The San Francisco call., 1904-07-17

Miss Hopper is always charming,
and she has shown wisdom in forsaking
the musical-eomedy stage to star in
vaudeville. Her act is so fresh, so deli
cate. so attractive that it stands alone
among the present day sketches. and
Miss Hopper herself is delightful in
her portrayal of the leading role, that
Of a clever little artist Of the London
music halls. She has two or three songs
in the act, which take remarkably well.
and her gown is very beautiful and be-
coming She quite won the hearts OF
Sheagoers yesterday, and nothing as
good in the line Of sketches has been
seen here since Robert Hilliard pre-
sented The Littlest Girl"
Has an actress the right to accept a
play which promises to be a great sue
cess simply because the role she must
assume requires her to masquerade in
male attire? Legally. OF course, an
actress has a right to refuse any play
that doesn't suit her, but professional
ly is she justified in rejecting a play
because of the trousers?
This interesting ethical problem
doesn't worry Miss Bertha GalIand, for
she has just settled it to her own salts
faction by rejecting a new play written
especially for her by one Of Americas
foremost dramatists. 1t wouldn't be
fairito name the dramatist, for he has
hopes Of getting some other actress,
not quite so fastidious, to accept his
trousers play. But the fact remains
that this play. which had already been
tentatively accepted by Manager ].
Fred Zimmerman has been voted a
success, was rejected when Miss Gal
land read the play because the actress
refused to wear the trousers.
I never have and I never WILL" said
Miss GalIand, "and 1 don't care If it is
the best play ever written, won't use
it. So there, now"
Henrietta Crosman won her first big
success in a trousers part, and Julia
Marlowe did not scorn the pants in
When Knighthood Was in Flower"
Lulu Glaser has even decided to wear
trousers in the oDeratic version of the
same novel, to be called "a Madcap
Princess" But, on the other hand, no
less a parsonage than Viola Allen re-
fused to wear trousers once for
Anthony Hopes play, ''Phroso." Since
eminent examples on both sides-Or
should we say both legs of the trOus-
ers?-can be thus quoted. it certainly
seems that any star has the right to
settle the question to her own satis-
faction.
At any rate, Miss Galland win stick
to skirts in Dorothy Vernon of Had
don Hall"
Julian Mitchell seems to possess a
rare faculty for unearthing clever vau-
deviIle talent and bringing it TO ripe
fruition. His latest discovery is a team
of agile dancers, Messrs. CASTOR and
Stone, who are declared to be little
short of marvellous in terpsichorean
grace and skill.
Fred Stone recently interpolated a
telling and effective catch-line in The
Wizard Of o." When he makes his en-
trance as the Scarecrow in the scene
of the field Of the deadly pOppies he
exclaims: I'm so nervous" The first
time he introduced this gag it evoked
an immediate roar of laughter from the
audience, and the comedian was
thereupon induced to repeat it in two
other scenes Of the play-once again in
the episode where the Wizard injects
brains into his pate and again in the
last act, where he is imprisoned in the
wistaria tree. The unctuous humor Of
Stones rising infection when he ex-
claims I'm so nervous" is even more
delicious than Lawrence dOrsay's
famous catch line, ''Sarah's betta.h.' in
1.-THE Earl Of Pawtucket." or Frank
Daniels 'Is my face red?' in The Of
flee Boy" At least, a Chicago critic
said so.
Miss Anna Laughlin, the charming
little Dorothy in THE Wizard of o."
is nothing if not original. An expert
swimmer, Miss Laughlin has ideas OF
her own about the most comfortable
way to wear ones hair while in the
water. IT go bathing nearly every
day" she said recently, "and am con-
stantly asked how 1 am able to keep
my hair dry and glossy for the even
ing performance. don't mind letting
you in on the secret, as think 1t is
one worth knowing and will be of gem
uine benefit to many girls who are as
fond of the water as I am. but dislike
to wet their hair so as not TO be pre-
sentable at the theater or a dinner
party. Before going in bathing dress
my hair exactly as 1 do for my work
in the theater. comb my hair straight
back from my forehead. tie my wig
band tightly over it and then don
thick, curly wig, which I fasten secure
Iy by multitudinous hairpins. After
the first plunge in the surf the wig is
pretty well drenched through, but not
a drop of water touches my own
natural hair. and after the bath my
head is as dry as if had not been in
the water"
The two musically inclined gentle
men, THE Wizard of OF" and The
Sultan of SuIu," are soon to start
: West, paying San ancisco visit
while on their tour.