The herald., 1897-06-20
edited by q. A. Dobinson)

Edited by q. A. Dobinson)
The opening Of the new opera house
At Santa Ana has been the local event of
the week, and the occasion was digni-
fed in an entirely worthy manner by the
condescension of Madame Modjeska,
who put on condensed version of
.Mary Stuart" for the first part Of the
bill, while the remainder was made up Of
q concert program sustained by local
talent.
Madame Modjeska showed traces OF
her recent severe illness. and was evil
IDENTIFY conscious of her feeble powers
as she reserved her strength for the eli.
max of the third act, which Is the op-
portunity of the drama, and here she
showed something of her real power
when she rose to hurl back the taunts of
Elizabeth. The house was responsive
to the appearance and acting Of its IA
vbrite, whose personality is so endeared
to every one without regard to theatre
cal matters The applause was not en-
tirely that Of an audience accustomed
to the theater, as could be told by the
manner and time at which the demon
strNtions OF approval were bestowed
But all went well and whether the lines
Of the supporting company could be dis
tinguished, or not, the performance gave
evident pleasure. Miss Gertrude Foster
az Queen Elizabeth and Mr.. Clyde Bish-
op as Earl of Leicester were the only two
Of the support who made distinct i'm
preston on account of their competency.
Miss Foster rose to the occasion in COM
manding style, and gave to the part of
Queen Elizabeth a personality that
brought out with great force the intend
ed contrast Of Mary Stuart's unhappy
condition. In consequence, the great
scene between the rival queens in the
third act went with force and convic-
tion that has not been equaled with any
support that the great actress has had
for long time. The scene in question
il one where the attack must be strongly
made, even as in fencing bout, the
master cannot demonstrate his skill
against complete novice, 80 Modjeska
needs. some one who can rise to the part
Of Elizabeth, in order to show the crush
ing force Of her own riposte. That Miss
Foster was able to command herself and
play the part with intelligence and
force was not only creditable to her, but
also compliment to the discernment of
the star who selected her for the part.
3. Mr.. Clyde Bishop as Earl of Leicester
showed that he had the control Of a good
voice, and the ability to give a capable
and pleasing Interpretation of the char
acter he assumed. Mr. Bishop has, evil
IDENTIFY, the making of an actor, and
ought to be successful in his dramatic
work.
: The little play entitled "Giles Corey,
Yeoman," written by Mary E. Wilkins,
and acted, with alterations, by the
Senior B class of the high school on FRI
day, was very we'll done. The piece is a
realistic demonstration of the witch
craft superstitions of the eaHy New
England times, and is both quaint and
instructive. It's selection was a happy
one, and far better for the purpose in
tended than a sketch in which horse
play and Stiffness would have been found
combined in the form comonly used for
public entertainments
+
The death Of George E. Barnes of San
Francisco is noted with regret. During
the greater part of a professional career
covering forty years." says the Bulle-
tin, "he was the dramatic editor of
either the Bulletin or the Call, and the
and justice of his reviews
Of plays and of acting were universally
admitted. Play writers and actors
valued his opinion the more highly as
in his professional estimate Of their
work he subordinated personal likes and
dislikes to the demands of justice. He
had a quick conscience in all his rela-
tions with the public. He held it to be
the duty of the editor to give the public
an unbiased opinion of whatever work
might be under consideration, and moth
ing could swerve him from the perform
ance of that duty"
Men Of such caliber are too few in
for the departure of one Of them
not to be severely felt.
y + +
A discussion has lately arisen con-
cerning the present status of the vaude-
vile in America and the outlook for the
future, particularly on the New York
stage. The Mirror has taken the trouble
to interview some authorities on vaude.
Vile.
Oscar Hammerstein said: eyes, I
think the taste of the public is changing.
They have grown weary of seeing vaude-
vile acts, pure and simple. What they
seem to want is novelty, something
never seen before, you know. 1t is very
hard to tell what the public does want
They are as changeabl as the wind, you
know. The day of importing big Euro
pean acts at heart-breaking salaries is
over, think. They don't pay any more,
and they have simply killed the goose
with the golden eggs by their extrava-
giant demands, you know"
F. It. Proctor said: NO. the interest
of the public in vaudeville performances
is not diminishing. but the public is be-
coming more particular. The acts must
be of superior kind and the settings
for the star features must be very
elaborate, or your patrons will feel that
they are not being well treated. think
the vaudeville business is being over
done and that there are too many houses
However, it is only a question Of time
when the fittest will survive, and the
others will have to give up. I have the
firmest faith in the future Of vaude.
VILE"
L. c. Teller, manager of Broadway
Music hall, said: Speaking from
our experience, we can see no
sipn of a falling off in interest Our sea-