The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-25
DRAMATICAND Lyric.
A Lively Bit Of Re
trOspectiOn.
THE FLORENCEs-
The Home Clubs Brilliant
Holiday Bill.
THE FLORENCES.
sropDARD AND RYLEY'S TALES
Yoriek Lifts Up the Curtain OF the
Past-The GuvernoT-Saratoga-
Christmas Contributions.

For the CHRIsTNAs HERALD
Come with me We lovers oil the drama
we who nestle in the warm comfort
of the Salt Lake Theatre of to-day
come with me back into the years that
have made their CzeURt oHHes and now
live only Sin the greearoom Of mem
ory; come, and take reserved seat in
the Salt Lake Theatre Of thirty-five
years ago.
There, [ thought as much. The
benches are hard and the acoustics are
bad, and the lights are defective, and
there is draft on the back
of your neck. Yes, you are
pampered child of luxury, and
YOU don't realize that the country has
been only FIVE years settled and that
Won are witnessing the hrst perform
ance of the first dramatic company o.
Utah. And how the place is jsmmed
And how happy the phople seem
And what quaint old place tits 10 be
surel
"Where am II" you ask in q melo-
! dramatic tone. You are in the "Oid
Bowery''-not the one in New York,
you know, but the one that was bnilt
! upon the Temple Block and used by the
/ Latter.day Saints on a Sunday for di-
vine service and by the Musical and
| Dramatic Society once or twice dur
ing the week. for theatrical perform
ances.
Decorating the sanctuary? Rubbish
Young man, do you know thut 1t took
n ko1f n
century to find out what Brig
nam knew by intuition, namely,
that the theatre is an institu-
! ton of learning, of civilization and, in
religious community, of security? The
people must have amusement" declared
/ that celebrated pioneer, leader and
statesmRn-and he was right So, as
soon as the land was cleared and the
crops were in, and the crickets were
killed by the sea gulls, and the gaunt
spectre OF famine no longer haunted
! the homes of the people, dramatic
and musical society was organized. and
there being no hall Of sufficient size TO
accommodate the masses, except their
place of worship, the sagacious Presi-
dent did not hesitate TO permit theatre
Gals within the walls pardon me, it had
| none) beneath the roof Chats better)
OF the "Old Bowery."
/ But hold on 4; the orchestra is beginning
/ its overture. And you rant o. kiiOtC rho
! then are, as they say in the MikadO.
Well, the conductor is William Pitt
and some of the others are William
! Clayton, James SmithieS, Jacob Hutch
/ inson. David Smith and George War lie.
discourse most excellent muster" Of
course they do, Hamlet, for they are
musicians. Now, look here, because
/ nd
primitive, don't you sneak away with
/ the idea that the musical attainments
/ of the period are amateurish and raw.
/ No such thing, and III tell yol why.
/ These musicians are members OF that
historical organization known as The
! Nauvo1 Band" which had already
achieved a distinctic n for the excellence
of the music il produced before
leaving the sainted city who's
name it bears, and as it has
maintained its organization ever
since-even during the weary pill
| grimage across the plains-and kept in
constant practice since arriving ''in the
valley" can you wonder at the har-
mony it sends forth or of the individual
skill of its performers There is an ex-
ample of perseverance and unity which
the chopped-up musical factions of our
/ city to-day would do we'll to emulate.
Hello the curtain is brushed aside
and the performance begins. What Is
the name of the play Why, Robert
| Macaire; and that Is John KAY in the
title role. and roilicking devil he is on
the stage. too, and sweet Marie is played
by pretty Miss Drum. Now, you must
guess the remainder Of the cast :;
so brush up your opera glasses and
discover their identity. That comical
genius who struts about in the char
acter Of Jaques Strop. do you recognize
ehg Well you needn't be so over
whelmed with surprise. Don't you
know that II. b. Clawson was mem
Der of 7. A. Lyne's Company in
Nauvoo, and was regarded as first
rate character actor befor he ever came
TO Utah at all? Well, don't snow your
| Georgian ignorance by any more such
| exhibitions Of ili-timed astonishu ent E,
but keep still and tell me who it is in
the character of Pierre. Phil Margetts2
Correct. And, by the way, Phil Is en-
titled 10 the honor not only OF being In
the first cast, but is the oldest actor in
the Territory who may still be regarded
as a professional And the pert, but
robust, soubrette who poses as
Clementina, who is she2 Can't make
her out en-? Well, IL is none other than
Miss Judd-now known as Mrs. Marga-
ret Clawson.
That was in 1851. my erudite reader,
and il was the beginning Of the drama
in Utah-a strange history but a dis
tinguished one, containing the record
Of as high artistic attainment as many
of the cities of the old World aud sur
passing that of many in the New
For twoyears the company played in
the "Old Bowery" and many Of the
standard plays were performed, among
which was The Stranger wherein
James Ferguson, afterwards regarded
as brilliant and accomplished
actor. sustained the leading role. In
1852 theatricals received fresh impet-
US from the building of the Social
Hall, which. though its name
would imply that it was intended for
gatherings of a social nature, was
I'D eek .u-s.~ 80.