tune with which _Cio-Cio-San_ diverts her child in the Second Act
and the use of a bald native tune thundered out _fortissimo_ in
naked unison with the periodic punctuations of harmony at the close
are striking cases in point. Nor should the local color in the
delineation of the break of day in the beginning of the Third Act
and the charmingly felicitous use of mellifluous songs in the
Marriage Scene be overlooked. Always the effect is musical and
dramatically helpful. As for the rest there are many moments of a
strange charm in the score, music filled with a haunting tenderness
and poetic loveliness, music in which there is a beautiful meeting
of the external picture and the spiritual content of the scene.
Notable among these moments is the scene in which _Butterfly_ and
her attendant scatter flowers throughout the room in expectation of
_Pinkerton’s_ return. Here melodies and harmonies are exhaled like
the odors of the flowers.”
And elsewhere Mr. Krehbiel remarks that
“there is nothing more admirable in the score of ’Madama Butterfly’
than the refined and ingenious skill with which the composer bent
the square-toed rhythms and monotonous tunes of Japanese music to
his purposes.”
“Madame Butterfly” ran at the Duke of York’s Theatre until July 13. In
America it was presented, throughout the season of 1900-’01, beginning
at Elmira, New York, September 17, in association with “Naughty
Anthony,” by a company headed by Miss Valerie Bergere and Charles E.
Evans. On February 18, 1901, the tragedy was acted at Proctor’s Fifth
Avenue Theatre, New York, and ran till May 11. Miss Bergere performed as
_Cho-Cho-San_ until March 29, when she was succeeded by the French
actress Mlle. Pilar-Morin. Since then “Butterfly” has been acted
unnumbered times.
During the summer season of “Zaza” in London (1900), Belasco was
approached by the eccentric Lady Valerie Meux, a person of great wealth
and peculiar antecedents, with a proposal that he give up the management
and direction of Mrs. Carter and assume that of Mrs. Cora Urquhart
Potter, in whom she was then much interested. Belasco was well
acquainted with Mrs. Potter, who, indeed, was one of the many amateur
players trained by him while at the Madison Square Theatre (1884, _et
seq._) and for whose professional appearance on the stage, under the
management of Daniel Frohman, he had arranged, in 1886,--an arrangement
which Mrs. Potter suddenly abrogated. Belasco esteemed her histrionic
abilities much higher than ever there was warrant for doing (he has
written about her: “If I could have succeeded in drawing her away from
society, from the host of admirers and over-zealous friends who fondled
and petted her and kept her from really working, and if she could have
appreciated the simplicity of life, she could have taken _front rank_ in
her profession”), but he would not give up the direction or Mrs.
Carter’s career and therefore he declined Lady Meux’s proposal. That
singular person then expressed a wish that he should transfer his
theatrical activities from America to England, offered to build for him
“the finest playhouse in the land” and to provide him with ample money
with which to conduct it, so that he “might be free and untrammelled by
financial cares” and fulfil all his ambitions. “Of course,” he has said,
in telling me of these incidents, “her offer had a tempting sound, but
nothing could have induced me to accept it. Not only would I not
consider deserting Mrs. Carter, but I knew that Mrs. Potter could never
give up the social world for the exclusive hard work of the Stage. And
also I knew that within a year, perhaps less, Lady Meux would have grown
tired of her fancy and my position would be intolerable. I wanted a
theatre in London--in fact, I want one now and, perhaps, in spite of the
war, I may have one yet--but not one tied up in apron-strings.” His
decision to reject the offers of Lady Meux certainly was wise.
[Illustration]
INDEX TO VOLUME ONE
INDEX TO VOLUME ONE
_B._=_David Belasco._
A
Abbey, Henry Eugene
(Am. th. man.: 1848-1896): plans
to produce S. Morse’s “Passion Play” in N. Y., 122.
Abbey’s New Park Th., N. Y., burned, 122.
Academy of Music, N. Y.: Salvini’s first Am. appearance at, 59.
“Across the Continent” (play): B. acts in, 104.
Acting: schools of and teaching of--the subject
critically considered, 348, _et seq._
Actors: early, in Calif., 131.
Adams, Annie (Asenath Annie Adams--Mrs. James Kiskaden--Mrs.
Harvey K. Glidden: Am. actress: 1849-1916): 62.
Adams, Edwin (Am. actor: 1834-1877): in S. F., 90; 204.
Adams, John (actor): 132.
Adams (Kiskaden), Maude (Am. actress: 1872-19--): 62.
“Adolph Challet” (play): 237.
“ADREA” (tragedy): 477.
“Adrienne Lecouvreur” (play): 103.
“Agnes” (play): 105.
“Aladdin No. 2; or, The Wonderful Scamp” (burlesque): 37; 221.
Alberta, Laura (Am. actress): B. acts with, in S. F., 49; 74; 229.
Albery, James (Eng. dramatist: 1838-1889): 336.
Aldrich, Louis (Moses Lyon: Am. actor: 1843-1901): 345;
good acting by, 346;
sketch of, 347, _et seq._
Allemany, Archbishop, of S. F.: approves “The Passion Play,” 116.
