Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-30
BY W. HERBERT BLAKE

| BY w. HERBERT BLAKE
The Netnersoie art mas outgrown
| "Sapho." "Ine Writing on the Wan
convinced us of that. she may retain
the Daudet noyel-play in her repertoire e,
and she may refine the genuine pathos
and tragedy OF a wayWard woman 5
pelated love to ever so delicate a point.
still, 1t Is plain that this drama, which
rHised So fierce u storm of controversy
years ago in New York, was but a
passing phase of the actress tempera-
mental development. The phase has
passed into the limbo of unforgotten
triumphs, and with 1t the particular
method which aroused so great a hub
hub of not always intelligent con-
domination.
The Sapho Miss Nethersole embodied
yesterday was not the picture Daudet
drew as a warning to his sons, when
they shall have reached n years of
age" 1t was a more piteous. soul-tor-
| tured creature, for all its sensuous ap-
peal An intellectual wanton, on whom
the light OF true love is depicted as
dawning for a moment, half understood,
half grasped, then lost forever. An in
teresting study for the psychologist aud
the student of types, and sad bit of
| the HarlSldn unuSIWOliug SIG QOAiiilohSN
| the stage through four acts
| Mr.. Hunters Gaussin was a frank
and manly portrayal-true Frenchman
of the provinces, ever halting between
| the lights of Partisan lure and the call
of home that rang in his ears from a
thousand memories of childhood and
the good Aunt Divonne. The latter
part, by the way, was not satisfactorily
essayed by Miss Tittell. Divonne Of
the novel is n big-hearted, womanly
| creature, poetic and imaginative, with
/ the simple fancies of rural France
| the boyhood dream of her nephew and
later for a time his guiding star. Miss
| Tittell made her a fussy prude True,
| this is partly the fault of Clyde Fitch's
translation, which seems to delight In
poking derisive insult at these virtuous
provincial folk Yet IT might be pos
sfble to obviate some of this effect In
the acting, as a simple duty to literary
accuracy.
OF the Others Mr.. Perry's Flamant
deserves a word of praise. The opening
scene made a brave attempt to be
Partisan and bohemian. 1t failed to
achieve the first aim. but was riotous
in n wholesome, good natured sort OF
way. This may not have been art, but
II was at least good sense. we nave
seen so many poor stage limitations OF
the revelry of the French underworld
that we have grown charitably calious
| to realism on this point 1t may De
said that the French bohemianism Is at
least genuine. and the English puns-
ling counterfeit. Granted. yet / some
times think that fact the most naive
and delightful possible compliment to
| of course.
that may be because 1 am an American.
The announcement comes from the
Burbank's business office that "Ihe
Girl of the Golden West VIII con-
Time at the Main street stock house
through a second week. AT the Bur
bank box office yesterday afternoon IL
was said that only few seats remain
for performances this week, and that
the advance sale for next week al
ready has assumed large proportions.
Meanwhile the company is rehearsing
"The Heart of Maryland" which will
follow 1.-THE Girl"
Seats will be placed on sale at the
Majestic box office this morning for
next weeks performances of Forty
five Minutes from Broadway at that
house. The piece is George M. Co
q
and win come here under Cohan and
Harris management. Though Forty
five Minutes from Broadway" is in its
fourth season, the producing cast In
cludes several members of the original
company Elizabeth Drew will play
Mary and Charley Brown Kid Burns,
the retired prize fighter. Others in i'm
portant roles include Ninon R1stori,
Louise Gardner, Susan Chisnell, May
Newman, James II. Manning, James
A. Davett, Eugene MacGregor, Harry
Gwynette and Roger Hurst.
A common or garden variety of rat,
now deceased, caused vacancy in the
ranks of the chorus at the matinee
performance of 1.-THE Top of the
World" yesterday afternoon. Two or
three doors from the Majestic theater
building has just been torn down
and an old house moved away from the
rear of the lot to make way for new
structure. Seemingly that old house
was the center of rat population in the
neighborhood, and since its removal
rats by the dozens, the scores, and al
most by the hundreds have been in
vading nearby buildings. One of them
wandered into the Majestic yesterday
noon. and finally made his way into
the big room underneath the stage
from Whlch the cnoruS ureSslHS roOmS
open off. The room was filled with
girls, and they all spied that rat at
once. Doubtless you can imagine the
panic that should have occurred, but
which didn't. One of the girls threw
a slipper at the intruder. One other,
in awestruck tones, said, isn't he a
whopper?" but that was all. Nobody
tainted and nobody shrieked.
Entered then the six collies which
appear in the Collie ballet One of
their number Raffles, saw the rat
and gave chase. The rodent ran under