The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-02-05
A Chat With the Author Of a
Rag Baby.
HOW HoYT GOT HIS START.
MT. Redmund's Herminie The
Weeks Attrsctions-No Mascot
Other News.


Thursday night, remained long enough
to start the ball rolling for the appear
ance of his Hole in the Ground Com
pany at the Theatre towards the end OF
this month, and then with his wife. the
charming Flora Walsh, took Friday s
train for San Francisco.
Mr.. Hoyt. five years ago, vas re-
porter on Massachusetts, paper as OBJ
scure as the Tribune; but one morning,
like Byron, he awoke to find himself
famous. To HERALD reporter, who
sought him at the Theatre on Friday
afternoon, Mr.. Hoyt appeared quite as
genial and matter of fact as if lie mad
been an ordinary mortal, instead of the
possessor of a trio of plays which bring
MIN in untold sums per annum, and
readily consented to impart some
particulars OF
HOW He BECAME AN AUTHOR.
~ was doing dramatic work on a
Boston paper" said MIR. Hoyt, when it
fell to my lot to write up Willie
Edouin's Dreams. In those days had
about the highest strung notions of the
mission of the drama that could be
found in Boston, and raked Edouin s
piece fore and aft. l knew him very
Intimately, and next day. when we met,
he said. $50 you didn't like my piece 2"
II think it was rotten" was my reply.
well, if you think it was so rotten,
perhaps you'd better come up and re-
write it," Edouin suggested. There
was q good deal of banter exchanged,
and finally it led to my going to work
on his piece, and putting it into diff
ferent shape. Though 1 say it, who
shoulGn't-it was good deal improved,
and went much better. My intipa soy
with Edouin led ME into good knowl-
edge of what makes the success of
purely farce comedy. and about
Ave years ago, wrote the Bunch of
Keys, with Edouin in the part of
Snaggs. 1t made great go. and was
encouraged to go on TO my other pieces.
sold that piece out. and also ted with
my interest in A Parlor Match, which
Evans & Hoey are doing. [ still run,
with nay partner. Mr.. Thomas, A Rag
Baby, A Tin Soldier and A Hole in the
Ground"
WHO has taken Daniels place as
Old Sport. in Rag Baby? ?"
Charlie Reed, and he is making q
great deal out of the part. Daniels
was, of course, the original, and be was
SO entirely fitted for the part, men
tally, physically and every way. that it
was hard to replace him. But Reed has
rehearsed it with me- ior weeks, and is
,,auu IninU oroot uunrk with III "
What is the particular idea you have
satirIzed in your new piece?"
~ have laid it at railroad sta
ton, and 1 have taken the station
agent as my central figure, though
the part of The Stranger. who is wait
ing Tor late train, is the principal
character. In a Bunch of Keys, took
the Hotel Keeper for nay subject; in A
Rag Baby, the Sporting Craze: in A
TIN Soldier. the Plumber; but | think
you will say A Hole in the Ground,
with the Station Ag mt in. is as good an
idea as any of the others. l have
twenty-one people, and some of the
prettiest girls that could be selected.
Some of the singers. believe, are as
good as those in many of the light
opera companies. Did you ever hear
Lillian Russell and billiard sing the
duet from my opera of the Maid and
the Moonshiner. introduced by them
into A Trip to Africa? Yes. Well,
my soprano and tenor, think you will
say, are equally as clever as they
were."
ITO what do you attribute the failure
of the Maid and the Moonshiner2"
At this query, the placid brow of Mr..
Hoyt grew somewhat dark. The work
in question, the libretto. by Hoyt, the
music, by Solomon, Lillian RusselI's
talented husband. was produced in New
York by Duff's company two or three
seasons back, and though whooped to
the skies, made one of the direst failures
OF record.
"Oh, well," said Mr.. Hoyt. recover
ing himself, II always believe in accept,
ing failure with as good grace as pos
sibIe, and, thank heaven, that, so far,
has been the only failure have had to
swallow"
. The newspaper man stated that it was
wonderful that the opera should fail if
it possessed many such gems as the
duet sung here by Russell and billiard.
ut was full of them," said Mr.. Hoyt|
quiosIy. "I'll tell you this-what II
do 't n, say to aayone-t tia il my
LAO DAdL0 duo VIC 0AOOu-
sinner" was killed by the way Duff put it
on. z wrote it. and wanted it to be
put on Just as one of my farce comedies
would be. except that it has chorus
to handle. The first thing Duff did
was to put Tony Hart into the
comic part. Hart Is nice fellow, and
has been good actor. but, man alive, |
he's got paralysis. He's as crazy as
Sarthy Campbell. 1 was to do all the |
butnone Of my suggestions
were accepted, and threw the thing
up in disgust, wouldn't 60 near them. |
the nisht before the produce
ton, they sent for me to come to the
last rehearsal. I wouldn't go at first,
put thinking that I might suggest
that would save it from
being utterly damned, went down.
sat through the whole thing in silence,
and when it was over, they asked. me
what l thought of it. I happened to
nave a thousand dollar bill in nv
,ocket-I was about to start off on a
taking il out and laying
{ on the table before. Duff, l said
John Duff. I'll give you that thousand
lollar bill, If you'll postpone this show
ust one night. and let me put another
nan in Tony Harris place. If you'll do
III -