The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1903-09-01

.71LORENCE ROBERTS reappeared
! at the Alcazar Theater last even
ing and secured a welcome that
! N expressed itself in several cart
loads Of flowers and a multitude
| of curtain calls The latter We're so per-
! sistent that a speech was evidently the
only way to quiet the Roberts admirers
1t was a great opening night in point
of numbers. Every seat in the house was
! taken and the standing room in the rear
/ was also occupied. When Florence
/ Roberts had all the flowers that had been
! handed up to the stage properly arrayed
| they made a bank that extended nearly
| the whole width of the stage floor. She
came out, put friendly hand upon the
biggest floral emblem of the lot, on which
was the inscription welcome Home,
and made a neat little talk.
Il am glad that you are glad" she
said. 81 thank you. If 1 should talk
half an hour it would be but variations
of that. These flowers will fade, their
perfume will fail, but the memory of
this welcome will not fade; it's perfume
will be in my heart forever"
1t was a Florence Roberts night in all
particulars. The stock company rallied
around her as well as the writing of the
lines of the play would permit, but the
star part was entirely dominant from
beginning to end. The story is one of
almost 'unbroken woe. The discarded
wife, who creeps back to her home that
she may see her daughter, who supposes
her to be dead, this being on the daugh-
ter's wedding eve, is the central motive.
This emotional situation was handled
with. much cleverness. Woe ranged
through the gamut and tears were
commanded at will. The work Of the
leading role was clean cut and judicfous
1t caught the audience strongly. Hope
and despair. vibrated in the lines just
frequently enough to keep the emo
tional interest on. edge, When the end
came and the curtain fell upon the play
just at the moment when all that 1.-The
Unhappy Mrs Hatch could have hoped
for in the way of bliss was at hand and
she died, overcome with illness, the
house had lost none Of it's crowding au-
ditors. They stayed, one and all, until
there was no more chance9to be stirred.
Judging from all precedents and the
manner in which 1.-THE Unwelcome Mrs
Hatch" was received last evening it will
have a successful run to good nightly
business. 1t has all the peculiar twinges
that inhere in a plot that provides for
1.-THE expulsion from her home of the IN
fortunate discarded wife the second time;
that includes a romance in which the
suffering Mrs. Hatch refuses to accept an
eligible offer of marriage for fear that
she will drag down the man that she has
learned to love. Then there is flicker
of gayety, which soon goes out, attend
ant upon the coming of the bridesmaids
to the wedding of the daughter. Also
there is a scene in a park, where lot
of boys and girls do stunts in a dramatic
way that takes the house for their pure
righteousness. Marie Howe did cleverly
with the part of the servant Virginia
-Brissac was a nice little stage bride.
Walter Belasco was in the park scene
as tramp, and is desperately made up
for the part.
@ q
a pleasing basso, rather of the cantante
order, that he used with ample taste and
ease.
It should be said that the ensemble
work of the evening was excellent The
principals showed lovely familiarity
with their roles, rarely stopping to regard
the fraternal baton of Brother Steindorff,
and the chorus work also showed the ef-
feet of long and careful rehearsal. 1t was
throughout a triunphal evening.
Lucia" with the alternating cast, will
be done tonight.
BLANCHE PARTITION.