The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 5, 1904, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO 'CALL, SUNDAY. JUNE 5, 1904. B at Tis even Cleveland pre ng three small fish over his before the envious eves of st t ther than to be P ? v States. Joaquin of vawn at praise Nap ther than as the a Crane of David leor arron that the there sebasaber his in the Tiv- opera. But of thes: to talk the Edna Aug recent success as asure H in which r. Berthold before with did = m. And picture Mr median He us of being taken when 1 had the with this rare 1 am compelied to thing else admirable but alack no well fancy Lo- lis—and there you a modern Lo- the g a modern s Mr Lohengrin has its Berthold did mnot € d on a rickety swanship arry h to the Tivoli where we et, and his carefully worn gray suit ¥ more comfortable d glad rags. ndered first up to the airy top the theater, in search of hotograph, the tenor ex- admiration on the way house. carefully usir t's Mr. Berthold up as much con- £cience on a pose as some actors do « a le. And then we went down- stairs, te semi-gloom of the large # t sole ce of the big as drums of “The Toy- maker's” “set” on the stage. We took fifty-cent seats at the back, Mr. Berthold began the business the interview by pulling out the aforesaid Tageblatt notices. # “I should like, if you piease, if you uld jook at these articles,” he be- gar holding them out with naive After ned you, my dear Mr. Berthold,” and the singer then trans- me the Tageblatt’s astonigh- at his excellent comedy, with its dental references to his admirable omplishments as a Wagnerian singer One could read a Ta surprise equal to the singer’s tone. Mr. Berthold s evidently made only @ recent and delighted acquaintance with himself as a comedian. It was a t in satisfaction S0 quaint, a pride so in- nocent, that it was utterly without offense “You see,” the singer said gravely, repocketing the cuttings, “you have known me here only in serious roles, 1 thought T should like you to kmow that T have done well in comedy. The Tageblatt critic is a very fine one, too—'his lovable intelligence makes it- self felt as well in the almost trivial role of the gallan! bandit as in his famous Tannhauser.’” he requoted, still amiably conceited. “It is mot unusual” T said, “for singers in Germany to take both comic and tragic parts.” No.” he agreed, “much more is expected in that way there than in Ameri Still, hardly to the extent « the difference between Fra Di- » and Tannhauser.” “You have sung ‘Tannhauser' g3 great deal, 1 understand ” I prompted. “One hundred and ten times now, last in Dresden and Cologne. I should think the Jew in ‘La Juive” is also a favorite part with I remember your performance you 21 the Tivoll™ I do like it,”” Mr. Berthold heart- fly confirmed. *“It is a part that af- fords much opportunity for character- jzation, and that is what I enjoy.” “They call you over there ‘the singing tragedian,’ don’t they?” “They did,” the “singing trage- dian” replied-——*“that was the Tage- biatt man, who praised my Fra Di- avelo.” “Isn’t our Tivoli here Jike the German opera-houses?” I asked then. “We rather pride our- selves on it. you know.” “Jt is all more on the German or- der here than anywhere in America,” the singer said. “opera all the year round, and the reaily radical love of music there apnears to be.” “Yet we can’t support a symphony | J + society, and every little German vil- lage of 30,000 has i ymphony,” 1 grumbled. “How is it? Berthold thought a moment habit of thinking before he 1en he d 2 Ttk ause in Germ ey will not ut music. They never think going without it any mere than of going without di It is part of He spe: it a decic K th meat. It never stops. If it is not grand opera it is comic opera all the ar round. And then there will be in small nlaces ten or twelve symphony concerts every season. Then the the fine military bands d they never play trash. They play n the parks. and if it severely rains they play in lagge music halls, where one may drink A smoke. Music is not there a luxur; it is a neces- sity But where do you get your sym- phony orchestra in a small town?” I appealed “From the theaters,” Berthold replied “On the concert night they give plays in which they will need no orchestra, so as not to interfere.” Simplicity itself! “And the pecuniary support?”’ “Everybody subscribes, of course singer settled it. Of cours ' he volunteered further, *“‘the symphony concerts are not society af- fairs. As the singer leaned forward to em- phasize his point, elbow on the seat in front, his chin on his hand, 1 got my first good view of that Anton Seidl-like head. There is the same broad,clear brow; clean-cut, cla: lips; gray eyes, now with a glint of fun in them, and clear as truth fitself. And there's a good, big, practical nose to balance much of mysticism one finds in the face. Later, inevitably, we got to the Ger- man transcendentalists. Nietzsche and his “overman’ came up in the connec- tion. “Shall T guide my life by Nietszche?— he died mad,” the singer cried. Then, with the archaic earnestness that dis- tinguishes him, the accent somehow cloistral that invests Mr. Berthold's lightest word, the tenor said: “By their fruite ye shall know them. Madness is not the lot of the truly wise.” Whatever he has lived by—and I take it to be a mixture of Buddhism by way of Schopenhauer, Swedenborgianism probably, Christianity certainly—it has written a fine sanity, kindness, wisdom, deeply into the Berthold face. But he was finding mild amusement in our society patronage of the sym- phony concerts. I offered wisely: “But you owe your musical development in Germany originally to aristocratic patronage!” “A long time ago,” he demurred, smilingly, “and it is an insecure foun- dation. An art becomes vital only in #0 far as it js the very life of the people. The highest development of German music is, of course, instru- mental, and,” the singer added, “it is the highest form. What can be finer? I can’t imagine anything more beauti- ful than a great symphony, played by a splendid orchestra.” “Then you do not think the German excels in the vocal art?” I asked. “No, not as to pure vocalism. That the Italians have given us once for all,” the singer generously conceded. He put up then a qualifying hand. “Perhaps in Germany we sing more musically. Feéw people know that ‘Wagner says precisely that he de- sires the retention of the Italian method and its application to the mu- sic-drédma needs.” 1 ventured: “Bayreuth says differ- ently.” “That is Mme. Wagner,” Mr. Berthold explained. *“Every artist who goes there has to exaggerate, It is Mme. Wagner's desire. And most of them come away with a rough style and a declamatory screech. But that was not at all Wagner's intention. Always he insisted on the beautiful tone. He did not regard the voice as the supreme, dominant interest and orchestra as purely accompaniment. The voice has its place in the music- drama as one of the instruments, most important, perhaps, but not—" He hesitated. “The whole show,” I found for him. He made a wry face at the irrever- ence, but accepted the fact and went on: “And, look you, if—" his uplifted brows accented a very large ‘if"— “if the score were regarded—piancs and pianissimos abound, the ginger would have no difficulty in taking just something the place Wagner meant for him. But orchestras so often have to stick to the notes only., They don't see the man up there”—Mr. Berthold fell into a first fiddle with his nose in the score, and then into a frantic conductor with a hissing “pianiseimo!” between his teeth. “They don’t know the operas, in fact, and roar along unceasingly.” “What to do then?” i A SRR 4— AL | BERTHOLD, TENOR, WHO ESSAYS COMEDY ROLES. | - . “Let them roar,” said Mr. Berthold. “In a contest between brass and hu- man muscles the brass is bound to win.” The singer then to my questioning said that He saw no difference between the production of “Parsifal” this last season and “Parsifal” in some future season. “It had to come,” he put it, “and why not now as well as later? There were too many words over the affair. They fell into a trap in Germany and by their protests advertised the pro- duction most admirably.” “Schumann-Heink said, it seemed to me wisely, that not being the best of ‘Wagner's work it needed the Bayreuth surroundings,” I said. “Perhaps,” he allowed. “It is cer- tainly the work of an exhausted in- tellect. How different from the ex- traordinary ‘Otelle’ and ‘Fflstaft’ of Verdi, written in his eighties. There is an operatic composer now!” 7/“Do you liike the modern Italians?” “I dowr't think the school musically very elevating,” the singer answered. “It is morbid, sensational, spasmodic, exciting. As to realism, the plots are too remote from daily life to have a moral effect by their depiction of mur- der or lust. Omne is in nmo danger of