The San Francisco call. [volume], April 07, 1907, Page 3, Image 3

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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Tie San JFranclsco Snnday CaJL
SAN FRANCISCO'S EARLIEST THEATERS.
By Horatio F. Sloll
1 W f HAT a flood of reminiscences
\\ / *r» evoked by the ansormoe~
VV cient that the site of. the eld
Grand Opera-house, on Mission
near Third, is to be monopolised by
commercialism: that the theater's
eventful career Is ended; that its past
glories have now passed into history
ar.a can nevar again *>• revived. Old*
timers delight . la recalling the tri
umphs of Pattl and Center, Henry Irr- \u25a0
Ing and Ellen Terry, Jane Hading aad
other world-famous celebrities, while
the younger generation, whose treas
ured theatrical experiences cover only,
say, the past ten years, cling eqtMtlly
fondly to the less distant performances
of Bernhardt Coquelln, Richard Mans
fleld. Minnie Madders Flike, and the op
eratio appearances of Melba. Bembrloh,
Eames, Nordica. Soaumann-Helnk.
Gafiskl, Fremstad and Caruso, Van
T>yck, Edouard de Zteaske* Planooa.
Scottl and Burgstallen
When I cay "old-timer** I refer more
particularly to the pleasure-levin g Saa
Franciscan, now iCver-headed. who at*
tended everything of interest In the
seventies and eighties. To him mod
ern plays and players are llgntweigbt
and he firmly believes that never be
fore, and never since, the days of the
old California Stock Company were
sach finished performances seea here}
that no ooloratsra stager has ever ap
proached Pattl la the roles she sang
here twenty years ago. These are his
standards aad, no oaa *•»?* fl<™^ tftirff
tostesv
Aad yet there are a few survivors
ef stm another class of Sas Francisco
theater-goers— the pioneer, the forty
niner, who, in turn, looks upon the old.
timer with equal condescension. He has
pursed not only through the golden era,
but the primitive era of our theatrical
history as well Bat It Is not of Ed
vrtsx Booth sad Lawrence Barrett aad
Pattl aad Oerster that he talksi It is
the memories of his first favorites—
Matilda Heron, Anna Bishop, Lolft
ilontez, Laura SJecae, J. B. Booth,
James E. Mardock aad Mr. and Mrs.
Lewis Baker—that he cherishes most.
3a his youthful days, over fifty years
ago* they were his Idols, aad to this
6ay he recalls distinctly their little
rasTvnerlams, scraps of dialogues of
lon g-f or gotten plays, aad unique bits
of stage business or eccentrlo makeup
and costume that appealed to his sense
of humor.
X wonder tf there are still living
with us any of the audience that
assembled, on Monday evening, June
"2. ;549, In the little schoolroom on the
southwest corner of Portsmouth Square
to listen to the concert of vocal music
given by Stephen C. Mansett, Unas
sisted. This may properly be regarded
as first among the regular amusements
of San Francisco. The room was
crowded to suffocation, the proceeds
yielding: over $500. "Front seats" were
reserved for ladles, of whom there were
only four present The piano used
upon the occasion was loaned by E.
Harrison, Collector of the . Port, and
816 was paid for removing it from the
Custom-house to the echoblhouse on
the opposite side of Portsmouth
Square.
-.In October of 1849 Rowe's Olympic
Circus opened in a tent to a numerous
attendance of spectators.' The house
held about 1500 people and the prices
of admission were 83 for ordinary peats,
J5 for box seats and 525 for a private
box. Three. months later the first dra
matic performances were glren in San
Francleco. "The Wife" and "Charles
II" were the bllL The theater was in
the second story of -a building op. Wash
ington street and was known as Wash
ington Hall.
It was not until the fall of 1650 that
Ean Francisco was able to boast of
a Vreal" theater. On October 4 the
Jenny Lind, located on Kearny street,
opposite Portsmouth Square, had a
grand opening. There was a brave
showing of beauty and fashion, and
every one of the £000 seats was filled.
