The San Francisco call., 1904-10-31
Of futureFdn
on Stage Is Given.
bu Jane Corcoran
[ LarQe Crowd Sees
Minstrel SHOW al.
California .Thedter

OF all complaints that may be lodged
against Pretty Peggy one would last
allege dullness. The comedy, given
yesterday afternoon at the Grand OPP
era House for the first time here, kept
the audience throughout in a state of
lively amusement The affair also was
partly patriotic. Little Miss Corcoran,
star of the production, is a one-t time
Californian, and once a Californian al
ways a Californian. She is the daugh-
ter of Miss Estha williams, and ap-
peared first on the stage at the Cali
fornia Theater. in Caste her earthly
debut having been made two months
previously. AT six she went East. AT
seventeen she left the convent where
she was educated to appear as Ten
nessee in '.Tennessees Pardner." She
was with Billy Emerson in "Mul-
doon's Picnic at the old Standard, and
Frank Mayo did much for her. Last
year she came here with her mother in
The Cross Roads," and is this year
presented by her husband and man
ager, Mr.. A C. Aston, as star of
i
about tiny young woman of whom
unless 1 mistake, much more will be
heard.
Pretty Peggy is the immortal Peg,
the famous actress Mistress Voting
ton. Miss Frances Aymar Matthews is
the playwright. Miss Matthews-or is
it Mrs. ?."--has ?. caught Peggy young,
in her Dublin days. Garrick comes to
Dublin and discovers her dancing in
dir i
idol of all her acquaintance. Garrick
bangles London before the girls eyes
and gains her and her mother's-very
Importantly mamma's-consent to take
her there. The circus scene, with it's
contortionist and the redoubtable Mrs.
Woffington handling her fascinating
daughters admirers, proves quite
amusing though somewhat naive in
construction.
In act second Peggy is established as
the reigning favorite in London, Gar
rick in love with her, she with him.
Eva Sorel, a French dancer, is also in
love with Mr.. Garrick. Mr.. Garrick is
where he wishes. to forget that he has
loved the last named lady The scene
l.; the green room OF Cevent Garden
Theater, the time Peggy's birthday.
Peggy fiuots Cayendish, a fortuneteller
in love with her, and Canvendish, to.
be revenged, conspires with Sorel and
the deposed- BraedgiEfle to toast Serel
ends. however. with Garriek and Peggy
arranging their wedding for the follow
ing day. There is here all sorts of
lively incidents, that, If not always
conducive to the progress of the plot,
is yet illuminative of the period and
the people.
Act III finds Peggy on her wedding
day-a long time after the preceding
act The Sorel, discovering the fact of
the wedding that Garrick has con-
cealed, discovers herself to Peggy,
who breaks off the affair. In the last
act the actress. heartbroken over the
detection of Garriek, the victim of
cabal instigated by her rivals, breaks
down in her performance. The end
finds her in Garrick'S repentant arms.
And naive indeed is the ending, after
the third good act. Garrick is dis
covered in one of the Grand Opera
house boxes, the Prince of Wales in
the other, with the audience to
imagine itself present at the Covent
Garden Theater, London. That is all
right, but the cabal, slaves in hand,
comes shouting down
the aisle from behind us-presumably
from Mission street, Nay. nay.
Peggy herself is attractively painted
and fairly correctly, though she is
hardly the long-tongued and thirsty
wench that would lick her eye for a
pot of ale! But'she has all the wit and
good nature of the Wellington, and
very apt are the lines that Miss Mat
thews has put into her mouth. And
Miss Corcoran gives very clever por-
trait of the actress. She has quite the
suggestion of Maude Adams in her .ap-
pearance and som ething of the elfish
and spirituelle quality of Miss Adams
art. Her work is mobile like her face,
quick and true in it's light and shade,
and instinct with humor. Quite power
full again it Is on the emotional side,
her scene with the discovered Garrick
being full of grip and spell. There is
a good deal yet for Miss Corcoran to
do, but 1t looks as though 1t were go
ing to be done. She needs repose, to
know how to do nothing, needs finish,
poise, authority, but these can be
s{s-