The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 28, 1906, Page 23

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JANUARY . 28, 1906. THLC i + — 72 NE iE USTRALIAN ACTRESS. WHO IS APPEARING WITH GREAT SUCCESS AT THE MAJESTIC THE- T OF OLD DRURY.’ MISS STEWART FINDS MUCH TO PLEASE HER IN THE AMERIL- A WHOM SHE PLAYS. ST o T % “* 4 Musgrove “de- Mistress Gwynne in all her glitter, ' “How do our audiences compare with " holding out a warm, white hand > Aust n audiences?” . to the word “Ow, isnt it 'o1?” she sighed. It was Stewart had been here two years e 4 o t I aad * precisely, but something fas n a pleasure and play-giving jaunt hes r (acting) between that and the told me. Frankly she acknowledged i Dt I y aspirated original. BShe told |that to her the ‘‘American audience is > iyl i tralians were all suf- | more artistic than the Australian, yet—" g . from the heat here, particularly | “I was wondering about that last night F: 4 every reason to be. theater, and that their own the- | during your had asked Tor a chat after r first taste of the American audience es in her first American 1sly she had consented, g found me ag: r her h cluded at least y playgoers that had 1t before, and all the gns of a triumph. ert, wh But where had one I wondered this no Miss Stewart's tairs, where it is vhere the ‘aughty A round, deep. oice bade us—Mr. Mus- come and there stood intc Go [Nake Spripg Exbibitiop Suceess Is Artists’ Patriotic Duty| —BY LAURA BRIDE POWERS tute of Art issues the follow- wh commended to the earnest and worthwhile notice & h is ention ters The San Franc Association will old its annua! exhibition at the Mark Hopkins ute of Art March 5 to April 1906. This exhibition will nclude all the various mediums Works for exhibition received not later than Wednes February 28 e associat offers the following prizes One hundred dollars for the best pic- ture in ofls, in the composition of which human figures are of predominating in- terest One hundred dollars for the best land- scape in ofls Awards to be determined by a jury ap- nted for the purpose. Entry blanks “ circulars will be mailed later. ROBERT H. FLETCHER, Director of the Institute. The spring exhibition is the only pre- sentation of the serious work of the California painters, the fall display being littie more than & show-down of what is aters are never heated, even in the fros- tiest June. ere was every excuse for Miss Stew She wears jewels by the pound in the play. The yand-wide hat she wears with its fifteen plumes is as heavy as a ham. The gowns, bro- cade, jewel-sewn, are thick as a board, and Miss Stewart herself is not to say thin. - “We can talk for about two min- utes now,” she preluded. “I have to “I can hook it up for you. “But,” Miss Stewart laughed, “I—I'm not used to talking while I'm dress- ing—" “But T am,” I consoled her—*“that will make it all right, won't 1t2” She was not quite sure; she was used to “going about me business and never speaking between acts. But Mr. Musgrove had said that now she was in Americg she would have to do djfferent- Iy, perhaps.” So, bravely, Miss Stewart set herself to the task of doing differ- ently. “Pleased?’—she was ‘“awfully de- lighted” with her welcome of the night | before, she told me, and there was no | mistaking Miss Stewart's delight. They had hardly expected such a success. | “But,” she added, with quaint friendli- ness, “down there we consider San Francisco much nearer to us than it is | to New York.” The audience of the night before had not missed a point. “Fancy that!” I laughed, and asked, in course of creation In the studios. Nev- ertheless, fall exhibitions have thelx, uses, serving to bring out budding genius and to lash the lagging enthusiasm of the old- er painter. But for many reasons—real or imagin- ary—the exhibitions of late have been lacking in spirit, in co-operation among the artists, The big men of the West— Charles J. Dickman, Charles Rollo Peters, Amadee Joullin and Willlam Keith, have not been represented, save by canvases loaned by owners. Now, this condition is not conduclve to the legitimate growth of art here- abouts, where the spirit of art is a con- stituent of the air. For it matters not how inspired the immature artist may be with his conceptions, he must have vis- ible ideals before him, that he may work up to them. It is this necessity that makes the Old World the Nirvana of