Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-24
FRISCO THEATRICAL CHAT.
Charles Frohman's Comedy,
Gloriana, Dissected.
The Lost Paradise Attracts Much
Attention.
Aurustin Daly's Company at tho Stock
well-Miss Frohman at the Bush.
A Good Stock Company at
the AIcazar.

at present, and the theaters are Offering
list of attractions such as can be seen
in no city outside of New York except.
ing upon rare occasions, and there are
more good actors and clever people than
YOU will often find in one city together
at the same time.
1t is proving rather heavy drain with
80 many people away at the seashore
and the theaters are not all doing the
business they should, but people are re-
turning to town and everything will be
all right in week or 30, and managers
will all be happy once more. They are
not finding much fault even now, for
thew are all doing paying business,
though not as much as the attractions
offered deserve.
xxx
The first of the attractions now here
that will descend upon you is Gloriana,
presented by Charles Frohman's Comedy
company. 1t was given last week at the
Baldwin, but is at present at the Cali
fornIa, where it is doing good business
that grows larger every night. Gloriana
is preceded at each performance by a
curtain-raiser, of which Nelson Wheat
croft and George Backus are the auth
ors. entitled The Majors Appointment.
1t is rather somber piece, but delicate,
and with touches OF true pathos. 1t
tells of a cruel April fool joke played
upon an old veteran who has been seek
ing for years government appoint
ment. The major is very artistically
played by Edwin Stevens, who was
until recently comic opera comedian
and whose present impersonation is
therefore a good deal of surprise. But
it proves his versatility in an effec-
tive way and is a highly
creditable piece of work. Mar
garet Robinson plays his granddaughter
sweetly and Thomas Wise as her lover,
a clerk in the treasury department., and
Joseph Allen as Mr.. Rosey, roofer, are
both excellent in their roles. Gloriana
is a piece OF different sort. 1t is
amusing from start to finish, though all
all the credit for the enjoyment derived
must be accorded Mr.. Frohman's splen-
did company, for the piece would
amount to but little if played by ordi-
nary people. 1t would take too much
space to give much of the plot of the
comedy, bat large share of the fun is
got out of the complications arising
from the exchange of clothes by 8 gen
tleman and his valet, in order to enable
the latter to get out OF a slight ehtangle-
ment with charming widow and marry
his fiancee on time. The aforesaid
widow, by the way, is engaged to Rus
sian diplomat, Count Eritof, and the
hit of the piece is made by E. j. Henley
in this character. He is remarkably
clever actor, one of the best in
Aaunn1 n 1ntyhf nd
the action and the fun of
the piece never flag for moment while
he is on the stage, for he carries every
thing before him by one OF the strongest
pieces of character work the stage has
seen in long time. He has the intone-
ton of the Russians English speech to
perfection, and he just crosses the line
into caricature in order to make the
part farcical, but he could just as easily
have made the character strong ele-
ment in serious drama. He is assur-
edly one of the coming men. Frederick
Bond follows him in the fun as Spinks,
the valet before mentioned, and gives
very clever performance, particularly
when representing the valet as aping
the gentleman, for the valet always
shines through. His cleverness in this
respect is the more worthy OF remark
because off the stage he is thoroughly
gentleman, both in appearance and
manner. Henrietta Crossman, who in
my opinion is one OF the most beautiful
women on the stage, or off for
that matter, plays the charming widow,
Gloriana, and gives most delightful
performance. When she was out here
last summer with the Lyceum company
YOU saw her ability displayed in emo
tional rolee, and in this piece she shows
herself equally at home in comedy.
May Robson gives an intensely humor-
GUS character impersonation of Mrs.
Loyering's-G Gloriana's-maid, and in
the last act is simply killing. Joseph
Allen gives an amusing performance OF
a retired tanner, and Margaret Robin
son, a charming one of his daughter,
the fiancee of the young man who
changes his clothes with his valet. @.
B. Welles, who was last in Los Angeles
with Margaret Mather, PLAYS that young
man, and does very veil, and the re-
mainder of the company is up to the
mark. 1t ia very, very seldom that
piece 10 better played than is Gloriana
by this company.
~
The Lost Paradise is at the Baldwin
this week and is attracting great deal
of attention. 1t is spoken OF on the
programme as drama in three acts by
Henry G. de Mile, founded on the Ger
man of Ludwig Fulds. / suppose it
might be in order for me to say some
thing concerning the discussion as to
how much the play owes to De Mile
and how much to Fulda, but shall not,
as that matter has been talked and
written about enough already. Who
ever the credit belongs to, it is strong
play, and whether De Mile is respons-
lble for much of it or not, he has ina
bued it with strong American spirit
and the principal characters are dis
tinctively American. 1t is one OF the
most notable of the recent additions
to the drama, and is one
of those plays that, while
they interest and entertain, also make
people think. The heroine is Margaret
Knowlton, the daughter of the owner OF
the Knowlton iron works. She is his
pride, and he has lavished every luxury
upon her, and Notwithstanding the fact
that he derives an immense profit from
the manufacture of certain inventions,
he is in debt. He betroths her to q
young man of the world, Ralph Stand
ish, and takes him into partnership
The invention which has brought hin
30 much money was disclosed to him by
Standish's father. who was killed by an
explosion in his laboratory, which also
destroyed all drawings and models OF
a. :~.ro,,4;or ond ON hlad Kuowyltov, -