The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-18

its lurid plot. Miss Marguerite Coleman
played the part of LucreZia, the notorious
duchess, who discovers that the tenor,
Gennars, is her long-lost son, and who so
arouses the jealousy of her present hus-
band, Duke Alfonso, by her sudden affec-
ton for the youth. The Duke seiZes upon
good excuse for making away with him
by giving him goblet of the famous Bor-
gia wine, which was much quicker poison
than even bad whisky.
Miss Coleman is always a clever and
sympathetic little actress, but she was
somewhat overweighted with the gloomy
tragedy of her role. She was too young,
and too petite for an ideal LucreZia, and
her voice was too light in timbre, but she
was always graceful and convincing. In
deed, Miss Coleman never for a moment
lost the sympathy and interest of her
audience, and there were a great many
scenes IN which she won the warmest APP
plause.
Gennaro who looked more like Lu-
erezlas father than her son, was played
by Slgnor l.. Glorgi. This tenor, who al
ways succeeds in carrying his audiences
with him, sang as usual, with all the style,
the agony, one might say, of an operate
tenor of the Tamagno class. When it
comes to a matter of information, a semi
tone more or less does not stand in Signor
Glorgis way at all. If he cannot hit off
passage in tune he goes through it so
eourageously out of tune that people are
too much carried away by his superb au-
dacity to do anything but applaud him.
,Slgnor c: Zapelli, the barytone who
played Duke Alfonso, sang and acted his
part well. Some of his lower notes were
little too weak to carry all over the theater,
but his singing was pleasant to listen to,
ana DID not Dartake at all of the nature of
| shouting. His scene with Lucrezia was
one OF the most successful in the whole
| performance.
The part Of orsino was too loud for Mrs.
| Ermlnla Cuneo-M Mclean. ''Nella fatal di
! Rimini'' indeed lost its dramatic effect
through lack of power in the low notes.
! The "BrindisT' suited her better, but Mrs.
| Mclean acted her part better than she
sang it. Her dramatic Interpretation of
| Orsino was excellent.
| All the minor solos were well sustained
and the chorus was an exceptionally good
one. The cast was as follows:
Miss Marguerite Coleman (soprano)......
Mrs. Erminia Cuneo-McLean (eontraitoJ .
s,ro, + cioro ;tc,,ori Maf9 OTsinl
Signor c, Zapelli (barytone). .....Duca Alfonso
s sig c. E. Vitalini tbassol
| -: .Astolfo and Gubetta
Signor L. Deluca (tenorl. ........... Rustighello
Signor A. Bagi {tenor). ..............L iverotto
Signor L. alsanziacomo tenor). 49,. Vitellozzo
Signor Z. Merani (basso)- .Petrucci
SigIlor ". Ghentra. "A Rel1glous
| Slgnor K. NaraneSe. An Usher
Mrs. Isabelle Raynaud (contralto).. .......
! ..........................P rincipessa Negron
Interest in the opening of "The Gaiety
Girl company tonight has been keyed to
high pitch of expectancy from the fact
that it is the largest company ever brought
across the water for the presentation of a
| hight entertainment, and the success that
has attended it in the United States has
made it apparent that the best things from
| abroad are always welcome here.
| 1t will be remem bered that when the
company opened its American tour at
Augustin Days Theater in New York last
| September doubts were expressed in GER
| tain quarters as to whether or not the play
! goers of this country would take to the
distinctly English humor which peryades
| the entertainment, but these doubts were
! silenced by the success of the enterprise in
| New York and other cities.
Every inch OF room will be at premium
tonight at the California Theater, when
| Frederick Warde and Louis James will
present for the first time w. Greer Har-
rison's new romantic play 'Runnymede"
The work is written in blank verse and
abounds in sentiment. There is a vein of
comedy running through it which, coupled
with the pathos and the historic action of
the period, makes a stirring romantic
drama. Mr.. Warde will appear as Robin
Hood, Mr.. James as Friar Tuck GUY
Lyndsley as King John, and Miss Edith
Chapman as Maid Marian. Miss Fannie
| Bowman as Marjorie and Mr.. Brigham
Royce as the ''seven-foot babe of the
wood" Littlejohn, and to the cast.