Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-11
At THE BAY CITY,
Dramatic Matters in San Fran
cisco.
The Opening of Stockwell's New
Theater,
a House That Is Perfect in All Particu-
Iars-The Daily CompanY-Fran-
cis Wiison-Notcs and
Gossip.

Special Correspondence 70 the HERALD.l
SAN Francisco, July S.--Stockwelps ps
theater was opened last night, the exact
date for its opening when WORK was first
commenced upon it months ago. Is not
this most remarkable happening ?
How some eastern managers who have
groaned and sweat for weary weeks,
waiting and waiting long past the dates
set for the opening of their new theaters
must envy Manager Stockwell his good
fortunel And his theater was opened
most successfully. The house was
crowded, and the. opening performance
was superb. The theater is one of the
most beautiful haveeever seen and one
of the most perfect INTELLECTUALLY. The
wood and relief work is in white and
gold, and the walls are delicately tinted.
The curtain was painted by Forrest
Seabury, California artist, and is a
beautiful piece OF work. The subject is
The Birth of Spring. There are six pro-
scenium boxes on each side, making
twelve in all, and there are seven loges
between the orchestra and dress circle
seats. There are two balconies, and
there Is absolutely not poor seat in
the house; not one in which you cannot
see and hear perfectly. Everything
about the house is bright, and light
comes so abuntly from the many incan-
descent lamps that it is the lightest
auditorium l have ever seen. One can
look around the house between the acts
and see every face with the utmost dis
tinctness, even far away in the further
most corner. 1t is most delightful
place in every respect, and congratula-
tions were showered on Manager Lowell
B. Stockwell until you couldn't rest.
The architects, too, Wood and
Lowell, come in for q large share
Of the congratulations and they de-
served them. ALI Ellinghourse, the busi-
ness manager, was in his element, and
wherever he touched his hand things
ran smoothly. The audience was en-
thusiastic and called every body before
the curtain. Stockwell came out, but
wouldn't make a speech. He just
smiled, but that tickled the gods. Sea-
bury, the scenic artist, was called out,
and at the end of the play Augustln
DAILY was called for most uproarionsly,
and he made nice little speech. Sue
cessful doesn't express the start Stock
well has made, and l never congratu-
lated any one with more sincerity than
I did him last night.
a*x
The opening was done by Augustin
Daly's company, who appeared in that
Like It. Of course Ada Rehan was the
central figure, though the others were
not lost by any means. 1t ia a nearly
perfect performance in its ensemble.
But Ada Rehan, most delightful of NOR
tals--ah. it would take columns to
enumerate the beauties of her perform
ance of Rosalind. Not that she has no
faults, but why seek for them when
there ia SO much to please you? She is
strikingly original in the character, and
Htrews new readings along her path like
sunlight through the trees. She puts
such genuine life into the character,
gives it so much new expression and re-
veals so many unsupported beauties in
the text and go many revelations OF
Shakes peare's knowledge of emotional
color that one is bewildered. She is
always womanly and never allows you to
forget that she is a woman, although
not 80 obtruaively that Orlando would
guess Ganymede to be other than he
seems. she is marvellous in the scenes
where, ss the boy, che makes Orlando
woo her as his Rosalind, and instead of
having Rosalind simply return to her
self, she really gives the impression OF a
girl playing a boy who is PLAYING at
being girl. Oh, che is charming, and
the fainting scene is done by her with
more naturalness than have ever seen
before, John Drew plays Orlando, but it
Ia out of his line, though he is too good
an actor to do anything badly. James
Lewis is an admirable Touchstone-an
almost perfect one, and George Clarke
gives good though decidedly unconven-
tional performance of the melancholy
Jacques. The other parts are in good
hands, and the scenic settings are
Hingularly beautiful and all painted
here. Three cheers for Stockwel and
his pluck.
x#*
Tomorrow night we ehall have to bid
adieu to Francis Wilson. He and his
company are exceedingly clever, and
they have given us delightful entertain
ment. In both the Merry Monarch and
the Lion Tanner they have made a hit,
and when Wilson comes here again he
will pack the house at every perfor-
nance. He is a wonder, when you
come right down to it. He began his
stage career as g. song-and-dapce man,
and continued it several years. But he
was always ambitious to become a
legitimate actor and forsook his line at
time when he was receiving 500 a
week to go into the stock Of the Chest
nut-street, Philadelphia, at $15. A
man with pluck enough to do that was
bound to succeed. He afterwards be-
came the comedian of that theater and
then went on the road with comedy
company. He began his successful ca
reer in comic opera with the McCaull
company, and continued at the New
York Casino after McCaull went out of
it. He made his big hit at that theater
rs Cadeaux, in Erminie, under Aron-
sons management. He ia quiet, stu
diouE-looking man, and impresses you
Immediately as being a gentleman in
every sense OF the word. He is an ex-
pert boxer and fencer and splendid
fellow generally.
x#x
Charlie Reed and Willie Collier have
made hit at the California with Hoss
and Hoss. suppose you want to know
whether it is good or not, but 1 really
cannot say. saw the performance the
opening night, but my critical faculty
If / have any-refused to do its work
and was dumbfounded in the presence of