A new era in theatricals had cow be
gun, for 'never before had there r been
so magnificent a : stage for theatrical
performances. Mr. and Mrs. ; Lewis
Baker appeared as Master Walter and
Julia in "The Hunchback," and became
great favorites. Later they, assumed
the management of the Adelphi, a
smaller theater, and in nine months
closed their season 1 , after having
cleared 930,000. Mr. Baker insisted
upon strict discipline at rehearsals and
paid considerable attention to the
accessories of tha stage. '
The Jenny Lind did "not remain a
theater loss. la 1811 it was purchased
by the town for a City. Hall for the
enormous sum of $200,000. , The exter
nal stonewalls -were allowed to stand,
but the whole interior was "removed
and fitted up anew for the special pur
poses to which It was meant to be
applied.
The next theater to open was: the
American, a large wood eh and -brick
structure ~on Sansome ' str At between
California and Sacramento. . Mrs. Stark
gave the opening address.* The walls
sank nearly -two Inches on the opening
night, when' the. house .was absolutely
packed. The site formed a* portion of
the ; bay which had . been . filled in, and
the sand, which made the. foundation
had* been' deposited* upon- the:- bed of
soft yi «*!<*' n-r ml, .Considerable fears
were entertained trader the ctrouta
stances for the safety of the structure,
but the sinking of the walls wa» regu
lar, and after the first night ne ma
terial change waa perceptible. *
The American Theater gave one the
Impression of height on entering. The
dress circle was well raised above the
parquet and waa reached by a flight
of stairs near the entrance. Two bal
conies rose above It .' In 1857 the
theater was partly altered and pre
sented a pretty appearanoe. The In
terior decorations were In white and
gold, and there were many side lights
introduced besides tue central chande
lier in the dome. 'The boxes were ua«
usually large, seating six comfortably,
in front and as many more behind. The
American was not so constantly in use
as some of the other theaters,, and In
the sixties was regarded as a sort of
•transient" house, for with every ex
tended engagement there was a differ
ent manager. Henry Coad was acting
manager 'in 185 8; J. B. Booth in 1857,
with Walter Leman as stage manager;
John Wilson was the lessee, with James
Stark^as acting manager, in 18-58; Lewis
Baker in 1859. W. C. Forbes in I860,;
and W. H. Ltlghton was ldfesee arid
Sheridan Corbyn manager in 1862. The
theater was later turned Into an office
building- and was known as the Hal
leck block.
On December 24, 1851, the Metropolitan
Theater, on Montgomery street, ; near
Washington, . was opened with aj per
formance of "The School for Scandal,"
followed by a. farce entitled "Little
Toddleklns." In the ' former James 18.
Murdock played the . part of • Charles
Surface and Mrs. Catherine SC. Sinclair,
the manager, essayea the role of Lady
Teazle. The prices of admission were:
Orchestra and private boxes, IS; -dress
circle and parquet. $S; second and third
balconies, $1.
- The entrance to the Metropolitan
was quite imposing. It had a S large
foyer, with the box office opposite the
entrance. Two doors on either .side
of the office gave \u25a0' admittance ' to the
parquette. " whioh » extended well under
the dress ,': circle, ; - but : slightly \ raised
above it, 1 and, as ]a - consequence, was
dark \u25a0 and \u25a0% stuffy. 4 r Thel curtain : repre-*
sented the - ruins lot tta.' ancient \u25a0; Qraek
city . and the > whole house [, '' was
upholstered in > red and \u25a0' lighted \u25a0. by 1 a
large central . chandelier ,of gas Jet*.
Only a;, few ' weeks * after, its :. opening
the gas - lighting was : insUllad, and
the ': management ; made * quite an t item
Out \u25a0of this ' Innovation In Its advertis
ing. John \u2666 T6rr«nce wai 'the .pro
prietor * and manager In 1458, George
Ryer ' being . his Stage: manager.
Charles Tibbetts was lessee • and * man
ager in 18?3. Mrs. James .Stark, and
Mrs. Emily Jordan were Joint man
agers : in 1 884,: and Charley Schults was
the leader, of the orchestra during,' the
earlier part of the sixties. In 1854 San
Francisco - had its ' first ", operatic season
at 'Z the x; Metropolitan, when English.
French', and' Italian 9 versions ' of: most of
the noted modern . operas were given
creditable performances. Five prlma
donnas successfully appeared.
