The herald., 1898-06-12
CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK

The theatrical summer season in this city
may be said to open tomorrow night, when
Madame Modjeska will make her first ap-
pearance In this city since the disappoint-
ment caused by her severe illness which oc-
Cured after single performance of Mag
da" at the Los Angeles theater little over
year ago. The interruption which thus
occurred to what would have been highly
prosperous engagement was deeply regret
ted by the great body of people who are en-
thusiastic admirers of the great actress.
Upon recovering from her illness Madame
Modjeska went east and played in number
of leading cities, including New York, re-
ceiving the highest encomiums for her ar
tistic and stirring representations of the
characters with which her name has be-
come indissoluby associated. Returning
to her home in this state fully restored to
health, she is now about to give her warm
est admirers an opportunity to see her again,
this time is may fervently be hopd without
disappointment.
On this occasion Madame Modjeska goes
to the Burbank theater, under the manage
ment of John c. Fisher, for the reason that
Mr.. Fisher has an excellent stock company
composed of people who have been playing
together for considerable time, and who are
we'll trained for the work requiered in pieces
of a serious character, as well as the light
er forms of drama. The advantage of this
cooperation would not have been secured
elsewhere, as the Burbank is the only house
here with stock company. This Will be
of infinitely greater value than company
hastily gotten together and indifferently
prepared. Manager Fisher has strengthened
his forces by the addition of Lester Loner-
gan for leading man, and Olive Oliver also
for leading roles to support the tragedienne
The New York Dramatic Mirror, in men,
tioning this Modjeska engagement at the
Burbank, expresses much interest in its
outcome as it is the first instance of so
prominent star appearing with regular
stock support.
The characters in which Madame Nodes
ka will appear during the first week of her
season are Mary Stuart and Magda. She
has been seen in both representations here
and nothing can be added to what has al
ready been said in praise of her singular
power in these assumptions. l much regret
10 see that no Shakespearean play is incud-
ed in her advertised repertory. Many stu
dents of the great bard had hoped to wit
ness once again Modjeska's Lady Macbeth
personation unique of its kind, so different
from the ordinary and popularity accepted
versions of the character, and yet so strik-
ing and convincing by reason of the superior
mentality of the actress and her wonder
full power of concentrating for the time in
herself the traits that make the persona
tion stand out with thrilling and never to
be forgotten effect. If it is yet possible
Macbeth" should be included in the reper
tory to be given.
Not to be outdone in enterprise, Manager
Wyatt of the Los Angeles is to the front
with an announcemnt of an opera season
under the direction of Carl Martens, which
opens tomorrow night at summer prices. I'll
TroVatore" is the opera for the first week
and full particulars of the cast may be
found in the official advance announce
ment' in another column The venture de-
serves to be we'll patronized, and it will no
doubt be honored by the support of
all the music lovers in the city and its en-
virons. The people who could not afford to
pay 81 to listen to Melba may find pleas
ure in contributing half or three-quarters
of dollar to listeIl to a charming opera put
on in the way promised by Mr. Wyatt.
O O O
Then, to complete the round of amusements
for the week, there is the Orpheum with it's
long roll of vaudeville talent winding up
with Marion Kerner's Living Pictures"
"visions of Art" as he calls them, which
are really worth a great deal more than the
price of admission, which is a small testi-
fo bair ri a a ant nd rti
tic detail. They say that Manager Jake
Rosenthal has been besieged the past week
by droves of DANES and damsels who were
ambitious to figure as shapely models in
these and the forthcoming tabeaux. Re-
muneration has not been so much an object
as the opportunity desired for posing under
the electric ray in a costume sufficiently
diaphanous to convince a crowded house
that it was not necessary to go outside OF
Los Angeles to find realizations of the artis-
tic ideal in feminine beauty of form.
{ O o
George Bernard Shaw announces in SO
many words in the London Saturday Re-
view that he will waste no more time in the
theater and write no more dramatic criti-
cism He says characteristically: ut is
humiliating, after making the most daz-
Zl1nS displays OIL PROFESSIONAL apllty, TO
have to tell people how clever it all is.
Besides, they get SO tired of it that finally
without dreaming of disputing the alleged
brlliancy, they begin to detest 1t. 1 some-
times get quite frantic letters from people
who feel that they cannot stand me any
longer. Then there are the managers Arc
they grateful? No; they are simply for
bearing. Instead of looking up to me as
their guide. philosopher and friend, they
regard me merely as the author Of series
of weekly outrages on their profession and
their privacy" How much of the forego-
ing is in earnest and how much is the out
pouring of an overheated system, would
require close personal acquaintance with
the gifted writer to determine.
O o o
John F. Thrum died suddenly from heart
disease in San Francisco on the morning of
the 9Th inst Mr.. Thrum was a prominent
figure in theatrical journalism, having been
the founder of Music and Drama, the only
exclusively dramatic newspaper on the
coast According to the Examiner he was
n native of Australia. He spent several
years at Honolulu, where he began jour-
nalistic work. In 1878 he came to San Fran