The San Francisco call., 1904-04-18
GRANDLY GREET
OLD FAVORlTES
Former FiScherites Draw an
Enthusiastic Crowd to
the Grand Opera House
ROSE COGHLAN'S TALENT
Play in Which She Opens
at the California Proves
Sorry Vehicle for Her Art
ROSE COGHLAN'S TALENT

They're at It again-the folks that
familiarized San Francisco with Web
erfeldism and made Fischers Theater
famous.
The entire group Of favorites-Kolb
and Dill, Barney Bernard, Maude Am
ber, Winfield Blake and Hope and En-
erson-appeared at the Grand Opera
house last night and played their for
mer roles in "Hoity Toity" to an audi
ence whose numerical strength was only
limited by the seating capacity and the
anti-standing-room ordinance. Hun
dreds of people that sought admission
were turned away in disappointment.
Those that got in participated in the
greatest ovation ever rendered to
company Of entertainers in this city.
They banked the stage with floral trib-
utes and they howled themselves
hoarse in greeting at each artists first
entrance. 1t was a reception tremen-
dous and spontaneous.
The spirit of the assemblage in front
seemed to cross the footlights and in
spire the actors to work as they never
before worked to please. Consequently
the performance was great on its mer-
its. 1t would have compelled plaudits
and loud laughter even If there had
been no personal prediction to aid it.
The artistry of the principals was en-
hanced in effectiveness, by the efforts
of a big and well-trained chorus or
pretty girls, an augmented orchestra
under the leadership of Harry James,
wealth of scenic accessories and the In
PRODUCTION of some of the latest song
hits. If the same care is bestowed upon
the company's opening performance in
10 ha will he theirs
And it is hinted that even a bigger and
better show is in store for the strange
land where there will be no established
favoritism to help the strangers.
Marty O'Neill, a new comedian, made
a hit, and Ben Hassan, also new, did
some clever acrobatic work. "Hoity-
Toity" is on for the week, and next
ment.
THE Greatest Thing in the World"
a drama by Harriet Ford and Beatrice
de Mile, was presented last night by
Rose Coghlan and her company at the
California. Concerning itself with a
fascinating mamma, who wades
through four acts of tabulation in a
highly becoming wardrobe, with
mammals sons. and mammals lovers,
the drama is of the gloriously uncon-
vincing sort. The acting is conspicu-
ously in key. Even Rose Coghlan, great
actress as she still is, fails to make
mamma plausible. She wears several
becoming gowns most successfully, de-
lights. as usual, with the clearness of
her elocution, but cannot make bricks
out of the very bad straw furnished by
the dramatists. Her supporting COM
pany also carefully abstains from any
thing approaching realism. Fred c.
House, as the naval offspring of
mamma, looks as though he were alive
occasionally, so also Sidney Irving, as
the prodigal son. There is a star dog
possessed by Paula Gloy, who is Madge
Chiselhurst, with possibilities but an
impossible voice, but the rest of the
cast is stuffed, and badly. The Great
est Thing in the World is anything but
the kind of thing usually done by Miss
Coghlan, and were much better left
undone.
wilfred Clarke and his company
Lucille Spinney, Archie GILES and Theo
Carew, alighted in the midst of the
Orpheum last night with Gne of those
comedy sketches of the rapid fire va
riety 1t is called No More Trouble,
and the four people stir up whole lot
of fun during the half hour the piece
runs 1t is one laughable skit after an
other and then the thing ends up sud-
denly, so that the crowd does not have
a chance to think about what is COM
ing. 1t was given much applause and
seemed to be one of those pieces that
are manufactured especially for Or
pheum audiences.
Ethel Levy, the clever singer and
dancer, returned last night and every
thing she did was highly appreciated
by those present They liked her so
much that she was treated to many
calls. The Wilson's and Mademoiselles
Amorcs and Charlotte, two troups of
acrobatic performers, had new and
novel acts that were well received. The
Mortons were just as popular as ever.
Edmund Day and his company pro-
duced their little sketch in good form.
Flo Adler had few new songs and
the Ellis -Nowlan duo did a very clever
comedy acrobatic act. The moving
pictures representing the production of
Faust" was one of the best ever put
on at the popular variety house
The closing concert of Nine Schu-
mann Heink drew a large audience to
the Tivoli yesterday afternoon. The
playhouse was filled with as large an
assemblage as is permitted by the fire
ordinance. Nine. Schumann- Heink has
made great impression upon the San
Francisco people, who are sorry to see
her leave.