San Francisco Call, Volume 111, Number 136, 14 April 1912 — Page 31

- ' ■- - ----- ■.-*■■-■ - .-- * --:. r->':..- * ,'■.*:' zs^^mrmm^s^^m^^m^mx^^^m _ EDITORIAL | DRAMATIC : ; SOCIETY *—■ i..'..' .- 7., -„,... ..„—, — —... ii "',?; -* ' * : __— ..__

VOLUME (XI.—NO. 136.

LOUISE GUNNING on Acting as a Musical Art

ABOUT the dearest asset of a publicity man "ahead" of a bright and beautiful star,; is the fact j that once upon a time she sang in the village choir. If to this interesting circumstance the fact is added that .she is the daughter of a minister of the gospel the press agent's fortune : is made. So admirable ?is this combination of forces working in favor of | fame that press agents have -been known to invent them in behalf of j their stars. This .'■ has been done, in fact, so frequently that the. skeptical dramatic critic is inclined to discredit the story even when it is true. When Rollan'd Bond, whose chief aim in life just now is" to persuade the public that Louise Gunning, is, not only a great singer, but a charming * actress as well, told me that the star of "The Balkan Princess .was the daughter of a 7 Baptist- clergyman * and /'a former warbler In the village choir,' I was inclined to doubt so? preposterous" an assertion. But Miss Gunning herself assured me of the truth of the story, and I now I believe It. 1 7* "I am a native of Boston," said Miss j Gunning, "and to make the matter -harder to believe,"* said she/ "I am the ! daughter 'of a clergyman—-a 'Baptist i clergyman." / "Where," I asked," 'did you acquire | your stage tendencies?'.' - 7 Z i\ ■ "Goodness only knows," she laughed.; "I think, however, that it was during; my *•very, early Career as a "'feature' in j Sunday school entertainments, where, of, course, I used to recite, 'The Wreck of the Hesperus.* 'Old ..Ironsides* and other light bits of dramatic/oratory. ''■},, My singing /was indulged mainly in* the choir of my father's "church, and I flatter myself that it was good train ■> ing. A singer who can,"interest a con--gregation will/have no trouble in. entertaining an audience. The same elements of emotion and feeling that carry 'in a church will be* effective- in the theater; 'and '•* as for acting—all .'good singing ls good acting. .-. ' " "It is.not often observed, but it is true nevertheless? : that:"' singing and acting are":twin. arts, singing being but the deeper expression of truth, which may be. otherwise imparted through pantomiml; gesture and ordinary vocal utterance. The singer relates. Good • songs are stories. Song "is,: in fact, the most effective presentation of - narrative, and the greatest 7songs are those which- tell the most impressive stories —'The Erl King.' for• instance,? or Schumann's setting of Woman's Love, and Life,'.or ; his 'Two Grenadiers.'. :•*: When I h Bing I- act, and '• it '*■ has always -* seemed

