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THE SUNDAY OREGONIAJT. PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 2, 1906.
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ITH September come the first
boom-booms of the theatrical
cannonade.
The real season begin during this
month.
Flags are waving.
Huzzas are resounding.
Shouts are going up into the blue vault
of heaven, saying. "Here, this way for
the best ever."
The people are expectant, eager, appre
ciative, interested.
The city was never so full. The popula
tion is Increasing by leaps and bounds.
The theatrical managers have provided
bountifully for the civic delectation In
the theatrical line. Assuredly, the pros
pect stems good.
THE event of chief interest today Is
the opening of the Baker stock sea
sonthe play being "The Crisis," Win
ston Churchill's stirring drama, talky of
the Civil War and hauntingly sweet in
Its love story. Among the most conspicu
ous factors of the opening performance.
In the nature of things, will be the pleas
ant welcoming of the players home again
by the audience. From the time, four
years ago when the first Baker Company
was a rousing and lovely fad in town,
there has never been such genuine and
heart-felt applause and salvos of real
sentiment in favor of favorite players
manifested in any theater in the city.
With their home coming it is sure that a
semblance of the touching and inspiring
old spirit will break forth again when
the beloved actor folk step upon the
stage. That will be the most beneflcent
feature of the occasion. Next comes the
Interest In the play itself, and the play
Js a very good one. strong and heart
throbbing. Each member of the com
pany will receive a smile and hand-clapping
and. in courtesy to newcomers
(who appear for the first time in the
Baker Company) they also will receive
their appropriate testimonial of greeting.
PERHAPS the most interest is felt in
the advent of the new leading man,
Kichard Thornton.
I have never seen him act, but I talked
with him the other evening for an hour
In his room at the Portland Hotel, and
lie impressed ma as a remarkably sin
cere young man. He says he has had
eight years' experience as an actor, play
ing first as the Count de Varville in
"Camille," on which occasion he put up
a Job on Karl Herbert Vw manager of
the New Amsterdam Theater, in New
"York). The young man was stage struck,
and had no experience, but he bluffed the
thing through and handled the part so
well that he was allowed to play a ten
weeks' engagement. Since that he has
neen in several companies. In "Quo
Vadls." he played in Portland at the
Marquam a few years ago. He has also
played several engagements in melo
drama on the road, and also several
stock engagements, in, say San Fran
cisco, where he alternated leads with
Jack Gilmore at the Majestic: in Troy,
Lowell, Pawtucket, Toledo and Detroit!
Hts wits do not work as swiftly as Nat
Goodwin's. But he is handsome and
earnest and temperamental. His eyes
burn, and he has a soul, and his hand
ling of a role will reveal his Intelligence.
No one could have spoken more gracious
ly or more earnestly when he said: "I
hope they'll like me." I think the com
pany, as it lines up, should give a good
performance. The amount of enthusiasm
at the Baker today will demonstrate the
ascendency at present of the craze for
stock in this town. It will be enticing to
a big degree. Everybody should be there,
if only to see the people go wild.
PEW plays for the year are beginning
already to see daylight in New York.
A few have started on their careers in
wooing the public favor and purse. It Is
too soon to announce any decisive fail
ures or emphatic successes. All that Is
known Is that the people are manifest
ing throughout the United States un
usual eagerness to attend any sort ,of
theatrical representation that .has ex
ternal indications of worth. The country
is prosperous and exceedingly active dur
ing the day. and it unmistakably wants
to be amused in the evening. That Is the
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theatrical manager's opportunity the ne
cessity of the public for diversion, and
the necessity exists Just now In a vir
ulent form. It is almost a disease in
America, and the managers and pro
ducers who keep their head, study the
public as to what it likes, and pick wise
ly from the players and material of plays
In" the market, are in line with their
competitors to win the good fruits of
prosperity. It is certain that the public
will be furnished a - great amount of
praiseworthy entertainment this year;
and an Immense amount of artistic
achievement will be accomplished. Along
with the good an enormous amount of
bunco and bluff and mediocre offerings
together with the utterly bad and mere
tricious will be presented for sale,
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bought, used, liked, disliked, thrown
away, accepted, rejected.
BUT in the main, it bids fair to be a
remarkably Interesting season, ac
tive to the limit, swift in the extreme,
gorgeous, and partially artistic.