becoming a Scarpia—" “But should morality be integral or incidental to art?” “1 believe,” he said, and it is verily a Berthold credo, “that art is religion.” The drama that to teach virtue pictures vice, the singer said, had the “right aim, the wrong means. One goes home to ghudder and forget. But given a Lohengrin, and how it up- lifts. One wants at once to be some- thing finer, something higher, We know evil is alway# there—but let us get away from it when we can. Good is the magnet that ultimately attracts humanity.” - And then somehow, we fell fathoms deep into the philosophies. Schopen- hauer with his irritant pessimism—the truest optimism, Mr. Berthold declares, holds chiefest shrine in the singer's temple. Time and space, Kant, and the fourth dimension happened along, Then came up the religion of Him of Nazareth, and on the face of the man e e el beside me I saw the deep light of an ascendant faith. I noted then, small, pregnant thing, his searf pin, an interwoven cross and crown. v 3 o P S T STAR ATTRACTIONS WILL BE SEEN IN THE THEATERS THIS WEEK Charming Maude Adams and her clever company in “The Little Minis- ter” are the Columbia’s attractian this week. The engagement has proved one of the most enlivening and de- lighttul of the season. Miss Adams’ art is all her own,” most winsome and engaginhg, and her company is un ex- ceptionally adequate one. . . - This, the last week of Melbourne MacDowell's engagement at the Grand Opera-house, will be given over to the production of a new romantic play, “A Captain o¢f Navarre.” The scene of the play is laid in Paris at the period when Charles IX and Henry of Navarre were at bitter feud with each other. Mr. MacDowell will play the title role and Ethel Fuller will be seen as the Duchesse d'Arme- nonville. Mrs. Leslie Carter will begin her season in “Du Barry” Monday night, June 13. Seats will be on sale at the box office next Thursday morn‘ng. Ry . . . An important attraction will be the Tivoli's this week in the new ‘military comic opera, ‘“‘Sergeant Kit- ty.” Among other new singers Miss Lillian Sefton, the new prima donna soprano, will mske her appearance. The management promises a splen- did production. . . . A new play is also promised by the clever Moroscos at the California, who are winning all sorts of encomiums for good work. The play is “The Cava- lier,” in which Julia Marlowe has re- cently achieved success, and Miss Amelia Gardner, already a popular local idol, will make her reappear- ance therein. . L - ‘With the dashing Adele Block as “Cigarette” the Alcazar will i . | The following statements of Harrison Grey Fiske and James K. Hackett as to the dissolution of the Independent Booking Agency speak for themselves. Their fight has been a good one, and in their defeat they have proved them- selves not less worthy. NMr. Fiske has this to say: - * “The agency was arganized in 1902, James K. Hackett and myseif believing it would be advantageous to establish a rallying point for the independent movement and to concentrate the ener- gies of managers of attractions who i S desired to control their own bockings. The agency succeeded in effecting ar- rangements with many theaters throughout the United States and a few months ago the probabilities were that the independent ranks would be largely augmented. At that time more than thirty first-class attractions were preparing to join us. “The unexpected union of the Stair and Havlin circuit with the syndicate defeated these plans, which were based chiefly upon Mr. Stair's assurances that his theaters would remain open to independent first-class attractions for a period of years. Moreover, the bad season and many disasters to expen- sive productions made by the syndicate caused its members to assume an at- titude of caution with respect to risk- ing new productions next season and dceordingly they offered unusually fav- orable bookings to outside managers who had had a hard time previously to secure suitabie opportunities to pre- sent their attractions auspiciously. This temporary change of policy on the part of the syndicate removed sources of discontent and prevented a number of leading managers from carrying out their original intention to join the ranks of the independents. “Owing to the withdrawal of Messrs. Weber & Fields and Campbell from the Independent Agency there remained only Mr. Hackett and myself. Mr. Hackett having decided, for the rea- sons he has