I to me, that when an actress like BernI hardt or Duse reaches the heights of I her emotional scenes she should aban- ■ don the „ ordinary mode of speech and ; sing. 7 In other words, 7 I mean," continued Miss Gunning, "that 7 song bei gins where acting leaves off. It/Is the j final peak in the realm of artistic 7 in-' ! terpretatlon." , ■7.1 did not forget, either, that I was j talking to a comic opera star. \ - ** ■ # ' * 77.7 ON" account: of holy week Miss Gunning and her companions of "The Balkan -Princess" did no work. j They rested. ; Part of the company came i to San Francisco to while away their ; few, idle days. Miss Gunning- spent most of her time in San' Jose, where she remained for three days Incognito at the.Vendome hotel. Then a /newspaper ;reporter discovered her and told about it in the San "Jose' papers. "Here," he" wrote, "is an actress in our midst who has deliberately and '*. successfully dodged publicity for three days." ' i "After that," sighed Miss Gunning* "I was stared 5 at. !I/had no more of the delights of an unobserved exist-; ence." -* * / . • . -... . ~y Just why -. Miss , Gunning should be stared at, in any event,, may not seem; as plain to; you as 'it does to me. Most anybody with an eye for beauty would turn to ' look at her—which'? about what I said in reply to her sighs? for the -'delights of. an unobserved existj ence." , : Z~f"~;"z- ", Z' ■"- . *- ■ .*' " " -.*■ ■. * "{ iiJl was about 710 7years 7ago," said y. I Miss Gunning, "that I i came to San : * Francisco. Since that time I have never been permitted by the fates, and I theatrical producers to venture further ! west than, Denver. / I appeared at /the Orpheuinin* a little specialty and wpre j Scotch -kilts. -That was when.l was a i Very young girl," • she concluded, obi viously. Z-*.,'~"/" "'-■*'*'*'.:, .'?.' -7 Z; How did your parents look ; upon I your -stage aspirations?" I asked impertinently.? -.' : y\7 ; ' , ••They declared that ** they had rather see me lead," she "answered .'amiably. }■•:' ."Are they reconciled now?"7*l'* asked. j "Completely. You see they were like thousands of other good ; folk ,and-con - rdemned "the* stage"7 without Z knowing I anything about it. I have found that 1. people on-the stageareabout)the same ] a3 people elsewhere./ You can: find ; the ' same temptations or the s*ame oppor- | for improvement on the "'stage jas in a --hurch choir.- It all depends 'upon what -? you are looking for. Peo- ! ple condemn stage folk . because i stage !"folk are just like everybody else., I : have been connected* principally with ■ :......- . ■ -*--." ■•■■..•>• ..- ••: .... ..-^....■....■■■ .....:. :,..../ -.-.^.. mMm-M^M^d

THE San Francisco CALL

SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY; APRIL 14, 1912.

musical productions,* and I 1 have met on the stage the finest people in the land. .

"Madame Schumann-Heink, for example. -I sang with her In her only appearance in comic 'opera— 'Love's .Lottery.* . I was her leading .. woman, in fact, * and my choicest recollections are concerned •: with this brief engagement where I associated with one of the noblest women who ; ever v lived. "I remember one night in Washington during the brief existence of 'Love's Lottery.' - - The theater was crowded »nd the president was in a box. ? It was * a great occasion and Madame SchumannHeink, who at that time was not yet an American citizen, 7 was naturally excited and anxious that the performance would do credit to her and please her distinguished patrons. ■/ -.--./: .'.-'Of course it was just my luck to have.caught a severe -cold, to which a high fever added /unpleasant complications. Just as the orchestra was playing ? the . overture - the 7- great contralto came * into my. dressing room. She \ arrived In time to see me faint?away.*: Thevnext thing I remember was J that this : great hearted woman was leaning over me in an agony of fear, solicitation and regret, and* she was saying with her broad German accent: 'Louisa, oh, Louisa, ,please. don't faint. "Remember the president is in: the box. 7 Just how 7 I pulled through '■': that performance -■• I do ". not remember, but I do :recall ? the gratitude of - the contralto," whose motherliness and.* big heartedness \were , being warred upon by -_•, her desire, to please the 'president in the box.'.' - : 7," 7 . 7 '7:7 "*/., ...■'77"*"'/;

MISS 7GUNNING tells me ** that ; singing is not ?an acquired art, but a gift, pure and simple. She says that,; like acting.' it ;is not a matter of rule but of temperament and natural gifts. : j She-does', not undervalue traini ing, -,but? declares 7 that training * alone will never produce :.a/successful*actor or singer. Like* Madame Emma Calve, Miss Gunning affirms that? "if you want to make * a rabbit stew, you first . must catch the rabbit." . " . * * "One must go/in to'my/profession." ! she said, 'positively,' "with natural j gifts for elocution, and a feeling, for y.-y'ZfiZ «■■"-. Z. '■■ *'/"■ "7 ■'■■_-::; ■ '1.. .''ivlll^^ ! expression. To become a singer one ; must first of all? have a voice. To be- , come an actress one must be provided ' I by nature with a certain amount of mca, and If beauty is added, all the ter. The world is predisposed in , advance in favor of the one who has good looks. She or "\ he has ffif the advantage "of -the * good impression which -.- n 7 , iiiiiimiiil i i-||lw>iilii«'in i-ir - -nrr*niiiJ~iiT"/iimiiiiiir is :create-.: by appearance even before! * - ....... . .., .. -. - - '

