Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-21
WARTIME OPERA
PLEASES HIGHLY
H00PSKIRT SYMPHONY SEEN
AT THE GRAND
ISIS HOPKINS" MAKES ANNUAL
APPEARANCE
"Cameo Kirby" Opens for the Second
Week at the Burbank-NeWs of
Plays, Players and
Theaters
BY SHIRLEY OLYNIPIUs

/ 10 cilbpSCllltI utllS anu lIldheS dIl
excellent offering for the week of
Washington's birthday. OF course
there are places where the stage di-
rector's pruning hook will be used
with good advantage, especially in cer-
tain recitatiye spots. Otherwise the
production is worthy of great praise,
for it is the most pretentious offering
made by the Harman company.
In these days of so-called musical
plays, plots are almost unknown.
When seen they are rarely recognized
because of Speciality trimmings.
when Johnny Comes Marching Home"
has a plot which grows as thick as
| molasses in an arctic January. But
that is no particular bar to the sue
cess of the opera. 1t keeps ones brain
working and ones l.eart beating patri-
otically while ones ears are being de-
lighted. The blot of when Johnny
Comes Marching Home" mixes up girls,
widows, soldiers from generals to pri-
Yates, an Uncle Tom, a spy or two,
a deserter and a crowd of plantation
darkies. Love seems to be in the at
mosphere, for every soldier, in his nice
blue uniform and his brass buttons,
shows that bearing arms for his coun-
try means to him circling sc-1e pretty
girls waist rather than shooting the
heads off the enemy. If the civil war
during which the opera story is sup
posed to take place-were fought along
the lines of when Johnny Comes
Marching Home" it was a delightful
little affair with about as much real
danger as a pink tea. No wonder all
the boys wanted to go to war in 81.
1t was the best way to get a wife,
judging from the stage viewpoint.
Hoopskirts as costumes for prin-
cipals and chorus of an opera make
decided change from the conVen-
tional. Nobody could accuse the man
, who worked out such an idea of being
bromide But the hoopskirts do not
interfere with love making, dancing or
singing. About the only interference
they encounter is the scenery. It's a
rather tight squeeze to get off stage
gracefully and without accident when
wearing hoopskirts. Thank fortune,
the style is gone forever. It's ea9
enough for mere man to be crowded
off the sidewalk with picture hat.
He would be forced to go to the coun-
try, hurrahi hurrah! if the women
wore those abominable balloon-like
things at the ground end of their
anatomies today. He'd want some
place to walk. you know. If you de-
sire to see just how your grandmother
looked when she was all dressed up,
pantaloons and all, jast step into the
Grand opera house.
Ferris Hartman has an exceptional
opportunity as Jonathan Phoenix, ana
he makes the most of it. He really is
very funny as comedy director
TIverv line he utters brings laugh.
His 1T Was Quite Upset" is a scream.
| He has added some topical verses on
local affairs which please the audience
immensely. Walter De Leon scored a
hit with my Honeysuckle Glri:
George Poultney sang MY own Unit.
ed States" to the great satisfaction OF
all. A trio in when you're Ihlnk-
inp'' and a quintet in 1.-The SuWanee
River" II don't mean literally were
pleasing. Principals of the trio were
"Muggins" Davies, Carmen Phllllps
and Dixie Blair. The quintet was
composed of Joseph Fogarty, George
Poultney, Myrtle Dingwall, MISS Da-
yies and Miss Phillips. MISS DlngWall
played a boy part-RoperC felioei 'oii
with assurance.
los Angeles began its twelfth annual
laugh and it's twelfth annual cry last
night at the Majestic theater, 1or sis
Hopl1ins'' is back in town again with
her keen, ingenious wit, her homely
philosophy and her story. It's ike wei
coming a neighbor who has been on
long tourney when Miss Melville climbs
down from the haymow. one reefs glad
without knowing the exact reason, ex-
cept that it's natural
Somebody has asked why sis hop
kins" is perennial. Simply because
there is heart interest, plenty OF farce.
enough of melodrama to give a proper
background. and Rose Melville as the
component parts.
isis Hopkins is more than a rural
drama, It's an institution, and a
household one at that. She is known
to millions, and her story likewise. For
the benefit of those who may not know
the story, let me say it is one of life
with the characters and scenes made
Just a bit grotesque for the sake of
stage effects. isis Hopkins" is the
metamorphosis of a gauky country girl
with a loving mother and father, some
false friends and true, and bit of
land under which there is oil. For the
land, the girl is deceived by one of the
false friends. She learns of the deceit
before it is too late. Then she emerges
from her caterpillar state into a beau
tiful butterfly, with worldly knowledge
which has not sullied her. Her father
temporarily loses his mind as the re-
suit of grief at her leaving home and
also because of a fall. In the end, as
in all melodramas, the fathers reason
returns, the false friend is routed and
the final curtain falls on happiness.
Miss Melville has been portraying
Dis I1Ophlllo lOl LNCiNC Nui IiSiiNO
she is perfect. Not by one jot or tit
tie could she improve the character. 1t
is a work of art and as clear cut as a
cameo. Whether she is in "pigtails"
and gingham dresses or in the latest
coiffure and Paris creation, she en-
frances. She makes the corners of
ones mouth turn up and down as she
skips lightly from comedy to pathos,
and back again.
One loves MA Hopkins" Josephine
Haines) from the moment she utterS
her first lines. Miss Haines makes the
character SO rhotherly, SO full of af-
fection that it gives one firmer be-
lief that his own mother is the best in
the world. And what could be more
beautiful than the character of PA
Hopkins as portrayed by George II.
Maxwell? In the last act Mr.. Maxwell
is given an opportunity of immense
possibilities when he has his "mad
scene" He makes the very most of it,
too. He compels sympathy of the
deepest sort, causing one to forget the
horror of insanity.
OF the other members in Miss Mel
ville's company Edward Dillon as the
football-playing, whole-hearted youth
Bart Varnum is just about the clear
stuff. o. M. Bicknell as the under
taker is a scream all the time and pre-
vents certain scenes from palling upon
one Frank Minzey as Ridy Scarboro
helps along the story, Claude Norrie
tl,a l,aordIacc calfcb villain Aoao