The San Francisco call., 1910-08-15
"HOLDOVER" HAS
STRANGE Charm
Monumental Jag Topples About
Stage in a Manner Most
Fascinating
Standard Operas Sung by Large
Company Is Attraction at
Orpheum
By WALTER ANTHONY

BY WALIER ANTHONY
From the obvious beauties of stand
ard opera sung by a motley throng of
enthusiastic vocalists to the quiet un-
ostentatious but compelling effect of
j. c. Nugents act, The Squarer," at
the Orpheum measures the enticing
boundaries of vaudeville. Everything
is in there that has ever been known to
make hit over the footlights, and many
new things besides. The newcomers
this week shove the holdovers up to the
top of the bill and the ones that have
just left into oblivion.
There is plenty of entertainment and
no end of variety in the offerings; but,
first of all, let us talk about Nugent,
who though the star of the bill and the
best individual entertainer [ have seen
for a long time, is hard to discuss. His
art is too adroit and his methods are
too quiet to be readily explained or
discussed in short review. There is
nothing to this act that he doesn't seem
to conJure up on the spot. 1t seems as
though it is happening for the first
time, and a reviewer heSitates to de-
scribe it for fear that succeeding per-
formances will witness something diff
ferent. The difficulty is, you see, pure
ly psychological, with the fault resting
with the writers Undoubtedly Mr.. Nu-
gent will do the same during his 3
remaining performances at the Or
pheum; that fact, however, does not
make description of his quietly insinu-
ating methods any the easier. Besides,
robbed of the fantasy that he puts into
the plot bare retelling of it will
sound vulgar.
Mr.. Nugent has a jag-that is to
say The Squarer" has one. 1t is monu-
mental, but topping, too. 1t is in a
third day period and he informs his
hearers that he has just locked up
certain-or rather an uncertain-Mr.
Williams in his, the 'Squarers,' room
at the hotel. This information is i'm
parted casually, with many Interrupt
tions of the monologue into bypaths of
nonsense that keep you interested. In
fact, you lean forward in your seat for
fear of missing quiet aside that may
be burning with a philosophic thought
or sparkling with an epigram for
lorn lady crossed the stage. She drops
her card. He picks it up and follows
her retreating form. Then the drop in
"one" goes up and discloses the in
terror of the office of Doctor Williams,
osteopath. Doctor Williams is the lady;
Mr.. Williams, the husband locked In
the hotel room, is the absent quantity.
and "The Squarer" arrives through a
come in that way. There ensues a
tangle of dialogue based on his condi-
tion and the pretty doctors ignorance
of it plus her attempts to help him.
She asks him if there's anything the
matter with the joints and he thinks
she's talking of the places he's been in.
At the end Mr.. Williams is squared, |
THE Squarer" drinks glass of water
and the pretty doctor is happy again.
/ have failed to make you see where |
the charm in the act exists. Without
egotism l think nobody else can make |
it clear to you, but Nugent, 'the Squar- |
err" and his pretty assistant, Miss julie
York.
The operatic festival is an extraor-
binary melange of fine music sung some
times beautifully and sometimes only |
indifferently. There's a cast of about |
IA and the selections range from III !
Trovatore" and Faust" and Lucia to
Victor Herbert's little gypsy song from
The Fortune Hunter" For the honor
of our own Victor let it be said that
his contribution was not out of place
An its pretentious company. A violin
iste Miss Brunelle, and a singer, Miss
Bertha Seifert, arrive on a gondola. !
1t is in Venice. Miss Seifert sings
The Last Rose of Summer" and the
violinist plays pretty obligato. The
lanterns hung over the canal are then
out for the finale. which takes dips
into Wagner and Faust" and the cur
tain drops on the entire cast singing
the trio from the last act of Faust"
The music and the singing make you
forget the incongruity of the associa-
tions and the act finally closes riotous- |
ly with the members throwing stream
ers at you as they do on New Years |
eve in Market street The offering |
takes your breath away. 1t is exhil- |
irating, and the man who conceived |
the musical switches is nearest to Ira
yato's class of any man the Orpheum |
has introduced us to lately.
Edward Flanagan and Neely Ed |
wards in number called ION and OFF, |
have a novel, pretty skit with nice |
mingling of what everybody likes
comedy and pathos.
The Harvey-De Vora trio amuses |
mildly and the holdover acts are headed |
by The Police Inspector" which is a /
startling way of swearing at reform |
ers' and proving the legitimacy of |
third degree" methods in the police |
system.