The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-10-28
Opening Of the Rhea Season
Tomorrow
ABBOTT AND THE NEW OPERA
Much Ado About Nothing-The Yoe-
men of The Guard-Amuse-
menu Jottlngs.

most promising indications OF a big
opening and successful season. The
biggest take thus far is, of course, for
the performance of Much Ado About
Nothing, which commences the en-
gsgement; but the vivid impression
Modjeska's Adrienne left here few
years ago is certain to fill the house
when that piece Is on; Dangerous
Game, the third play. is new here, but
as it bears Sardou's stamp, it will be
taken on trust. The Brooklyn Union
has the following article on her Adri-
enne:
tits to be hoped that the New York
critics who have disposed in such cava-
lier style of M lie Rhea's delineation of
Camille took the trouble to attend the
Brooklyn Park Theatre last evening to
witness that gifted lady's rendering of
the part of Adrienne Lecouvreur. They
have found already that M lie Rhea is
not an imitator of Bernhardt, nor a
seryile copy of Modieska, but this seems
| 10 have bean about as much as some
of them. and notably the alleged critic
of the EUening Post, have been disposed
| to concede. 1t is true that some of the
leading newspapers, and foren ost
among the 50 the New York Tribune,
have msgnanimously forgiven Rhea
for making her debut outside of the
me tropolis, and given generous tribute
to her genius, but it is to be regretted
that all have not been equally free
from the narrow local jealousy that has
not been altogether eradicsted even yet
from metropolitan criticism. Mile
Rhea's conception of the characters
she has so far presented is emphat-
lcally her own, but those who have
CHASTITY story of Camille, or the still
finer, because more congenial, part of
Adrienne Lecouvreur, will not readily
acknowledge. unless hey are blinded
by obdurate prejudice, that our latest
tragedienne suffers anything by COM
parison, even with the stately Modjeska
or the languishing and ETHEREAL Bern
hardt. There was an inspiring house
at the Park last evening, and one brim-
full of enthusiasm, and not even on her
opening night did the gifted idol of the
Imperial Theatre at st. Petersburg win
heartier plaudits than were showered
upon her from beginning to end.
Mile Rhea is said to have been q stu
dent of the divine and attenuated
Bernhardt, but if this be so, it must be
admitted that while she falls scarcely,
if at all, behind her preceptor in fiery
force and power, she far excels that
discarded idol OF the Coincide Fran
caise in pure and refined taste. Sara
Bernhardt is unquestionably great, a
very great, artistic, but in her acting
there is altogether too much reveling
in putrescence, too pronounced weak
ness for gore and for hanging out the
grim emblems of the graveyard. It is
true that in these emotional dramas
there is abundant excuse and oppor-
tunitY for the indulgence of this pro-
pensity, but Mile Rhes has shown US
that it is not necessary, in its extrava-
CANT and morbid developments, for the
proper rendering of these works, but
that woman of refined and whole
some instincts can so irradiate and
transform them by the witchery of her
own geni1s as to bring them into har-
mony with the requirements of true art.
~.
"Well, what do you think of it?"
The question was asked of THE
HERALD man by Miss Emma Abbott, as
he stood an interested gazer upon and
liftener to the rehearsal of Gilbert &
Sullivan's new opera, The Yeomen Of
the Gnard. at which the singers were
hammering away on Thursday after
noon, at the Theatre.
The newspaper man replied that the
music seemed bright, vigorous and tune
ful to degree; the words he couldn't
catch, as the singers as yet were only
fal-la-lng over the pages, and the IL
bretto he hadn't seen. What did the
prima donna herself think of it?
"Oh, it's lovely" was her emphatic
response. Its sure to make great
go-and it has made one already IN
London, where it was produced on the
I'd of this month. The New York pro-
duction2 Well, I'm free to admit that
the New York papers which we've just
borrowed from THE HERALD Office, ra-
Their Ego after" the libretto-but they
all agree that the music is fine, fine.
But l think the cast in New York had a
great deal to do with tit was all
wrong from the start-the Casino man
ager had his people twisted all around.
With the cast we shall give it in San
Francisco, and maybe in Portland,
feel confident of success. You see, we
ourselves haven't got the whole opera
| YET, even IHOuSu W0 Lave bought the
western rights. They are so fearful of
its being stolen and published before it
is produced-that they merely send us
out miscellaneous sheets and extracts
marked where they are to be inserted,
so that We have it by sections. Those
sheets you see now that we are rehears-
ing from have been received at various
points all along the road"
The manner in which company like
the Abbott goes to work to learn an
opera is quite interesting. Rehearsals
are called nearly every afternoon when
there is no matinee, and all members
of the company are expected to put in a
prompt attendance. Tomasi then seats
hi mself at the piano near the centre of
The stage, and all the chorus
occupy chairs and cluster round
d m. The principlel saunter about
t sta q until tAeir time comes
10 sing, when they walk up to
the piano, run owe: thu ir part and walk
eff, again. Everyone Is provided with
copies at first, and the way the heads,
hands and feet move in counting time
maxi 3 something of su amusing spec
tacle. The stage BUSINESS will not be
touched till Allen, the comedian an6
| 70 vh1 20 b.; r