One of the most popular of the early
theatrical ' favorites was Matilda' Heron.
Sbe.left: Philadelphia* forithis i city \u25a0 with
her manager, George iW. \ Lewis,' ; in ; the
fall of IS S B. En route Mr. Lewis was
taken \ sick aad died, :- leaving : his pro
tege a stranger In a stranga land. % But
she • possessed 7 grit and ceatlnued her
ocean Journey, landing here unknown
and, unkno wins;. Several .' gentlemea la
terested themselves In her behalf, aad
on V the \u25a0 > evening Sof % December. 26 i- She j
appeared as ' Biaaoa. f .The". Metropolitan
was 1; filled and the i- success S; of ' Miss
Heron ' was ' unprecedented," her sim
plicity and naturalness *» making K5 a
strong i appeal jto * her : audience. Other.
favorites at this, playhouse were Anna
Bishop. Anna Thlllon. c | BHsaS Blsoadel
antl.', Lola Hontes, Catherine P Hayes,
Susan and Kate Den In, the Rousset
sisters and Laura Keane.. • ; .'''•-:'. : : ;
: The bUnion: Theater was in* Commer-;
clal 1 street between Kaarny f and DU
pont ' \u25a0* where % Edwin Booth f. first \u25a0\u25a0'. ap
peared LlnP; 1856. as '". Little Toddlekins.
The Peoples Theater, which was £b the
same' block, was iin % September." 1154;'
under the management ' of H. Hann ' aad
Charles '.Wheatlelgh. ?Klt^wai '? tory- a
short 3 time, four -; years Z* later, '\u25a0 leased
and opened by Joha Wood, the English
comedian, but \lt ? did I not * prove a ; suc
cess. Another theater \ In ; that ' locality
was • called \ the Adelphi and' afterward
the ; Novelty."'? ~y^?~^vi.^-:~ :;-v'- r . p.^ r^r:-i
' One of the most popular theaters San
Francisco ;\u25a0 has i ever^' known t~Lw > as f Ma
gulra's Opera House which, in, the early
% IIMI ,
% fifties, , was . ealjetf , San r Francisco Hall. \u25a0\u25a0
'It ; was 'ri a } dangero us * fir etrap, ' bu t .in ,
those happy-go-lucky , times people were :
hot,S4l' : partioul4r as they > are today.
flt iwas s then ? solely,' the ' homo sof I mla- ;
t s trelsy and 1 always • crowded; V The the
- ater ' was '. in a j one-story bunding on '\u25a0'
1: the i north • side of Washington ; street, ...
between Kearny and Moatgomery, aad
the •ulyentrande— and 'exit, -too— was
by . one small' door %t»at ten feet
\ wide* lp-JL J Steep k stairway sat j* the 4 sad \u25a0
nof a short -V foyer, len either side .of
which were the doors to the parquette,
w led %ia j-'-the * part lof the 5 house.
js The passage : to ' • the % stage was I under «
"\u25a0 the ; parque tte. "..' On the \ lower . floor; the?
f h Seats 'were ji oa i a | dead ? level, • the I bs,l*l
$ cony across < the > end \of 1 the ' 7. building
: contained three or four rows ;of;seat«.^
In ;1857^he;th*a^*;wsji^tilars;ed'and'
rebuilt Inside. A large horseshoe dress
X circle was ; introduced in the .u pper; part '
i\ of t the j house j : ahd *f th« I parquette was '<,
: ?, made '4 to ?> slope ;• gradually. .'.upwardEto ;
; they entrance "'doorVi'.The^uphblsteringS
7*wasjall^dohe|ini;red.;and;the|lightins;.3
''came ; from ', A • Imxm* \u25a0' chandelier i In 1 the -j
eenterPof the dome and clusters ef
three lights X abont twenty- five i feet
•part placed around' the balcony of , the
dress i circle. There . were .two boxes ion
either si 4a one on the stage.- the other
on"* level! with- the dxeas circle. ; ? They
were \ smalU"; 1 crudely ? built ; and ; ' .very
uncomfortable, with \u25a0 : room \u25a0 for-.! only
four, two In front and two in the back.
