The San Francisco call., 1904-11-14
AUGUSTA CLOSE
IN VAUDEVILLE
Accomplished Actress the
Star of a Good Bill Pre-
sented at the Orpheum
MANY TAKING FEATURES
The Murphys and Kellys Aid
in Clever Programme OF
of Fun-Other New Plays


vaudeville, Augusta Close Is the Re-
jane. That is, that is her kind of pos
sibility. Miss Close has adorned Vaude-
vile for the hoary period of three
wekes, though it takes the veteran
eye to discover her variety infancy. II
it were not for the Murphys and the
kellys, acushla, Miss Close would, IN
fact, headline the OrDheum bill this
week. She does the girl that walks
like this" sings the baby girl song, does
an Anna Held ditty. Been done before!
Precisely. 1t is Miss Closes way of do
ing the things that is the point. Her
baby girl is a real baby girl singing
about rag doll; not one of those won
derful picked infants that tempt teSthe
sympathetic brickbat We've all' seen
her girls that walk, amble and sldle
like this" and her French chanson is
of the rarest of delicate deviltry.
About her singing. as Miss Close her
self wittily preludes, she talks" her
songs, but with much vocal agreeable
ness and with the refinement that de-
lights and refresheS throughout her
work. She plays, toO-accompanies her
self in a fashion that shows the accom-
plished pianist Altogether Miss Close
counts w class" chic, rare comedy
vein and a delicate and unusual beauty
among her equipment. BY next week
the young woman will have learned to
wait for the numerous laughs that fall
to her share. and also to get rid of
certain breathlessness in the tempo Of
her work
After, it is the clan Murphy, not to
speak of Kelly, that hOwlds down most
of the Orpheum boards. The Murphys,
however. are new this week, Mr.. and
Mrs. Mark Murphy, who bring an en-
gaging sketch entitled Why Doogan
Swore Off" A rollicking, jovial, whole
hearted Irish pair-who would evident
ly rather be micks than kings are
the Murphys. BY a process as delicate
ly logical as bludgeoning a hint into
burglar. the lady in the sketch makes
her unsober spouse believe that he has
murdered a Chinaman. He has come
home in a wheelbarrow. He went out
the night before to a fire. He becomes
convinced of sin under his wife's tactics
and abjectly repents. She then extracts
a promise from him never, never more
to. etc. Then she tells him he is guilt
less of All Lungs death. An uproarious
curtain falls upon Doogan, firmly en-
sconsed in the wheelbarrow demanding
to / e returned to the unfinished festivi-
ties. Mrs. Murphy as Joolia has to sing,
and is good fun to listen to, and both
are clever low comedians
For the rest. there is mind-reading
pony of the Carlisle dog and pony
troupe that is very clever. Then John
T. Kelly in his Senator McPhee" helps
the Irish to beat the Dutch again tins
week, and it is what our sporting editor
would call a knockout" The Ramon
niers acrobats, do little sensational
trapeze work, and Garfield and Garlic
ton and Jeanie Fletcher continue.
BLANCHE PARTINGTON.
THE Fatal wedding" began
weeks run at the Grand Opera-house
last evening with a good audience.
The play is touching story of plot
ting woman. the separating of a hus-
band and wife and the final happy
ending of the action.
"A Friend of the Family furnished
the usual big Sunday night house at
the California Theater with an over
abundance of laughter last night. The
comedy is we'll known in this CITY, but
whenever it comes it is sure TO be well
coined. It was as well received as
ever last night and made hit that
was genuine The piece abounds in
all manner of funny happenings, being
founded on domestic row, in which
all the members of the family and
plenty of outsiders are strangely
tangled up.
William Friend. the well-known
comedian. who plays the part of the
abused husband. was at his best last
night. He is a genuine funmaker and
can adapt himself to a difficult role
with the greatest ease. Harry Gran
dali, as the minister who toyed with
the flowing bowl, is much of the
show. His acting is worth going miles
to see. Miss That's Magrane, the lead
ing lady, gave a good account of her
self. as did Miss Dudley in the role
of the domineering aunt and Eugene
Redding as the fiery French Count.
The principal characters were well
supported by the other members of
the company and the play runs very
smoothly in every comical detail.
The managers of the California
Theater are having trouble about
booking The Runaways," the show
to be put on next week. Last night
Frank o. Miller, owner of the show,
informed the managers of the house
that he would take his attraction off
If they did not sell the seats on the
15O basis. He claimed that as the
price his show played to throughout
the East and demanded it here. Man
ager Ackerman informed Miller that
the regular price for the best seat at
the California was 81 and that he
would not raise the prices for any
owner. Miller and Ackerman all but
says he will sue the California man
agement in the courts and take his
show off their list.