The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 17, 1907, Page 28

By James Crawford g produ it ctions, it depend upon arked. I rem \ = B 1 a @ | wrong her mother less to blame for it,” mured, abstracted 1ally more or . Kurtzig mur- Salome’ or of | Roger asked “Maybe both,” was the answer. “Such a parallel never occurred to me,” said Miss Odell “But to draw it is justifiable,” Miss | Jewel opined. | It w to avert a threatening digres- | sion that I asked N Jewell if she had decided just how the “dance of | the seven veils” will be performed by | her. “I have not practiced it yet,” she replied; “but it will not shock any one who is-not predetermined to be shocked.” ‘| How Gotham Was Horrified t was this terpsichorcan effect that| hastened the cxpulsion of “Salome” | from the Metropolitan Opera-house. I remember having read that “in every quickening step of the sensuous dance the passion that inspired it 1 for her—| burned faster and more furious, until that Wilde | the .spectator felt the shame of the | outraged Princess as she unveiled her body to the forbidden view of the | revelers”; also, that “the sensual ap- peal of the dance was not justified by the dramatic intensity of the passions that inspired it.” ~But I did not quote those criticisms to Miss Jewel. r her naive vivacity | fiteen- vain and Another _objectionable ~ feature of ed before t the New York production was Sa- hereupon he |lome’s kissing of John's head when it was presented to her, and when I in- quired if that scenc were among the Colonial eliminations Mr. Bacon re- plied, “Not entirely,” 'and awaited further clucidation from Miss Jewel ter herself. , : " 4 Mr. Stollard and T have deprived Mh?’ lnsplred the Demand? the scene of its revolting grewsome- nterpretations have been he inspiration of that de- | Jewel continued. “Some | insanely in love with | cing spurned by him, | Others say she was ocent instrument of her sire to punish the man| y denounced her. Con- girl’s age and the char-| ness without really taking aw: its dramatic value,” she said. the head is presented to Salome she extends her hands to accept it, and | just then the moon is obscured by a| cloud that darkens the stage. When the moon reappears the head presum- ably has been kissed. Then Herod commands his soldiers to kill Salome,” “The entire play is acted in moon- r mother I am inclined to|light,” said Mr. Kurtzig, “and the e latter finding | stage pictures will be beautiful.” me beseech John| “Of course, you understand the e were not madly in| put in Miss Odell,| o mitigate the wick-| ron she is to play. does not say that she| symbolism of the moon and other thing: I asked nobody in particular, nor did any one in particular reply. When Austin Lewis Read It “I forgot to tell you,” Mr. Kurtzig | said, “that one of my reasons for pre- senting Salome is its newness to San Bible replied the coming impersonator The the old lady was -hardly FRINA Brcory N e ~s= L /’/\ Francisco. here.” “No, but it was read before one of the women’s clubs about a year ago,” I informed him. “Did they like it?” came in eager chorus. “Some of them-did, and some of them didn’'t,” I apswered, and was urged to tell all about the divided verdict. It was Austin Lewis, the lawyer- lecturer, who read the play to the club ladies, and when he- finished reading he mercilessly assailed it. Admitting the beauty and poetry of the lines, he deplored the theme, saying that al- though he had no particular desire to see art made a vehicle of ~moral preaching he did object to art’s utili- zation as a_ preacher of gross: im- morality. Consequently, to him the play was hideous, because it clothed a-vile theme in alluringly ‘beautiful phrases. The plain Bible ' story of Salome he considered bad enough, and It has never been played 3 | no excuse with art as an argument | could reasonably be offered in behalf of Wilde, then a degenerate himself, depicting the girl as sensually in love with John while she was beloved by her degenerate mother's ~degenerate husband. o In the cnsuing debate by the club- women the lecturer’s opinion was elo- quently approved and vigorously op- posed. One highly cultured member of the opposition .took the ground that it was illogical to criticise the play from an ethical standpoint be- cause it was written by one who had written also “Those who do not love Beauty more than Truth never know the inmost shrine of Art,” and who always preached Art for Art's sake. Why Ignore the Symbolism? Why, then, argued the lady, could not Mr. Lewis ignore the ethical side of “Salome” and see only, the artistry in its construction and thus appreciate the rare and curious fantasy of the ///- — ' DISCUSS MZSS orxEzZr [ TR ZTZIY N ORZTZrG~ author’s brain as Art, and Art only? Was it fair, she asked, to’overlook the symbolism of the play—the in- sistent presence and mention of the moon, symbolic of illusion and death —which invests it with a mysticism that masks the horror of which Mr. Lewis had complained. Miss Jewel and Miss Odell seemed to inwardly applaud i argument. Mr. Bacon's countenance was noncommittal. . Mr. Roger said nothing. Mr. Kurtzig and I with- drew. Before we parted he would like to know what I thought of it. I side- stepped by asking him the same ques- tion. “I think that club lady was right,” he said. -“The people who are com- ing to sce ‘Salome’ played have varied prompting. Some—and the majority, I hope—will lose sight of the—the— everything else’in view of the poetry of the lines and the beauty of the steging. Others will look only for the —the—well, what ‘that lecturer found in the book. Now, what do you think?” ‘ “I' think,” was my answer, “that the period when the yvoung-girl ruled our