The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-22
At THE CITY PLAYHOUSES,
PRINCE ANANIAS" Is WELL PRE-
SENTED AT THE COLUMBIA
THEATER.
SELECT SINGING RENDERED,
1HE PASSING SHOW" AT THE BALD
WIN DRAWS Our SAN FRAN
CIsCO's SOCIETY.

Prince Ananias" was produced by the
Bostonians for the first time in San Fran
cisco last night, and received the friendly
II not the enthusiastic Endorsement of
fashionable audience.
The opera has much to recommend it.
The music is bright, light and homogene-
Gus, and the libretto is well sprinkled
with sparkling jokes. 1t goes without
saying that the Bostonians have made the
piece their own, aud that the acting, sing
ing and staging left absolutely nothing to
be desired.
The plot describes the adventures of an out
law, La Grabbe, who wishes to visit the King
OF Navarre's court as he is in love with the
Prime Minister'S daughter. The outlaws
friend, an impecunious poet, agrees to pose as
man OF title and assumes the name OF Prince
AnaniaS. They induce band OF barn
storming players to accompany them
as a retinue in the hope of winning the reward
that is reserved for the comedian who can
make the melancholy King of Navarro smile.
The first act takes place outside at country
inn, where the trip to court is planned,
and the second is full OF the adventures that
happen in the palace grounds.
w. H. Macdonald made dashing, effective
Prince Ananias and lied as one to the manor
born. Eugene Cowles, the outlaw La Grabhe,
had some OF the best solos in the score and made
the most OF it. Barnabee was the chief OF the
strolling players and mis- role fairly scintilluted
with jokes, many of which were new and origi-
nal. "May the most you expect be the least
you GET was one of his kind wishes. and when
Helen Beltram, the stage-struck village belle,
begged for position on the stage he tried to
quell her with such remarks as 'You're too
short to be an actress long" The role OF
Ninette suited Miss Bertram admirably, and
her display of vocal fireworks when she was
exhibiting her talents TO the manager quite
brought down the house. You're a Trilby,"
said Barnabee, when she had executed q trill
OF almost endless duration.
Jessie Bartlett Davis beautiful voice has
much better chance to display. itself in
tPrince Ananias" than it had in ''Robin
Hood" She was the leading lady of the
players and had three solos, 3" In the Fair
Sunlight" being the most effective Harry
Dale, as the Prime Minister, aided with a
comic gravity that almost excelled that star
OF Gilbert and Sullivan opera, George Gros
smith.
The music of "Prince Ananias' sometimes
recalls Sulliyans light opera works. 1t is not
quite so catchy as those familiar strains, it is
not very original, but some of it is very
pretty and none OF il is dull. Another
good quality is its homogeneousness. There is
no bursting out spasmodically into grand
opera effect, as in De Koven's later works; the
themes in prince Ananias' are all developed
simply and the orchestration is never too
heavy.
Among those present in the audience were:
DR.. and Mrs Lawlor, G. B. Taylor, W. H Tay-
lor Jr., Waiter L. Hobart, II. n. Stetson, George
". McNear, John L. Sabin and Misses Sabin,
the Misses Carolan, George Croker and wife,
Alex Rutherford, W. F. Herrin, Burbank SOM
ers Charles L. Asher, Miss Daisy Heuman, Bert
Lazarus, Mr.. and Mrs. Gerst and fam
lily, Miss Julis Joseph, H. f. Asher,
Mr. and Mrs. Wassermann, w. W. Kaufman,
John Bonner, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sperling,
Mr.. and Mrs. w. H, Morrow, Mr.. Greenwald
and family, Mr. and Mrs. H. T. Scott, Mr.. and
Mrs: W. B. Sloan, F. NJ. Bates and wife, r. E.
Mark and wife, Emil Sutro and sister, Ben
child and wife, NJ. Katzenstein, Miss Selma
Dannenbaum, Sylvester Dannenbaum, NJ. H.
Charles H. Croker Jr., Mrs. Clark w. Croker
and party of twelve, Louis Sloss, DR.. Neu-
mann, Carroll Cook and family, Philip Howell
and family, Edgar Miner, DR.. H. H. Noble,
DR.. w. J. Younger.