The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-15
IDRAMATICANDLYRIC.
The Phoenix at the Theatre Last
Evening.
STORY OF THE HENRIETTA"
The Rush for Stuart Robson Seats" Shenan-
dOah" COming-Latest Amusement
Notes from All Sections.
STORY OF 1.-THE HENRIETTA

'The Phoenix never dies,'' but it show
some signs of decay. A huge audience a
the theatre last evening took it in, an,
the applause and laughter showed tina
there were many to whom it was a new
story. Many, many, however, yawneC
over it, and wondered what it was in tn
piece that so used to thrill their youthful
susceptibilities. The cast was goot
throughout, though the Jew does not com
pare with Schwartz, the original TIL,
Wisconsin of Miss Lambert was specially
bright, and Mobiles was the same magneti,
Phoenix as of old.
There was great rush at the box-offict
yesterday morning, and big sum of money
was handed through the window for Rob
sons engagement, which commences to
NOR evening. 1.-THE Henrietta" is eager
~ loorked forward to, and to give fore
taste ofits excellence wesquote something
of its story.
AS play, it is unique. A clever satire
on the ways and means of legalized gamb
ling IN stocks, the ticker plays through.
out an important part. The rise and fall
OF stocks Is made to point a moral as well
as to affor amusement; and Bronson
Towards .l as dramatist is admira
bly, shown ole blending of comedy and
serious i crest which make this story OF
love, plots uguter- plots on Wall Street
one Of the BIZ est and most characters
tic among the stage offerings of the time
Nicholas Vanalstyne is Mr.. Mordaunt's
role. He is an "oI orator. of boundless
wealth., utterly unscrupulsus as to the
means by which he adds to his millions.
But there are good traits as well as bad in
this magna'e among bulls. His absolute
confidence in his rascally son Nick (Who is
all the time planning the 'old man's'' ruin,
is curious characteristic) less agreeable
to the audience than his regard for Alice,
his niece, who has fixed her heart upon
BERTHE, younger son of the Wall street
potentate, although the latter despises him
for his lack of aptness for business.
The Henrietta is mine. Old Vanal-
styne has stocked it. More than this, he
owns the town around the mine, and has a
controlling voice in the affairs of the vari-
Gus railroads leading to this little pocket
borough, not to mention his grip on leg
islators.
The old bull has heart, too. That
heart-when stocks are not jumping or
dropping-is tenderly inclined toward a
certain Mrs. Opdyke, who is bright as well
as charming. He makes love to her at his
brokers' under rather trying circum-
stances.
Young Nick, taking advantage of his
fathers confidence, has made break in
Henrietta In his ambition to become
the Napoleon of the street, he does not hes
itate to conspire with his fathers enemy
to secure his fathers financial ruin 1t is
while old Vanalstyne is proposing to Mrs.
Opdyke that the stock begins to tumble.
Just in the middle of frank statement of
his feelings, in his own trough, blunt
way" the sutton hears the ticker. A
glance at the tape and he calculates, give
got to back out of this" Mrs Opdyke can
hardly believe her ears.
Henrietta down to 1871 he shouts.
1.-THE old lady is getting me into trap.
They've got the old bull in a corner" This
IS more than the pretty widow can stand
She demands an explanation. Old Vanal
styne forgets the 'ticker'' and resumes his
love-making. But the clicking goes on, too.
Forsaking his charmer, who falls not into
his arms, as hoped, but solidly on the stage,
Old Nick reads the Hateful legend of the
tape once more: THE old girl is down
again. That's the worst tumble l ever saw
IN so short time" But the old operator
comes out right, after all. Much against
his will-but fortunately for himself-he
had consented to the union of his beloved
Agnes with his stupid boy, BERTHE, and
given him check for $500, GOO mot a cent
more" he exclaims to the young people,
who rush forward to thank him.
Young Nick manages for while to cast
unjust suspicion on BERTHE. A bundle of
letters from woman he has deceived
came to the knowledge of his wife, but the
smooth tongued rascal persuades her that
BERTHE Is the party compromised Mrs.
Fanalstyne warns Agnes that her lover is
a wicked man, and Agnes, believing the
lie, tells BERTHE that all is over between
them.
Time, however, brings full justification
to this young much-harassed ''Iamb.n Ber-
tie IS exceedingly amusing for his dudish-
ness, and Anglouania, his sister, having
married certain Lord TrelaWney. who
plays his brief part upon the scene. But
there are some excellent "points'' about
Bertha for all that.
His check for 100000 comes admirably
into play through the good offices of a
sharp but not 'tricky'' brother. aHen-
rietta" rallies at the critical moment of a
panic
1t is young Nick and not the father who
is crushed. The father learns the truth
and turns Indignantly upon his unnatural
son, who before long dies of heart disease,
Before long too the facts regarding his CON
spiracy against his brothers. good name as
well as his fathers wealth are disclosed:
and when the certain falls on 1.-THE Hen
rietta'' BERTHE and his loving Agnes
are united and happy; the arch, scheming
and merry widow gets old Nick, and SO
the comedy comes pleasantly to close.
A hypocritical clergyman, who dabbles
in stocks, for all his pretense of horror of
the sin of gambling, is introduced in ''The
Henrietta" as well as a good-natured fam
lily physician, who is of more significance
in the story than this fash enable pastor.
Merriment of the hc ,tiest kind is
aroused in the course of tie play, which in
some of its touches and extravaganza con-
-rasts suggests Saratoga while it vet
holds certain serious interest that no
scenes OF satire can impair
Henrietta" is supposed by the ladies to |
De ballet dancer. BERTHE comedies after |
! time in that opinion. Previously, how
ever, he had maintained, with great yehe- |
hence, that Henrietta was only a chest |
nut FLY. 1t was capital idea of the dram |
ltist to make BERTHE ''bull'' the market |
successfully, though utterly blindly, and |
yain reputation for business saeacity |
wen with his father, while all the while the J