The San Francisco call., 1896-11-01

Life is not all cakes and ale with actors
and managers on the eve of q Presidential
election. A manager took NE into his
confidence the other day and confessed
the fact. He said he had frequently turned
hundreds empty away from the doors of
his theater when the ship of state was not
heaving on the pillows, "but," he added,
81 do not expect to do that again till the
announcements are out of McKinley's en-
gagement at the White House. He will
have four years prosperous run and peo-
pie are thinking so much of this White
House hooking that they have not time to
pay attention to theaters."
The manager does not live with soul so
dead as to say to press representative
business is bad" but my friend brought
his burst of confidence to crescendo by
confessing that the election had been play
ing the aged Harry with his box office
profits. 'Oh, / don't say we are losing, +"
he remarked, with naughty air OF mana
geriai pride, but what with political
meetings and professions, hanging of flags
and letting off frecrackers, people are not
putting enough money into the. theaters
to make us do a land-office business
this week" And with chuckle of grim
satisfaction, the manager added, land
I'm not the only one who says so."
It is a matter for especial regret that
such good artists as the Tabers have come
to US at election time. Many distinguished
actors and actresses have US on the list
the black list-but it would be sight to
make men and angels weep if America 8
youngest and most gifted tragediepne
and Americas hope among actor man
ayers put black cross against the name
San Francisco, and made the VOW "Pll
never go there any more" Every night
when / have seen the theater only mod
eTately well filed this thought has lain
heavy on my soul, and the other evening
/ made bold to seek out Mrs. Taber and
ask her about it. With one of her sweet
sniles-and they are even more sweet at
close range-she replied, why, we have
found the audiences here most sympa-
thetic and appreciative: they are so quick
to understand and respond" And there
was sincerity in Mrs. Taber's voice and
face which meant 1t; none of the buncombe
which artists so often give critics and
public. Bless Mrs. Taber's artistic soul |
/ believe she would rather play 10 half
filled house that understood" than to an
overhowing one that was stupid. And in
these election times, the people who at
tend Shakes peare are very devotees at the
shrine of art.
There was another point on which I
wanted to catechise Mrs. Taber, and that
was about her costume in Twelfth
Night" for as you may have observed she
has inaugurated dress reform in that
charming play. Instead of appearing in
the conventional doublet and hose she
dresses her Viola in the Greek style
affected by pirates of Byronic notoriety,
and the embroidered leggings, short
killed SKIRT and heavily brocaded jacket
OF velvet and gold have the merit of pic
turesqueness and are much more modest
and natural withal than the doublet and
hose. Gloss the fact over as you will. a
woman in the Elizabethan style of pages
dress looks woman still, and if she is
mature and matronly looking she treads
dangerously near the ridiculous in Viola's
role.
at is difficult to know exactly how
Shakespeare intended the part to be
dressed" said Mrs. Taber, with that
earnestness which characterizes her atti-
tude toward every detail of her work
"Viola is generally played in the Eliza
bethan doublet and hose, but the action
of the story upon which Shakespeare
based his play passes in Cypress, so I
think this style of dress is just as likely to
be historically correct as the other
Is it not emarkable, the reverence with
which Shakespearean students speak of
historical accuracy" Shakespeare him.
self made such reckless and willful anach-
ronisms, sometimes apparently for the
mere pleasure of making them. However,
il there is a shred of robab lity for the
Byrcnic costume we ought to hail it with
thankfulness and recommend it especially
to those Vioas who are older and es
fair to look upon than Mrs. Taber.
"a prophet is not without honor" etc.,
is As true of literature as OF prophecy.
There is Bret Harte, for instance. The
further he gets from California. the more
ne is thought Of, wnich probably accounts
for the rarity of his visits home. OF