The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-12

The Tivoli opera season has proved
surprise. 1t is true that the theater has
given grand operas before, but they have
been sacrilegious affairs, for the most
part, calculated to make Donizetti, Gounod
and the rest of them turn in their
graves. No one expected that the Tivoli
would ever make amends to these COM
posers, for all they bad suffered at its
hands, but it is doing so, and the blessings
of the musical public are due 20 the man
agement for their change of heart. How
they are able to give conductor like
Gustav Hinrichs, and singers such as
Michaelena, Nine. Natal, De Vries
and Abramoff, at the extremely popular
prices that always prevail at the Tivoli, is
a mystery that can only be explained on
the grounds that the artists look upon
their trip to San Francisco as summer
outing and are willing to perform here for
considerably less than they would demand
in the East. The Tivoi already had an
orchestra containing excellent material,
and a chorus which could be augmented
into one of sufficient strength to answer
all reasonable requirements. Owing to
these combinations of circumstances, the
theater is able to give grand-opera season
at prices probably unprecedented in any
other part of the world.
Why is it that local Juvenile stage lovers,
when out visiting, hop, skip and jump
about their friends apartments as if they
were bears dancing on hot bricks? They
may say that it is to show the exuberance
of their Joy at being asked to dinner or
luncheon with the adored one; or. perhaps
they desire to convey to the audience the
impression that they are gushing, artless
young things not yet trammeled by the
cold conventionalities of life. Any young
man in the cold, cruel world outside the
stage who bounded in and out of dining
rooms and wing-rooms as Charles
Wyngate and William Beach did last
week would be sent back to
school to learn department and
in the meantime the hostess, fearing for
the safety of her bric-a-brac, would ask the
dear children to go out in the garden to
play till dinner was ready. There is use
full little book, called Don't" which is
supposed TO contain the whole code of
etiquette in a condensed form, but even
Don't has not provided for such con-
tingencies as this. For Mr.. Wvngate's
and Mr.. Beach's guidance few new for
mulas might be added to the next edition !:
aDon't run with bound into the room
when you call on a lady to bring her
flowers; you might come down on some
ones corns." when you visit house
for the first time and espy your hostess in
the garden, don'trush forward madly to
introduce yourself; she might think you
are running to tell her the house is on
fire."
To tell the truth, William Beach bad no
fixed idea of how to play the romantic
artist lover of Americans Abroad" He
alternated between boyishness that would
have been callow for youth of sweet six
teen and timid attempt at intense love-
making, which he had neither courage
nor ardor to carry to the bitter end. Allow
ance must be made for the trying nature
of the part. The poor artist is dupe all
round-duped into thinking he has sold
his picture, duped into becoming engaged
to an heiress against his will, duped into
committing matrimony when he had
sworn off, ana one could not
help thinking, as the curtain went
down on the Stockwell players. that
he was duped worst of all in outlining
roseate dreams of the future with Miss
Olive Oliver for his bride. How this
handsome actress scoldedl It made soma