From the Los Angeles Express, November 22, 1902

MUSIC AND THE DRAMA — PLAYS AND PLAYERS

Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra opened its sixth season yesterday afternoon with a program of unusual excellence and gave it before a house that was the most creditable in point of size of any during the past three seasons. . . .

Orchestral numbers were the Tschaikowsky, Slav march, Sullivan ballet overture and Dvorak “New World” symphony. . . .

Dvorak’s “New World” symphony, so-called, was rendered by the orchestra two years ago. Wherever given it generally calls out articles on the negro themes as idealized by the Bohemian composer.

It is stated on good authority, however, that it was written and produced in Buda-Pesth twenty years before Dvorak came to America, and when it re-emerged in the public ear, this time in America, was retouched and rechristened to popularize it here.

In this case Dr. Dvorak must have enjoyed the analysis it underwent on the scramble for negro themes. But an out-and-out negro theme is not to be found. It is far more Bohemian than American. . . . [See Note.]

It is a pity the management of the Los Angeles theater [not the present theater, built in 1931] did not provide better facilities for handling the big attendance. The crush in the entrance foyer was terrific, and as only one door was open, with one man taking tickets, the delay in gaining admission was not only disappointing in that many had to miss the first number, but the personal discomfort in the waiting patrons was [also] great. . . .

Liberty Belles Tomorrow

Prettier girls than those in “The Liberty Belles,” which will open at the Los Angeles Theater tomorrow night, would be hard to find. This production by Harry B. Smith defies the most severe case of “blues.”

Twenty or more pretty girls in the fashionable boarding school turn night into day in a lovely dormitory. In four enameled beds lie as many lovely girls, whose brains have wearied planning a midnight carouse in the room.

Contributions are brought in later by the excited miscreants, and from every side after the hostesses are dragged from bed steal girlish forms in the mysterious costumes worn in the privacy of the bedroom.

With it all there is not a suggestion of vulgarity, or coarseness, and even one harebrained miss in pajamas does not jar the nerves of the most demure auditor.

The spreading of goodies on the floor, the general onslaught, the grab for the pickles, that delight of the school girl’s heart; the sudden dash of the pillow and the promptly ensuing fight, a burst into song, the inevitable ghost stories and lowered lights, all interspersed with peals of sweet, clear, girlish laughter, tend to make one forget that life is not always one happy schooltime.

Two midnight marauders disclose two college boys, who turn out to be respectively husband and fiance of two of the young revelers. . . .

    Two unknown uncles, a borrowed baby, possible inheritances, a trip to Florida and so on, all in quick succession, tend to keep one so on the alert for common sense that the actual absurdity and its clever handling force one into shouts of laughter and friendly co-operation with the ring leaders of the affair. 
From the Los Angeles Herald, November 29, 1902.
Click on the ad for a better view of the text.

Theater programs, Amusements.

“Floradora” Will Return

Happy blending of beautifully designed costumes, combined with the general brilliancy of the scenic display in “Floradora,” forms a magnificent picture of loveliness seldom witnessed in stage representations.

It has been claimed, and doubtless justly, that there has never been seen in this class of play anything to compare with “Floradora” . . .

It will be seen in this city Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, and matinees Thursday and Saturday. . . .

At the Orpheum

Packed to the doors was the condition of the Orpheum all last week, and another excellent bill is to be presented Monday night.

Los Angelans are thoroughly educated to vaudeville, and a weekly visit to the varieties is almost a habit with a major portion of the population [which in 1900 was a little over 100,000 — a good size city; it had doubled in ten years]. There is never a necessity to be in a hurry to avoid being late, for a person can drop into the Main street playhouse and come out feeling satisfied he has secured the worth of his money, for each act is selected with care.

At the Chutes

Outdoor shows at the Chutes . . . are probably worth as much attention as those to be presented in the theater.

Sheik Hadji Tahar’s famous Arabian horsemen, acrobats and tumblers will give a free entertainment . . . .

Thanksgiving Night Concert

    Thanksgiving night, at the Cumnock Hall, 1500 N. Figueroa, the series of popular ballad concerts will be opened. . . .
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Comment

Liberty Belles Tomorrow. Main Street, a theatrical center of Los Angeles in the 1900s, continued its raucous endeavors well into the mid-century, when it was know for its girly shows and strip-tease artists. About Harry B. Smith, the author of “Liberty Belles Tomorrow,” Musicals 101.com tells us that he was:

“one of the unsung giants in the development of the American musical. In a career spanning from 1887 to 1932, he wrote the librettos for 123 Broadway musicals. (By comparison, the great Oscar Hammerstein II wrote less than 50 shows.)

“Smith’s productions included the earliest American comic operas, 13 musicals with Victor Herbert, and material for the earliest editions of Ziegfeld’s Follies. Forgotten today, Smith did much to set a professional standard in this young art form.”

Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World” (1893). David Isadore Lieberman wrote somewhat the same thing in 1998:

“As it happens, his references to Indian music have less to do with songs any real Native Americans might have sung than with material taken over from Dvorak’s own abortive opera on Longfellow’s poem The Song of Hiawatha.”