playhouses absolutely—or rather when they were ruled by the masculine idea of what the young girl ought to see— is sliding farther into history every day.” “By which you mean—" “That your ‘Salome’ will draw many witnesses, and that the majority of them will not be hypnotized by the poetry of the play.” “You think we'll do a big business?” “I'm certain of it.” If he had not repeatedly assured me that - money-getting had no part in his. calculations I might have inter- preted his involuntary smile as the effervescence ‘of a ;nercenary spirit. * Characters in the Tragedy * This is the cast for “Salome,” the characters being .given in the order of their entrance: - ¢ The young Syrian,.Harry Pollard; the Page’ of "Herodias, 'Albert Eas- dale; First Soldier, Edward- Coxen; Second Soldier, ‘Walker -Graves Jr.; a Cappadocian, R. Peralta-Galindo; a Nubian, Manuel: Snider; Jokanaan (the Prophet), Norval McGregor; Sa- lome (daughter ‘of ‘Herodias), Izetta Jewell; - Herod ' Antipas, 'Wilfred Roger; Herodias, Maud Odell; Tigel- linus, Charles Hazlétt; First Jew, “Walter Belasco; Second Jew, Joseph A. Carroll; First Nazarene, Ivan Miller; Second Nazarene, Claude Ha- gan.© - The performance of the tragedy will consume about an hour, and preced- ing it will be the farce, “Lend Me Five Shillings,” by John Madison Morton. This laugh-maker was included in the late Joe Jefferson’s”.repertoire, and wherever producedit scored a distinct hit. ~As Mr. Golightly, Frank Bacon will'have'a:character that suits him to a nicety. - He will-be supported by A. -Burt .Wesner,: Or{il:l-fifx:ph’reys. the opposing| | Harry . Pollard, George W. Fitch, Bessie Bacon and Jane Jeffery. O . | Comic Opera and Minstrels Alice Neflson’s first operatic vehicle A - e g “The Singing Girl,” is to be started | /(" o7 ,f;“‘l 2 n a run tomorrow evening at the epo | American Theater, with all the me bers of the San Francisco Opera Com- | pany in the cast. The book is by Harry B. Smith and Stanislaus Stange and the music by Victor Herbert. After stepping from the ranks of th old Tivoli chorus into a principal posi- tion with the then famous Bostoni n- gur ently Wood Molly F ans, artist in the San Carlos Grand Opera Miss Neilson had “The Singing Girl” . i written for her, and it proved the Ehe raan . s foundation of greater things, for when T dE e €8 * she returns to San Francisco in the Iy pop o near future it will be as a prominent week the eptionall Company. ‘While the muslc of “The Singing { Girl” is Victor Herbert muslc and 1d therefore bound to be tuneful, the book affords excellent opportunity for Teddy Webb and his brother comedians to make plenty of fun, and they can be depended upon to make the most of the opportunity. and th burlesque | < . Some Promised Affractions Henry w open the V f Monday, West's minstrels open a week's en- gagement .at the Central Theater to- morrow night, and among them are such well-known burnt cork comedians as-George Van, Dick Mitchell, Hayes and Graham, Johnny Christy and Billy Warmington, and such sweet singers as |y Roswell J. Wright, James ontwell, Willlam Renard, Lloyd Balliet and| ana Mac Raymond Rand. | of the Cabb In addition to the usual minstrel . singing, dancing and comedy features, | the bill includes an act entitled “Moon- | light on the Suwanee,” which is said to be one of the most picturesque produc- | tions ever staged, plcturing as it does| Creston Clarke in senger” is to f at the Novelty T| of ¢ Hawes Landing on the famous Suwanee | wit, River. Another interesting feature is|in the lea “The Battleship Four,” a genuine old- | ing ¢ at the Ce time negro act. Comedian George Van|may essay Hamlet is advertised as a laugh-provoker of | which he is tempera distinet style. | .« . Nance O'Nefll 1 for an early " | engagement at the Novelty. Vaudeville and Good Drama | *"*°% < e Charles E. Evans of Evans and Hoe“! Murray and Mack in “Around fame, who played I. McCorker in Hoyt's| Town” to play a special “A - Parlor Match” over three thousand | ment of two performances n times, has ‘at length yielded to the golden inducements of vaudeville and will appear this afternoon at the Or- | pheum In the one-act farce “It's Up to You, Willlam,” which was specially | F written for him by George Arliss. Mr. Evans will have the support of his own company, which consists of Elizabeth Barry, Helena Phillips, Loulse Skill- man and Charles H. Hopper. Other new attractions will be the | Four Rianos, grotesque acrobats and season of 1907-08 a ser pantomimists; Cameron and Flanagan, | companies to pr comedians, in their original sketch, | ter successes in the “On and Off”; Allan Shaw, palmist and | throughout the country coin and card manipulator, and Shields | which are to be presented include and Rodgers in their exhibitioh of las- | Music Master,” “T soing and rope throwing. | West,” “The Rose of the Rancho, This is the last week of Eleanor|Darling of the Geds,” “Sweet Falke, Nellle Beaumont and company, | Bellairs.” “The Heart of Maryland" the Bedouin Arabs and the Lasky-|others to be announced later. Rolfe Quintet. . | move has been made necessary .« . success of these plays and for the There will be a special matinee per- | consequent demand for them through- formance -of “The Virginian” this aft- | out the country. erngon at the Novelty Theater. and | s the second and last week of the en-| Maurice Grau is said gagement will commence tonight. ~ | health again this winter. H The dramatization of Owen \err‘.«l story of the plains is even move popu- at the Novelty Theater. More Wildeign! jed to present with an all an principal memb; f the will cor Virginia Ha Ashwell, tanding, Wil nay and W. J. Fergusen. enry Dazian Contlnucd on Page 29