The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-07
GAVE THE MONEYS WORTH.
Histrionic Art to Suit All
Tastes at the Actors
Benefit.
MINsTRELsY AND TRAGEDY.
A Highly Successful Entertainment
at Morosco's Opera
House..

From O'Clock yesterday afternoon till
after the hour when good people generally
dine. an audience that filled Morosco's
from floor to roof sat and applauded an
entertainment that included samples of
nearly every branch of the drama-legiti-
mate and otherwise.
Everything was good. and the hearers
did not want to go home till they had
heard the full bill of the first grand benefit
of Pacific Lodge of the Actors Association
of America, but Manager Morosco must
have thanked his stars that the supply of
talent ended where it did, for otherwise it
would have been impossible to give his
usual evenings performance. AS it was,
early corners to tMy jack met the depart
ing audience from the benefit.
1t was easy to see that professionals were
at the helm in all the arrangements, for
there was not hitch or wait throughout
the performance. Elegantly gowned
ladies of the profession selling flowers at a
gayly decorated stand in the foyer was the
first notification the visitor received that
the occasion was an unusual one. Local
managers and popular actors wearing
orange streamers were in evidence in the
foyer, and there were enough ushers to
form a procession. In addition to a large
reception committee, the following ladies
and gentlemen had been especially invited
to form an honorary reception committee:
Miss Julia Blanc, T. T. Williams, W. H.
Bunker, Miss Nina Gleason (chairman),
George L. Elliott, Hugh Hume, w. L. Hess,
Miss Kitty Kerwin (secretary), Charles
M. Shortridge, r. A. Crothers. Leon
Samuels.
The entertainment opened with grand
minstrel performance, when w. l.. Glea-
the of the ActOrS'
citation of America and the stage man.
ager of the entertainment, sat in the
middle of the circle. surrounded by num-
Der of actors and actresses whose faces are
familiar to local theater-goers. The
speciality. performance included Ferris
Nielsen and Billy McCaul. Joe Morrisey
and Tommy Leary performed a shaving
scene which kept the audience in roars OF
laughter, while Alfred Roncovieri and
his band were gracefully grouping them
selves behind the scenes so that when the
comedy element was ended the curtain
went up revealing the musicians ready for
action.
AS we'll as playing illustrated solos, the
band also accompanied the famous ccrnet-
ist Jules Levy in Rossini's ''Inflammatus"
and the encores which were so strenuously
demanded
In order that the audience might not
were sandwiched between the military mu-
sic, some of which were performed by John
J. Rafael, Frank Bangs, Miss Title Nor
risey and Paul Craig. Tragedy came next
ON the programme, and people who were
beginning to languish from the heat re-
vived again in the complete change of
dramatic atmosphere. The telling piaylet
of "Chatterton" was excellently acted by
Willard Newell, Charles w. Swain, Mrs. ].
K. Emmett and Miss Kitty Belmour, Mrs.
Emmett making charming Lady Mary
and Willard Newell playing the death
scene of the Inflated poet with great ap-
plause.
The Forum scene of "Virginius'' was
quite triumph for the Morosco Company,
Edmond Hayes rendering of the Roman
father and Miss Halls Virginia being
especially effective. Heavy plays OF this
type are so fatally near to ridicule if over
or under acted that the evident sympathy
of the audience with Virginias woes, and
their palpable detestation of Fred Butler as
Appius, was the best commentary on the
performance.
Philip Hastings and Baby Sinnot made
quite hit in their own version of ''Trilby."
They were followed by more specialties
The third act of "a Night Off was sue
cessfully performed by the following men,
bers of the Daily Company: Charles E.
Eldridge. Mr.. Henderson, AL H. Hallett,
Nannary, Miss Anita Bridger, Miss Mar
garet Marshall, Josephine Gassman, and
the fourth act of Camille" was acted by
Miss Anita Fallon, Miss Dorothy Ross
more, Miss Margaret Marshall, H. Coulter
Brinker, A. w. Fremont, George Ryan,
Leslie Morosco.
During the entertainment a brief ad-
dress was made by George Osbourne, presi-
dent Actors Association of America.