The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-18
* z1e&s.1>> H>'e==es.

"Judah," but one night in Shakespearean
parts almost effaced the favorable impress
sion fair degree of talent had created in
lighter plays. A familiarity with mechani-
cal details, ease in handling histrionic
instruments, a confidence which the
wholly-untrained lack: these are decidedly
useful, even Indispensable; but in them
selves they are nothing without an
illumining and uplifting talent.
One reason that Miss Coghlan's Viola is
not attractive is because it lacks just the
touch of sunshiny genius which poetizes
role. The years of stage experience this
actress has had could not teach her how to
be beautiful, could not endow her with
different temperament, could not make
her "a sensitized plate for impressions which
she should pass on to her audience. 1t is
not dizziness, it is not indifference that
makes her work colorless, 1t is the absence
of strong, vital character. There Is an
absence of faults, but there is also an
absence of virtues in her lmpersona-
ton; it is misty, it is ordinary,
it Is not worth while. Shakespeare's
heroines are above all character full.
They are complete real entities. There
and the public requires that the actress
who attempts Shakespearian role shall
be first woman of genius or OF extra
ordinary talent, and second, that she shall
be beautiful and graceful. Even then she
rarely realizes the poets creation to US. so
difficult is it for mere human women to
attain the sum of perfectlons with which
Shakespeare endowed his heroines Miss
Coghlan is not great actress and she Is no
longer beautiful. 1t was unwlse OF her to
attempt Viola, and she and the rest OF her
company at the Columbia are fortunate in
still having opportunities to correct the
unfavorable impression, or rather non-lm-
preston, made by LAST weeks work.
Nv
The character of the Tivoli operas has
changed within the last few months.
When the Tivoli's greatest attraction was
a prima donna who spoke her songs and
kicked and winked her lines; when the
soprano was a wooden songbird and the
tenor's music an expressionless piece of
mechanism, the so-called opera was bur-
lesque, a farcical string to hang specialties
upon. There wasn't a pretense of plot; or
anything that might serve as an excuse for
acting; even the music was cheap and the
topical song reigned in all its local, face
tious glory.
With the advent of a new prima donna,
a contralto who can sing and actually acts,
Notwithstanding the fact that her engage
ment is at the Tivoli, "Ship Alloy" has
given place to "The Royal Mildly" and
Little Robinson Crusoe" or "Christopher
Columbus" and other up to date (Which in
this case meant out of date) burlesques
have yielded to ''Maritana," Martha"
"The Black Hussar," etc.
The poor little Tivoi queen is dead, so
far as opera is concerned. And TiyoG au-
dlences are SO busy shouting "Viva Ia
Refine % that the old favorite is quite for
gotten. These poor little butterflies of the
boards-such brief bright, sad little his
tory theirs is. One would think that re-
morseless Time himself would feel the dint
of pity and pass on, leaving no trace of his
cruel, aging fingers here. These gay
opera bouffe princesses should be as ex-
empt from realities as is the stage atmos-
phere in which they 1--we. Their beauty
should be perennial, their youth everlast-
ing, their freshness perpetual fountain of
enjoyment. Life should be fairy-tale to
them, with never an end to the story-only
a continuation, yet more bright and beau
tiful and ethereal.
But the realities are fearfully impartial;
they have no more respect for the center of
the stage than for the wings or the benches
and boxes in front. The homeliest, most
insignificant chorus-girl may comfort her
self with the assurance that the gay little
moth airily sporting in the glory
of limelit popularity has only yet few
years of stage life; and to the dethroned
queen, whose faded, sharpened, lined and
rouged little face is turned wistfully and
enviously toward the loved and lost foot
lights, the sting of being forgotten is les
sened by the knowledge that not even the
glitter of her successors tinsel and span
giles is shorter-lived, more evanescent, than
the reigning favorite herself.
So she passes on and down from comic
opera to operate burlesque, and then to
burlesque without opera, and then to little
comedies with an interpolated bit of sing
ing and dancing making the most of the
welI-known gesture or significant lntona-
ton or mannerism, clutching at one straw
after the other and having them all swept
from her grasp as she is borne along the
swiftly rushing river of theatrical amuse-
ments till nothing is left of the talents and
Municipalities which had once been the
talk of the town-the tickle, cruel, pleas
ure-loving town. All that is bright and
winning about her is the memory an old
theater-goer cherishes, as ne does all that
belongs to his youth. of graceful, dainty
figure, an arch, smiling face, fresh, girl
ish voice and a provoking diablerie which
first set his boyish heart to beating.
And that was-let me see-ten, fifteen
Great Scott! nearly twenty years ago. By
Joye! l must be getting old"
A few years later it is his son, perhaps,
who regrets later stage favorite, ana SO
the everlasting tragedy of the death of
beauty and youth and enjoyment goes on.
Nv
OF course there is still room for improve
ment at the TivoIi. Alice Carries full,
warm, but not always true contralto, her
saucy brunette face, and, above all, real
or pretended enjoyment of her role, vital
ize and brighten the Tivoli stage; but Miss
Millards Lady Harriet differs from her
Mariana only in the costume. She fills