The San Francisco call., 1896-09-10
MIOWEEK THEATER NOTES
Steve Brodie Is Drawing Large
Audiences at the Califor.
MIA Theater.
Horseracing at the Grand Opera.
House-MiSs Blanche Bates as
Leading Lady.

Steve Brodie will probably not be added
to the list of disgruntled freak actors who
have complained that San Francisco
treats them to dead, cold FROST" The
fact is that Brodie's box-office receipts for
his first three nights must have been very
large. The house last night was top
heavy one-that is to say, standing room
in the gallery was at premium. Lower
down the crush was not so great, but
there were very few vacant seats, even in
the orchestra.
As for the performance, it was the same
as on the opening night-'laugh and
tumble" as regards the scenes and char
acters. Brodie himself wins his audience
by the ingenious way in which he does
not even pretend to act In the baroom
scene, where he is at his happiest, he dis
penses drinks as one to the manner born.
''The Wife," at the Columbia Theater,
has special interest, as it serves to intro
duce Miss Blanche Bates in her new role
of leading lady. She has developed an
unsuspected amount of emotional power
lately, and though the ring of true feeling
is at times lacking her performance on
the whole is extremely creditabIe and
shows, furthermore, what rapid progress
she has made in her art since she played
in ''Sweet Lavender" a little over year
ago.
Hope Ross plays the ingenue role in
"The Wife" particularly well. She is
another member of the Frawley Company
who is to be congratulated on her progress.
"Mme. Sans Gene is still drawing well
at the Baldwin. Following the Sardou
play, on October 5, the Lyceum Theater
4f
come to the Market-street house.
The Grand Opera-house has not lost any
of its usual patronage this week on &C.
count of the melodramatic attractions of
Steve Brodie's "On the Bowery." One
reason doubtless is that there are especially
fine realistic effects at the Grand in the
shape of the horserace.
"All the Comforts of Home'' goes with
plenty of vim at the Alcazar this week.
The farce-comedy is not new one. but il
abounds with fun which has not grown
old, and as performed by the Belasco COM
pany it affords lots of merriment to the
audience.
There was large and critical audience
to see 'Il Trovatore" at the Tivoli last
night. The applause showed that the per.
formance did not fall short of expecta-
tions. Maurice de Vries as the wicked
Count di Luna was the star of the opera,
though Mile. Ida Valerga as Leonora also
came in for large share of appreciation.
Martin Pache made fairly satisfactory
Manrico and the rest of the cast was good.
The Orpheum's s programme is practically
new this week, and most of the acts are
taking we'll. The "PearIess Marcuerite''
has become prime favorite, and Bellman
and Moore have also made hit. 1t goes
without saying that Ferguson and Mack s
Irish knock-about comedy act is received
with manifestations of joy by the gallery.
The performances given every evening
and on Wednesday, Saturday and Sun
day afternoons. IN the Casino at the Chutes
are clever and we'll attended. The prlnci-
pal features are the Japanese acrobats, the
Masons, Korto the one-armed euuilibust
and the mile bicycle race on the stage be-
tween two young ladies. Antonio Pirri
rides down the chutes and into the lake
every night at 10 o'clock on his bicyc,e.
Nearly all the theaters gave matinee per-
1ormances yesterday in honor of Admis-
sion day.