Arizona republican., 1899-03-20
ADJUSTMENTS


 the grade of the one last week. NOt
 that it is intended to condemn MT
 Riggs company, but the completion o1
 the new theater has demonstrated that Phoenix is Q good show town and a | few such attractions as the Warde-
 James-Kidder combination. Hoyts "A
 Contented Woman Broadhurst's
 Why Smith Left Home" the Grau Opera company and others of that class
 very quickly spells the palate for the
 lesser lights. The days when "any
 old thing" would catch the jays" of
 Phoenix has passed and the sooner
 managers of lightweight attractions realize the fact the better it will be for their purses.
 This week brings two attractions of merit. Tonight ''The Pay Train" will be seen a5 the Patton Grand, and Tuesday night Mme. Genevra John stone-Bishop, the noted soprano, will be heard in concert selections at the First Methodist church. I want to say to the music lovers Of Phoenix that they will miss a rare treat if they do not hear Mime. Bishop. She is a singer Of great merit and the wonder is that she has not, with her talent, long ago ] adopted grand opera. However, she has proven a big drawing card as a | concert artist and her success in that l line probably accounts for her not go l ing into opera. Her appearing here in a church reminds me of an incident in 1 her career which occurred in San Der nardino, California. a few years ago. Mme. Bishop was announced to sing 1 in church there and on the night of her concert there was hardly a cor pOral's guard present to he3g her. But, my, how she did sing. l doubt if ever | in all her life she sang with so much sOuA, SC much expression and fire as she did on that night The result was that those present signed public re- quest asking her to give another con cert at the opera house, assuring her of a good audience. She accepted the in VitatiOn and appeared at the opera house @ few nights later When she appeared on the stage she was greeted with an audience which filled the house from cellar to dome, standing room even being at a premium. Needless to say she captivated the people of the old town and there are some in San Bernardiro today who shake their heads and say, Patti may be the great est singer in the world, but if she is greater than Mme. Bishop, then she | must be more than human, that's all" |
 
 Coming back to 'The Pay Train | which will be seen tonight at the Pat ton Grand it may be said that it is q scenic comedy-drama which has been | highly praised over the country. One | of it's special features is scene show ing a railroad wreck, a car being | broken in two before the audience. | Like all the modern dramas of it's class virtue is finally rewarded and the stage villain is bafiled in all his evil machi- nations.
 On March 27 and 2S Phoenix is to have one of the greatest attractions cn the road this season. Blanche Walsh and Melbourne Mcdowell, supported by Fanny Davenpott's old company, will be seen here in Miss Davenport's plays of Fedora" and La Tcsca." All last week they were at the Columbia theater, San Francisco, where they did 3 fine business, the San Francisco pa pers comparing Miss WaSh's work with that of the late Fanny Daven- port. Last month the company played the week of the 18th at the Broadway theater, Denver, and the Denver Re publican of the 18th in speaking of the production of Fedora" said:
 The second appearance of the
  Broadway last night in Fedora at tracted another audience that filled every seat in the house. Not less fOcceful not less masterful, is the act ing Of Blanche Walsh in Fedora than in Ia TOsca.' Ia La Tosca' she plays the part Of woman whose whole be- ing is to love; in Fedora the part of l the passionate Slav noblewoman whose $ nature ;s tern by the conflicting emo tiOns of love and revenge. In each { successive act it seems impossible that Miss Walsh can reach greater heights 7 1f passion, that she can better portray I he very eXaltatiOn of emotion. But he last act surpasses all others in it's intensity, and the death scene of Fe- iora is cOmpaTable-first, in it's l fierce determination on death. and hen in it's swift change to the most s exquisite pathos. It seems an impos- [ dble thing for woman to do-to take ]olson in a fit of despair when all l0pe ot happiness was not yet gone. V )ut Miss Walsh has portrayed the s of the Russian princess So Q that every act seems the : 'nly matUred result of circumstances z eacting upon her nature. There are T ther good actors in the company, but r Hiss Walsh eclipses them all. Mel S 'ourno Mcdowell is in many places n ar above the work of an ordinarily cod actor, but his acting is always ubse. vient to that of Miss Walsh. It 5 to her that the audience looks fer =, he dominant and McDoweu follows | iiss Walsh's keynote. McDowen's o cting is particularly fine where he q 7ads of the death of his mother and rOther and where he spurns Fedora hen she tries to plead for the un- appy wcman who has caused their cath. If the late Fanny Davenport W ad lived to see Blanche Walsh play fl CT favorite roles, she might have left le stage feeling that she had sue e essor fully able to carry on her line of ork. Young as Miss Walsh still is, le is now considered equal, and in m 'me ways, even superior to Fanny avenrOrt. Her phenomenal success =