Walter Anthony

- : -* , ■ -j -- y. -—. on© speaks.. Provided with | the external evidences of favor, the actress or the singer begins with a great advantage*. Personally I do not believe ' that success can be-won on the stage in? any capacity, unless natural gifts of voice and presence are backed by training ant 1 experience—-but the training and the experience are of secondary Importance.''- - 7;7- ?. -"7" ':i*y .7*7.7 » "'.'', . .',.77 MISS GUNNING ftold me enough of her own career/* to 7 persuade me that her contention'Z was well ' founded. 7 ; c~ r -•s*/*'. .■•j&'*--.--'7 ' -:«;.' 7- 7*'". ': She aspired to the stage. When she confided the aspiration to her friends and : admitted that she wanted to specialize In musical *" comedy; or comic opera they told. her sagely thatZ she would have to make her start in the chorus. Miss , Gunning did not believe this. She had - sung {In\- a ' church choir and was ; accustomed to facing audiences. Why ; should 5 she. begin at the very bottom rung of the ladder-of fame?

So she went to New York. Early one October; morning, so she told, me, she accomplished what thousands of other aspirants or fame have done. She crossed the Brooklyn bridge. Evans and Mann were staging "The Mandarin" at the Herald Square theater and Miss Gunning says that she was sure of an engagement there. She was sure of it because she had a voice which runs from G below the staff to E high above It. She sang for the managers and was offered a position in the chorus. This was due to the fact that she had innocently admitted that her previous experience before the public had been from the lofty realms of a church choir.

She left the office and went her unobserved:way. But it seems that managers have- souls and they thought about her voice after she had gone. Thus it happened that she received a letter from them within a week-—hav-ing left:her card —stating that she was expected to he at a rehearsal on the following morning. "I naturally concluded," said Miss Gunning, "that they had reconsidered and were going to give me a coveted role in 'The Mandarin.' " She was at the Herald, Square theater at 10 o'clock the next morning. „ Did you ever go in a theater at 10 o'clock in the morning? It is a very doleful;, place., 7lt *- is dark, uninviting, dreary, and it seems to.be damp. Into such a. place did Miss Gunning, pass j and met the managers, who greeted her | cordially 7 and handed her a slip of paper,"which* indicated that she was to play ' the role of the mandarin's wife. "Joyously * skipping, Zgayly tripping," as is said in "Pinafore," Miss* Gunning took her place on the half illuminated stage/7 She» proffered her, slip of paper to the stage director.. He glanced/at it as a paying teller looks at an in-dorsement;;-and said: "Step over there.", Miss/Gunning did and .found/that she was tie of a (group-'of.;23l.wives of the mandarin. ' c

So Miss Gunning left the theater to '.. :■--(■ ,:--v<.—-,.-;* --- it'^--.■■■-., - - ■ ' -■ .which she was 'subsequently to return as a comic opera"*" star and sought vaudeville. Martin Beck approved of her voice and gave her»a< contract to sing over the Orpheum circuit. This Miss Gunning did, about :10 years ago, and "sol came to ban Francisco in her kilts and did a Scotch song and dance act. She,made her own costumes and p. ii ».*jsi.t v *f.>.&..^ - . „,,.-■,. ....,..,,.,,.. selected her own songs. *

