The San Francisco call., 1896-03-03
At THE CITY P[AYHOUSES,
Frederick Warde Makes His
First Appearance as King
Lear.
Garfield at the bia-Midnigh
Float at the Grand Opera.H
Other Matters.

Frederick Warde made his first San
Francisco appearance last night at the
Baldwin Theater in the character of King
Lear.
On the whole, the actor proved himself
to be capable exponent of the role. He
subdued his melo-dramatic tendencies to a
great extent and played the part of the
afflicted old king in a kew more true to
life than has been the case in some of the
modern plays in which Warde has ap-
peared lately.
The tempest scene, although little spun
out, was fine piece of acting on Warde s
part, and the scene in Cordelia's tent was
touching and sincere. All through the
drama, however, Warde's Interpretation of
Lear was even and artistic.
The support was, on the whole, satisfac-
tory, particularly on the part of the men.
Miss Fanny Gilletie's Cordelia was little
hard and unsympathetic. The sisters
parts OF Miss Lucia Moore and Mrs. Isabel
Waldron might with advantage have been
harder. The play was well staged and
costumed.
At the Columbia.
Eugene Canfield. the bright particular
star of the Firemans Funmakers, is in no
danger of diminution of his luster by
comparison with the lesser lights of the
company. Indeed these lesser lights are,
almost without exception, dim. James H.
Bradbury as grandiloquent rain king,
Percy We're as an agile collector, and Bessie
Shorthand, pert and business-like, are
painstaking in their respective roles and
contribute much to the fun of the evening.
But Canfield's drollery alone is we'll worth
the price of admission, even should he
chance to play solo part throughout the
evening. He is a master of facial express
sion and his mild grimaces remind one of
Sol Smith RusselFs serious but mirth-
provoking countenance. He bids fair to
become as illustriOus prince of low COLI
edy as Russell is in the more refined do
main of dramatic humor.
The story includes a successful exhi-
bition of rain-machine, the frantic ex-
ploits of a cut-rate ticket broker, the fre-
quent expulsions of collector, the divis-
Jon of fortune and the location Of every
body in home on Knob Hill.
At the Grand
Gilbert and Goldie in their comic spe-
cialties are drawing feature at Morosco's s
Grand Opera-house this week. They ap-
pear at the most unexpected times, when
the ladies of the audience are waxing tear
full or nervous over the threat of
tragic situation, and dispel all
fears with laughter. They appear upon
one of the floating roofs in the flood scene,
and while the mimic waters are presaging
destruction and death, Goldie tells Gilbert
about his fathers convivlal habits, which
were so confirmed that a hackman had to
take him to his last drink, because he
couldn't walk fine.
The scenic effects of the flood scene are
copied from the sketches in Harper s
Weekly after the Johnstown disaster. The
| audience was much entertained by the
surprise on the bridge. when "some itin-
erary workmen," whom the hero called
tramps, gave young fop ducking, and
when all made way fer the train that
rumbled across, seemly to their peril.
The play has all the dramatic elements
of an insolvent squire, one good lover, one
bad. murder, a villain foiled and ulti-
mate happiness for all but the plotter.
The acting falls short of the situations
often, the tragic appearing to be the comic
more than once.