The San Francisco call., 1909-09-28
ALCAzAR STAGES
A HEART COMEDY
"Sweet Kitty Bellairs' Charms
Big Audience at the Bel
asco Playhouse
Harrison Ford, New Juvenile
Actor, Is Given Very Cor
dial Welcome
BY WALTER ANTHONY

Sweet Kitty's own language might
appropriately be employed in the de-
scription of the production at the AL
cazar this week. 1t is most "prodig-
iously lovely The play, for the pre-
sentation of which the Alcazar has had
to go into the byways of the rialto to
gather supernumerarfes and nonspeak-
ing players, is called "a comedy of the
heart" David Belasco calls 1t that, and
he is never far wrong in epithets. 1t
is made out of Egerton Castles story,
The Bath Comedy and David Belasco
was the one who made it over. He's
never far wrong at that job either.
KITTY RAISES A ROW
Sweet Kitty, widowed and gay, steps
into this home of tattlers and f1irta-
tious people and proceeds to raise the
very mischief of row. She has what
her companions do not have; good
heart; and the audacity Of conscious
rectitude. not to mention a very inn
pulsive Irish heart and a gift for CO.
quetry quite beyond the power of
human resistance to combat. She
walks through the play and her path
is over broken hearts. But she doesn't
glance, and it isn't her fault that she
can love only one. Fortunate Lord
Varney happens to be that one She
goes to his rooms at dead of night to
save him from a useless duel; she takes
for chaperon Lady Standish. Sir Jas
par Standish-jealous, blood curdling
Jaspar-is on the point of discovering
Lady Standish there when Mistress
Bellairs-sweet Kitty-steps from be-
hind a curtained couch and calmly begs
some one to putNon her slipper. Lady
Standish thus escapes and Kitty finds
that evenS warm, generous hearted
Irishmen are incredulous and require
plantations and that impulse to the
story keeps it going with fine speed
till all ends well in the fourth act.
STILL BETTER NOW
Evelyn Vaughan has played Kitty
for us before. She was splendid then.
She is even better now. 1t is picture
role and fascinatingly feminine. Her
little Irish asides, full of bright green
humor, are deliciously droll, and in
those moments when she Is called upon
to discover her soul beneath the ruff1es
and lace of conventional behavior she
is sure to get the approval of those
who love fine phrases sincerely said I
mean she uncovers just enough of soul
to make you adore sweet Kitty the
while you laugh at her merry, prank
ish self.
Harrison Ford made his bow last
night as the new Juvenile. He played
Captain Denis O'Hara, which same role
Ernest Glendinning last was seen in
at the Alcazar. Ford and Glendinning
resemble each other greatly, and the
similarity extends to the role they
played 7 nat is, they both resemble
O'Hara Perhaps Ford's Irish was not
as secure as his predecessors.
Augustus Phillips played Lord Var
ney without priggishness. He was well
received.
VIII Walling. as the finty hearted
colonel, with lapses toward the con-
vivial and sentimental, is an excellent
figure: and Howard Hickman as Cap
tain Spicer is cynical, sinister and
cruel. e. L. Bennison makes a digni-
fed Sir Jasper. You should see Bessie
Barriscale as the weeping Julia, and
indeed, the entire company is excellent