The San Francisco call., 1903-12-28
PLAY PLEASES
BIG AUDIENCES
Capable Company Is Seen in
Drama 1.-The Minister'S Son"
at the Grand Opera House
COMEDY AT CALIFORNIA
care You a Mason?" Makes Hit
With Audience Road Show
at Orpheum Still Drawing

Two large audiences gathered at the
Grand Opera house yesterday to enjoy
the charming play, >The Minister'S
Son." as presented by W. B. Patton and
his excellent company.
Not since the time that Sol Smith
Russell appeared in this city had the
theater- going public had an opportuni-
ty of witnessing play in which pathos
and humor are so delightfully."- blended
as in "The Minister'S Son"
While the play has nothing that is
new in the way of stagecraft, the man
ner of it's portrayal is it's chief merit.
1t tells a story of villainy combated by
virtue and right and the character of
the son of the minister is most cleverly,
drawn and played.
The quaint humor of Simon Ray
reaches the hearts of the audience and
one cannot but feel that his good quail
ties are not those of the stage, but of
real life.
The entire company appearing in
.The Minister'S Som is to be commend
ed for its most artistic work. There is
no straining after effect or desire to
earn applause by stilted situations.
The actors and actresses are natural in
all the scenes and they hold their audi
tors with keen interest through the en-
tire play.
w. P. Patton is certainly entitled to
star in the character of the son of the
prosecuted minister. He has a quiet
and quaint method that draws tears as
we'll as laughter and proves himself to
be a clever actor.
Kathryn Shay as the wronged daugh-
ter of the minister won all hearts by her
womanly portrayal of the role. There
was a true ring in her delivery of the
lines that showed she had fully grasped
the authors conception.
George Kenneth as the villain was re-
warded with Kisses by the audience,
which is the best compliment that can
be paid TO an actor in such roles.
Brian Darley, sterling actor, played
the part of the old minister with dignity
and pathos and the comedy lines were
well looked after by Harry B. Reid,
Charles L. George, R. Dinsmore, viii
]. Morton, Agnes Lanesand Louise Fos-
ter.
The staging of the play was very real
istic and the Grand Opera-house man
agement is to be congratulated in Sc
curing such a splendid attraction as
The Minister'S Son" for the amuse-
ment of its patrons.
1t was a laugh from beginning to
end at the California last night. Are
You a Mason?" was presented by a
first-class company and the show was
heartily enjoyed. Each of the charac-
ters was sustained in a manner that
more than pleased the large audience.
The farce is a solid ENHANCEMENT of
fraternal matters with domestic COM
plications thrown in. The father of a
family attempts to allay the sus-
picions of his wife caused by his ir-
regular hours by announcing that he
is a Mason, and he meets several pros
pective son-in-laws who are practicing
the same deception. Three acts are re
quired to straighten matters out, but
before the curtain drops felicity reigns
and every one is happy.
William Robert Daily, stock broker
and former actor, sustains dual char
a.cter. Edward Kellie, who plays papa
in the show, makes hit and introduces
much that is new in the comedy line.
Misses Adelaide Wise, George Hart
and Mary Faber are exceedingly clever
in their roles, and Miss Jessie Church
makes an excellent mother-in-law.
Louis r. Grisel and Miss Valbourg
Hermann appear as country couple,
and Thomas David is good in the char
acter of a lover caught in the meshes
of Masonry. Charles Kennedy does
Hamilton Travers, usher in a music
hall; Thomas V. Emory makes himself
a favorite as a young architect, and
Edward Marshall is on the bills as a
policeman. Miss Mamie Johnstone, as
cook to an aristocratic family, and Miss
Estelle Lewis, as Fanchon Armitage
cloak model, also add much to the
fun.
The Orpheum road show continues
to be popular this week without any
change of programme. The common
opinion is that it is the best that has
been on the Orpheum stage for many
a day and the packed houses bear this
statement out. Albertus and Millar,
with their spangled clubs; Elizabeth
Murray, the Irish songstFess; the Me-
lani troubadours, and the muscular
Nightons are still the drawing cards
that they were a week ago.
Japanese and Germans have the
same average brain weight.