The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-06

EDWARD y rtH<GNFS
Madame Sans Gene" is for all the world
like superior wax-work exhibition, with
the characters suddenly made alive and
kicking. The historical personages who al
ways wear crowns and stars and carriers and
yards and yards OF ermine, and who stand
so naughty and unbending on their pedes-
tails in the wax-works, have stepped down
in Mime. Sans Gene" and parade about
the stage so that you can see their finery
from every point OF view. 1t is really in
teresting TO meet queen and an emperor
at such close range-not some musty old
toga-wearing Emperor who expects you to
be interested in Roman politics, but the
genuine nineteenth century article.
Napoleon's pictures have fattered him
immensely, though, or else Augustus Ma
poleon Cook has something wrong with
his makeup. His head is very. very big,
and his extremities are airy, fairy Lillian
like. AS for the terrible Napoleonic visage
it is fat and white and wide, like full
moon. Cook has caught likeness to the
proud CorsicaD, but it is the sort of parody
likeness that would make things 90 hard
with him if Napoleon were on earth.
Augustus Cooks acting is more lifelike
than his makeup. Admitting historians
have tried to gloss 1t over, but they have
not hidden the fact that Napoleon's man
ners were terrifying to people not used to
military discipline, and the impressive
manner in which Cook holds up his end OF
the family row with the Queen of Naples
and the Princess Elise shows that he has
carefully studied the records of Napoleon's
little ways.
1t Is not to see Napoleon, though, or
Lefebvre, or the dancing master of the ro-
mantle Austrian count, or even the dress
parades, that, if you have not already done
so you should hasten to see mime. Sans
Gene" That lady herself is the play, and
more attractive MRS. Free and Easy"
than Miss Kidder you could scarcely ask
to meet.
People who like grand opera, and their
name is legion, will regret that the Tivoli
season comes to an end with the end of
this week. The management has more
than fulfilled the promises made at the
beginning of the season. The artists have
exceeded the hopes and expectations
raised beforehand, and the orchestra,
under the direction of Gustav Hinrichs,
has accomplished everything anticipated
from that gentleman's well-known repu-
tation. Nothing popularizes a love CT
good music so rapidly and surely as grand
opera, and the thanks of the immunity
are due to the Tivoli for the musical mis-
sionary work ii has been doing.
The theater hat is likely to pay an i'm
portant part in politics this fall. Driven
to bay on every other point, the adver-
saries of suffrage are beginning to in
trench themselves behind this sort of
argument: If the unanimous press of the
country is unable to induce women-the
majority of vomen-to give up the theater
hat, how do you suppose women are ever
going to be influenced by political argu-
ment2 Will they not here, as in every
thing else, follow the tyrant fashion,
regardless of logic, reason, irony, threats
and entreates? And to this question
stern, determined men are awaiting a
reply.
There was plenty of jocular discussion
last winter over the FosdicK law against
theater hats, passed by the Ohio Legisla-
ture The exact provisions of the
law are summed up by Henry Finck
as follows: That any owner, lessee,
proprietor or manager of any the
alter, hall, opera-house or any such build
ing where theatrical or other perform
ances ere given, where an admission
fee is charged, who permits or
suffers any person or persons during
the performance in such theater, hall,
opera-house or building where such per-
Torrance is given to wear hat sufficiently
large to obstruct the view of persons sitting
behind her shall be guilty of a INSIDE
meanor, and shall upon conviction be fined
not more than $40 nor less than 50. Every
hat permitted to be worn in violation of
the law shall constitute separate of
tense"
Only two votes were recorded against
the bill, which is silent but eloquent
proof OF what the men in the Senate must
have suffered from the obstructing theater
hat.
Louisiana also has its high hat bill,
which aimed originally at excluding hats
entirely from the theater. gallant Sem
ator named Fenner interviewed, how
ever, and succeeded, after an eloquent
burst of o=atory, in passing an amend
ment authorizing the wearing of aigrettes
IN opera bonnets. Now there are aigrettes