stated, to appear in theaters booked by the syndicate next season, it was decided to discontinue the Independent Booking Agency. “The disecontinuance of the agency will make no change whatever in the independent course pursued by Mrs. Fiske and myself, which we adopted in 1596 and which we hava steadfastly and consistently followeu ever since. We believe that a monopolistic con- trol is opposed to the best interests of the American theater and our be- lief has been confirmed amply by the developments that have grown out of that control, the disastrous effects of which are now plainly visible to every thoughtful student of the theatrical situation in this coyntry. “Mrs. Fiske will continue to play only in independent theaters. The Manhat- tan Theater in New York will continue to be an independent theater. Mrs. Fiske will begin her next season in September at the Manhattan, where she will fulfill a long engagement and make several productions.” Mr. Hackett's statement follows: #So many inaccurate statements have from time to time appeared in print regarding my attitude toward the sof called Theatrical Syndicate that in jus- tice to myseif I am compelled to re- quest the publication of the following facts that- my position may be fully understood and that my integrity as a man may not be impeached: “Successful results alone count. It is of very little interest to know why a fight is lost, but rather how it is won. However, for the benefit of those few among the public and my own pro- fession who are interested I am will- ing to make the following statement regarding my own position and the prospective dissolution of the Inde- pendent Booking Agency. The bad theatrical season was the principal cause of the coalition between the syn- dicate and Messrs. Stair and Havlin, thereby closing to us the houses con- trolled by the latter firm. Following this coalition came the failure of the attractions sent out by Weber & Fields, which very materially weaken us, because without attractions it is almost impossible to induce managers to keep their theaters open. “Following this Weber & Fields disposed of their theaters—the Waest End in Harlém, the Globe in Boston and the Broadway in Williamsburg— to Messrs. Stair & Havlin, although they had a five-year contract with the Independent Booking Agency for the West End and a verbal agreement re- garding the other houses. Following close upon the heels of this, Mr. Camp- bell, because he had become affiliat with Mr. Belasco signified his desire to sever hie connection with the Inde- pendent Booking Agency. I them en- deavored to form an alliance with Mr. Belasco, but for reasons which, I dare ray, were quite cogent to him- self, he decilned 16 enter into any coali- tion. Without a coalition of the Inde- pendent forces the fight seemed to me to be absolutely hopeless. This left Mr. Fiske and myself. I realized that I myself could be of very little weight in helping Mr. Fiske to open theaters that were not already independent, as two attractions in such a case are really no better than onme; and after many consultations with Mr. Fiske, for whom I have the warmest and strongest personal regard, we agreed that the Independent Booking Agency had outlived its usefulness and there- fore the time was ripe for its disso- lution, which will take place shortly. “I have devoted over two years, and two of the best years of my life, to the independent cause; have spent much time and much money and an enormous amount of energy. I re- signed frcm the syndicate ranks of my own volition, and I shall return and play syndicate houses next season. I do not believe any more to-day than I did a few years ago that a syndi- cate control of theatrical affairs is bene- ficial to the artistic growth and de- velopment of the drama in any country, but I must say that the syn- dicate’s attitude toward a defeated foe, in my case, at least, has been gen- erous and fair. “It must not be supposed that the Tn- dependent Booking Agency has labored in vain. It has had, in many instances, a decided remedial effect; but I am ¥orry’ to say that I have discovered that the very men who would have benefited most by the success of the independent cause and who would naturally have been supposed to ally themselves with it after the pioneer work had been done, have utilized it for selfish ends, while giving it no substantial encouragement. In other words, they have benefited by it without helping it or even appre- ciating its aims. This is a very varnished tale regarding the condi- tions with which Mr. Fiske and T have had to contend. Courtesy and sympathy forbid the publication of the absolutely plain facts, which would not reflect credit upon many men who have been more or less intimately as- sociated with us. We have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to regret, except the lack of co-operation and good faith-on the part of the men from whom we had not only reason but right to expect loyalty and honesty. 