Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-20

MASON-'Ihe Ham Tree
BELASCO--"Ranson's Folly"
AUDITORIUM--"The Cowboy and the
Lady"
BURBANK Navaj JOS Love"
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
GRAND-"Ss Hopkins"
PEOPLE ES-'IIooligan Troubles"
FISCHER'S Burlesque.
TT HE news that the Auditorium is to
have a comic opera company to
follow Dick Ferris very success
full engagement will be received with
delight by every music lover in the city
with the proviso that it shall be a
good one. with clever tunmakers, fine
singers and chorus of pulchritude and
tunefulness. Properly presented, such
"A company could undoubtedly do land
office business here. But a punk one
never.
Manager Berry confirms the reports
that he will have a musical company
and promises an excellent one 1t re-
mains to be seen how he will make
good. Berry's ideas of excellence and
those of the critics-who perforce must
be the court of expert if not of last re-
sort-differ sometimes. TheS- did in the
Lambardi case, it will be remembered.
Berry declared this "the finest grand
opera company that had ever appeared
in Los Angeles" The critics thought
differently.
The general public is not in so good a
position to judge a grand opera COM
pany as ii is to pass its verdict on q
comic organization. 1t takes a skilled
ear to- appreciate good music, but any
tyro knows when to laugh or not to
laugh.
And it is respectfully presented to
Mr.. Berry that his public for comic
opera will come from notably differ
ent stratum than did that for the Lam
bardi season. With the latter, he drew
from the society folk and the intense
music loVers-and the terms are not
synonymous. by any means For comic
opera he will have to depend upon the
regular theatrical clientele who know
such operas by heart and are experts
on comicalities. And ii is to this class
that he must appeal.
Now, ii is no laughing matter to
gather together fine stock opera COM
pany of the light variety. Good singers
who can act, and good funmakers are
scarce and can both command high
salaries and continuous engagements.
Good chorus people are even harder to
find, out west here. He will have to
import all his principals, and pay good
salaries to get them; he will, If he is
wise, also import his chorus.
Ono would suppose that choristers
could be picked up i'm Los Angeles
without the least effort, but they can't:
they are not here. There is no general
demand for chorus people here, and
hence no such class exists, as it does in
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, st.
Louis and other places like them. Even
San Francisco doesn't offer any to
speak Of and as the TiVoli company
has resumed there, none will likely
prove available. So the entire aggrega-
ton will have to be brought from the
east-hnd that costs money.
Therefore, one may argue that it in
wolves much risk TO try out comic
opera in the new theater. But on the
other hand, it is the only available place
for the only form of continuous amuse-
ment that Los Angeles has not got at
present OF stock companies We have
plenty-and most excellent ones We
might stand another vaudeville house
of the best class, but that Is out of the
question. for lack OF talent, II nothing
else, The Grand furnished melodrama
, all summer, and most of the winter.
Grand opera is exotic, and brief sea-
son is enough.
In the field of comic opera is rich
harvest, ripe for the right cleaner; it
has been evident for many months, and
several abortive attempts to gather it
have been made. but none of the proper
sort, 1t is within Manager BeiTys
power To rake i'm generous supply of
shekels-if he does the thing up to the
handle. Otherwise the fine record Of
The big playhouse is likely to slump
most alarmingly