The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-09-25

rather expected to find Andrew Bogart
last Monday with laurels in his hair
/ had seen operate debuts before, from
that Of the chorus graduate stepping
lightly into the center Of the stage 10
that OF the amateur paying for profess
sional prominence. But had not be-
fore seen an amateur youngster walk
away with frst-night honors in the as
tonishing fashion Of Andrew Bogart.
There was not a trace Of nerves in
his I,opez-"The Serenade" was the
opera There was only the intended
tremolo in the voice; only the needful
and graceful gesture. The singer
climbed down the stage Alps, wore his
ribbons and CATERS, sang and made
love TO the soubrette as if he had
been born TO the work. And I won
dered as I watched him il his COM
posure were skin deep or deeper. Won
dered il I had seen in his debut the
qualification Of a cherished ambition. I
wondered again If had witnessed in it
one Of those happy and peculiar acct
dents that forever change, a career. In
any case I expected to find a very well
pleased young man when went to see
him. For had not public and critics
hailed in Andrew Bogart another fame
ordained Californian?
II was. however, a boyishly sleepy
rather than a rampantly gratified per-
son that met me in the handsome Bo-
CART study, where I had elected to chat.
He was bravely fighting yawns and a
piece Of the Tivon that dropped into
his eye the night before. and that every
Bogart from the cook uD-the singer is
still at home in the paternal mansion
had since been trying to extract. He
had. been awake all night He had been
at rehearsal all morning. He had been
rehearsing most of Sunday. And he
was tremendOusly-a Ethel Barrymore
likes TO say-nervous the night before
He told me these things as I congratu-
lated him on his triumphs and asked
how il felt. and then we sat down on
p some Of the handsome weathered oak
that adorns the place.
Just as young off the stage as on the
singer looks, and he has looked the
same for years. But for a slight gray
ing Of the stubborn hair. worn a little
CART from the boy barytone" that as
tonished local audiences years ago. It
was the same cherubic face, rosy
skinned, between round and square,
bright brOwn-eyed that the singer
turned TO me as that that looked out
q from among the girls Of the Saturday
Morning Orchestra when he made his
debut. It was. by the way, at the Grand
Opera-house. Just before, that historic
place became AIorosco's own and Mr..
ROsewald conducted. Perhaps there is
an added youthful Dortliness to the
good in the Bogart makeup. but he is
not grown uD by years yet. Simple and
modest. boyish, too, is the fashion OF
his speech. and it was thus he naively
confessed that debuts, even successful,
were not as beautiful as they looked.
What bothered you most?" I asked
him.
Without an instants hesitation he
put M his hands-looking at them as
though he had Just been introduced to
them. and said: "Oh. those hands.
You know couldn't see anything
last night but my hands, moving fool
ishly this way and that. They were
simply TOO absurd for anything
You were the only person in the
theater that thought So" 1 assured
him. and reiterated my surprise at the
professional aplOmb Of his gesture
Miss Condor was good enough to
tell me-they were all so stunningly
kind down there-that I was more
graceful than some professionals" the
singer recalled, smiling a little. He
threw off some Of the tiredness in the
laugh with which he added: Il shall
ask her tonight how she dare call me
an amateur,-and I was an amateur
last night at quarter to S'-naively.
Tell me just howLt feels to be made
into a professional I requested.
'Oh, YOU don't know what the feel
ing is until you have been there" the
singer said, and shivered comfort
ably. You shake like a leaf-at least
j did Ny hands-Oh the hands,-were
ike ice. Ny feet, too. Ny sash-IH
have the blooming thing pinned on to-
nlght-was coming off. / was afraid
OF catching my foot in the rocks-I
went fiat al one Of the rehearsals.
Miss de Fillippe-she was just as nerv-
Gus as ] was-forgot a locket that. we
had rehearsed a lot Of business with.
] didn't know what TO do then And
you cannot imagine how strange it is
TO talk so loudly. Why. never yelled
so in my life 1t seems to put every
tking out of proportion. You talk to
a person a foot away from you as
though he were two blocks off. But it's
over now. The worst is over. And
boyishly proud and happy was the tone
here, I'm tickled TO death to have
made my debut in my own town, and
at the Tivon"
How did il come about?" asked.
Just happened" the singer replied.
Mr.. Strine came after me. I really
tried 10 get out Of it-and got in. Not
that j did not want 10 do the work
you know, but"-but with delightful
naivete-"I was afraid. They came for
me before TO take Arthur Cunning
hams place"
BY the way" I interrupted. ''just