Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-20

VIZ ITH our usual cordially toward
wv the strange actor within our
w stock houses, those of us who
are able to secure sittings will go to
the Belasco tomorrow night to well
come a new leading man and new
leading woman of the Belasco organi-
cation. There will be many baskets of
flowers and much applause. From our
side of the footlights we shall tell this
new leading man and this new leading
woman that we are glad to give them
greeting, that we hope to like them
and their work, that in any event we
purpose to give them square deal.
From their side they probably will
make little speeches, thanking us for
our expressions of good will. SO much
may be predicted with accuracy, for
this is the Los Angeles habit The
acid test comes later.
l know of no city that is more cor
dial toward new and locally untried
players than Los Angeles, and none
which makes sterner demands after
ward upon their ability. In New York
ii js different. There the first-nighters
are dubbed the death watch" As
rule they are cold, unsympathetic, for
bidding. Their attitude is one of con-
median to make them laugh or an emo
tional actress to stir them from their
indifference The acclmated New York
actor pays little attention to these nil
admirari, but to the newcomer, the
man or woman to whom the death
watch" is q hitherto untried menace
rather than an experience, the New
York first night is quite as much
test of nerve as of acting ability.
First Nighters Are Kindly
In Los Angeles the death watch"
is unknown. Our first-night audiences
are kindly assemblages of habitual
theatergoers, eager to welcome the new
arrival interested to discover what
manner of actor he may be, and, per-
haps, trifie curious as to his ultimate
fate. This audience does not sit in
Judgment, but in hospitality. 1t APP
plauds nightly the good the bad and
the Indifferent. It's applause has no
more real meaning than is carried by
that chilling apathy of the metropolis
old guard. 1t is merely a pleasant lit
tie incident which may and which may
not be repeated.
At the Belasco we have already well
coined within the year no fewer than
four leading women. Upon each oc-
casion the opening night was made a
floral triumph. One of the four, I re-
of the greeting extended her that she
broke down and cried happy tears
which, perhaps, was more eloquent of
her feelings than the impromptu
speech she had studied diligently be-
fore stepping upon the stage.
Yet within a month the wind veered.
Night after night this same young wo-
man made her entrance upon the Be
lasco stage to be greeted with a silence
more forbidding than open hostility
When our audiences suffer a stock
leading woman to come Loon the stage
for the first time in a performance
without her advent being heralded by
lively tlutter of applause the player
lis doomed; and when this happens not
occasionally, but night after night, the
end cannot long be delayed.
Company Has Been Unfortunate
Since the departure of Lillian Albert
son for the east the Belasco has been
unfortunate in it's leading women.
First came Blanche Stoddard, an ac-
tress of ability in emotional roles, but
of small knack in comedy Katherine
Emmett followed and played some
things very WELL notably Little Dorrit,
and others very badly. Next came the
lamented Alice Treat Hunt, who played
only two roles here, the Girl in 1.-The
Girl of the Golden West" and the
heroine in 1.-THE Critic" the last at a
special benefit performance given at
the Mason. 1.-THE Girl" had a prolonged
run. Miss Hunt overworked and paid
the penalty with her life. Had she
lived / think there is little doubt that
she would have succeeded to the popu-
larity enjoyed by Miss Albertson. Miss
lane Grey, whose opening success in
"The Rose of the Rancho" was un-
Fortunately not repeated in later roles,
was the last of the quartet. Tomorrow
night she will be succeeded by Lowell