The San Francisco call., 1896-11-24
NAT G. GOODWIN
IN A NEW PLAY.
A Crowded House Greets
Loie Fuller in Her
Mystic Dance.
The Alcazar Company Opens the
Week With a Well-Staged
Piece.
"Hum anity" at the Columbia and
"Hearts of Oak" at the Grand
Opera House.

Despite the rain and the fact that Loie
Fuller had sdrawn away large following
to the California Theater, there was a
good-sized audience to greet Nat @.
Goodwin and Maxine Elliott at the Bald
win Theater last night.
The play was Madeline Lucette Ryley's
new comedy, "An American Citizen"
which has hitherto been heard only in Aus
tralia. The play, Goodwin himself and Miss
Elliott were all most warmly received; !;
indeed at the end of the third act Goodwin
was called five times before the curtain and
finally made a speech in which great
deal of gladness was expressed.
'Believe that nothing I can say" he re-
marked, 'can express the delight and
happiness l feel. 1t is a Joy indeed to feel
ourselves once more among friends. We
had one of those artistic triumphs in
Australia. but there is one thing to look
back to-that they indorsed an American
play, played by American actors, and
written by an American authoress-Mrs.
Ryley."
Mr.. Goodwin went on to say that he had
other new plays with him, including one by
Mrs. Rvley, and that he hoped to come to
San Francisco every year and play some
of them. He concluded by invoking a
blessing on the audience, and was fran
tically applauded.
Gan American Citizen is decided i'm
provement on "Christopher Jr." 1t is
well constructed. Unlike most light
plays, it keeps up the interest to the last.
That last was rather late, for the audience
did not leave the theater till II 80 which
/ shows that "An American Citizen" needs
some cutting. This is a fault that can be
easily remedied, however. There is real
wit in the play, and some of the repartee
is most original. The plot resembles
christopher Jr.," in that it tells the
story of two people who are married sud-
denly by force of circumstances, and who
afterward fall in love with one another,
and who go through good many trials
and tribulations before they arrive at the
conditlon OF living happily ever after
ward.
The DEVELOPMENT of the plot bears no
relation to christopher Jr.," however,
and the trials and tribulations in AN
American Citizen" are most comically
pathetic.
Nat c. Goodwin had thoroughly con-
| genial role in the part of Beresford Cruger,
the American who married his cousin on
first sight and became Britisher in order
| .
| to found museum of antiquities. The
semi pathetic, semi-comical love troubles
| which afterward befell him were thor
oughly in keeping with his line of work.
| As the English cousin Maxine Elliott
looked handsome and acted with good
deal OF impressiveness, though her rem
dering of the role lacked those subtle
| touches of which it would have been capa-
Bile in hands like those of Maud Aoaus,
| for instance.
The rest of the cast showed that the
company has improved somewhat since
Goodwin was here last. Neil O'Brien was
excellent as Simms, the English valet,
and the other men did their parts salts
factorily, though Frazer Coulter's elderly
makeup as Brown was absurd under the
circumstances, and his acting was no more
satisfactory than his makeup.
Miss Esteile Mortimer was excellent as
the elderly coquette, and the girls parts
were we'll acted by Gertrude Elliott, Ethel
Browning and Isabel Raskins.