art- ists, rather more than the teachers they find there. Good pictures ereate a good art atmos- phere, and thus should it be a matter of patriotism that the best pictures that are painted here should be for the benefit and pleasure of the students and performance,” 1 told her “‘wondering about the vital bit of differ- ence between ym’wnrk and the Ameri- can work. How ‘would you size it up yourself?"” With a charming frankness, gayety, she threshed out the thing as it appeared to her, standing up like a tall, white calyx from the pink and blue velvets falling about her. First, however, she pouted that Mr. Musgrove would not give her “a spotlight on ‘me’ new gown,” and she was heart- broken! this trip during their visit here two years ago. He had decided then that the Australian players would “go,” as a novelty, by virtue of their possession of that “something” (Miss Stewart put it) that seemed to them to be i.cking. hJusl what would she call it, I asked er. *“Vim,” Miss Stewart thought came near- est, though that was not quite the word. “Or perhaps a bit of what you called ‘staginess’ in this morning’s Call!” I told her that it had scemed to me that they had been playing to people who required much done for them, who were not perhaps particularly pervious to sug- gestions, not perhaps very keenly sensi- tive. “‘One thing the Australians must have,” the actress put it, “the things must go. That is all the cry of a first night—'keep it alive, boys, keep it alive!' the man- ager says. Yet,” Miss Stewart said, “we are subtle too, down there. Wish we could play a modern play here—" of the masses. Therefore is it to be hoped that every artist in California will submit his best production—be he master or student—for the general good, for his own good, and for the honor of his art. And if conditions of selection and ar- rangement are found to be unfair or rea- sonably objectionable, let some reform follow. But mere apathy never effected reform. It takes analysis, suggestion and action. " > But meanwhile, let every painter here- abouts set about presenting the best that's in him—for note. you the prize of ducats. - . s Next Sunday a picture by one of the best known living Japanese artists will be presented—a canvas, by Shimada Sek- ko, who is at present at the San Mateo home of Henry e, The attitude of modern art can scarcely be said to be polite to the art of the Jap- anese—which is ed by students of it to have flourished when our ancestors were running round in bearskins, and making funny-page pictures on the walls of caves, Mr. Musgrove, she said, had decided on ' building, 916 Market street. For “Ibsen?” I asked—she looks so differ- ent! *q have never seen an Ibsen play,” said Miss Stewart. That was'it! Miss Stewart was the woman-who-has-never-seen-Ibsen. And I know now where I had seen her. Where, indeed, had 1 not seen her? Still, I have not yet seen her off the stage. But as Nell Gwynne, she is that which has daz- zled on every poster that has a seap to sell; on all the perfume calendars; on the labels of everything warranted to make one beautiful forever! There only can one find a nose as miraculously st | cheeks as fabulously pink, hair as won- { gerfully curled and golden, the sunburst a dimple should; the round, clean-lined, | perfect chin. Tle eyes, however, are { Miss Stewart's own, kind and sweet and arch and brightly brown as should be the eyes of “Sweet Nell.” She had never scen an Ibsen play, she repeated, much less played in one. Nor Sudermann. It was “Mice and Men" or “A Country Mouse,” something of that kind she was thinking of when she had wished to pley here in a modern play. She thought we should find subtlety in their Austraijan playing there. It is a very useful experience, we think,” she laughed, “for the English player to come to Australia. He always begins by playing ‘down,’ very qujetly. But after a while he—" “Begins to be ‘alive’?”’ actly,” she laughed. “Third act 2 Stewart was now setting her face in the aforementioned heroic chapeau, in her vose-pink be-furred gown, looking more than ever the picture person. Her maid, frank of eye and fresh of herself, w holding _her train. was still not due on stage for a v moments. During them I told her v charming 1 h:d found her harpsi ng in the act before, and add- e must play the piano well asual ‘‘oh yes, oh yes," was haracteristic and then the little lady, with her quaint little trot, went off upstairs. 