The San Francisco call., 1899-07-25
A Fine Performance
Well Staged.
MISS BATES PLAYS SANS GENE
DRAMATICALLY AND MUSICAL
LY FAUST REPENTS.
Edwin Stevens in the Title Role of
Wang New Vaudeville At
fractions - Theaters Offer
Monday Night Novelties.

every rise ana ran OF the haunting mel
ody we hear the voices of the players
telling again the story of love and ambi-
ton. Of envy a--d hate, OF pride and deceit
and vanity. of rage and despair, that shall
md place in every community so long as
The world shall last. The composer, Will
lam FuTSt, has built his theme above the
heads of none of us With only panto-
mime to explain it, we might reach
very fair solution of the meaning. BY eX-
celIent stage management it has been per-
tectly adapted TO the play. Line for line,
beat for beat, il has been modified to fol-
low the sentiment and pace of the dla-
l0gue. When Eric Temple tells Margaret
Neville the stOrr Of his love the music Is
pleading for him as surely as his words,
and the yes is said as much to the
genius Of the melody as TO the heart of
the man. In the second act il urges latent
NIllainy on TO destructive action, and fore
ing its way from Now. that was pretuly
turned 10 THAT opera shall never reach
Covent Garden clearly foreshadows the
plot In the third act ii plays a wonderful
part. advancing and retreating with the
action. and slowly rising in intensity un-
tIl in the one ma agninCeut crash Of 1T 1s
KING Lear We are almost lifted OFF our
feet. The situation is tremendous; the
heart skips q beat, and down comes the
curtain on rousing applause. six calls,
loud bravos and a demand for d speech.
ii is worthy Of note that it is the melody
tIar reaches our ear, and not the dismal
turum OF the accompaniment, as 50 often
happens when the orchestra Is behind the
scenes.
II may be the effect of the music, and it
may not, but time seems TO influence each
act and scene. While the story is deyel-
oping and before We are interested, things
move quickly. keynotes are struck forte
and held until they carry to the back
rows. confessions are reached andante and
spoken presto, situations that mold are
fun stops. In the fourth act We are given
time TO absorb a very pretty scene with
Qancing shadows before a word Is spoken
or the chimes ring out to divide our atten-
tiOn. Time in fact, marches Hearts
ease III various measures and many keys
straight onward to success.
In the sense that effect is produced by
startling situation. ''HeartseaSe' is a
melodrama, especially in its fourth act;
but melodrama mas its value, and in the
hands OF the Miller company, even though
played in the necessary exaggerated key,
X ceases even 10 seem unusual
It's four ClimaXeS express as many dis
tincJ sentiments-the JOY of requited love,
the TathoS of despair, the frenzy Of i'm
potent rage and the quiet satisfaction of
nope fulhued. Briefly, the story IS the
love Of young composer for beautiful
girl. whose hand he hopes TO win through
the success of an opera into which he has
poured his very soul, the hate of a rival,
VINO. by altering the address Of certain
note and slipping it under the fastenlngs
OF the only score, sends the opera 70 tenn
pOrary oblivion, to drag II forth in time
and produce il under another name as his
own: the havoc wrought by the promis-
CUOuS condolences OF an old fool whose
sense of honor is nil and whose tongue
WagS at both ends; the vanity and guilty
love of a married woman, who patrOnizeS
the young musician to nnd expression for
that love and 10 be a little in front Of
the fashion, who pays his debts without
his knowledge and at the crucial moment
Is too COWardly TO save his honor at the
expense of what she is pleased to con-
sioer her own, and the final clearing away
OF doubt and false accusation by the con-
LESSONS OF an dccOmpHce IN mis- cups and
the final awakening Of the very tiny spark
OF good in the woman nature. 1t has a
few dull spots and one ridiculous situa-
ton but while we note these better feat
UTeS rush in and diSaTm criticism. Mr..
Millers Eric Temple is better supported
than when seen here before, and fine
performance that we thought II then II
gains immeasurably by the environment.
= ne atmosphere OF music is apparent
wherever he moves, his exit in the second
act Is more pathetic than words can tell,
and 10 note, in the third act, the daWning
and growing consciousness tnat sITaInS
from his own composition are reaching
his ears, to follow him through all the
shades Of doubt. to fearful conviction and
insane fury, is a lesson to wOuld-be Thes>
pans. that dramatic instinct must steady
Their aim if ever they would perfectly
hit the mark Some rather poor marks
men nave from time to time stood close
a. Mr.. MiIer's elbow.
PLAYING the lover to Miss Anglin must
be a delight, SO responsive is she 70 every
tone ana touch. Margaret Neville is not
the very best part that ever was written
but II has two dramatic moments and a
love scene Of infinite beauty. Making the
most OF these, Miss Anglin charms away
what is duh and impossible and sends
rs away hoodwinked into thinking better
Of u than il deserves Her methods are
beautifully artistic. Miss Dale plays the
sister with quiet, unobrusiIe sympathy,
and Mrs BOucicault adapts her PERSONAL
itv rather well to the weak, vain, silly in
consistent character of Lady Neville She
ori r-
recall distinctly Sir Peter and Lady Tea
zle and their oft-repeated quarrels. Mr..
toes. but. except in the matter Of stockings,
dresses more harmoniOusly than his Eng
lish would lead us TO suspect. Mr.; Stand
ing IS an excellent Sir Geonrey Pomfret,
and if MI Lindsay would make himself
understood Major TWOmbley would be
creditable performance. Charles WalCOtts
Lord Neville truly reflected the clustering
character that gouty men Of his means
and station are apt 70 deyelop Earle
to cut a foolish figure through three acts
and given rare 9fPportunitiy FOR ib6 good GOD
portunity and does some clever work.
The butler announced the guests so dis
tinctly that really caught their names
This is worthy of mention because the au-
thor has obviously introduced him into the
play for that especial purpose. and be-
cause stage buffers usually keep one
guessing. The minor support was notice
ably good, and the careful attention to
detail in these performances is itself an
education.
The stage settings are beautiful and as
carefully correct to the period as the pub
lie will allow. The scene in the third act
is a modified copy of one Of Hogarth's
pictures The eighteenth-century Covert
Garden Theater was not an elaborate
place. Perfor mances began at IN ,nt
afternoon. and dressing was not notice
able feature. The original intention was
to present the picture with absolute cor
RICHNESS, but the public mistook art for
frugality, and art was sacrificed for their
approval As part of the public, am not
sorry. for the beautiful gown that Miss
Angifn is thus permitted to wear is hap
pfness to behold. Yes. the play may be a
melodrama and perhaps has not the value
In dramatic literature Of others presented;
but in wigs and patches and stage-man
aged TO perfection 1t is beyond question an
artistic success. 1t presents as beautiful
q succession of stage pictures as we have
CHARLOTTE THOMPSON.
Tivoli.
The people of this city know good
thing when they see it. and this is the
reason why the Tivoli Opera-house was
crowded to the doors last evening The
IT, IT,