Within the next two months the bulk
of the more important productions will
have been brought out in the East at
different points, the head center always
being New York, and then will come the
runs of the winners on Broadway, the
spurting of all the road successes, new
and old. over the country, the substitu
tion of other bills for fresh failures on
Broadway, and, then, after the holidays,
when the Ides of March hold away, there
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will be another gigantic churning up and
yielding of some more fresh . productions
the Spring openings and the manifold
readjustments that become necessary
after the theatrical year is half gone.
IT Is an exciting and enticing game, for
all connected with it, the writers of
the plays, the owners, the producers, the
players, all . the infinite multitude who
wrk to put the pieces before the public.
And, when the piece is seen, then the
public clasps hands with it and wel
comes it as a new and valued friend, or
It turns its head away and passes by on
the other side.
We shall get a wide assortment of the
atrical performances here at the Heilig
beside the unremitting activity of the
stock houses), legitimate drama, skits,
musical comedy, concerts, spectacles,
minstrels, stars innumerable, road com
panies representing nearly every branch
of above-average show in many depart
ments of theatrical activity. The point is
that there will be no dearth of shows. If
the people want them they will go and
see them. The prospects are that the
people of this city want plenty this year.
A. H. BALLARD.
OPENING OF BAKER STOCK.
"The CrlsU," AVinston Churchill's
Famous Drama Begins Season.
Everyone knows that the Baker The
ater Stock Company will open its Beason
today. There has been so much said and
written about this popular organization
the last few weeks that its name has be
come almost a household word with every
amusement-seeker in Portland. When the
sale opened last Wednesday for - season
seats, a line of people over, a block long
was waiting at the box office and this
line continued unbroken "throughout the
day. It represented, the best class of
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people of the city and attested above all
things else the great popularity the Baker
Theater and its favorite company. Man
ager George L. Baker spent ..-e entire
Summer in company with John M. Sain
polis in New York and the big Eastern
cities collecting plays and players for
this- season, and many surprises and de
lightful ones' are promised. Plays that
have never before been seen in stock,
some of which It seemed Impossible lo
get, have been secured. The opening bill
this afternoon, Winston Churchill's fa
mous drama, "The Crisis," has only been
to Portland once before, and that was
when Isabel Irving presented It Its open
ing season. It Is, without doubt, one of
the most beautiful plays of the period.
The scenes are laid in the South during
the period of the Civil War. and though
it Is not a war play in any sense of the
word, still the intense atmosphere of the
awful crisis in the history of the Nation
prevades the entire piece.
Miss Lillian Lawrence will still be lead
ing woman with the Baker Company, and
this fact has caused hundreds of expres
sions of delight from all the old patrons.
Richard Thornton, the new leading man,
while yet a stranger to Portlanders, has
every attribute that will make him dear
to the hearts of theatergoers. There are
other new faces and many of the old
favorites, as will be seen from the cast,
which is as follows:
CAST OF CHARACTERS.
Stephen' Blice Richard TnOrntoO
Colonel Carvel William Gleason
Judge Whipple John Stepplinj
Clarence Colfax Donald Bowles
Carl Rlch.ter Howard Russell
Elipnalet Hopper John Satnpolia
Tom Catherwood James Gleason
Jack Brinsmade Curtis Wilson
Maurice Renault Charles Seymour
Mr. Carter Harry Lans
Josephus William Harris
Ephum Thomaa Harper
Virginia Carvel Lillian Lawrence
Mrs. Brlce Minna Gleason
Mrs. Colfax Frances Arno
"Puss" Russell Frances Slosson
Anne BrlnBmade Bertha Ahlgren
Maude Catherwood Lucille Webster
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Eusnle Renault Ethel Grey Terry
Nancy Ethel Jones
SYNOPSIS.
Act. I Judge Whipple's law office at St.
Louis In the year 1857.
Act II The lawn of Colonel Carvel's coun
try house outside of St. Louis two years
later.
Act III Parlor in Colonel Carvel's town
house, St. Louis," Camp Jackson day. May,
1861.
Act IV earns at act I, two years later.
MELODRAMA AT THE EMPIRE.
"Lights of Frisco" Opens Regular
Season Tills Afternoon.
