The San Francisco call., 1913-08-04
Nine Brothers and Sisters Produce Matinee
of Harmony
Bv WALTER ANTHONY

The Bell family at the Orpheum is SO
fine that I doubt that 1t is Mexican.
The Bell family comprises nine sis
ters and brothers who play musicai
act They even sing. Perhaps they come
from Mexico and perhaps they don L
Personally 1 don't know, but whatever
place they come from is the poorer IN
their absence.
The curtain rises on their act ana
discloses a back drop that would cause
Gordon Craig to commit suicide A
lifeless waterfall splashes silently over
mechanical hedge, but the vision Is
quickly lured from the back ground
to the fore where stand the nine
sisters and brothers with mallets up
raised against responsive xylophones
which they proceed to smite rhythmic-s
ally.
Some of the instruments are provided
with strings and emit a bass tone OF
great sorority and beauty The
players are garbed in garish clothes
bespangIed with tinsel and overcome
with color The beholder thinks they
come from the Argentine Republic
where silver is free.
After the opening number, which was
called hunting scene in tone" and
was written by Bucalossi. came
medley of airs from III Trovatore,
PLAYED on mandolins. guitars and a
single violin. After that there was
bell ringing contest in which the i'm
mortal Lucia sextette was given an
enthusiastic performance on school
bells harness, sleigh bells and extraor-
binary apparatus which seemed en-
tirely harmonious and respondent TO
the energy of the musicians.
The curtain went up and down like
busy elevator and finally the Bell
family responded with an encore which
included national airs, not excepting
"Oh. Say Can You See" After that the
success of the act could not be doubted.
North and south and east and west
were tickled and all ears were attuned
to the symmetry of some very remark
able playing.
The act. in short, is the best musical
turn heard at the Orpheum in months,
and IL would be unfair to the mana ge-
ment not to mention some dancing done
between numbers by a little lady who
might have been in Prosper's mind
when he thought OF Carmen~A~She and
her partner illustrated the fundament-
ais Of Terpischore
Another act that seemed to give gen.
eral satisfaction was that provided by
Harry Divine and Belle Williams. The
latter is q bud of plump and pleasing
beauty, and has a sense OF humor that
she manages well even when directed
against herself. Harry Divine, her
partner, pleases with a solemn. matter
of fact manner which is enjoyable in
their burIesque of melodrama and con-
sistently maintained throughout their
Is minutes on the stage
Taylor Holmes has a monologue of
interest, the best part of which is his
well told story of the lady who made
lamp shades from champagne bottles
His recitation of Gunga Din was also
we'll approved by an audience that was
not particularly inclined to listen to the
Kipling masterpiece unless 1t were well
done, which 1t was.
Angela Kier and company present a
sketch called Sentence Suspended"
The acting of the star is we'll done, but
the behavior of her playwright, Will
liam G. Kier, is bad.
The sketch is feeble, but the playing
by the principal at least-is excel
lent
IL I wrote as bad a playlet as Mr..
Kier has done / could wish for nothing
better than that Angela should play in
1t. As the mother whose baby has been
stolen she conjured real emotion In a
very silly sketch.
The Rose Valerie sextet of wire run
ners was not in its best form yesterday
afternoon, several of the prehensile
feet having missed ignominiously to
tread the narrow way. Perhaps the
company was nervous and did better
last night. hope So
Fred Hamiil and Charley Arbate,
the singer and the violinist." had an
easy time following Sentence Sus-
pended" Almost any act would seem