The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-04-19
DRAMATIC AND LYRIC.
A Chat with Miss Marie Pres
colt.
LEADING LADY TO sALvINI'
An American Actress-Change at the
Walker Opera HOuse-histor
Dramatic Notes.

The principal event in dramatic circle
for long time past, has without doub
been the visit of the Wages of Sin com
many. and the principal reason why tn
event proved SO much more notabl
than the usual melo-drama visits, wa
the presence of Marie Prescott in tn
cast. A reporter OF TIE HERALD sen
ND his card to Miss Prescott, st tn
Walker House, on Thursday afternoon
and after having been requested t.
wait few moments, and the few mo
ments had extended themselves into tn
best part of half an hour, the lady en-
tered the parler, and warmly EXTENDED
a very small hand to the newspape
representative. Off the stage, Mis-
Prescott looks as if she might be 80 O
80 years of age; has countenance o
much animation, pair of blue eyes
which she often fixes refeetiTely OF
some point in the ceiling, a rather
smooth complexion, and a face tina
without being handsome, would be
called thoroughly good one She was
attlred plainly in a brewnish dress
of some rough texture, and wore
what was the most striking article in
her toilet-a peculiarly large linen
collar which can hardly be described
anv other way than as sailor collar
inverted. 1t achieved a broad circle
around the neck, descended a goodly
vay down the front of the dress, and
was then tucked away into some hidden
recess, leaving fair portion OF atull
throat visible.
Murmuring an apology for keeping
the reporter waiting, the actress sank
into seat. 1.-The fact is, she said with
a half smile, "that was lustenlOylng
nap. Something l very seldom dc IN
the day time. but have been up every
day since my arrival enjoying your de-
ightful sulphur baths, and to-day the
plunge made me little sleepy"
After some further words of prelim-
inary nature, IN which Miss Prescott
expressed herself with rapture over the
appearance of Salt Lake, the reporter
asked how long she had been in melo-
drama?
"Only few weeks was the response.
"You see 7 joined the. Wages OF Sin
solely to go. to California: | have no
business a9all to do the melodrama. In
it. YOU know am entirely out of my
sphere. Shakespeare and the legiti-
mate are what have devoted myself
to all my life, and 1 feel lost out OF
them"
"What do you intend doing in San
Francisco2.'
II want to put on my play of Ozeka;
have already had some talk wlth Mr.
Hayman about it, and 1 hope to cast 1T
down there. You have no conception
of what California success means In
the east. They regard California as
almost across the ocean, and play teat
has made hit there has ever SO many
better chances than if it had made 1t
in Chicago or even Boston"
You do not return east with The
Wages of Sin, them"
at will depend upon whether | can
secure an opening for my play in the fail
in San Francisco. Ii l can, shall re
main there during the summer. My
place in this company can be readily
.hIled."
The reporter ventured a doubt
as to this. s'My season with them ends
in four or five weeks" said Miss Pres
colt. II long to get back to my proper
.plaee in the more legitimate drama.
Czeka l have strong hopes for. 1t
is tragic play, and like all
the strong dramas written for Lady
. stars, ends in the death OF the heroine.
Seine of my friends tell me ought TO
choose a play where everything winds
up happily, but tell ahem that all the
notable tragedies, all Sardou's heroines,
end in the death of the leading char
acter."
''HoH long did you star with SalVini7''
the reporter inquired.
"Oh, Salvinil" said the lady with
sigh of half serious ecstasy, now you
speak of a period in my Life OF which |
have. reason to be prozd. l was with
SaIvini two wears. the season of 1880 and
1882. l was engaged to StetsOn TO star
IN Forge3-Me-Not, and nay company
were all engaged. Stetson had sent
Chizzola-Athe same who vas here with
Ristori-oFer to France to secure Bern
hardt. bat Mr.. Abbey beat him. Chiz-
zola then suggested to Stetson that he
should bring Salvlni over fnOn1 Italy.
Stetson had very little faith an it, but
the thing was ,Stetson deciding shrewdly,
as he once IN . while does, that the great
tragedian in Italian and an Ameri
can company supporting him NJ Eng
lish would be a great drawing card.
1t turned out that we could not secure
the right to play Forget Me Not. and
Mr.. Stetson proposed TO me that /
should star with Salvini and the com
pany should support us. The idea
struck me as novel, and accepted 81.
How well l remember, said Miss Pres
colt, warming enthusiastically with tie
recollection, "the first time we saw the
great Italian master. The COMPANY
met for first rehearsal of Othello. and
Salvini was introduced to us; we were
all quaking with fear of him, but he
turned out to be the quietest, k1ndest
and most reserved gentleman you
could imagine. has a compliment
from him which, on account of ffieaNay
it was procured, 1 prize very highly.
! can assure you. had been chosen to
play his leading lady parts, -Ophelia, !
Lady Macbeth, ETC., but [ would not
be cast for Desdemona. When he was in !
formed that l had chosen to play Anne !
liza instead he was rather exaspefated |
and in French-that was the language |
in which we had to meet eachEetaer-he |
spoke no English and l no Italiap-he |
expostulated with me for my choice. He |
once put his foot down but put down
mine too, for | would have Amelia.
because you know, of course, that it