The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-06-23


il is possible to find. Indeed, at times, the
music is almost too grand for the theme OF
the librettO. 1t is not generally known that
the great credit for producing the opera Is
due to NJ. We'll the Bostonians stage
manager who is good deal OF the poet
and musician combined. The music is That
of Thomas old opera Psyche" not much
heard of nowadays, and Mr.. We'll did the
necessary altering, poetizing, adapting and
general literary tinkering to wed the
music to Gilbert's celebrated play. he
has made a great success Of his work. The
hits of last night were numerous and pro-
nOunced. the ''Galatea" of Miss Stone
being the central figure, Miss Jessie Bart
lett Davis making the part OF "Cymsca
stand ont with bright boldness
and Mr.. LKarl doing some Of his best acI-
ing as the sculptor. His voice, however,
showed the illness under which he has
been suffering since he reached Salt Lake
Mr. Barnabee was whole host as
Chrysor, and Miss Bartlett acted very well
his shrewish wife. Mr.. Macdonald and
Miss Maconda filled in bravely Floral
offerings to the leading ladies were pre-
scented after their most ambitious vocal
efforts, and the applause was unstinted.
The company left for Denver on u special
last evening.
jesse lJdGIlcIl DdN 10 10 LNNALbJ 7SAs-AAe
years of age, and looks, acts and feels
twenty. Those who saw her on her first
appe arance here with Carleton six years
ago as Griolet. the drummer boy in The
Drum Majors Daughter" have noticed
that she has grown just a little stouter and
matured since then, but at close range she
is as peachy of complexion, as YlVaclous OF
manner, and as charmingly slangy of speech
as in the days when she was "a youth to
fortune and to fame unknown"
Dramatic and Lyric had the pleasure OF
meeting Mrs Davis in those days,
and Of renewing the acquaintance
during the past week at Garfield Beach.
Yes she said with reminiscent sigh,
when the handshakings were over, nine
wears I've been on the stage now, and I've
had my share, suppose, of both ups ana
downs. Three hundred and seventy nights
as Little Buttercup started me- out-and l
assure YOU enjoyed every one of them; then
a season with sCarleton-ugh-I wouldn't
take another of them for a thousand dol
lars anight paid in advance. and so l told
him to his face when he mace
me a proposition for a second year.
Many's the night I've taken my costume
off and told him l Wouldn't sing note for
him again to save him; but he always came
the baby act-'ThinB of the people IN the
front and the money that would be thrown
away and all th&t-So | invariably re
lelented and went on" Mrs. Davis pro
ceeded in this strain for some time longer,
in a manner charming TO listen TO but haZ-
ardous to put in print, and as We have Just
emerged from a libel suit-with flying
colors. it is true, but with some handsome
legal bills to foot-the editor deems 1t best
to content himself with assuring his read
ers that Mrs Davis utterances would
make beautiful reading, If he dared PRINT
them-especially to Mr.. Carleton-and let
it 60 at that
nj was an ambitious young thing OF nine
teen. she went on when Mr.. Carleton had
been exhausted, putting in the time from
6 in the morning till : at night at the On
cago postofice. l got 800 year for that
and $500 year-muniicent sum-for sing
ing contralto in a church choir. mad
sung for Patti, scared half to death, OF
course, and been patted on the head by
Mapleson, and it was the old, old story
nothing would do but that l must stndy
abroad for Italian opera. They all said so
and | hungered for it. l skimped, saved
and studied with that one end
in view, and the hour they
used to giveme for dinner, ltook lesson
in. That was my status when the pima
fore" fever broke out and the whole current
of my life was changed. Hayerly was Or
ganiZing companies then to DO the relgnlng
contralto uD in such and such church he
ought to get. Nh Davis was then one OF
Hayerlys managers, and he was detailed
tn 90 10 the church and hear me. He heard
me sing a little solo, and the next day
saw my future husband for the first time
through the little postoffice window, place
about 80 big We fixed up the engage
ment right there-the opera engage
ment 1 mean-aud l left the
postoffice to 20 on the stage as Little But
tercup. That settled the scheme OF study
inc abroad, and right glad l am that 1t did.
I've been over there since and put IN
wears study: had grown big enough and
old enough to take care of myself, and my
ewes We're wide enough open TO see things
as they are They talk about successes in
Paris. Milan, Berlin-but how few there
are of the many American girls who go
abroad to study. who ever reach that goal.
and if they do succeed she said, speaking
earnestly and cOntemptuOuSly, ''WhaJ
does it mean? Don't tell me that
Sybil SandersOn or any others of your
singers who mount the big wave of popu-
lariUy in Paris, can DO SO and still rem IN
as they were when they went abroad to
studyEpure girls! l know something Of
the practices by which that success is won;
know that the only road to it is through
a managers favor, and ! know what it
means to secure that favor. Had L, a poor
girl of nineteen. struggling for a
name and a position, ventured ami
those shoals, heaven knows what might hay
befallep, but as l have said, l didn't 20
among it at all till was old enough to tae
care of myself Bat that's neither re
nor there After left Carleton wenr ID
season with the American Opera company,
and got them in my debt just 81, oOO-then a
season with the National Opera company
the same thing with the name changed Just
TO enable Mrs. Thurber to beat US out of
our salaries. That unhappy experience
past, and l joined the Bostonians, with
whom | shall continue next season, if
A good many other topics Mrs.
Davis touched upon, in lively strain,
one of the most interesting being the
recent Booth and Barrett engagement at
the new California theatre, San Francisco.
asIt was highly amusing to us when we
were on the spot she said, Ito receive
the eastern papers with their reports OF
the enormous business Booth and Barrett
were doing, the stories Of the receipts
reaching $4,000 for three weeks, and all
that. The3 opening night was crush.
You couldn't get within Two blocks OF the
house. But after that II dropped to moth
ing. Empty benches would mt express It,
It was literally terrible. They closed then
business after three weeks, and we tool
the fourth off their hands. Business was
fine with us from the start. and before the
week ended we were turning people
away"
41The johnson and Slavin minstrels come
1,ack To Salt Lake this week. appearing a