The San Francisco call., 1904-06-06
ONLY ONE DEAD
ON MIMIC FIELD
"A Captain of Navarro" Pro-
duces Some Good Situa-
tions but Few Slain
TRULY SHATTUCK AGAIN
Old Favorite Reappears and
Is Very Much Improved.
Cavalier" at California

A romantic drammer with only one
slain-and him not very dead as he
comes to life again in the last acts
A Captain of Navarro" presented for
the first time here yesterday afternoon
at the Grand Opera House by Mel
bourne Mcdowell and his campany.
Nor is this the only instance of the
playwright's moderation. The piece
numbers fights galore. but the hero is
expected to tackle only two or three of
the wretched caitiffs at once. Gypsies
butt in" to take care of the rest. the
nine or eleven others that usually fall
to the paladin's blade.
But there are possibilities-or pos
sabilities," as Mr.. Nesbitt Kingsland
of the cast likes it-about "A Captain
of Navarro" 1t is no worse and a
good deal better than many romantic
plays taking up more ROOM Crude
it is, windy and banal of dialogue; but
there are some genuinely striking sit
uationS, and the people of the play
I live in romantic drammer-land. / may
have missed much in missing the first
act, as l did. The second act. that
! finds the hero, Rene de Pardaillan,
/ fugitive from justice in the house of the
I
/ the real romantic thrill. Neither
know who the other is. and the woman
has sheltered him in her bed chamber
and given him permission to go free.
! But come then the friends of her son
/ to tell her of his death in a duel. She
surmises Immediately who is the man
/ hidden behind the lace curtains of her
/ bed. He overhears and understands.
! The scene between Rene and the
mother, proud, bitter, revengeful but
who, noblesse oblige, tells the murderer
of her son that he is still free TO go, is
quite thrilling.
The next act says. Its mechanism is
creaky, its movement slow. Yet again,
there are possibilities in the story The
last act explains things not badly, and
with an acre or two of pruned heroics
would go.
Mr. MacDowell is the strenuous hero
and is quite at home with him. One
wonders sometimes what Mr.. Mac
Dowell would do in the chestless
drama. Still, 'twould be sad to hide
such thoracic charms. But his virtues
are occasionally irritating. When he
slapped Rene's sternum last night and
swore: Il will not goi'' ida capo ad
lib) when his sweetheart urged him
to fly for his life, there was nothing
necessarily heroic in the action. But
there were wads of heroism in the
gesture. STILL the actor has many sin
cere and thoughtful moments in the
piece and looks the part handsomely.
His work is altogether. in fact, on
sincere and more thoughtful level this
season.
Miss Edith Fuller has the part of the
mother. and undertakes it plausibly.
Robert Elliott who in the braggadoclo !
role of Annibal Locust has 10 stay !
drunk for four acts, got all the laughs I
and much of the applause. The rest (
filled in in fair fashion. The piece /
runs this week.
Time has dealt kindly with Truly I
Shattuck, who reappeared at the Or
pheum last night after a three years {
absence. While deriving stage grace 4
from her experience in the European I
capitals. she lost neither vocal nor
physical charm, and it was a thorough I
ly vaudeville artist that her old-tnme I
admirers greeted. Her voice reflects !
conscientious study and the pulchritude /
of maturity sccentuates rather than
impairs the curves that once made her
such a conspicuous component of the i
TivoIi stage pictures. She warbled the /
er-bevitching ''Violets" with effect
i've nhrasing and then gave a reminder
of the Truly Shattuck of the years
agone by appearing in the costume OF
a toreador and singing something
about Seville and its chief industry,
which is bull fighting.
Marcers poseurs appeared IN several
new pictures. among them realistic
reproduction of the Native Sons mon
un1ent at Mason and Market streets.
Jules Lababes magnificent physique
was never exhibited to better advan-l
tage than in the garb. of the young
Forty-Niner.
Leah Russell made a hit with her
Hebrew songs and representations
Burke and La Rue and the lnky BOYS
produced a new sketch.
A somewhat Indifferent piece of stage
dramatization has transformed George
w. Cables stirring wartime novel.
.'The Cavalier. into a play which, at
tbc California Theater last evening
dragged its great length slowly along
to an unapplauded finish. The piece
lacks freshness and snap and the capa-
BILE actors composing the Oliver Nor
osco Company were not wholly able to
relieve tie performance from dullness.
There were bits of capital acting,
however, that at times showed what
the company is competent to do with
a suitable vehicle. AS usual, the hon.
ors were carried off by Miss Amelia
Gardner, whose work in the role of the
Confederate spy was wholly convinc-
ing and full of her characteristic
charm Thomas Oberle. as Captain
Oliver, played the villains part with
force. The scenes between these two
when marriage has mismated them are
the only ones of real power Howard
fa.r4 ~ ic q N r