The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-04-20
w. r. Wakes Has Little
Sympathy for the New
Woman.
The Alcazar Proves That Tom
Taylor Still Has Power
to Please.
An Actress.Aut Dress at the Grand
Overwhelmingly at
the Baldwin.

w. R. Wakes evidently intended to
point three morals when he wrote MARY
Pennington. Spinster," which Miss
Georgia Cayvan prod uced for the first time
in San Francisco at the Column la Theater
last night. The morals are that however
erudite a woman may be she is totally un.
lit TO manage any business undertaking,
that if ladies take the initiative in matri-
monial affairs and pop the question
nothing Blu. misfortune can come of it,
and that a Varsity education rather ham,
pers a woman than otherwise in the race
of life, for 1t units her for giving full rein
to the affairs of the hesrt. which w. K.
Wakes evidently considers the begin
ming, the middle and the end OF a femi-
nine existence.
The plot of MARY Pennington
Splnster," is rather too light and flimsy
TO bear the burden of these morals, ana
the consequence is that the interest
OF the audience languishes before the end
of the piav.
Mary Pennington is a lady of great
learning, who carries on the business en-
terprises of her late father. with the
assistance of a junior partner and Of an
elderly friend, DIR. Timothy Hale, who
plays Mentor to the Telemaque of every
one he comes across.
Without having any intention of being
humorous, Mary has the sort of ideas on
womans rights that the new woman is
represented by comic papers as possess
ing. For instance, she dismisses all the
men from her mill and hires women in
their places. The junior partner protests
in vain against a course that threatens
financial ruin, but Mary persists, being
one of those people who arc very 'set in
their ways"
There would not DO any play at all if it
were not for DR.. Timothy Hale. He in
vtes Mary to become engaged to the
junior partner, to cement the business
interests" He also invites Prudence
Dering, Mary's learned young cousin, to
give lessons In logic to very uncultured
young man named Aley Bloomfield. who
knows so little about ancient British his
tory that he thinks Queen Boadecsa was
SOME part of an Easter bonnet.
Having set the ball of two courtships
rolling, DR.. Hale awaits DEVELOPMENTS.
Mary proposes to Godfrey and is accepted.
Prudence and Algy give every outward
ana visible sign that they are going to fall
a sche ming widow, shows that she, too,
loves Godfrey. This is all in the first act.
and the blass theater-goer has little diff
ficulty ia divining how the rest of the play
will run.
Miss Georgia Csyvan acted the role of
Mary Pennington very frankly and charm.
'insly. indeed she made almost more out
of the part than was in it. Miss Mary
Jerrold was delightful little Prudence.
Her scenes with the iIliterate Godfrey are
the authors happiest efforts. Tor they are
both amusing and original. George w ood-
ward played DR.. Hale with plenty of
spirit and dry humor, and Charles Thropp
took good care OF Algy's role.
Orrin johnson made what he could of
the junior partners role. but Ann Suth-
erland was trifie crute as Lady Maitland.
The first act of 'Mary Pennington.