The San Francisco call., 1905-01-06
BLANCHE BATES
! As WRIGHT
Accomplished Actress Ap-
pears in Own Clever Come
dietta "My Aunt's Advice"
PLAYLET FULL OF FUN
Versatility Shown in Her
Production at Same Matt
nee of MADAME Butterfly"

Blanche Bates made her debut as
playwright yesterday afternoon at the
Grand Opera-house, when her come
dietta, MY Aunt's Advice" written in
collaboration with George Arliss, was
presented. The piece is in one act and
highly amusing, though it fails to con-
vince. The story is a good one. but
the vague drawing of one of the three
characters concerned makes it largely
implausible.
Mr.. and Mrs. Middleton, married
/ three months, and Dick Richards,
guest of the house for the same length
of time, are discovered Mrs. Middle
ton is tired of the situation and is de-
sirous of getting rid of the intruder
in the conjugal tete-a-tete. The stu
pidity and rudeness of the friend-Mr.
Ormonde makes him both stupid and
rude in the beginning Mrs.
Middleton's desire explicable. Her hus-
bands desire for his continual COM
pany is less easily explainable. Mr.. and
Mrs Middleton have words" about the
man. But Mrs. Middleton has an aunt
who knows things. To her the young
wife has confided the situation. Louisa
the aunt-advises filtration with the
gentleman after the manner of GER
tain chapter by LIE Sage in the His
tory of Gonzales" This by letter.
Mrs. Middleton, seeing that her hus-
band is impossible of conviction, pro-
ceeds to take the advice of aunt. She
confesses, a la Gonzales, an overpower-
ing passion for her husbands friend.
bidding him Fly" Very funny is the
friends reception of the announce
ment as done by Mr.. Ormonde, still
as the stupid though now polite friend.
He promises to fly. with a delightfully."-
complacent glance in the mirror at his
fatal beauty But after Mrs. Middle
ton has left the room he picks up and
reads Aunt Louisas explanatory let
ter! Here he becomes the cad. Then
he plans revenge in a humorous and
imaginative fashion quite at variance
with what has heretofore been seen of
him. That kind of man would not
have been third in honeymoon.
Still. when Mrs. Middleton returns.
and Richards, whom she had tnougnt
gone returns to make burning dec
laration of his hidden passion, In
phrase a la Dumas the younger, the
situation is distinctly hilarious. Mean
time her husband has demanded an ex-
planation of his friends departure
Mrs. Middleton has insinuated Rich
ards guilty passion. Middleton then
follows the supposed would-be de-
stroyer of his peace. He returns to find
declaration. But why Mr., Richards
should imagine that Middleton would
see through the pretense gets me. The
curtain, however, goes down on Mrs.
Middleton with her head on Mr.. M. s
shoulder and Richards waving them
a valedictory adieu. Yet one laughed all
through.
Blanche Bates, as Mrs. Middleton.
was welcome in her good American
gown, again looked charming and did
everything for the part. Mr.. Or
monde also did what he could and Mr.
McGrane as Middleton filled in salts
factorily.
Tt was a far cry from this to the
Madame Butterfly" that followed, the
Madame Butterfly" with which
Blanche Bates has been so famously
connected. Anew, the play touched. de-
lighted thrilled. It is little classic.
and Miss Bates Cho Cho San thing
of sheer beauty. The actress was un-
fortunate yesterday in Baby Gertrude
Slavin's detection. A small yelp from
the wings was all of Miss Slavin that
made it's appearance. The piece was
played without Baby Trouble" and
those that have seen 1t will understand
the unfortunate difference.
But Miss Bates was a delight
throughout. Her performance was
cameo-like in it's finish and fine-
ness. Yet there was color, exquisite
color. She realized with happiest in
stinct the delicate pathos, gayety, ra-
cial charm of the character. It's touch
ing patience. sweetness, faith, dignity,
delightful coquetry were all pictured
with sure and admirably reserved
art. But one forgot the art In the ex-
quisite humanness of the portrait It
was not Blanche Bates before us, but a i
little butterfly Of a Japanese wife,"
who happened to have soul. We gave
tears to her grief. and as many, per-
haps. to her pathetic faith In the man
that had deserted her. You will hardly
find a thing more artistic, more subtly
realistic, or more charming than Miss
Bates Madame Butterfly.
Ada Lewis was distinct addition to
the Illusion as Suzuki, the maid Mr..
Ormonde's Sharpless was wholly in the
picture, and Albert Bruning, as the
would-be Japanese husband, was a sat
isfying brown man.. The American
wife. with Miss Leslie Preston, came
just as crudely as It always does But,
then, that was not Miss Preston's fault.
BLANCHE PARTINGTON.