1 suggested. Her little, distinctly comely Nell Gwynne So did L The mob was at it, “make way for Mis- M tre Gw Stre: Gwynne,’ 'stress squin, "§tr uin!” from the lazy ones, | the noise rising and falling with the baton | of the mob leader. One man there was | solemnly gesticulating as if he had been in_front of the cnes instead of back of nne, them, doubtless a coming Booth. Then ss Stewart was on ‘and the mob dis- d. > gentlemen .may go e leader, the wit of the hind was quict as the grave. tly one heard in the rich Stewart : “This is not justice, me lord, it is conspiracy! Whecop!” from the gallery. Then more of the Kester grandiloguent inadequac “Injustice if you will; but never insul - It was quite impressive to see “hangin Judge Jeffreys fling out, panting, from his mimic court of justice, shouting: ‘‘Mis- tress Gwynne, your reign is ende You almost thought it was. But it was the same gentieman who found me a chink through which to look at the next scene, with the mildest and most courteous of And then the velvet-footed maid came by to carry her lady's train down- stairs again. 1 followed, as it was to the intermezzo between the third and fourth acts that 1 had been particularly bidden. But. the | litfle maid was at the dressing-room door. i Would I wait just a moment? Miss Stew- | art had to change her costume again. I | would not watch her primping I told the | maid, only listen and talk. Said the lit- tle Australian: “But that’s what wor- ries 'er! she int used to 1t!” And then she took upon herself my en- tertainment, told me how “‘queer it looked to see the men working on the ‘rowds' on Sunday; how life San Francisco is to Sydney, 'flls and all, and how, in Austry- lia, they mever act on Sundays.” When we saw Miss Stewart again she was gorgeous in a wonderful, old Lady Teazle petticoat, pearl-embroidered and heavy with silk flowers. It is 250 years | old, one of Nathan of London's treasures, she told me. It was when I asked her if she had ever played Lady Teazle that Miss Stew- art reminded me that she had been only four years on the dramatic stage. Before that always in comic opera. She likes | best the dramatic stage, she thinks. What would she best like to play? I asked her. “Lady Macbeth!” said the vision, with- out a moment's hesitation. She laughed heartily at my astonish- ment. “You know,” she told me, “we Australians are a versatile people. We have had to be In order to get things. My mother, Mrs, Guerin—who was the first prima donna to sing in Australia, used to sing grand opera for three per- formances a weels, act in tragedy for two, “And youre the daughter of your mother,” 1 laughed, “Well, I won't die until I play real trag- edy,” she threw to the fates. “Some day 1 am going to play Juliet.” “You'll never be old I prophested. That she had been on the stage ever since she was two and a half years old she dia not surprise me with then. It is in her atmosphere. Not for a moment could one imagine Miss Stewart anything but an actress. She, more than any one else among my not small acquaintance of the craft, has the manner, the romance, enough!” ‘' Maybe they’'re right—but I am not yet a victim to Japanesonia. But there is said to be no teiling what symptoms may develop when on.ce l:mcu.lzted. Gertrude Partington, these many monthg in Paris, has sold a canvas, “Laughing Pan,” to the Carnegie Museum at Pitts- burg. z Many complimentary things are said of the recent work of this handsome young man, who left here a year ago to ac- :':gt a fine offer from John Wanamaker. Indeed, it was for that gentieman’s publi cations that she went over to Paris some months ago. SRdo A. W. Best is doing some interesting things along the scenic lines, the best of which are those of Mexican impres- | slons. Some types of imagination are sin- gularly alive to Spanish scenes, which truism ‘holds good with . expression through words as through canvas. Mr. Best belongs to the coterie of artists who have set up their easels upon the top floor of the.Columbia con- raight, a mouth ag small, | |lashes, the dimple growing just where ! [ana then in burlesque for the other two!” | the mystery of it, the suggestion of the “people apart.” I asked her how far back her artistic heredity went. 3 For answer Miss Stewart handed to me a tiny pale blue shoe studded with a beau- tiful glittering paste buckle. “Those