The San Francisco call., 1897-11-21

ain Cav New \ ork" has held the town
for the past week There is no telling
how it Will finish the three weeks en-
gagemen;, but I would not De surpr sed
{ see it boom up 10 the last performance.
] is large, lavish show, with action that
- inces ant. 1t reminds me of three
ring circus. Everything seems 10 go IL
the rush and swir, yet few of the ind
vidual people or acts are valuable.
The safest thing to do is to keep your
eyes and ears on the clown. on Eddie toy.
He is rapturously funny. His pantomlme
is the slang OF classic gesture; his wheezy,
trampy voice would make a joke OF an
editorial, and that crescent smile OF his
strikes you defenseless. 90 not know II
it is by art or nature that Eddie succeeds'
but it is related OF his mother that she
says managers are fools 10 pay him money
to do that kin of monkey business on
the stage. But the manager VINO engages
Eddie FOy for clowning, and Tor nothing
else, knows his business. Eddie IS the
children's friend, a sort Of matinee Mel
Inns Food. There is q gentlene,s ana
geniality ev.n in his roughness that wins
the youngsters heart. He and the He
brew specialists are about the only relief
from the Tenderloin tang that seasons
the rest of the show. Eddie Foy is hon
es ly tough, but he is no Tenderloiner-
on the stage. Beside the Marmalade girls
and the Totties and Dotties and Lotties
and the more than real bunko-steerers
who spangIe the rest of the show, Eddie is
a modest violet,
~
La hor srht I y
c.owd enjoying itself in the noise and
nonsense OF variety burlesque. l looked
a ke- the sea OF happy, affable faces and
asked myself questions. What is the un-
seen magic that makes stage succe SIS ?
If you are going 10 take In Gay New
York" for a sample, you have show that
preTends TO be new and isn't, and is neither
above nor below the heads of the people.
But all successes are not like In Gay New
YORK" and audiences are hard 10 place.
The exclusively special audience is a thing
OF the past in San Francisco. There is
only one theater in town that has an absO-
lutte ellen niele and that is MoroscO's. The
Baldwin first-nighter is no more. His seats
are occupied by the casual theater-goer
who takes TO the play on Monday night
because it happens TO be his fancy, not be-
cause of any obligation he feels that he
owes art or society. Ever show that
attracs any attention calls out pracli-
cally the same crowd, and hi, same
crowd that is making a success
of "In Gay New York" doomed
The Heart of Maryland" Nat Goodwin
in American Citizen" and The Rivals"
the modern operas OF LA Boheme" and
"Shamus O'Brien" The First Born"
The Geisha," "Lohengrin," Modjeska's
MagGa. Great heaven! throw N Mac
beth" and the song recitals OF the Hen
schels, and you have the gamut Of public
amusement! The same people turned out
10 them all and made them all pro per.
One night this audience is al the first per-
formanCe in this country OF one of the most
important of the newer operas, the next
it is crowded in front OF a teated Casino
leg carnival. Now, why do these different
pieces ostensibly give the same degree of
satisfaction TO the same people? And
what IS the peculiar, distinguishn. charm
that makes one piece OF he same order a
failure and another success? And why
did David BelascO's red headed and red
FaIded roarer do 50 we'll and the beauti-
H1l accomplished comedy of Rosemary"
" il-2 And why did "Maeda," " essentially
aNDlay for the dramatic epicurean, crowd
the Baldwin for one continuous week
(Which is, believe, the largest record for
the play in any translation)? give it up.
Two apples"