“Floradora.” Writes John Kenrick: “The first theatrical sensation of the new century was the British musical comedy Floradora . . ., the story of a young woman seeking romance and the restoration of a stolen inheritance. Its sextet of chorines – each standing five foot four and weighing a uniform 130 pounds – became the rage of both London and New York. When these ladies joined the male chorus to sing the courtly ‘Tell Me Pretty Maiden’ (‘are there any more at home like you?’), audiences were entranced.”

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The Advertisements

Los Angeles Theater. H.C. Wyatt, lessee and manager. Matinee today at 2:00 p.m. — last time tonight. Messrs. John C. Fisher and Thomas W. Ryley present the greatest musical comedy of the century. Floradora. With an artistic metropolitan cast. Beauty chorus of 70. Magnificent scenic production. Our own special orchestra. The famous “Pretty Maiden” double sextette. Seats now on sale. Prices — 50c, 75c, $1.00, $1.50. Tel. Main 70.

Los Angeles Theater. H.C. Wyatt, lessee and manager. Three nights only. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings. Evenings, Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and 2. The brightest, biggest, best on earth. Direct from a season’s success at the Metropolis Theater, New York City. Haverly’s Mastadon Minstrels, headed by the recognized king of minstrelsy, George Wilson. 50 performers. More music than in a comic opera or a burlesque extravaganza. Seats now on sale. Prices 25c, 50c, 75c and $1.00.

 Theater programs, Amusements.

Andreas Dippel in Der Meistersinger,

from Metropolitan Opera History

 

Los Angeles Theater. The musical event of the season. One night only — Wednesday, December 3. The famous Wagnerian tenor, Herr Andreas Dippel, in a song recital with piano accompaniment. Selections taken from Herr Dipple’s famous Wagnerian success with Maurice Grau’s Metropolitan Grand Opera Company. Seats now on sale. Prices 50c, 75c, $1.00, $1.50 and $2.00. Season tickets also on sale.

Orpheum. Tonight. Matinee today. Modern vaudeville. House comfortably heated. Smith, Doty and Coe, musical comedians. Dillon Brothers, parodists. Lizzie and Vinie Daly, dancers. Genaro and Bailey, cake walkers. Evelyn Ormsby, vocalist. Sparrow, “Mad” juggler; Geo. H. Wood, comedian, Three Nevaros, gymnasts. Prices: Evenings — best seats, 25c and 50c; gallery 10c; box seats, 75c. Matinees — Wednesday, seats, 25c; Saturday and Sunday, good seats, 25c; orchestra, box and loge seats, 50c. Children, 10c. Phone Main 1447.

Morosco’s Burbank Theater. Oliver Morosco, lessee and manager. Performance tonight. Last time of the great comedy drama — “The Silver Dagger.” Commencing tomorrow evening for one week only, J.J. Coleman presents Mr. Harry Beresford in George H. Broadhurst’s best fun maker, “The Wrong Mr. Wright.” A strong company — an artist in the midst of artists. Matinee Saturday. Usual popular prices, 15c, 25c, 35c, 50c. Phone Main 1270.

Oliver Morosco was the eminently successful theater impresario. According to “Baring the Heart of Hollywood” (1921), his real name was Mitchell, though why he would choose to change it is a mystery to me. “Mitchell, or Morosco, is a talented man who started in the theatrical business with a stock house in Los Angeles. He developed ability as a producer and now has extensive theatrical interests in both New York and Los Angeles. Morosco did not long survive the merger with Famous Players and soon left the corporation . . ..”

Blanchard Hall. Direction Blanchard & Venter. Last times. Dr. Alexander J. McIvor-Tyndall. Tonight, 8:15 p.m., Mind-reading and Hypnotism; Matinee, 2:30 p.m., Thought Transference and Telepathy. Prices: Evening, 25c, 50c and 75c. Matinee 25c and 50c. Seats on sale at Bartlett’s Music Store. Note — 400 seats for each appearance at 25 cents. To each lady attending the matinee, a beautiful souvenir photograph of Dr. McIvor-Tyndall.

Baseball — California League. Chutes Park. San Francisco vs. Los Angeles. 6 games 6. Ladies’ days, Friday and Saturday. Two games for one admission. Ladies free. First game called at 1 o’clock sharp. Admission 25c. Grand stand, 25 cents.

Chutes Theater, Zoo and Midway. Today and tonight, special performances. C.D. Baker’s “A Day in the Alps.” Trained animal shows. The Theater — new vaudeville bill. Sunday special, balloon ascension and parachute drop. Admission, 10c; ladies and children, afternoon, 5c, excepting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

The Chutes Park and Theater, from Los Angeles Public Library.

Latest Styles. Sable, fox, mink, etc. Furs! Furs! Furs! Buy of the manufacturer. Corner Fourth and Main. E. Mehesy, Jr.

Warm Plunge. North Beach, Santa Monica. Water changed daily, winter and summer and heated to 85 degrees. Safe surf bathing. Hot salt tub baths. New department for ladies’ steam and massage baths, with Fraulein Tembrink in charge.

This 1894 postcard image of the indoor swimming pool, or plunge, is from the excellent Santa Monica North Beach site.
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