were David Garrick’s,” she sald proudly. “No—he was not a relation—ex- actly! He was fond of my mother's great-grandmother, Mrs. Yates, you know, and he gave her these buckles. He gave her two pairs—he had only four. She was quite the Lady Macbeth of her day, and Garrick admired her very much. Rather naughty? But there were so many others!"” And, after a sight of the second pair of Garrick’s buckles, still as brilliant, seem- ingly, as the day they were made, I bade good-night to Mrs. Yates’ charming great- great-granddaughter. BILLS AT PLAYHOUSES FOR TiIS WEEK Pixley and Luders, of “King Dodo™ and “The Prince of Pilsen,” send us an- other comic opera this week in “Wood- land,” to be given for the first time at the Columbia ‘iheater to-morrow even- ing. Henry .avage is responsible for the production, which is said ‘to have made successful history in Boston, Chi- cago and New York. The characters in the opera all represent birds, though neither clawed nor feathered in most instances, and take part in a story said to be really funny, and music aileged to be worthy ot tne bird tribe. Chiet of the company is Harry Bul- ger, the well known comedian, and as- soclated with him in the production are lda Mulle, Helen Hale, Walter Law- rence, George Bean, so well known by his connectipn with the Hoyt farces; Magda Dahl, Louise Tozier, Louis Cas- savant, Greta Risley and Bertyne Mory timer. The company in all numbers more than seventy-five. An augment- ed orchestra will be a feature of the attraction. e s There seems to be no diminution of | the interest in the Australlan players at the Majestic Theater. To-morrow evening they begin a second week of “Sweet Nell of Old Drury,” that made so pronounced a hit last Monday even- ing. Miss Neilie Stewart as “Sweet Nell” has already become a local idol, | both her compatriots and the natives combining to adore. The cast through- out has won hearty admiration, and the production approval unlimited. & 5evE e For those that have not yet seen “The Admirable Cricaton” at the Alca- zar, this to remind that there are two more performances of the play there to-day. To-morrow evening there will be seen a college farce, new to the pro- fessional stage, by Richard Walton Tully, entitled “A Strenuous Life” and subtitled *“James Wobberts, Freshman.” The farce deals with local college life and the University of California will own the theater to-morrow evening. 7 e e This evening the Tivoli will present Offenbach’s charming comic opera, “The Brigands,” in which the clever Tivoli folks will find much excellent material. The Offenbach revivals seem to be much in current favor at the comic opera houses, and the Tivoll promises a revival that will compare with its best. At the Grand Opera-house this aft- ernoon will be given the first perform- ance of the week’s “Way Down East,” the perennially popular rural drama. . Watson's Oriéntals will add the next spoke to the burlesque wheel at the California this week. There will be andther bow-wow and meow act at the Orpheum this week, with Charles Baron's burlesque- mena- gerie. They do not seem to be able to get hold of a bad cat and dog turn at the local vaudeviile temple and Baron's promises the best.” The beastles mas- querade as lions, tigers and even alli- gators, and are said to enter fully into the fun of the thing. Mirzl von Wen- zel, who has yodeled to the tune of success all over Europe, is another headliner, and Snyder and Buckley, in- strumentalists, with “King Louis,” the largest contra-bass bassoon in America. will also appear, s e e Herr Schmidt, the “Human Pillar,” will have the chief weight of the Chutes entertainment upon nis shoul- ders this week. Other things will be Arthur Kilroy, who cycles ‘upon a track supported by Schmidt. * e e At the Columbia Theater to-night the Arthur Becker Lustsplel Ensemble will make its second appearance this season in a comedy production. The recent pre- sentation by these players at the Co- lumbia of *“The Two Escutcheons' proved an especially inviting affair, and this Sunday night's production of Schoenthau and Kadelburg’s laugh-provoker, “Die Beruhmte Frau,” Is sure to attract a large auwence. The cast will include Manager Arthur Becker, who will be seen in the leading role. Josephine Lafontaine Neckhaus will have a strong part, and others to appear are Emma Duden, Ellen Klein- schmidt, Johanna Strauss, Meta