The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-02-21

The San Francisco public has turned its
back on the legitimate, and has shown its
preference for Bowery drama. There is
no knowing what will be the result of this
frivolity. Possibly when the public gets
q change of heart and yearns for Ham
let, "Othello" and Julius Caesar" it
may be answered with, TOO late, here
after frivolities will be thy portion, the
classic drama shall know thee no more"
The long rows of empty red plush seats
which have been so conspicuous feature
of Louis James season at the Baldwin
are not San Francisco's first offense
against the legitimate. These rows OF
empty seats were feature of Frederick
Warde's last season and of the seasons
of several other eminent tragedians who
have rent the echoes of the Baldwin.
These tragedians have not returned lately
and it is said that Louis James is the one
star tragedian the management put on its
list for the present season, and he was an
experiment The red plush seats have
spoken more plainly than words. The de-
mand for star tragedians and for the le-
climate is duller than ever.
One thing may be said in pallation for
San Francisco, and that is star tragedians
are too fond OF shining alone and most of
the legitimate drama, alas! was written
in the days when the star system had not
dawned on the minds of enterprisiug
managers, so that the plays do not fit
into the present way of performing them
There were no featured stars In Shakes
peare's days. The immortal William him
self did not crave to play Hamlet; he
acted the ghost, and was not featured in
the role. They have changed all that
since then. Nowadays Shakespeare would
be compelled to act The Prince of Dem
mark, and the press agents would be
booming the performance as, The actor
author, William Shakesp- are, in his i'm
mortal rendering OF Hamlet"
No doubt Shakespeare thought the
ghost, in his way, deserved Just as artistic
and conscientious a rendering as Hamlet.
Theater-goers are very much of that wav
of thinking still, beguile them as YOU will.
They generally refuse to pay their money
to make astronomical observations of one
big, lone star. They would rather see
smaller stars and more of them. The
worst of 1t is that actors can seldom be
brought 70 see that nothing pleases the
public so much as good all-round per-
Torrance. AS soon as they become lu-
m1nous enough TO become visible to
the naked eye they want to star alone.
The list OF people who are about to star the
coming season is positively appalling, and
the cry is "still they come. -
Americas representative actor" as
James press agent delights to call him. is
remarkably gifted. but he is not such an
astronomical phenomenon that he can
illumine Shakespeare's dramas entirely by
his own presence in the cast; l doubt ii
any living actor can do that. Henry Irving
does not attempt it. James support is
neither strikingiy good, nor strikingly
pad-there's the rub, there is nothing
striking about it. Now and then some
part happens to suit one OF the sectors and
he alimmers little, but the next night
his light fails again. Cassius Quinby, for
instance, is fairly good Michael Cassie.
but his King Claudius gives one the i'm