Charley Hoyt heard her sing and engaged her in one of his companies, where her singing and acting talents could be employed. Then followed an engagement with Be Wolf Hopper in "Mr. Pickwick," then with Frank Daniels in "The Office Boy," then a joint starring tour with Louis Harrison in "Veronique," and then the engagement

with? Mme. *Schumahn-Helnkiin "Love's ! Lottery." : The next season found her in 7 the leading feminine : role? of, "Tom Jones," and after that followed a two season starring tour in Pixley and Luder's comic opera, "Marcelle." At the conclusion of this brief summary of her career, Miss Gunning said a good thing. It was this: "I have found that the distance between a church choir and comic opera is not so great as it is supposed to be. I have found that hard work and de- termination win in both, places, and that human frailty is not confined exclusively to the choir." * * * "I entertain," said Miss Gunning, "a reasonable pride in my work. It is a common weakness of players to pre tend to be dissatisfied with their profession. Comedians want rto^'be.-strage^. ians, and the tragic actor casts covetous eyes at comedy. I am perfectly happy in my work and I believe that there ls a very fertile field in this broad land for the comic opera or musical, comedy star who will study, work and think. 1 only hope that I will not grow fat. -ja-*"-"^;*!'!™-^^^ That is the terror I face." She doesn't look it. . . .:*■ .

However, she told me that she ate when she was hungry and slept when she was sleepy, that she did not diet nor worry •• and that she believed one could act and sing best out of a normal existence. The only star of "The Balkan Princess" since the musical play began a two * seasons' run in New York two years ago assured! me Ithat^ in % her *

EDITORIAL DRAMATIC ."""J- ' * SOCIETY

opinion, ? 7 the x ; normality of American artists- was the hope of ? the /American stage; and I believe it. "**■- Z/ > 7

It is always embarrassing to me to interview artists before I have seen them in their professional capacity, but Miss Gunning saved me from a diffident position by assuring me that she didn't care, what I said about her performance when she comes to the Cort theater. "I am sure that you will approve of my E in alt," she said, with, a convincing smile, "and, besides, I understand that I am to review the Press club show for The Call, and that you are a member of the cast."

She accompanied this remark with an inscrutable smile, and I : hastened to assure the lady that I was a great believer-in "noblesse oblige." . -\-

RICE ANDCADY TO BE AMERICAN STARS

.7* Ernest Howell, :now/the manager-, of ,*^B^H^a!W«-"*«?S*>*»* .*. ■-»■- j '■*-.«-,»-.' —,-:t. «-i- ■•■-'- ;■»■« the American /theater,--'announces* that he has secured the services of Rice and Cady to head* his company in the rehabilitated Market-street/theater. Negotiations between them have been pending for several weeks and have finally been concluded satisfactorily to - - ■» -- allt-persons concerned.. . What ■ the American theater under its new management has needed is a couple of comedians. Rice and Cady are expected to fill that demand. . "7:. • The well known German comedians have been playing in Portland, where ■ i.- ■. ■'• • - .* - -

PAGES 27 TO 36.

Howell ■-,came in communication with them. 7 "With?,fkolb and] Bill at; the Savoy and -jftlce andiCady at the American, it would seem that upper Market street, with its Empress" and Pantages theaters, will become; a theatrical; center, too. .;• .. ' / . ".: . :: ' ' * . .

Rice and Cady open at the American Sunday.April 29. (''-":?

IDORA PARK

Creatore and his band of 60 instrumentalists enter today on the second week of their engagement at Idora, Oakland's 20 acre amusement garden. Creatore has scored a success such as no other bandmaster has atained in the Oakland pleasure grounds. He has prepared two novel programs for today. Inclement weather during the last week has been opposed to out of door concerts, so the management of the park placed /the? band and its leader (in theZfcomfortable and commodious theater. If climatic conditions are favorable .to^ay Creatore /wills conduct his band "in 7 the big Zband ''shell" ■' out of doors. Should" the: weather/be unpropltious the concerts will :be held in the theater, admission' to which will be, free.... . ■ ..-, . t vOf the many lighter numbers there will be Creatore's own song,/ "Dear." and a 5: rollicking ? "Irish Caprice." For those who are partial .to operatic-music: the v grand selection . (• from .7. "La ■: Gia(cbri^a,"*?"Trovatbre" Z arid( "Traviata" will be offered. Of the overtures there will be that from "William Tell" and the famous "1812.;- by Tschaikowsky. 7 All of the new concessions that have brought Idora's 1912 season into -favor will be in full swing. The usual excursion rates over the Key Route lines are offered to San Francisco patron*.