Blass, Herbert Walter, Dr H. Kugeler, Emil Fritsch, V. Kleinschmidt, Fred Suess and freres he has L. P. Latimer, Joseph Greenbaum and Manuel Valencia—each of whom preserves his own individu- ality in his own line of work as com- pletely as though he never had fra- ternized with his aspiring fellows. . s Francis J. McComas Is quite the busiest chap in the Santa Barbara art colony, the rugged scenery round the little inn where he makes his home holding him fast with its beauty. No doubt McComas will send some of these things to the spring exhibition. ‘With him is his pretty little wife, ‘whose intelligent interest in her hus- band’s work is a beautiful thing to see. 4 . . Another painter who is lured by the skies of Santa Barbara, the spell of romance that hangs over the old mission town, and the mystical charm of the country round about it is Willis Davis, who is dividing his amusing him at the Arlington fl'&'m and painting when the Partim A. Walderman. Thers is a big advance sale of seats for the Sunday night per- formance. KOPTA CONCERTS NEED "FINANCIAL AID. There are still needed, Wenzel Kopta tells me, a few more subscribers to put the Kopta Chamber Music Con- certs on a paying basis. I am sure this needs only to be known to be reme- | d1ed. The Kopta Quartet fills a dis- tinctly honorable niche in local musie, a fact of which the local music-lover is | very gratefully aware. As it is now we bave no public devotees of this charm- Ing art. The gap Is a serious one. There is a certain excuse in the magni- { tude of the undertaking for the non- | existence of the symphony concert! there is none at all for the absence of chamber-music concerts granted a mu- sician of Kopta's caliber for their handling. Indubitably, however, the appeal of chamber music is chiefly 1o the musical aristocrat, that is, to the smallest class of music lovers—and the question of the dollar will intrude. It is not a very serious one here. Two hundred subscribers only Mr. Kopta computes i will make the series safe. (not be difficult to find Two Hundred among all the musical thousands of San Francisco. But it should be done quickly. The concert time is now and the quartet is ready when the subscrip- tions are. It is almost superfluous to say that there is none but artistic | profit contemplated, nor is it without the matter to mention that last season's artistic fun cost Mr. Kopta and his as- ‘socmtes just a round $50 a month! Subscription lists, in this connection, can be found at Sherman & music_store, or Mr. Kopta or | Oscar'Mansfeldt may be notified subscription intent. Mr. Kopta's own recital of last week but one I had the misfortune to miss, but afterward heard a large part of the most interesting programme. The very picturesque and romantic “Allegro de Concert”” of Bazzini, which the violinist played in admirably picturesque and romantic fashion, was perhaps Mr. Kop- ta’s happiest performance. He was here, ana throughout, assisted, in her | usual earnest and effective way, by Mrs. Oscar Mansfeldt. The Beethoven { sonata in F was the older classic of the | programme. the andante being perhaps the best plaved of its movements. Here Mr. Kopta finds outlet for his na- tive romantie strain an i was charmingly read and played by | both players. The opening allegro was | slightly sentimentalized, both players guilty; the scherzo again rendered with | compelling humor and vivacity, and the finale was a triumph for both musi- cians. There were also a characteris- | tically pleasing romance of Saint- Saens; another of Tschalkowsky's, a | Dvorak Tanze, and the Lucla Sextet arranged by Sauret. The whole pro- worthily played by two musicians we are very fortunate to have among us. P e A lesson every day, from Henschel, Isl- dore Luckstone and Madame von Fei- | litzsch, is the tale of Mrs. Camm's (Do- rothy Goodsell) days in New York, where she went recently to study. Mr. Hen- schel has shown himself extravagantly appreciative of the Californian singer, de- claring that she ‘“‘can hold her own’ with any of the Gothamites. Mrs. Camm was always a most thoughtful and intelligent student, and when she gives her récital, as is her present intent, upon her return here, we shall doubtiess rejoince with her in her progress. Madame von Feilitzsch, comparatively new among the masters, Mrs. Camm speaks most highly of, par- ticularly in the matter of tone production. She adds