Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-20
BY HERBERT W. BLAKE

pages and hunkies.
BY HERBERT W. BLAKE
A pleasant Christmas week offering
is "The Toymaker." which the Hart
man compay produced in elabora te
revival at the Grand yesterday. 1t
tells the story of a novice in lay
brotherhood TO whom love came in a
roundabout and unsuspected way. How
he contracted to delude his rich rela-
tive by marrying a wonderful doll,
how the doll turned out to be the girl
he had always shyly admired, and how
the young couple at length are welded
with the full approval of all con-
cerned takes a half dozen pretty scenes
to tell Several catchy songs are in
troduced in the meantime and bevy
Of not too automatic dolls exhibited
between times in the toy shop OF
Johannes Guggenheimer
A very welcome addition to the com
pany's forces this week is the well
known singer, Charles Farwell Edsop
whose powerful voice was heard
to excellent advantage as Brother
Matthew. and who enacted the role
with dignity and effectiveness. Mr.
Hartman as the old toymaker cap
tured the hearts of the audience A
somewhat English Guggenheimer it
was. even allowing for the thick Ger
man accent-a Guggenheimer who bore
no little resemblance to DR. Samuel
Johnson But little did the crowd care
for that The family scene. IN which
the two junior Hartmans added their
earnest but diminutive voices to the
singers, was amusing. A local flavor
impaired here as we'll as in the en-
phatic ballad. "He Got Plenty added
zest to the show
A pretty mnuct was danced during
q part of the second act, and the rous-
ing finale, How Santa Claus Was
Caught" sent the crowd home in a
good humor. Among individual I'M
Dersonations Walter De Leon as the
novice. "Muggins" Davies as the hu-
man doll, Joseph Fogarty's Count and
Walter Catlett's German character part
scored deservedly.
The extravaganza is well staged,
with an abundance of those merry ard
grotesquc effects which appeal so un-
erringly TO the enjoyment Of the chill
dren.
A new curtain has apparently dis
placed for good the advertising square
formerly used on the Burbank stage
IL is a distinct improvement. A tenn
porary christmas curtain has been put
in use at the Grand during holiday
week.
Miss Blanche lIaU yesterday celc-
btafed her fifth anniversary as leading
woman of the Burbank stock company
receiving many congratulations, both
verbally and by wire A telegram came
from her sister. Jessie Mae Hall, now
playing in Texas. Another was from
william Desmond, in Kansas City
At the Burbank Miss Hall has mem
orized exactly III roles exclusive OF
Hf I.s.1f flas4Hr .rffa a1 u
leading woman now before the public
can approach this record of practically
continuous service with any one COM
pany. The record is probably unique
Tor the American stage.
Next Saturday night, with the fall Of
the curtain upon the last act Of st
Elmo" Miss Hall will sever her con-
ncCtion with the Burbank company.
She NAV rest for a time and she may
90 east almost Immediately 10 play
Edna Earl in the sixth road company
which Vaughan G!azcr is organizing
TO present "St. Elmo
Miss Halls successor at the Bur-
hank will be Miss Frances NOrdstrOm,
who appears next Sunday afternoon as
Minnie Smith, "the girl, i'm David Be
lasco's THE Girl of the Golden West. 20
which will be staged under the per
sonal direction of Frederick Belasco,
with A. Byron Beasley in the role of
the sheriff and David Landau as the
road agent" Hobart BosNorth viii
appear as the Indian, "Billy Jack Rab-
bit" the role he successfully assumed
when the piece was last played in Los
Angeles,
John Burton of the Burbank stock
company yesterday received a letter
from William Desmond. formerly lead
ing man of that organization and now
playing leads with the Woodward
stock company i'm Kansas City. Mr..
Desmond wrote:
Mr. and Mrs. II. J. CHM Alaude
Gilbert are here with James Is. Hack
ett. We have had several pleasant
visits together. They want to be re-
membered to all their old friends in
Los Angeles, as I do to mine. This
afternoon we are all going TO matt
nee. and Wen have to wade through a
foot of snow to get there, oh, you
Los Augeles!'
The seVeuty-nvc mcmhcrS of the
"Top OF the Wor'd' company viii have
two days rest before their opening at
the Majestic Christmas matinee. The
company viii arrive in Los Angeles
Thursday. and Manager George MW-
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