The San Francisco call., 1905-02-06
New Star at California Is
Ideal of the Chocolate
Row, but Short on Acting
MAN TOO BUSY TO LOVE
Such Is the Theme Worked
Out in "The Mummy and
the Humming Bird"

ana cutter than anything is Mr.. Paul
Gilmore, who came as a star to the
California last night in THE Mummy
and the Humming Bird" Mr.. Gilmore
is new here. One would rather imag-
inc him generally new if one had not
heard otherwise. But one has heard
frequent reports of Mr.. Gilmore's fatal
beauty. They were not exaggerated.
1t is all there. Moreover, as an ex-
ponent of the art of playing the injured
husband without crinkling ones collar
the actor is unapproached. His sang
froid is entirely magnificent.
Mr.. Gilmore had the happiness to be
preceded by John Drew as Lord Lum-
ley IN The Mummy and the Humming
Bird" during the plays run in New
York Sir Charles Wyndham began it
in London. If 1 remember aright-and
the latest evidence is to the effect-the
piece met with a tempered approval
in New York. Which shows what good
acting will do. AS played last evening
at the California The Mummy and the
Humming Bird" was engagingly un-
convincing. The story is all about
scientist who is too busy with his
chemicals to make love to his wife, and
as one of the characters says, objects
when one of his /. understudies does.
The particular understudy is a sort of
ID Annunzio, who wooes the lady with
autographed novels and broken Eng
lish, and has done it before, In fact,
D'Orelli, such Is his name, has wooed
and won a young Italian peasant wo-
man whose husband also objected. The
Italian girl dies and Giuseppe is on
D,0relli's trail with bread knife.
The first act shows Lord Lumley
mixing things in his study. His wife
and cousin and her sweetheart are go
ing out to dine and he is to go with
them. But Lumley is just on the brink
of discovering argon or some such, and
goes on mixing. They plead with him
to come, but to no purpose, and you
are made to understand that the
neglected wife is in danger from the, at
tentions of D'Orelli. They go then. and
shortly afterward the butler appears
with a satchel dropped by Lady Lum-
ley. A poor Italian has picked it up.
Lumley then, in the fashion of scien
fists when they happen to be Lords, in
vites the Italian, Giuseppe, to take pot
luck with him, and discovers d 'Orelli's
guft. 1t is all very naive, very trust
fGi, very unconvincing, What of illu-
sion Mr.. Henderson-who made the
play-has not contrived to lose, Mr.
Gilmore does his most to get rid Of
And SO throughout the play.
Mr. Gilmore is not success as a
scientist. Nor does he rabidly suggest
an English noblernan AS he mixes his
drugs at his study table one is in fact
irreslstibly. if impertinently reminded
of smart young drug clerk. Nor is
his attitude as the injured husband
more plausible. Mr.. Henderson makes
Lumley own that he ''supposes that he
is different from other men," He is
indeed. The lady has just flung off
after declaring she has a right to hap
piness, etc, and Mr.. Gilmore's Lum-
ley takes the matter about as pas
sionately as he might the untying of
his shoe lace. 1t is not wholly Mr..
Gilmore's fault. The playwright makes
the absorbed, scientific dreamer of the
first act in the third a shrewd, re-.
sourceful practical man of the world,
and the like and as / have said, it
has taken good acting to make the part
convincing. Mr. Gilmore may be
very good man, but he is short on act
ing
The rest fill in as p1eases them. John
Martin is really clever as Giuseppe, and
Signor D'Orelli is done quite effectively
by Theodore Terry. Bessie Brown
Howard would not matter only for rNher
wonderful Western burr, and the rest
do not matter. Still Mr.. Gilmore is as
lovely a thing as ever chocolate row
set eyes on. 49,
BLANCHE PARTINGTON.
The Quigley brothers had the blase
st-nighters at the Orpheum laughing
till the seams strained last night. One
of them had some brogue gags that
would, make even King Monologist Kel-
ly's best seem like funeral march
with the soft pedal on. But politicians
do something" insists one Quigley.
Yes replies the other, but it is hard
to catch them at it, did you do. any
thing to help the country when you
were in Congress?" "Oh, yes; 1 moved
to adjourn once
Some of the gags would lose their
snap in black and white, but in the
Quigley brogue they are to laugh"
Happy Jack Gardner. monologist and
singing comedian, proved his right to
the sobriquet from the start Robert H.
Hodge and a good company started a
gigglefest with the troubles Of Bill
Blithers, bachelor. Newell and Niblo
made saxophones and xylophones talk
Cole and Johnson, colored musicians,
gave varied programme that had in
it numbers to please any sort of audi
ence. Coles rendering of Tolstoi's
"Good-by was remarkably effective.
The holdovers received generous ap-
plause.
At the Alcazar last night, in the
midst of the gallant adventures of
''The Gay Lord Quex," the lights on
the north side of O'Farrell street, in
cIuding the theater. circuit, went out
and the play was finished by candle
light. M s
At the first intimation of darkness