that Henschel and Luckstone are both “grea though entirely dif- ferent from each other. O The next musical personage to come this way is Alfred Reisenauer, the planist, who, from what I can make of the advance notices, is of the Bauer school of artists, which is to say of the best. Mr. Reisenauer is a very famous person just now. He has won all kinc of encomiums in the East and on the Continent, and in London is known as one of the few masters who can attract pay- ing audiences. It is interesting to know l l ! It should | the movement | gramme was worthy in short, and most | that Mr. Reisenauer {s a Lizst pupil. His recitals here have been arranged for Wednesday and Friday nights, Feb~ ruary 7 and 9, and for the Saturday mate inee, the 10th, to be given at Lyric.Hall At his first concert he will play the | rarely played Sonate In F sharp major, op. T8, of Beethoven, and Schubert’s Wan- derer Fantaisie. Friday night concert the spevia Grande Sonata in F si Bagatellen” and hoven, and at the Sat- urday matinee andel's ‘“Harmonious Blacksmith,” Haydn's Grand Fantaisie and the Chopin Sonate in B minor. NOTES OF TEE ACTORS AND THE PLAYS. That clever young woman, len, recently lost to the | notes, will make her first | Denver this ever with a Polonalse by Bee Ruth Al Alcazar, ap F ierts. Mis is to produce a new play to titled iline D' Arey.” with th Max Figman, James us Henderson, . Joseph aide Ma- ¢ Robinson, Lu- Hazleton, Gordon Rog nola, Ruth Allen, Flc cille Yorke, May d and Lillian | Armsby. | Adele ck and J. H. Gilmore, who “created” the roles of Esther and King | Ahasuerus In the first production of “Miz. pah” at the Majestic Theater, have beem engaged for the same roles by Charles Frohman In his production of the play at Baltimore. oy g Charles A. Mason, the comediang when leaving the Empire Theater imy New York one 1t after the perform= ance was adcosted by a bibulous stran~ | ger in the threes of a difficult if gloris | ous locomotion. After apologizing pro~ | fusely, the stranger managed to asi | the funny .man where he could get a | car for the Grand Central Depot. Mr. Mason stood him up, turned him about and then sald: “Go to the next cornerj there you will see two cars; take the first one—the other one won't be there.” &y e Willam Gillette's new play, ice,” recently produced in Boston, seems to have added largely both to the ac- tor's and playwright's fame. The | Globe says of it: “Mr. Gillette calls | ‘Clarice’ a comedy. It is more than & comedy, it is a drama of the most in< |tense sort. The comedy element is there and delightful it is, but the dra- | matic sense of the actor-author carries him far beyond the limitations of mere comedy and he gives us a strong, ap- pealing, stirring/array of seemes. Mr, Gillette has achieved a literary and his- trionic chef d'oeuvre. He acts the rola of Dr. Carrington with rare repression. In his love scenes with Clarice he is tender, whimsically droil and always true to his art. In Miss Marie Doro, his leading woman, Mr. Gillstte appears to have found one of those realistic nug- { gets that are not brought to the light of public gaze and admiration every year.” oo 8 David Higgins, who is playing “His | Last Dollar.” recalls an amusing story of Lawrence Barrett and John McCul- lough when they were starring togeth- er in the West. The manager of some out-of-the-way place in Colorado got them to play an engagement with him for “one night only.” The stage of the theater was so small that there was hardly standing room for the company, the flies being about two feet above the actors’ heads. The bill was “Richard IIL” and by the time they came to the last scene the patience of both MeCul- lough and Barrett was exhausted. But | they had their revenge. Just beford | they rushed on for the “wind-up” be- tween Richard and ..ichmond, McCul- lough, who was playing Richard, turned | to Barrett. | “How in thunder are we going to | swing our swords in that space?” he { i ! asked. “Never mind,” replied Barrett, “cut \the scemery down!" And they did. {They went at cach other with a_venge- |ance, and with every blow made a gash in the flles or cut a plece out of ! one of the wings. When the fight was | finished and the victorious Richmond | stooa over his prostate foe, the flles | above him hung in ribbons and the lwlngs were total wrecks. CON- w 1S WHICH HE sx%s GROWTH IN AN A gtxm FELLO" A BUSY WORKS