The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1903-09-28
SPLENDID PLAY
At THE GRAND
HOyt'S GA Texas Steer"
Is Given Rousing
Reception.
New Bill at the Orpheum
Full Of Amusing
Features.

Inc SOuS Oh the Bdllery grip their seats
and gurgle with delight at the Grand this
week, for there is glorious fight in "a
Gentleman Of France" The genial James
Neill suddenly becomes an avenging fury
and, armed with a glistening r-r-rapier
and biology dagger, Stays six men in
quick succession and rescues the beautiful
heroine from her enemies
1t is upon the staircase of the chateau
Of Monsieur de Bruhl CASTOR de Marsac.
with the calcium glittering from his wav-
ing steel, stands at the top of the strip of
red Brussels carpet and meets his caitiff
enemies one by one. The first is speared
in the neck and falls over the balustrade
In a heap. A second, with his cloak about
his face, rushes up the stairs and re-
ceives the dagger meath his fifth rib. The
third is hit the head with a stool. Still
they press on. only to fall with sickening
noise upon the CORY floor At last the
curtain goes down with the Sieur de Mar
sac leaning on his trusty blade and the
heroine pressing rapier against the third
jacket button of one of the wounded VIII
lains. 1t is great.
Besides the big fight there are seven
scenes Of Kings palaces, midnight es-
capes from gloomy castles and awful am
bushes Two monarchs of old France,
some Dukes and villains various drag
their swords and click their spurs until
when one goes outside of the enchanted
realm and sees the electric cars and po-
licemen he feels that life to-day is not
what it should be.
This being the first time that "A Cen
tleman of France" has been produced
west of Chicago, Neill has endeavored to
make it's appearance noteworthy. This
.f
and costumes. The court scenes are re-
markable for the beautifully gowned Ia
dies in waiting and the scenical appoint
nents. For the somewhat meage oppor-
tunities for acting which a typical long
cloak-and-rapier play offers, Neill has adj
equately filled the vacancy by an excel
lent mise en- scene
That his temperance in the city is well
come TO the play-goers was fully demon
strated yesterday afternoon by the ova-
ton which was rendered not only himself
and Miss Chapman but every one of the
familiar faces in the company. To a
small group Of friends there was especial
interest in the production, occasioned by
the appearance OF Miss Mary Gilman, the
stately Stanford beauty who attracted so
much attention as the star in the Knight
of the Burning Pestle" some months ago.
All in all. "A Gentleman Of France is
good type of the somewhat passe roman
tic plays. and will be enjoyed by those
who have a penchant for the stories Of
dim, forgotten days of the old regime.
One Of the largest audiences of the sea-
son gathered at the California Theater
last night. jammed it as full as the law
would allow and gloated and roared over
the late Charles A. Hoyt's remarkable
witty, brilliant comedy, "A Texas Steer.
The master satirist, Hoyt, justly Ia
NIT nGn
never weaved such delicate. albeit sting
ing satire and II is no doubt a fact,
never paid so much attention to consecu-
tive construction as in his rearing of "A
Texas Steer.
How skilfully the playwright did his
work is evidenced when in these late days
the piece can command an overlooking
audience, an audience that makes itself
hoarse with laughter just as hoisterously,
indeed. as it did on the first hearing of
the comedy.
The play is presented here with care
and respect for the Hoytian text and the
Hoytian business and by a company
which is capable of giving the humorous
and ironical lines of the departed author
their full value.
James A. Devin is the Maverick
Brander, the Texas cattle king and he
carried the part with vim that won
for him the highest appreciation. Miss
depreciation of Bossy, Brander's pet and
the actress scored a marked success be- /
cause the audience quickly discerned that
she had surrounded the part with natural
ness and avoided the exrravagant and
soubrettish characteristics that have been
usually associated with the character.
Christopher Columbus Jr. Fishback, a
colored politician, in the hands of Milt G.
Barlow, was a character treat. The per-
Torrance throughout fully deserved its
hearty reception.
The Orpheum was packed to its utmost
capacity at both performances yesterday
and every number on the new programme
was warmly received Myles Mccarthy, |
who last appeared in this city as star in
a drama by Hall Game, offered a refresh /
ing novelty in his skit, The Race Tout's /
Dream" He was ably assisted by Miss /
Aida Woolcott Alexius, programmed |
1.-The great" certainly lives up to his bill !
ing. He gives the most extraordinary /
single acrobatic bicycle act ever seen in |
this city. performing feats of daring and |
skill that almost defy belief. Al Carleton |
and Willard Terre offer singing and |
talking act greatly out of the ordinary, |
and Astounding in genuine fun. Paulo and |
Dika. genuine cafe chantant performers, |
scored a great hit in their frothy come |
delta, "A French Frappe" Their rendi- !
ton of un to date jokes in broken Eng |
fish was very funny. Charles Ernest, the I
black face monologist and parodist, had ;
an entirely new routine of stories and |
songs and his turn was an improvement |
on that of last week Fake and Semon I
introduced several new laughs in their {
musical comedy work. E. Rousby's beau
tifuI electrical novelty 'In Paris" began
it's third and last week and Mario and /
Aldo continued their wonderful triple |
har parfOrnoaDpa ha v,aotio,,