Belasco, in his youth, entertained an admiration that was almost idolatrous for Walter Montgomery, an American actor who, coming from Australia, played in California when the boy was about seventeen years old. His spirit of emulation was fired by the extraordinary efforts which were put forth by that fine player to signalize the close of his engagement in San Francisco. On the night of June 17, 1870, supported by Barrett, McCullough, and the California Theatre stock company, Montgomery acted Shylock, Romeo, King John, Hotspur, Hamlet, Benedick and King Louis the Eleventh, in selected scenes from seven plays. On the next night he acted Marc Antony, in a revival of “Julius CÆsar,”—that being his last appearance in California as an actor. On June 20 and 21 the California Theatre was devoted to “Walter Montgomery in His Celebrated Royal Recitals.” This was his programme on the first night:
| Seven Ages | “As You Like It.” |
| Soliloquy on Death | “Hamlet.” |
| Hubert and Arthur | “King John.” |
| Churchyard Scene | “Hamlet.” |
| “The Bridge of Sighs” | Hood. |
| “The Bells” | Poe. |
| “The Vulgar Boy” | Ingoldsby. |
| “The Bruce” | John Brougham. |
| (Written expressly for Mr. Montgomery.) |
| “Charge of the Light Brigade” | Tennyson. |
On the second night he gave:
| Polonius to his Son | “Hamlet.” |
| Wolsey’s Farewell | “King Henry VIII.” |
| Dream of Clarence | “King Richard III.” |
| Benedick’s Conversion | “Much Ado About Nothing.” |
| Brutus’ Oration | “Julius CÆsar.” |
| Antony’s Oration | “Julius CÆsar.” |
| “The Raven” | Poe. |
| “Ben Battle” | Hood. |
| “The Bloomsbury Christening” | Dickens. |
As soon as possible after seeing Montgomery’s remarkable display of talent and versatility Belasco began to give public recitals, arranged in general upon the model of Montgomery’s, though varied to suit his own requirements. Chief among his selections were “The Vagabonds,” “The Maniac,” “Curfew Must Not Ring To-night,” “Bernardo del Carpio,” Hubert’s scene with Prince Arthur, from “King John”; Marc Antony’s Oration, and Hamlet’s Soliloquy on Death. He also gave imitations of various actors well known to the California public.
