The San Francisco call., 1897-01-26
MODJESkA PLAYS
At THE BALD WIN
The Polish Actress Makes
Her Entree in
Magda."
New Acts in The DEVILS Auc.
tion "-Dsbutantes at
the Alcatraz
A Female Rival to Sandow at the
Orpheum-" Maritana" Revived
at the Tivo,i.

| An audience that almost filed the Bald
| win Theater assembled last night to well
come Nine. Modjeska back to the stage.
Sudermann's powerful piece of character
drawing, "Magda." had been chosen
for the opening bill and in the
title role the star was supported by a
specially selected company, which con-
sisted to a considerable extent of local
| talent.
The heroine of "Magda" does not ap-
pear till the second act. SO the whole
house was seated and expectant' before
Nine. Modj jeska made her entrance She
was greeted with an ovation on her en-
trance, but the Polish actress is too essen
TALLY an artist at heart to interrupt the
action of a drama by tripping to the foot
lights and bowing her acknowledgements.
San Francisco audiences are fairly ia
millar with the plot of "Magda," indeed
Nine. Modjeska has played it here her
self, and it is said to be one of her favorite
| roles. The play is not so familiar, how
ever that it can be thoroughly enjoyed
when the lines are not audible. and
| Mod ieskas voice was very weak
last night, so much so that there
were speeches when the hearers had to
depend on her expressive face and their
own knowledge OF the story TO catch the
drift of what she was saying. At times
the tragedienne threw off this weakness
and spoke so that her words could be
heard in the remotest par; of the theater,
as for instance in the first scene with the
hypocritical councillor and i'll the heavier
scenes with her father, but i. was in the
conversational portions of The play where
interest is apt to hlg most that the gifted
actress was most lnaudible
| ia inf tot nf 10
was fascinating, intensely womanly and
powerful, wnere ferceness was required
but she had scarcely the animal spirits, so
| to speak, to invest the singer with the
recklessness, the headstrong chatting
against moral and parental restraint and
the love OF vagabondage which make
Magda's actions and character consistent.
The Magda last night was beautiful,
womany being, with no underlying sug-
gestion OF the tigress, n disreputable part
| To harden and corrupt her,
/ Joseph Haworth PLAYED the role of
Major Schubert, Magda's father, on the
who.e. in powerful and satisfactory man
ner. Els makeup was realistic and he en-
| tered with force into the strong scenes
with Magda and the councillor, though his
voice was somewhat gentle and caressing
in its accents for the stern old martinez of
a soldier; in fact, Haworth' IS took of stern
ness was scarcely large enough for the de-
mands of the role of the major.
Miss Frances Jolliffe quite surprised
even her warmest friends in the role of
Marie. 1t may have been stage fright
that nerved her on to make q supreme
effort, Tor the real feeling and the perfect
naturalness with which she played her role
savored very little of the debutante. Ii
Miss Jolliffe does as well as this again and
does it often she Will make name for
| b rself.
For an actor who is almost unknown to
fame Lester Lone gan did splendid work
| as the rector. In his scene of renuncia-
tion with Mazda there were real tears in
his voice and eyes. 1t Is hard to say why
George, Osbourne, as the Councillor,
adopted a makeup that caused one 10
think of pork butcher and a manner
that seemed to be perpetualiy acting !:
"How many cents worth did you say you
would buy? A man of Osbourne's ability
should nave made the Councillor more at
/ tractive; as it was, his appearance was an
insult to Magda's taste.