• ; In \u25a0 those i / days," too,\ the ; city,? authorities
* did \u25a0\u25a0 not | bothaf themselves . about | fire
precautions. The " managers aceb rd i ngly
had a custom of "filling: every, aisle- and
[ passage v way „wl th extra ; stools, so [ that
: a box party arriving Mate*. usually bad
the satisfaction -of' feeling 'they "were
disturbing Q the ".f whole -* house in 'their,
progress ",to^thelr7seats."i* Many had to
\ rise to , allow them to pasis, and > it 1 usu
:' aliy,fe tooled some '{*. minutes > before "*;th'e
• spectators iwere ': able Vto "• rivet ; their J atr
J tentloh *t upon *r the 5 stage * again.' Toiia
r Maguire^was * the""; enterprising 5' owner
•' and manager and San Franciscans were
Indsbtsd to Mm casnrr and ll%«rftllty
for every attraction of importance that
came hero for ' many years.
The Lyceum Theater, opened la 185 X.
was In the upper story of the building
on . tha northwest corner of ; Montfom
ery and "Washing; ton > a treat*. ' , It con
sisted of a eallery. called tha dress cir
cle, & parque tta which was divided into
orchestra seats., parqueite and pit. and
bad two Very small boxes, one on either
side of. tha stag* on a level with the
gallery. The stage was so shallow that
not much scenic display was possible
and' the seats were merely benches cov
ered with red cloth. Tha Lyceum was
the; first theater in San . Francisco to
introduce : the Saturday matinee a* a
regular eti* torn, and at nrst *aro prVzas
\u25a0 were glv en at each, afternoon perform
; ance — one < to . a ; man or boy, : one to a
.woman,- or -girl— the winning tickets
being; > drawn from a , hat , at .the close
'Of the.; play. './..The, Lyceum -had but a
brief ? existence,.' about two years, -and
generally, catered, to. the elite .of the
town. John Wilson was tha proprietor,
but he had. a series of managers dur
ing the short life of the house. Among
them were J. A. Moro, J. E. Johnson,
A-* R. Fhelps.' J. B. Booth. Lewis Baker,
Booth and Ryer, Sam Wells and Harry
Courtaln.
The Eureka, .which waa opened ill
1863, was the smallest of all the thea
ters;' It was first known as the Eureka
Minstrel Hall, then as Wheatlelgh's
Eureka and finally as the Eureka
Theater. It was located in the. upper
story of a building on Montgomery
'street, between California and Pine,
and its fittings and furnishings were
of the plainest. There were no boxes
on the stage and but one on either side
on a level with the dress 'circle, > more
like holes in the wall than anything
else. The Eureka's performances were
confined : principally to variety and
'\u25a0 minstrel shows. But despite all Its
crudeness . and - drawbacks it was ex
tremely/popular; in fact, it was tha
fashionable* place of entertainment
while ; Billy Birch and Ben Cotton held
away there. The curtain was a dull
red baize -and , the bench seats' were
also covered in* red.
.-'The prettiest,- coziest bijou of .a"
; theater that San . Francisco ever had
was ' the 'Academy ' of ' Music on . Pine
street, east' of Montgomery,', which
opened in May, 1884. The size of the
' lot *on which it was > built I.waei" only :
60x100 feet, so not much of a foyer was
possible. It was merely a vestibule
about ten feet wide, with the 'box
office «£ w« side and thm atairs leading
to 1 the J- upper £ balconies at the other.
One ' entered - the 4reas circle, almost
directly from ; the V street. There i were
three tiers of ; eeats besides the par
quette — the dress - circle.' 'second - circle
and ' th© gallery. H«d rand "white were
the > predominating: colors of -\u25a0- the ' in
teriordecorations. There wer» v four
proscenium "boxes. 1 ; ': (The "drop ; curtain
represented "Th« Age of Gold"' and tha
dome was beautifully frescoed. .VA gilt
chandelier with upward of -sixty " gas
Jets depended from the. center and with
the ' cou n 111 1 ess Q side i lights • made ' the
house v brilliant It was
popular';. from the ~ very/ first"* night and
during, the 'few years : of Its-life was
,the>lscene;i'of >somerof ; ithe most Im
portant*; engagements :j6t ;, the * period.