1 sincerely hope that the few people who have been kind enough to interest themselves in me professionally and in my personal career will appreciate the reasons why I am compelled to ac- cept the inevitable and give me the same respect that any man would re- ceive who has struggled honestly and who has been defeated through no fault of his own.” L week present Ouida’s popular drama, “Under Two Flags.” White Whittle- sey is scheduled to appear at this the- ater next month. * - - “The Peddler,” a character drama something on the order of “The Auc- tioneer,” will be the Central's bill this week. Herschel Mayall will no douby make his customary record in the name role. * - - Tom Waters, with a “unique piano act,” and Truly Shattuck are head- lined at the Orpheum this week. . * B Richard Walsh and Adele Ligon, in “The Twentieth Century Burglar and the French Soubrette,” are the stars of the current Chutes contingent. =8 The new burlesque at Fischer's, “U. 8.,” going to the tune of a large suc- cess, will have an additional feature of much interest to-night in the ap- pearance of “The Eight Radium Girls,” a beautiful and costly specialty that has attracted much attention in the East. PR Ttt CHAT ABOUT PLAYS AND MOVEMENTS ON AND OFF THE STAGE The Theater Magazine for June is an admirable midsummer number 4 filled with interesting reading matter d attractive pictures. One of the leading features is an article entitled “The Actress in Her Automobile,” which shows how popular the new, self-moving vehicle has become with the people of the stage. It is illustrated with pictures taken especially for the magazine, showing Julia Marlowe, Maxine Elliott, Virginia Harned, Marie Cahill, Hattle Williams and other stage favorites driving their own machines. The interview of the month is with Arnold Daly, once an office boy in Charles Frohman’s employ, and now an established and successful theatrical star. A veteran manager contributes interesting reminiscences of Lola Mon- tez, that remarkable actress and ad- venturess who for a time ruled over a kingdom, and there is a full account with pictures of Otis Skinner's new play, “The Harvester.” The prominent children of the stage are pictured in a page of beautiful portraits, and Alex- ander Hume Ford gives characteristic anecdotes of each little player. Wells .wks continues his instructive papers on “How Theaters Are Managed,” this month’s installment being devoted to the bill poster. There is also an inter- esting account, by F. P. Delgado, of the famous open-air theaters of France. W. W. Whitelock discusses recent noteworthy German plays, and Cecll Cavendish dedicates a poem to “The Man Behind the Play.” In this issue also Julia Wemple reaches the third chapter of her interesting “Con- fessions of a Stage Struck Girl.” The pictures include, in addition to a su- perb portrait of Ida Conquest in “A Midsummer Night'’s Dream,” on the cover, a full-page portrait of the new matinee idol, Dustin Farnum, and full- page plates giving scenes from “Tit for Tat,” “A Venetian Romance” and “The Prince of Pilsen.” There are also large and excellent halftones of Arnold Daly, William Courtenay, Virginia Harned as Camille, Katherine Grey, David Montgomery, Charles Bigelow, Carlotta Nillson, Edna Phillips, Co- rinne. Parker, Marion Fairfax and others. e e Nat Goodwin is to have a new play next season, to be furnished by I. N. Morris, the author of “Jim Bludsoe.” It is to be a four-act comedy and will be completed by the time Mr. Goodwin returns from Europe. N During his fall tour Ralph Stuart is to produce “Kit Carson,” which has been rewritten by Franklin Fyles. 