The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-02-21
salvini.

Said Lewis Morrison recently to a
writer on The HERALD: "Salyini
is the only man in the world at present
whom 1 feel should justly be called a
truly great actor. He is great in ply
sique, great in grace, great in stormy
passion, great in tenderness, great in
every line of acting, and 81 eat in all tt e
details which go to make up the actor s
art"
Salvini is to tread our boards on Fri
day evening, in the great drama, a
version OF which the late Mccullough
once performed in Salt Lake; he is to
be supported by an English speaking
company, including his own son, who
does not usually appear with his father,
but who stars with him on the off
nights. A San Francisco writer speaks
in the following terms OF the renowned
father and son in the Gladiator:
We suppose it will be conside, q here Y
to rank Saumet's Gladiator lin which
Tommaso Salvini appeared on Friday
night with Othello in dramatic interest.
yet we are inclined to do this. First
because the motive of Saumet's work is
a noble one; second, because of the
historic interest, and. third, although
slightly sensational, the naturalness of
the situations is not lost sight of. For
physical, as well as other reasons.
Salvini appears to better advantage in
Saumet's than in Shakespeare's tragedy.
The actors magnificent proportions are
not Saracenic, but they are Gothic and
gladiatorial. In his shorts leeved tunic,
showing his massive arms and lower
limbs, he is as perfect a type of an
athlete as ever fought with wild
beasts in the amphitheatre, or
was "butchered to make a Roman
holiday" In 0thello, too, he inter
prets the influence of only one feeling
and that base one-jealousy. In the
Gladiator he has noble revenge to
work out, and his great heart swells
with the love for a new-found daughter
found while he was about to slay her
at the bidding of the fanaticaI Roman
populace. Nothing can be more grand
than Salvini in his appeal to the people
after he discovers that his intended VIC
tim is his own daughter. He is no
longer e gladiator and a slaye-oa-
ternal love seems to ennoble his hear
ing, as it inspires his tongue with eIo-
quenee.
SalEini accomplishes in the garden
scene of the second act feat that NAV
be called the essence of the dramatic ART
The Empress Faustina and Neodamia
rivals in love, meet. The gladiator
acting under the Empress Instructions
is to kill Neodamia if the girl refuses to
give up Flavian. While the women taII
together Salvini, standing silent a short
distance from the two, so acts with his
limbs and face, following the Empressi
words with sort of muscular com
mentary, so to say, on their false and
deceitful import, that the speakers he
come minor points in the stage pictnra
The silent man is the cynosure of ali
eyes, and at length, when he does sneaI
the concentration has been so close that
the audience feel sense of relief
While the gladiator, in the hands of
such a man as Salvini, is. of
course, the central figure. he
does not absorb the whole interest
Flav1an, the young Roman general he
loved at the same time by Faust;na
whom he despises. and Neodan1;a
whose pure affection he ret1Trns
showed Alessandro Salvini in a rnost
favorable light. There were bursts oc'
casionally-and notably the MARRIAGE
scene in the temple of Jupiter-tbst
proved the son was well inside ths
portico of the temple of dramatic arr
the penetralla of which has lone ago
been reached by his ilIustrious parent