Allen, Charles E. (actor): 36.
Allen, Charles L. (lawyer): 390.
Allen, Charles Leslie (Am. actor: 1830-1917): 382.
“All the Comforts of Home” (farce): 375.
“Alpine Roses” (play): 279; 280.
Alta California,” “The (S. F. newspaper): notice in,
quoted _re_ “Passion Play,” 118.
Amberg, Gustav (Ger.-Am. th. man.): 251.
“AMERICAN BORN” (melod.): written--and produced--cast
of, 257, _et seq._; 260; 261; 269; 270; 276.
American Theatre, S. F.: Julia Dean, lessee of, 7.
“Amy Robsart” (play): 210.
Anderson, David H. (Am. actor: 1814-1884): 36.
“Andrea” (play): 311.
Andrews, Lillian (Am. actress): 187.
Apostate,” “The (tragedy): 94; 160.
“Armadale” (Collins’ novel): dramatization of, 92.
“Arrah-na-Pogue” (comedy): Boucicault and wife in, 58; 225; 261.
Art, dramatic: suggestion in--instructive comment _re_, by B., 418.
“Article 47” (play): B.’s version of, 93.
ASSOMMOIR,” “L’ (novel): Daly’s view of Fr. dramatization of, 184;
same makes and produces Eng. version--which fails--B.
makes version--which succeeds, 185;
cast of B.’s version of, 186;
difficulties during rehearsals of, 187;
run of, 188; 189.
“As You Like It”: 43; 137.
Atkinson, Henry (actor): 135.
Audran, Edmond (Fr. musician: 1840-1901): 396;
writes letter praising Mrs. Carter, 398.
AUCTIONEER,” “THE (play): 139.
B
Bachelor of Arts,” “A (farce): 344.
Bailey, Philip James (the poet: 1820-1902): 249.
Baker and Farron [theatrical] Company: 88; 89.
Baker, Emily: 87.
Baldwin, Edward J. (“Lucky Baldwin”): builds Baldwin’s A. of M., S. F., 86;
not friendly with T. Maguire, 87;
supports “The Passion Play” in S. F., 115;
withdraws support of Maguire, 183.
Baldwin’s Academy of Music, S. F.: built, 86;
opened with “K. R. III.”--and B. employed at, 87;
Sullivan’s repertory at--and Gates Opera Co. at, 88;
G. F. Rowe at, 92;
farewell engagement of A. Neilson at, 210;
Maguire loses, 253.
Bandmann, Daniel Edward (German-Am. actor: 1840-1905): 133.
Banishment of Catiline,” “The (poem): recited by B., 26.
Banker’s Daughter,” “The (play): _re_ authorship of--and
first produced, 125; 126;
resemblance of “The Millionaire’s Daughter” to, 128;
engagement of, in S. F., cancelled, 129; 328.
Banks, Maude: 349.
Barker, H. Granville (Eng. actor, playwright and th.
man.: 1874-19--): and “modern” methods of, anticipated by B., 355.
Barnes, George E. (dramatic reviewer in S. F.): 103.
“BARON RUDOLPH” (melod.): production of--and story--failure
of, 321, _et seq._;
rewritten by Howard--and by B., 324;
cast of, 326.
BARRETT, LAWRENCE P. (Am. actor and th. man.: 1838-1891): 42;
acts _King Henry the Fifth_ in S. F., 91; 95;
first appearance of, in S. F., 135;
feeling of, toward McCullough--and characters of _Cassius_,
and _Antony_, 165;
first plays _Cassius_--and same, in S. F., 166.
Barrett, Hon. George C. (Judge--N. Y.): 122.
Barrows, James O. (Am. actor): schoolboy companion of B.--wins
medal in Comedy, 12;
B.’s early friendship with, 27.
Barry, William (actor): 131.
Barrymore, Maurice (Eng.-Am. actor and dramatist: 1848-1905): 309; 427.
BATES, BLANCHE (Mrs. Milton F. Davis--Mrs. George Creel: Am.
actress: 1872-19--): 35; 62; 74;
B.’s first meeting with, 77;
mother’s ambition for--and B.’s promise _re_, 78;
beauty--qualities--potentialities of, 469, _et seq._;
lapse of, into obscurity--and biographical particulars _re_, 471, _et seq._;
first acts under B.’s management in “Naughty Anthony,” 473, _et seq._;
as _Cora_, in same, 474;
same, 475;
her performance of _Madame Butterfly_, 483; 487.
Bates, Frank Mark (Am. actor: 18---18--): 75;
murdered, 76.
BATES, MRS. FRANK MARK (Frances Marion Hinckley--Mrs. Charles
L. Lord: Am. actress: 1848-1908): 35; 74;
B.’s recollection of, and of her husband, 75, _et seq._;
B. acts _Armand Duval_ with, 76;
B.’s promise to, _re_ daughter, 77;
on B.’s facility in adapting plays, 84; 133; 472.
Beauty and the Brigands,” “The (burlesque): 37.
Behne, Harriet (singer): 489.
Belasco, Augusta (Mrs. William Elliott): 469.