The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-08
PLAYS OF THE
PRESENT WEEK
Steve Brodie and The
Bowery" at the
California.
HORSES AT THE GRAND.
"All the Comforts of a Home"
by the Alcazar Stock
Company.
NINE. SANS GENE" CONTINUED.
The Frawley People Give "The Wife"
at the Column ia-At the
Orpheum.
"MME. SANS GENE" CONTINUED.

This City has had several opportunities
OF making observations of pugilists, So
ciety women and professional beauties
who have taken to the stage as stars On
the strength of their regulations. Last
night another freak actor, in the person of
Steve Bredie, the famous bridge jumper,
made his San Francisco debut at the Cali
fornia Theater in lurid melodrama writ
ten especially for him called ''On the
Bowery."
Mr.. Brodie did good deal better than
most of his predecessors who have gone
on the stage to give an admiring public
the chance of beholding them. His act
ing was engagingly unaffected and
natural. Once or twice he seemed
to feel stage fright, and then he
laughed, which made the audience laugh
back again and placed every hing on a
pleasant and friendly footing, for Brodie
was always strictly "onto himself as
they say in the Bowery and the gallery
boys realized that his laugh was not a
laugh to be despised. Once, when a num-
Der of floral tributes had been handed
over the footlights, Brodie burst into e1-
temporaneous speech.
81 appreciate he began.
Louder" cried the gallery.
Ii lCL 0OA AcdE Oil Ic~
piled the king of the Bowery, with
touch of hauteur in his voice. 81 appre-
clate this reception, because it's cost me
5000 TO open here. L didn't want to tell it
to the newspapers, but it's fact that my
scenery was al destroyed by the Southern
Pacific. l would not disappoint you,
though, so l had new scenery painted. l
hope you'll like my company; they're
rough and tough, but they're the right
Sort"
Brodie was right in characterizing his
actors as trough and tough but as the
scenes occurred in the classic precincts of
the Bowery, they were only acting up TO
the requirements of their roles. The play
was evidently written with a view to let
ting Brodie evolve in the sphere in which
he was fitted to shine. The virtuous
hero, newspaper man who had once given
Brod lie ''write-up," is accused of rob
bing" q safe, which, of coarse, was really
robbed by the villain. Brodie, mindful of the
wrIte-up. harbors the v1rtuous hero in his
saloon on the Bowery, and stands off the
"cops" when they come TO arrest him.
The only witness TO the robbery is young
woman, whom the villain has betrayed He
causes her through his accom- plices TO be
thrown from Brooklyn bridge, but Brodle, who
has overheard the plot, dives in ana rescues
her. He also saves the same young woman
from fire and finally succeeds in fofling the
villain and entirely clearing the character of
the newspaper man.
This plot is eked out with number of
Bowery specialties. There is q sidewalk
merchant, Isidore Michelowsky, a gentleman
of Hebraic extraction, who gives some most
amusing monOlogues though they are tinged
here and there with that disregard for con-
ventionalities which is characteristic of the
B0wery.
Isidore was well played by Gus Yorke.
There was a rrife too much of Dismal
Delaney, the "bum" tough, William Mitchell
acted the role amusingly. Abner Higgins, q
countryman, was another feature OF the
Bowery scenes, and fierce fight, with gloves
between dude and a tough helped to keep
things going in The saloon scene.
1t was in the saloon scene that Steve Brodie
had his happiest moments. He administered
justice and beer with an autocratie hand. The
unruly and the "bums" were thrown out the
DULLES were snubbed and the dead broke were
refused drinks, and Brodie kept on good terms
with them all in way which proclaimed him
70 be at once the king and the idol OF the
Bowery.
The staging OF the play was good and the
acting, apart from the speeialties, was of the
usual melodramstic school. The audience
was large, but it was only By the gallery that
'On the Bowery" was received with any mani
festations OF delight.