The San Francisco call., 1908-09-08


After the story Of David Warfeld's
wonderful welcome home is told; after
the plot of The Music Master" is ex-
planned and the play analyzed-if 1t
Will stand it; after the society fea-
ture of last nights function at the AL
cazar theater has been made into local
theatrical history, and the brilliancy
Of the house described-after all this
has been said and done there still re-
mains. like pine tree on an eminence,
the little figure of David Warheld. the
music master, brought to life. His un-
dersized figure, bent and tired; his
spirit nearly broken by a fruitless
search of I6 years for his little baby;
his Liszt-like countenance shaded by
hair touched with gray-that is what
most OF US viii recall in years TO come
when we brag about having seen Dave
in The Music Master" Most of us
Will. somewhat diffidently, perhaps, re-
member weeping when he wept, laugh
ing when he laughed and loving the
hOmely little music master all the time
loving him for his simple humanity.
FOR his quaint goodness and for saying
the things we would want TO say were
we in his position.
MISSION OF POETRY
That. it seems TO me. is the mission
OF poetry, TO say what good men
would say, if they only could; and. on
that count Warfield must be accounted
a poet among the actors.
Few who witnessed the production
last night would be willing to admit
that what had just been presented was
merely an episode ViVifed by a single
stars art. enlivened by splendid
company and made into the semblance
Of play by the geniFs of David Be
lascO; but that is what it was, never
theIess. 1t is a wonderfully contrived
series of acts in which Belasco has
placed the figure of a melancholy
merry music master, and every scene
and situation plays upon that charac-
ter bringing out its lineaments as
spot light on a face, so all may know
what manner of man this Won Bar
wig is.
And this is something of what we
gathered last night.
PLOT OF GREAT PLAY
Won Barwig's wife has left his
Leipsic home with the musicians best
friend 16 years before the curtain rises
on the action. She has taken her
baby daughter with her, too, leaving
poor Won Barwig broken hearted when
he is just on the point of winning fame
and fortune from a symphony he has
completed.
Won Barwig followed the eloping
couple to America, and the curtain
rises on his forlorn studio 1e years
later. His friends are poor musicians
like himself; his quarters are in the
east side, and his life is weary grind
Of lesson giving and playing in cheap
cafes or wherever else he may find a
buyer for his talents. Then comes a
ray Of happiness in his life-though
he is merry and brave all the time in
his funny little foreign way. Helen
Stanton, the daughter of a wealthy and
lphilanthropic banker, calls on him and
asks thatahe give lessons to a poor lit
tie boy in the neighborhood, whose
talents are great but whose funds are
small.
CLASPS DAUGHTER TO HEART
The music master is later invited
into the girls home to give her les
sons, too. By this time everybody has
guessed who Helen Stanton is The
false friend, fearing the music master
viii expose him, seeks to eject him
from the house, and bids the girl tell
her teacher that she will take no more
lessons. The truth prevails, of course.
Won Barwig, who. through a picture of
the girls mother hanging in the room.
discovers his daughters identity,
clasps her TO his heart, bids farewell
TO his sordid surroundings and goes to
live with his little baby" and her hus-
band.
The wedding of Helen and Beverly
Cruger takes place between the second
and third acts. She then finds out
from her bogus parent that Won Bar
wig and not Stanton is her father.
Surely that is simple enough. 1t is
+ almost naive as a fairy story-this tale
OF the long lost father giving lessons
unbeknown to his own daughter, and
his seeing in her pretty face some
thing that reminds him of the baby
whose picture he carries with him al
ways But. how the story will move
you when Warfield plays IL,
In the very first act Warfield pro-
'ceeds to- take a grip upon the chords
Of your heart and gives them some
preliminary tugs like a violinist test
ing his strings. He is about to hear
piano. A feeble light from a small
lamp bEt family illumines the room.
He holEs it against the girls face and
gazes into her eyes. He does not dare
to hope, hardly does he dare to breathe.
Then come the piano movers to take
his piano away because he owes two
months rent Well" he says as the
instrument is disappearing, 1T was a
very poor toned plano, anyway"
But there isn't time nor space To
continue Opportunity will be Afforded
later to do justice to the excellent
company which Belasco has sent.
Their art is not altogether hidden by
Warfeld's greater; rather do the mem
bers of the company shed color and
light on the best piece of character
acting San Francisco has perhaps ever
seen. Best, that is, in point of sweet
human goodness and true manliness:
best from fathers point of view. /
dare say, for the music master is the
poem Of paternal love simply and truly
told.