The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-06
Blanche Bates as the Ibsen Missionary
Of the Wooly West


The F'rawleys say good-by tonight,
but not in IAN Enemy to the King.
The ladies are crying for more Ibsen,
so "a Dolls House" will be repeated
and Mr.. Frawley will not leave us his
impersonation of a romantic leading
man as a parting picture. Blanche
Bates, who night by night has gained
in popular favor, is now the theatrical
heroine of the hour. She had the au-
dacious enterprise to give an Ibsen
matinee; the public liked it, and she is
theirs tighter than ever. Miss Bates
IS made of the right stuff; there are
blood and brains in her acting, and she
is not afraid to fail. The English
speaking women who have succeeded in
Ibsen parts are few; the English
spoken performances of Ibsen that
have been successes are, believe, none.
1t is a popular theatrical superstition,
based on cruel fact, that Englished
Ibsen and the box office do not balance
on the opulent side. don't believe that
Miss Bates dreamed of attracting an
audience as numerous as the one that
filled the Baldwin Friday afternoon;
and I don't believe that she was cock
sure Of her own personal success in the
part Of Nora. But she made the plunge
with nerve, and, better still, with ar
tistic preparation; and In the minds of
those who take the drama seriously she
did wonders. Among the arch-I bsenites
(by the way. 1 think the Ibsenites have
Conspired more than anybody else to
keep Ibsen from being popular) she
will be honored as the pioneer mission
airy Of the woolly West; and locally, if
she doesn't stop with the success Of one
play, she Will be regarded as an entire
institution Of modern dramatic art At
this rate 1t is only q question of time
when street will be named after
Blanche Bates. Seriously, though, Miss
Bates not only acted a famous Ibsen
part with sanity and distinction, but
she gave US production that was ad-
mirable in nearly every detail. She
has broken the ice and there is no fur
Their reason why We should not have
an intelligent, human play now and
then, just as well as music Of the bet
ter kind under the auspices Of sym
phony society.
Writing Of symphonies reminds me
that the Symphony Society commences
q. new season on the afternoon of the
18th inst.-this time in the Orpheum,
where an audience of 1900 may be
housed without calling into service the
seats under the gallery. Fritz Scheel
will lead and the personnel Of the or
chestra will be practically the same as
last year. The only important changes
are the designations of Messrs. Lisser,
Greenbaum and Zech from the direc-
tory and the election to it of H. j. Stew
art. / understand that Mr.. Stewart is
to be an advisory committee on music,
that he will supply the announcements
of programmes to the press, and that
incidentally he Will manage" the in
spired but eccentric Scheel. But this
is not half enough work for a man of
Stewards energy Why can't he en-
ploy a few odd hours in getting up the
analytical programmes that We're al
together too amusing a feature of last
season? But few musicians can write
stuff that is worth reading, and II. J.
Stewart is one of them.
Another musician who can write
who for five years and more wrote the
music criticisms for the Chicago Tri-
bune and is a front authority on music
and it's history-is William Armstrong.
Mr.. Armstrong went to England last
year with Nordica and lectured on
American and British song COM
posers; now he is here missionarying
the West. He talks Wednesday after
noon in the Columbia Theater on
American composers, with musical IL
Illustrations by Fritz Scheel and a sym
phony orchestra, and il you are search
ing for something unique, cultivated
and delightful 1 recommend Mr.. Arm
strong's afternoon.
Ever since Mr.. Zangwill lectured on