The San Francisco call., 1904-10-02
efforts with the Majestic company have
not been so to say brilliant.


not been so to say brilliant.
But ii is the Majestic stage as out
let for budding genius, with Miss
Rambeau and Mr.. Stack as represent
atives. that 1 wish to consider. The
last time 1 saw these young thespians
was at dramatic school matinee.
given by the Paul Gerson school Of
acting. Tardily 1 here subscribe to
having seen there some uncommonly
good work. 1t was, however, neither
Miss Rambeau's nor Mr.. Stacks. Gu
riously ambitious was the latter's ef-
fort, almost impertinentIy audacious.
Yet one could not but sympathize with
the exalted fashion of his ideal. Mr..
Stack, to begin with, committed a
translation Of Hermann Suderman's
''Fritzchen," a powerful and brilliant
little play concerning itself with Ger
man army life. Possibly the transIa-
ton was hasty, but its attempt to re-
alize the German in the American
idiom was at times weirdly funny.
Weirdly funny, too, was Mr.. Stacks
Richard d-Mansfield-Prince-K Karl Fritz,
the lieutenant. From makeup to a
hint of a lisp it was as faithful replica
of "Old Heidelberg's" hero as the
young actor could devise. Yet the
frank bOldness of the imitation and
something natively virile and auda-
cious in the work aroused a certain
sympathy. The play itself is recon-
mended strongly to those in search Of
a powerful curtain raiser-the anna
teur absolutely barred
Miss p m bpaU
Reece in the little Southern sketch,
'Marse Van" One remembers chief
ly an overdone petulance. childishness.
with fair technical competence and
pleasing presence as Miss Rambeau's
contribution. The importance Of
'Marse Van" came in with Miss Mar
garet lies.
Margaret res-remember the name.
After all, though, 1t is not necessary;
ii viii find you out itself before very
long. Miss lies was the little niger
brat Sacharissa, and a truly delight
full darky. The character was over
accented perhaps, but positively
beaming with the sunny, careless ne
gro humor. Dialect. voice, gesture,
might have been handed up from old
Virginny, and Miss lies walked
through the part on her bare feet
without an atom of self-consciousness
She is well worth watching.
While I am about it, Mr.. Gerson ex-
hibited another pupil that am tempt
ed TO prophesy for. This is one Lester
Alden, who gave a quite powerful lit
tie performance of a coward horse
stealer in a one-act playlet by Martin
V. Merle. The audience of a dramatic
school matinee is not of the most rev.
erent. Poor Mr.. Stack found that out
when he wandered on with an awkward
slit in his uniform. But even the
Fischer chorus girls, who sat in a fluffy
bunch and Uttered about the Stack
contretemps, were impressed by the
Alden portrait.
The horse-stealer takes refuge in the
Sheriff's hut on the Arizonan desert.
and discovers in him the man from
whom he won away his sweetheart
years ago. The Sheriff promises to help
him TO escape, believing him innocent
He is guilty, and confesses. Mr.. Merle,
whose first attempt at play-writing is
ne AdAA AE Jug
turns his Sheriff into a cad here. He
turns his former friend out into the
storm-swept desert.
Mr.. Alden's portrait of the horse
stealer sticks in the memory More
than cleverly, with the genuine tenn
peramental quality, he gave the mans
innate rottenness, cowardice, his alter
nations Of hope and fear as the Sheriff
decides his fate. The makeup was
excellent, and Mr.. Alden's facial ex-
pressions suggest the veteran How
much the student owes to Mr. Gerson
one can hardly decide, but there is
even notable material here, unless I
am egregiousIy mistaken.
To the Majestic, then, the student
with Mr.. Stack as "a soldier" and Miss
Rambeau, with three lines, as pioneers.
1.-THE If is large-the ambitions of
Mr.. Bishop and Mr.. Morosco are real
lied, the theater may become such a
dramatic incubator as was the old
California in its glorious days. But
McCulloughs and Barretts are scarce,
and the day may be distant. Mean
time. Mr.. ]. H. Gilmour and Miss Grace
Reals rule the roost, with earnestness
if without distinction, and Mr.. Bishop
has put out a hand to the student.
I wonder If they have not a Tony
Lumpkin I'D at the Majestic in the per-
son Of Henry Stockbridge? His work
in Captain Darlington" this week
strongly suggests the possibility. Cap
tain harrington" is to be remembered
also for a naive and charming moment
filled by Miss Linda Arvidson. The
logic Of her work was. however, at
fault. Did she mean to suggest willing
ness or unwillingness to endure Cap