The San Francisco call., 1905-01-08

M. s. McLellan's powerful and strik-
ingly original drama, presented by
Mrs. Fiske and the Manhattan COM
pany at the Manhattan Theater, New
York. is, according to all accounts. one
of the most remarkable features of
this and many seasons. The New York
press, which, for almost the first time
unanimous in its favorable treatment
of Leah Kleschna, has continued its
attention almost daily to what is now
on all sides acknowledged to be one of
the most pronounced all around sue
cesses in that city in years. The pub
lie throngs the Manhattan Theater, de-
lighted with the play and thrilled by
the acting of it. BY common consent
no company so able and SO admirably
balanced has been seen in New York in
years and even the holiday season,
which usually finds the theaters poorly
attended, has shown capacity audiences
at the Manhattan.
Few better plays" says the Herald.
cor plays better acted than Leah
Kleschna' have been seen in New York
in a long time" Seldom, of late,
says the Sun, have we been blessed
with a better play and seldom, if ever,
has a play been acted by more bril-
liant constellation of artists. 1t is
success of the first magnitude, popular
and artistic" THE interest in Leah
Kleschna," says the Globe, ''is the in
terest of a dramatic narrative we'll
imagined by the playwright, we'll told
by the player. No summary, bold or
sympathetic, would do justice to the
tale as it unfolds itself. in the literal
sense of the words, on the stage of the
Manhattan" That the play will prove
an immense success" says the Evening
Sun, there can be no question. The
public is famishing for real plays and
here is one magnificently acted" And
thus the comment goes.
The Theater Magazine, which is now
in its fifth year of uninterrupted sue
cess, appears for January in an en-
tirely new dress. The size of the pub
lication is considerably enlarged and
the colored portrait, instead of appear
ing in the usual frame, takes up the
entire front cover, thus making a more
magazine likewise shows improvement,
if, indeed. improvement is possible In
a publication which is unique of its
kind. The pictures are larger ana
more numerous and the literary con-
tributions continue to be in every way
of the first order.
The most important feature of the
month is an article dealing with the
real personality of Henrik Ibsen. Ap-
pearing at a time when the eyes of
the whole world are turned toward
Christiania-where Ibsen is supposed
to be critically ill-the article has a
peculiarly timely interest. 1t is written
by close friend of the Ibsen family
and illustrated with a large and superb
portrait of the famous playwright.
Another article likely to attract at
tention is devoted to an account of the
Geisha girl of Japan, written by Yone
Noguchi, the Japanese poet. The least
understood of all the national institu-
tions of the Mikados empire, Mr.. No
guchi tells us how the Geisha is
trained what her duties are, and what
ultimately becomes of her. The article
is illustrated with splendid pictures of
the famous Geisha girls of Toxic.
A. E. Lancaster contributes grace
full poem to the memory of the late
Mrs. Gilbert The fifth paper on "Fa-
nous Families of American Players" Is
devoted to the Hacketts. The inter-
view of the month is furnished by Da-
yid Warfeld. There is likewise an en-
tertaining interview with Madame Re-
lane. The story of Mrs. Fiske's new
play, Leah Kleschna," is told in Sc
ries of fine fiashlight pictures. Mr..
Hackett's new play. THE Fortunes of
the King is similarly illustrated. The
other pictures include a full-page
portrait of Julia Marlowe as Juliet.
Nance O'Neil, Evie Greene as the
Duchess of Dantzic, Sir Charles Wynd-
ham and Mary Moore in Mrs. Cor
ringe's Necklace" Edward Terry, the
English comedian, who is now appear
ing in America, a full-page portrait of
Nat Goodwin, Robert Mantell, and
many other pictures of equal interest.
Next upon the list of operatic at
fractions, that this year are unusually
strong-to make up for last year-will
be the Henry Savage English Grand
Opera Company, that will come to the
49, Af,,,~ -,5 nF. AF1.