The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-28

bad bomeODathic-siZed audiences at the
Baldwin Theater last week. His play was
smoother and more fin ished than The
Grav Mare" at the California, and his sup
mort on the female side was m ore efficient
than Herbert Kelcey's. But even with
charming Maud Adams thrown into the
BALDWIN balance, The Squire of Danes
could not reasonably be expected to
hiring 81 so on the same Rialto that was
selling 1.-THE Gray Mare" for IS cents.
w it'll good, smooth acting going so cheap
at the California. nothing could have hlled
the Baldwin short of a startling foreign
star with a big name and brand-new
method.
1.-THE Gray Mare is a racy comedy, with
one defect-the whole thing hinges on the
improbable fact of sedate man who never
rode in his life suddenly declaring that he
has taken mad scamper across country
on a gray mare. A long and amusing
chain of circumstances is based on this
absurd statement. One can imagine the
authors building the play-iti is the fashion
nowadays to "build" plays-on the prlnci-
pie of "The House That Jack Built
This is the maiden all fororn,
Who fed with the man that trampled the corn,
Who rode the mare
To the French counts lair
And so on down to the fundamental state
ment, "On the ride that John took"
The play demands that John should say
he took a ride when, as matter OF fact,
he was soberly attending to his duties as a
medical practitioner and his nephew was
securing the country on a gray mare, abb
Quoting maidens and otherwise, stirring
up enough trouble to last his uncle for a
lifetime. As everything hinges on Johns
ride the authors have dragged it in by
main force, and TO do them justice they
had to work hard to do it. Most of the
first act is devoted to talkily giving John
a motive for telling a lie. Once the deed
is done and John has shaken off all affinity
with George Washington the fun becomes
fast and furious. In fact, at the outset
one wishes "The Gray Mare" had never
been written, and at the end one could
have enjoyed another act of it.
As John" Herbert Kelley had part
which suited him to perfection. There
was something positively delightful about
his pedantry and his despair. "Serve you
right" was what you wanted to say to
him for being such a prig, but his suffer
ings were so real that if you had an ounce
of pity in your composition you could not
help being sorry for John.
Almost panic has been aroused on the
New York Rialto by the news that
Abbey's Theater has been leased to Al
Hayman, and that the Western man has
already announced his intention of
setting the pace during the season of
1s96-97. In most quarters this announce
ment is viewed with alarm, for predic-
tions are rife that there will soon be a
complete chain of Hayman theaters, ex-
tending from San francisco to New York
and Boston, and that the Hayman-Froh-
man octopus" owning all the best
houses, will be able to control the lead
ing attractions, and set the prices for
every star in the country. This is the
view expressed by number of actors and
managers, though it may be inspired by
''envy, hatred. malice and all uncharita BILE
ness" The New York Press sums up the
situation from the theatergoer's stand
point:
Notwithstanding our esteem for the
shrewdness of Frohman and Hayman, the
change of management at Abbey's is to be
watched with concern. This theater has
long been the scene of the most distin-
guished performances of modern dramatic
art. Under new management, for without
doubt Charles Frohman will have word
in shaping its policy, the house will prob
ably be even more prosperous In the future
than it was IN the past. But box Office re.
ceipts do not always chronicle distin
guished achievements on the stage, and Mr.
Hayman's gain may be the city's loss. If
as is more than likely, the house is to be
conducted in accordance with the system
that rules the other Frohman-Haymar
tbs aters, an exact platform of art has beer
demolished in the removal of Abbey's
name from the portal of the playhouse
Here we became acquainted with Coque
lin, Rejane, Mounet-Sully, Beerbohm
Tree and John Hare; here we studied the
genius of Bernhard ana the consummatc
skill of Irving. In present indications i
is improbable that these distinguished
actors will return to the stage on which
they first won the approval of our au
diences. Abbey's passion, like that O
Augustin DAILY. is for fine art. Mr.. Hay
man, like Mr.. Frohman, is first of all {
business man. The new policy of thi.
theater is one of the most important anc
interesting speculations of next season."
And while the New York papers are
exhausting adjectiyes in lauding the Ma
poleonic foresight OF the Hayman busl
ness-office policy, as exemplified at the
Baldwin and California Theaters, our ear,
here are still tingIing with the biting things
Nat Goodwin said about those same two
houses playing against themselves.
They must have lightning-speed com
poser at Growers Alcazar, to judge from
the following note inserted in the pro
gramme of the "Cross Roads of Life:
Between scenes 1 and OF Act II
the orchestra will play the Railroad
Galop, especially composed fer this pro
duction, during the short time necessary
for the change of scene"
A man who can compose a galop "dur
ing the short time necessary for tn,
change of scene" should be heard NOR,
from, particularly as his galop Is really
quite effective.
Manager FriedIander promises to max,
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