The building was H sold and^.recon
structed ;intof offices in ,1887. to ttheex l^
treme- regret", of every theatergoer In
San Francisco SEBB
Ths • satin r arrangements la all the
early day "theaters were practically tb«
isme. Bows of benches' ran around
the house in horseshoa fashion. th«
\u25a0eata were stuffed hard aad almost al
ways covered with red plttsh or cloth.
The backs were high enough to reach
one's shoulder • blade* To these ad
mittance was gained by aa aisle down
the center, one on either • Ida and again
one at each end next the stage. About
tw«lva inches was allowed for «aoh
seat, and in the days of the volumin
ous hoop skirt ! the ladles wer» often
uncomfortably crowded. In fact, when
a small man entered between two
women very little of him could be seen
except his head and shoulders. Is one
respect, however, tho arrangement w»s
food— the seats were raised high
enough in each tier to enable those
behind to hare an uninterrupted Ttew
of 'the stage ever the heads ef thos<
in front. And in the early day*, whet
the huge poke bonnet was the vogue,
this was doubly appreciated, especially
when, the bonnet was trimmed witi
plumes or dancing feathers. ~£Bn|
Bonnets were always worn at th*
theaters. Aa uncovered head was neve^
seen, not even In the boxes, and th<
usual dress for ladles was the ordiaar?
street attire. A man in evening dreai
was unknown: and If by chance h«
was thus arrayed, he took good pain.
to conceal It carefully with hia over
coat, as 'if he,, were ashamed to b«
caught "looking like a dandy."
There was a great deal of visttlni
between the acts. If the seats ocota
pied by the ladies were accessible, thel:
gentlemen friends came to exchange *
few words at least, and ocoaslonall:
escorts would leave • their seats to al
low some other gallants to ocoup:
them temporarily, while they paid thai
respects to other belles in the house
Those who had end seats ea aa aist
eftea received a succession of "calls
during the . evening,
. The programmes, instead of th
voitrmfnous booklets so much in us
today, were simply s> sheet of coars
white paper, eight or nine lnehes loni
by four laches wide, oa whlaa wa
prlated the name of the theater ;!:
large letter*, the date la smsJlar typr
aad taeo the cast of the play. Ther
was Boi even the suspicion of aa ad
rertlseaxent. An later eatla* pwsjxatnm
before me reads!
Aa Ancient Program
IiMO.V THEATKIL
Cammmtni ttpwst. &etw««a Kwra/ amt Dnpcait
Ta« pc5H« ar» nmaetfaltr tetionaad o*6 \u25a0
Ik* Banofli of ICzsTX. B. Booth
fTh« finrt In tw« yean) win take place on
n«*Uj Bracing; M»y VTth, 1831. vtten t&
mrfomaae* wfl} b*«fa wtta
THB UTXLB TBHIsUBB.
Km, WMnr „ ..... Mnu Tada
Oertwge...; —....Mrs. 7. B. Boot
I*<Jy Vioresee imtn Vy, Bon»,
Wilt*? l««M«abtaaa....^ MWfc ....wfraan» Ban
Btr OtailM _.....*.. Jtft J. B. Boat
Afss* VISA wtO b« prt««atrl t*t»" TOTgTflg.
Intertnda.
ZXTTLZ IODVUSKTX3.
Jtoftwn Smith..... .Mr. Sffivai Bae%
JLstsatMs. \u25a0\u25a0•.•.......,....,. „. ....Mr«. Ssn*
•' . wm^^tf^ wWeb a Vtnr Local Sona, .
"A History of Oe T&aes n , :>
Ll '• ••••• By Dr. D. d. SoMbm
T» ceselod* with t&« Twnttfr Dnma, entitle
THB KXIOHT OF ARVJL
BaniMM Boekrtmatera...... ..Xr«. Jad»
FTtac«*«... .^.^^.^...Mrm. J. B. Boot;
Connor fixe 85aa.. ............ .Mr. 1. B. Boo*
Cb»b«3oes..... ..........Mr. Jl. B. Ph«U
D«r&i« ill* vr«otas" «• Ata«rteaa Braa* Bal
wm apswr (ant tlau») aad Olsceane doqami
tactic.
