The San Francisco call., 1901-12-02
MERRY COMEDY
At CALIFORNIA
Bill at the Orpheum Con-
tains Many Excellent
Numbers.
Entertaining Plays Are on
This Week at All the
Theaters.

1t was a big audience that packed the
California last night to laugh over the
funny complications of IA Stranger in
a Strange Land" Fun reigned from the
rise to the fall of the curtain, at times
the laughter becoming SO vociferous is
to delay the action on the stage. 1t is
without doubt as good farce as we have
yet had here. and the presenting COM
pany is exceptionally clever.
An American Indian forms a conspicu-
Gus feature of "a Stranger in a Strange
Land" There is real Indian and two
bogus ones, and the complications that
arise from mistaken identity are intense
ly ludicrous. The fun is so clean and
this farce from first to last. William
Friend, who has to do all the lying in
the farce, is very deXteriouS in the art,
and manages to wiggle out of the tight
est corners with smoothness that is as
tonishing.
Charles Drake is very unctuous in the
part of the old uncle who is always get
ting into scrapes, and F. j. Donnelly as
the real Indian gives characterization
that is positively startling. The parts are
all well sustained, and the entire action
goes with swiftness that is only at
tanned through long familiarity with the
different roles. Big business should be
the rule this week at the California.
Next Sunday night s. Miller Kent fol-
lows in CLYDE Fiteh's famous comedy "A
been out to the coast before.
There is good show at the Orpheum
this week. The Dumond Partisan Min
Strels is about as funny a combination as
has appeared here in some time. There
are three in the troupe and each one is
a clever musician. They sing and per-
while doing so amuse the audience by
their facial contortions. Their appear
ance on the stage is a signal for great
applause, as their makeups are most gro
tesQue.
Mile. Taglione is a good dancer and her
terpsichorean efforts are enhanced by at
tractive stage settings. The turn of Wer-
den and Shepherd, illustrated song voc i
lists, met with a hearty reception. The
pictures illustrating the songs sung are
wonderful reproductions. Andy Lewis,
and is as popular O as e ever. EN- The III * Kaufl i
manns and Goleman's trained dogs and
cats are still favor1tes of the audience.
La Belle Tortajada, vocalist and dancer,
did not appear last night, owing to sud-
den Illness. She will appear tonight.
At the Columbia Theater this evening
the attraction will be the much -talked-of
French farce from the Criterion Theater,
New York, entitled 1.-The Girl From Max
inns" From all accounts it is a lively
and laughable piece and well presented by
the company organized for its interpreta-
lin the role of Praline. "The Girl From
MaXim's' is from the pen of George Fey
deau, author of the other clever farce,
The Gay Parisians." Besides Miss Mer-
aid, w. H. Turner, Joseph Allen. J. H.
Armstrong, Harry Dull and twenty 9TH
ers. The next attraction for the Column
bia will be Jefferson de Angels and a big
musical organization in "a Royal Rogue"
The sale of seats for the engagement of
Miss Minnie Seligman at the Grand OPP
era-house opens this morning. 1t is ex-
pected that this engagement will be one
of the most successful in the history Of
the theater. The first play to be present.
ed will be ''The Crust of Society" and
the opening performance will be given
Friday evening December 6. There will
be the usual Saturday and Sunday matt
ness and the same popular prices will pre-
vail.
The Alcazar Theater has an excellent
attraction this week in Robert Stephens
King" The drama takes for it's presenta-
ton almost the whole resource of the AL
cazar's strong company and will be ac-
ceptably mounted and staged. Next week
christopher Jr." will be put on.
Russian melodrama gives way to the
home variety at the Central Theater this
week. with the Streets of New York. as
the current bill of fare The cast will be
ment advertises a realistic fire scene as
a, feature of the performance. They do
favorite uptown house, and the drama al
together should prove strong attraction.
At the Tivoli, with the clever young Pol
lards, '"The Geisha" will continue to re-
main the, programme for this week. 1.-The
Geisha' has so far been the seasons hit
with the Australian Opera Company. The
piece is presented in most effective
fashion and most Of the alert youngsters
have made individual hits. Little Daphne
Pollard. aged years, will be Wun Hi,
the Chinaman. and is as clever as they
make them all round. This is a show for
children. though it is just as entertaining
for their self-denving escorts. But no
child should miss it. The Juvenile Opera
Company remains but two weeks longer.
The sale of subscription seats for the
series of, three symphony concerts that
are to be given by the San Francisco
Symphony Society will open this morning
at Sherman & Clay's music store and will
close on Saturday next. The single seat
sale will open the following week The
first concert of the series will take place
on Friday afternoon, December 13. and the
following concerts on the afternoons nf
January 10 and II. There is every indi-
cation of a large and substantial interest
being taken in this important musical
event.
Charity Martin has returned to F'ischer's
Concert House and will be one of the star
attractions of the weeks bill Others on
the good list are: John Desmond; the
four Derners: Blanche Reynolds: Ren Luz
cier; Dunning and Grimm Oro Bernard
and Orc. and Hinrichs' orchestra.
The Chutes has provided another strong
hill Of novelties for its patrons this week.
New people opening to-day are the
Lockos England's celebrated bag punch
ers; Leando Bros. comedy acrobats, and
Maud Frazer, Gothams favorite singing
comedienne. The hold-overs are Leslie
Bros. musical artists: Levey and Parent
juvenile singers and dancers. and Clinton
Montgomery in illustrated songs A series
of new moving pictures will also be
shown.
The Right Thing in the Right Time.
This is the most opportune time for an
auction sale of oriental rugs before the
holidays Mr.. Mihran comes forward to
fill this need of rug lovers with his ia
nous stock augmented by the arrival Of
delayed shipments. making in all the