Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-20

granddaughter of George washington
and a great-gra ndson of Chief Justice
John Marshall Miss Smythe will close
her engagement with the BslascO com
pany this week and viii leave the first
of the year for New York.
The new Belasco- Blacl1wood COM
pany, which will open at the Belasco
next " seK I'm "The Fastener" should
be able to offer the best stock produc-
tions m the country. The new com
pany includes several OF the best ac-
tors now playing In stock. They Will
be under good management, with a
good stage director, and will be aided
by a first-class orchestra. The Be
lasco is by no means an unpopular
house, and we will be ready for the
big talzeback II the company does not
set a new pace in local theatricals.
Manager John H. Blackwood has let
contracts to cleaners, decorators, ar
lists and painters, so that when the
coy playhouse opens for its season
Monday, December. %, 1t will be ons of
The handsomest on the coast.
This outside of the house Will be
done IN white and green enamels, the
decorative part of the lamps and bill
boards picked out with gold leaf The
lobby, which IS now dark and heavy In
coloring, is to be finished in old ivory
with a touch OF relieving color in a
delicate shade of green. The ornamen-
tai work will have gold in it, and the
present red panels will be covered In
green. The whole effect will be light
and delicate and an increase in the
lights will give g. brilliant effect cleo
trically. The same idea will be car
ried out inside the theater. The ivory
tine with gold picking will prevail,
while carpets and draperies, all new
will be in green tones. The woodwork
will be in very light shades and the
walls inside the boxes in a very deli.
cate tint of pink as a striking relief
for the women's dresses.
All of the woodwork will be painted
throughout the theater, including the
floors and the front of the stage, and
the result will be that 1t will be prac
tically as good as a new house. The
women's retiring room has been torn
out and much enlarged. and this, too,
has been redecorated in pretty tones
while every possible convenience will
be found In the care of the matrons.
Although the scenic equipment IS
now nearly perfect, 1t also will be add
ed to and everything freshened up.
! The orchestra pit will be made to ac-
commodate the new style OF orchestra
which Manager Blackwood has decid-
ed to put in the theater-an all-string
aggre cation.
! Manager Blackwood promises music
| lovers an orchestra that should at once
take rank with the best organizations
of it's kind in the country. He will re-
store Victor Schertzinger to the direc-
tors chair, and henceforth the Belasco
patrons may expect a solo from this
talented violinist at every performance.
From time immemorial almost the the
alter orchestras Of the country have
been composed Of string, reed and brass
To- t. -Irv 5v--v,,
holding down one end of the line Of
musicians. At the Belasco this old
new orchestra, including only strings,
reeds and an organ, will be installed.
Selections that will include the works
of the worlds best writers will occupy
places of Importance on Director
Schertzinger's programs, while of course
the more popular numbers will also be
given a frequent hearing
Beginning with the production Of
1.-THE Fastener next week, with Lewis
S. Stone in Nat c. Goodwin's role, sup
ported by the Belasco company, the
management will inaugurate Sunday
matinees. This will make three after
noon presentations at the Belasco, as
the regular long established Thursday
and Saturday matinees will be retained
under the new management.
Sometimes it is interesting to trace
the stage genesis Of actor people, and
to see what odd Intentions developed
them into 'mummers."
Neither Raymond nor Caverly, for
instance, who appear at the Orpheum
this week doing a German knockabout
turn, is German. One, Al Raymond, is
pure American, born in Bloomington.
ILL.,: the other-of all things-is italian,
and his right name is Francesca Ca
Will. The first was a clerk in a de-
partment store, and the latter a har-
ness maker.
Raymond took to the stage to make
living because he was fired" from