The popular Empire Theater will
ppen its doors to the public for the sea-
son with today's matinee, and a long
line of favorite plays, as well as many
that are new to patrons of melodrama.
will be slven as the weeks advance.
This first week a new and thrilling
melodrama, entitled "Lights of Fris
co," will be the bill, and will without
doubt find high favor with me patron
of the Empire.
The comnany presenting -i-.igrns or
Frisco" Is headed by Miss Grace Ayles-
worth, a young emotional actress or;
marked ability, and she Is supported'
by a big New York company of first
class melodramatic people. The play
is nresented in a sumptuous manner
and is full of scenic sensation and
thrilling realism. There are many new
mechanical effects, and the entire pro
duction is most natural and lifelike.
Some of the principal scenes presenrea
are the Golden Gate harbor at night.
the wonderful electric fountain, ins
beautiful rose garden in full bloom.
the terrible earthquake scene, ana a
Chinese opium den after dark. These
features are a few of the sights that
help to make old San Francisco fa
mous the world over. The etory of the
play and the plot are withal natural
and true to life, and the entire produc
tion will doubtless prove a great suc
cess in melodrama for many seasons to
come. Besides tomorrow s matinee
there will be given a special labor mat
inee Monday, and regular Saturday's
matinee. Seats for the entire week are
now on sale at the Empire box office.
GRAND OFFERS ITS BEST BILL.
Headliner Mason and Kelly in "The
Onion Trust."
Vaudeville, the best in the land, is
promised this week at the Grand, be
ginning with the matinee tomorrow.
The programme which the manage
ment announces is striking in the
number of prominent artists. The acts,
without exception have played the big
circuits of the East and made their
mark. The headliner is "The Onion
Trust," which, as an Eastern critic
said, was improperly named, since it
should be' called "The Laugh Trust."'
This is played by Charles A. Mason,
who was starred here twice In "Ru
dolph and Adolph," and Lew Kelly, fea
tured with "The Headwalters." These
men. consequently, are known to Port
land's theater-goers, for each of the
comedians has made a hit here on for
mer occasions. "The Onion Trust" Is
a scream from start to finish, and has
played with the best managers of the
country. In New York the act caused
a sensation, it was so comical.
Another feature is the Mexican
Tourist Quintet, with five cultured
singers. The act carries its own pic
turesque scenery, and Is warranted to
be one of the specialties that Portland
will remember longest. Al Jolson,
considered one of the most amusing
blackface comedians and whistlers in
the vaudeville profession, comes with
new laughter material. Louis Pritz
kow is a Tyrolean warbler and change
artist. The act will be novel in many
respects. "Hotel Asker" has been se
lected by Mark Sullivan and Rillle
Deaves for exposing their knowledge
of fun and humor. The act is a trav
esty along original lines, and require
the services of several people to pre
sent. The illustrated song will be rendered
by James Bourke, and the Grandlscope
will flash a film of funny incidents.
Today is the last of the programme,
which has been witnessed by thou
sands since last Monday. It numbers
Bud Snyder, the famous cyclist; Charles
P. Lowe, the wonderful xylophone ar
tist; Dave and Percle Martin, sketch
artists; the Two Pecks, in a singing
specialty and other equally attractive
entertainers. Usual Sunday perform
ances. "THE STOWAWAY" AT THE STAR
Another Thriller the Bill Offered by
Stock Company.
At the Star this week, starting with
the matinee tomorrow afternoon, the
Allen stock company will produce the
thrilling melodrama, "The Stowaway."
Perhaps this la the most famous melo
drama that has ever been offered on the
American stage. It was for years the
strongest attraction that a theater could
offer Its patrons, and a dozen years ago
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every theatergoer had seen it several
times. The rising generation, however,
knows nothing of "The Stowaway," with
its sensational situations and its fervid
plot. The revival of this sterling drama
will be one of the events of the season
In Portland. The play has not been seen
in this city, in more than ten years. This
will make It practically a brand-new of
fering to the present amusement-seekers.
"The Stowaway" was the first play in
which a Bafe explosion was reproduced,
and this bit of realism made the reputa
tion and established the popularity of the
piece. When the play was sent through
the country the management secured tho
services of two famous safe-robbers to
crack the safe in regulation style at every
performance. The scenic requirements of
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