9 el e Millie Blanchard, the young English tragedienne, known as the “English Bernhardt,” has recovered from her re- cent illness and will be Seen New York next season in “Cleopatra,” “The- odora,” “Leah, the Forsaken” and the new play, “Trilla.” R e De Wolf Hopper is to join the vaude- ville ranks at the conclusion of the run of “Wang.” . Nance O'Neil was tendered a testimo- nial at the Colonial Theater, Boston, last Saturday night and was greeted by an overflowing house. o % . Mrs. Patrick Campbell is to make amother tour of this country under the management of Charles Frohman in Sardou’s latest play, “The Sorceress.” She will probably follow “The Girl From Kays” at the Herald Square Theater, New York, in October. Before sailing for the United States Mrs. Campbell is to play a brief engagement in Paris with Madame Bernhardt in “Eelias and Melisande.” — A ——— On the Streets In Japan. ~ When one’'s work i{s done in Nikko there is left the mild excitement of walking up the great canal in that Japanese city. All that is doing in Nikko may then and there be seen. On the veranda of a house madame is hav- ing her bath, her head sticking up above the steaming water, says Charles Hovey Pepper in the April number of The World To-day. The youngsters in their original suits are hailing you, “Sinko san, ohiyol!” (“Mr. Stranger, good-day.”) An array of great gilt lo- tus flowers and leaves on long stems shows that a member of the *unlly within is dead. protected from the street, one sees the square kago-like box in which, with knees against the breast, the last jour- ney is taken. A bevy of gally dressed geisha girls, with attendants carrying kotos and samisens, is bound for some dinner or entertainment, their hair black and shiny and filled with bright ornaments, their faces and necks white with rice powder and their lower lips bright with scarlet paste. They are chattering in In the front room, un-"$800. — the shrill, penetrating voices which are peculiar to them. The merchant steps out from his shop to tell you he has some new Kakemona or carving to show, antiques from 300 years old to those so recent that the lacquer is hardly dry. “Step in, sir,” cries a young man, waving his hand in the air as he paints with an imaginary brush an imaginary picture, “and see kow Japanese artist using his brush.” He hands you his card and you are pleased to read the motto of his house is “Earrgst is the best policy.” “I was waiting for you,” says a pret- ty girl, smiling; “will you please come in my shop? I have black racker and red racker trays. Yes, very pretty.” She spends all her time in front of her shop between the two bridges. If she sees one cross either bridge she is al- ready waiting when he has crossed. No one escapes. —————— Malayan English. A tin mining advancer, with a ke- pala of a mining kongsi two and a half miles on the Cheroot path, were set upom by three Macaos on the 24th instant, who spoke both Keh and Mos- cow, armed with parangs, who relieved them of about $80 in cash. The kepala had often seen these robbers in Go- peng and can identify them. The rob- bery was reported at the Gopeng police station at 5:30 p. m. on the 24th and a sergeant, a lance corporal and a Chi- nese detective, accompanied by the ke- pala, proceeded to the scene of the robbery and on arriving there at 6:30 p. m.. saw three men hiding in the jungle, who, seeing the search party, scooted. The lance corporal gave chase and succeeded in capturing one of the robbers. The other two men managed to make off and hide in the jungle, as darkness had set in, and they could not be seen. The robber who had been arrested gave the names of the two other robbers as Lim San and Lo Qui, and he stated that he worked in a mining kongsi quarter of a mile from the scene of the robbery. The search party proceeded to the kongsi and arrested one of the pris- oners. The other prisoner was found early the next morning, hiding in some lalang, and was soon captured. This was very smart work on the part of the police.—Penang Straits Echo. e Cost of Government Cabling. Secretary Taft of the War Depart- meént cabled the President’s neutrality proclamatipn governing the attitude of the Philippine government in the present war crisis at an expense of ‘Washington officials endeavored to boil it down for transmission, but couldn’t do it. The Press could have sent a “blue-pencil flend” to do the job, and he would have saved the Government $400. Uncle Sam wastes thousands of dollars annually in cable tolls. Business men wonder why. Coding comnmercially has developed to an extraordinary degree of perfection, but the departments of state, war and navy are slow to “catch om,” a8 the phrase goes. B