Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-08
BURBANK COMPANY
SHOWS VERSATILITY
THEW dramatic stock companies the
II country over can point to pro-
4 &c r,,nl, dintnrcifN as those

n country over can point 10 pio
Il grams of such diversity as those
PRESENTED during the past year by the
BURBANK organization. Here is a com
pany, as Polonius phrased II, ut
either for tragedy, comedy, history
PASTORAL. pastoral-comical. historical
PASTORAL. tragical- historical, traglcal'
comical- historical storal, scene llul
vidable or poem unlimited; Seneca can
not be too heavy nor Plautus TOO llsh''
Even Polonius' hifalutin' enumera-
tlcn is too restricted in scope to en-
cxmpass the Burbank achievements, as
witness the following short list of plays
PRESENTED consecutively at this mouse
within the year. and which includes
pretty much every form OF curreht
stage offering: I'm South Car hney'
,neiodrama: 1.-The Merchant of Venice,
Sbakespearean drama; Lost, Strayed
o1 Stolen" musical comedy: Tine Llght
Eternal" Biblical play; "Esmeralda'
romantic comedy; shenandoah War
rlav. "Home Folks" rural comedy.
Nor would it be difficult TO compile
oven a more comprehensive list were
choice to be made from the entire list
~ nlays presented during the twelve
months just passed.
Consider, for instance the versatility
required for tne successful presentation
Of such plays as Romeo and Juilet,
"a Temperance Town." when Knight
hood Was in Flower" sherlock
Holiness" Sunday I'm the Bishops
Carriage" "Under the Bear Flag,
Are You a Mason?" ''Irilby,' Inc
TIalfbreed," Janice Meredith and III
I Were King" to say nothing of "A
Milk White Flag" and other musical
farce comedies. The Burbank company
has played them all and with each
has won highly hattering patronage.
Long Runs Not Unusual
Within the past thirteen months the
company likewise has made remark
able record in the matter of runs.
When 1.-THE Halfbreed' was originally
produced it ran for five weeks without
break. Subsequently it was revived
and ran for two more, making seven
weeks in all. Another Morosco play,
THE Judge and the Jury" ran for
three weeks upon its first presentation
and for two upon it's revival, making
five weeks in all.
other plays which have fortnight
runs TO their credit are THE Lily and
the Prince" "Trilby" Janice Mere
dith," sherlock Holmes "A Tenn
perance Town." "Under the Bear
Flag" "When Knighthood Was in
Flower" 'DdNlQ ftdTullt 4AIt LOU a
Mason?" and "a Milk White Flag"
IF 7 Were King" has had two runs
of a fortnight each and last week was
AGAIN revived. 1t was withdrawn last
night only because contracts for other
Dlays prohibited it's continuance. The
record of "Knighthood' is peculiar
This comedy was presented twice at
the Belasco running two weeks each
time. Then Manager Morosco staged
il and again the run continued two
weeks. Later the Burbank ran for two
weeks another play which had been
seen here in stock previously. This
was Are You a Mason?" which also
had been done twice at the Belasco,
neither time, however, for longer than
week.
1t is an interesting experiment that
Edgar Temple and Sparks Berry are to
make at the Auditorium next month.
The problem involved is Just this: Will
Los Angeles support an operate stock
organization of good quality, present.
ing comic operas of proved worth?
Last season the same associates, with
others. hazarded a similar venture in
"The Californians," and the financial
returns We're not up to expectations.
The Californians, however, satisfied
Mr. Berrys artistic requirements about
as well as they satisfied the demands
of their financial hackers. This year,
we are told. things are TO be very diff
ferent Not only do Messrs. Temple
and Berry promise a company of the
first ability, but they also promise
operas that will be, if not wholly new
to local audiences, at least unhack-
neyed.
1t requires no little bravery to en-
bark upon such an enterprise. Hun
dreds of thousands of dollars more