The San Francisco call., 1905-01-15

these are the dramatists the players
choose on their day off, Miss Bates
took two of them this week, Ibsen with
'Hedda Gabler' and Shakespeare in
the Katharine and Petruchio scenes
of THE Tanning of the Shrew." For
her Shakespearean adventure Miss
Bates could not have chosen more hap
pily-or thus it seemed from her per-
formance of Katharine. STILL so versa
tile is the actress art that one might
be forced to the same conclusion If she
essayed-say a Beatrice-yet the "lus-
ety wench," the vital, red headed and
blooded Katharine, would seem to be
peculiarly Miss Bates Shakespearean
affinity.
1T is my creed" the actress said to
me in her chat of couple of weeks
ago, that there is only one Katharine,
and that is Ada Rehan's. Then she
added: Yet, some day must come
another, as there was another before
hers"-with here sigh for the frailty
of the art.
Miss Rehan's Katharine lost to us
there is very much to be grateful for
in Miss Bates. Indeed there is much
of Miss Rehan's Katharine in Miss
Bates-without any derogation of a
truly individual performance. Almost
at times one could have believed Miss
Rehan speaking, particularly in the
drawing scorn of some of the pas
sages. Even the vocal quality by
some deft trick seemed to echo the
DAILY Katharines. Yet one got strong
ly this feeling that it was not because
Miss Bates admireS and has deeply
studied the Rehan conception that she
so plays it, but because she herself
feels the part that way 1t has so
much more than the conviction of
imitation; it has so strongly the quail
ity of initiative, spontaneity, that one
feels that even had there been no
Rehan, Miss Bates would have played
the part in almost identical fashion.
In all its phases Miss Bates is ade-
quate. The tempestuous first scene
was played with amusing fury and
spirit, and at a prestissimo tempo
Her This is a man., after Petru-
chio's departure, was delightful comedy
in it's suggestion of the femininity under
the shrewishness. All through the
performance was most carefully shad-
ed. The gradual subsistence into the
more than reasonableness that Pc
truchio imposes with its ebullitions,
rebellions, amazements and under-cur-
rent of merriment by the way,
were all delightfully."- suggested. Nor
was Miss Bates less charming in
Katharine's final surrender. The spir-
tied and graceful reading of the lines
was cause for further pleasure and
altogether in her Katharine the actress
has added notable and vital portrait
to her achievements.
The support was uncommonly good,
as was the whole performance. Eugene
Ormonde's Petruchio was virile and
spirited, though wanting perhaps a
good deal on the humorous side. Had
one not known that Shakespeare's Pc
truchio was shrewing it for fun, Mr..
Ormonde's would hardly have given
away the jest. Again, one was very
grateful to the actor for a remarkably
clear, intelligent and even distinguished
reading of the lines. OF the rest George
Vessels was a capital Baptista, Mr..
McGrane particularly engaging as
Biondella, and E. P. Wilks as Grumio
and ]. Tuohy as the tailor were both
happily humorous.
This week Mr.. Bishop inaugurates at
the Majestic Theater here and Ye Lib
erty Playhouse i'm Oakland what would
seem to be an obvious policy of ex-
change. One week will be seen here
the Oakland company, and the next the
company we already know so favor
ably from it's work at the Majestic.
The Oakland company makes it's first
appearance tomorrow evening in "All
the Comforts Of a Home" Gillette's
lively farce, and among those to appear
in the play will be Oza Waldrop, Emer
Booth, Maurice Stewart, Lloyd Ingra-
ham, W. L. Gleason and Nina Gleason
The farce will also see the debut of
George Stuart Christie, said to be a
leading juvenile of much promise. The
week after J. H. Gilmour will lead in
the cast of The Bells" and a powerful
performance of the famous Henry Irv-
ing part may be looked for from this
excellent actor.
The new policy, with its possibility
of two week runs should mean much
TO the finish and sureness Of the per-
formances. Hereafter. also, there are
to be matinees on Thursday, Saturday
and Sunday.
Hofmann, Paderewski and now De
Pachn1ann-surely the local pianists
cannot complain this year of lack