The audiences of the earty-<say p#
rlod had their favorites. At first ,tb,
popularity of an actress was show
when she was greeted with a show*
of coins, mostly gold, from th» minei
who happened to be visiting "the bay
as San Francisco was termed br the \u25a0
at that time. Bat by the middle fl£tt«i
these demonstrations were chiefly con
fined to places like the Bella Unias
and other melodlons. When Charl«
Kean, th« noted English actor, wet
here in 1885 he declared that h« haj
never played to iluch' chilly audtonc^
as he encountered in California. "Wh«j
he did a particularly Kood bit of aci
Ing or uttered a fine sentiment )
liked. to have It acknowledged by.'
hand or. two." but the applause he
was reserved until the end of.th* a
"or more often until the end of tl
play.
Local favorites, ho^wever. wer» a
waya certain to b<» welcomed by han<
clapping when they made their a 1a 1
pearance. Mrs. Judah always came
for a cordial welcome. So, too, d
Sophie Edwin in a lesser degree. >
well as Mrs. C. R. Saunders. Amor
s the popular actors wero "Bill" Parr
.the comedian; Charley Thorne, \u0084t
leading m£n. and Billy Birch, the mi
strel. who topped them all in pop
lartty.
* To tltosf vrho recall Mrs. Judah
the old California Theater in compar
tively recent years, it may surprt
them to know that Mrs. Judah took
"farewell of the stage" at the Metr
politan Theater in 1536 as th© Wld<
Green in "The Love Chase." Mrs. Jud
was the wife of John Torrence. at th
time lessee and. manager of the Metr
politan. Meeting with serious bustne
losses, ' however; she felt compelled
return', to' the stage after a ,f
months* absence and there she i
mained .until the close of her life, ha
or e<\ end beloved by all. \u25a0
"The first 'theater 'to * provide indivi
ual . scats for its patrons was the c
California, opened in 1839. but in t
; meantime -Congress Hall, on the not
atdo of Bush street,, near Montgome
•was transformed into the Tempi*
Music by Leslie & Raynor for a ml
; strel hall. A.qtage was erected acre
the * end of the hall, decorated ....w
flowering plants. The curtain was
red damask. tb« walls handsomely «i
jered and the floor covered with a r
carpet. Best of all. there were car
.seated arm chairs. The- managers w«
(enterprising . and up-to-date and .tr
j several other innovations. No on*.
example, was admitted unless there -w
an unoccupied seat for him;, as soon
th 9 tickets weri all sold the box off
was closed, and between , aats glas
of water, were passed" to the ladies.
'-.\u25a0 TV'l th the ushering .in. of the B«y<
ties came a complete transformation
the. theatrical situation in San Fn
cisco. The cable, the telegraph and 1
'transcontinental railway put us
closer touch with th« Atlantic Sta
and Europe. "I New plays, newplayt
new scenic 'effects, and even new c
toms came into vogue, and at the sa
time new theaters were built. .cm
beautiful. ' more' costly, more comfo
able. The fire last April wiped .«
every, theater of importance ta »
Francisco and every landmarx ot
' early theatrical days. But it : did i
, dim, the recollections of the oldest, t
a ter-goers, who had lived to sen
city 'completely changed and all
I playhouses of their youth traosf brn
Into business establishment* B«for«;
- devastating flames la t«m redu
• them to ashes and ruins. \
Gone are the early playhouses. fW,
gotten are many of the play*. D«
are most of the stellar lights of th
! golden days.* But green and Vivid
tho. pioneer's memories' of these vj
lahed places of the cot
'dies -and tragedies and musical p
\u25a0 f ormances ' that brightened hia youn
days, the cherished characterizations
his 'favorite actors. They will last '
dimmed until he, too," passes over
the silent majority— which will not
\u25a0 many years henee—^and then,' there
ing jno surviving eye-witnesses. '
iwillhave to rest content with pud
ed reminiscences aad the : f ui:lUt» ; |
atrieal stories , handed - down • la
facaUtes of the Calirorofe \u25a0mini