book will be published in Ireland and covyrighted in the Unit- ed States and the proceeds of the sale will be devoted to the objects of the publication of neglected Irish MMs., to provide a fund for the erection of memorial tablets to deceased Irish authors and the encouragement of young Irish writers by offering prizes for literary works.