The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-06
)RAMATICANDLYRIC.
Chances For the Rebuilding of
the Opera House.
4 BIG BENEFIT TO MR.. BURGESS
he AFTER Dark" Performances Troubles of
the Held by the Enemy" Company Crom-
well Makes Big Find-NOtes.
win the opera mouse be .ebunt.

Win the opera house be -ebuilts
When be was asked this question ty a
GERALD representative yesterday, Mr.. 5.
Fred Walker, who attends to the business
}. the Sharp Walker estate, said that it
as entirely too soon to hazard an opinion :,
;se insurance adjusters would be here soons
lnd no decision would be arrived at tillE
hey reported; his individual feeling
seemed to be that the house would he re-.
quilt; the walls were all solid and ST, 900
night suffice TO reiit the interior, and hes
Iaid the fact that it was owned by an es-s
.ate would cat no figure in the decision.
Utterly sad and desolate is the scene pre-
gented within the four brick walls,
30 lately the home of mirth and
the resort of fashion. The walls,
are still standing firmly right up to
the square, but every vestage of the roof
bumbled in, and the sky is now the only
covering The scenery is gone as COM
pletely as If it had been lifted up and
carted away; the iron supports to the two
balconies remain in place, as do the horse
shee rims that ran around the front of.
each the dressing rooms or the
sides are almost untouched by
the flames, and had the trunks
Of the theatre companies been left there in
stead of on the stage, all their valuable con-
tents would have been saved The iron
chairs throughout the house were crushed
and driven into the floor by the weight of
the falling roof, and nearly every pair of
opera glasses with which the back of each
chair downstairs had just been fitted, was
smashed or burned so as to be useless. The
fire did not reach the ticket Office nor the
1Axr So, l,.,3
aged by water almost as much as if it had
The opera house was opened June 5, 1882,
py the Careless orchestra 1t ran WITH
varying success for several years, but
made little or no money until its connection
with the Silver circuit under the manage
ment of Mr.. Burgess, since which time it
has made more progress into popularity
than during the whole time of its previous
career. This has been due to the strong at
fractions the house has been enabled to
present through its connection with Man
ager McCourt, OF the Tabor Graud, in Den
yer, who simply said to travelling com
panies, ''If you play the Tabor in Denver,
you must play the Grand in Salt Lake,
and that sort OF argument was usually eff
fectual. Mr.. Burgess own personal char
acterisrics, too, have had no small share in
contributing to the recent success of his
house.
The rebuilding of the house, if it is de-
cided on, will afford an opportunity to cor
rect a number of faults in its construc-
ton which always initiated against it.
One is the line of sight in the proscenium
boxes, and the sides of the galleries-seats
there were always useless as far as getting
any view of the whole stage was concern
ed. Another fault was the closeness of
the first gallery to the dress circle, which
rendered back seats in the latter most I'M
desirable. The rows of chairs also were
placed so closely together that it was al
ways inconvenient to pass between them
and impossible to do so withou causing
their occupants to rise. The emptying of
the gallery into the lobby was frequently
urged objection, and in case of any panic
the crush on those stairs would be som e.
thing fearful. No theater can have too
many exits, and every one should open into
the air with as few turns and in as short a
distance as possible.
The Inconvenience and embarrassmen.s
resulting from the fire have been very
marked in the case of the two companies
affected by it. The ''Held by the Enemy
people were utterly unable to obtain uni
forms or any clothing suitable for the play
and their engagement in Ogden Friday and
Saturday evenings had TO be abandoned.
They are to play a week in Denver, and
what they viii DO to put the piece on they
hardly know. Manager McCourt will be
here this morning, and some decision will
then be reached. AS the season closes il
two weeks the individual members natur
ally do not feel like going to the expense OF
fitting out new individual wardrobes.
The 'After Dark company, with the in
domitable spirit Of VIII Brady at its head
struggled bravely under host of disad
vantages, and with the fine scenic re
sources of the Salt Lake theater at its back
put on very creditable presentation o.
their play Fciday and Saturday Afternoon
and evening. Mr.. Brady struck Salt Lake
at a time when Edwin Booth would almost
be swamped out of sight by the host o.
counter attractions, but he did very fail
business on all occasions except at his Sat
urday matinee, which was so hight that tht
audience was at first dismissed and ther
called back again when it was found there
would be some trouble in refundins
money, owing to there having beer
no coupon tickets issued. Tn,
performance was very creditabe one
especially MIR. Brady's Tom, which for 81
young an actor was very strong delinea
ton. Mr.. Brady'se wife was also very
sweet and barring the jew, who was a.
un-israelitish as if he had been born o
Arizona parents, the whole supporting
company was very capable. The railroad
scene was cut down TO an engine, owinG
TO the cars having been in the Inflated
opera house, while the locomotive wa.
doing duty at Park City Mr. Brady oh
tanned his manuscript of After Dark
from the Home Dramatic club of this city
and with the alterations he has made in il
hehas made play that has brought him
veritable "barl.n He is a hard and con
scieutious worser and we trust his goo
luck may continue.
Sympathy for Manager Burgess is o
every tongue, and we know it will be wit
heartfelt pleasure that the public learn
that there is a big movement on foot t
tender him testimonial complimentary
benefit at the Salt Lake theatre. MI
Burton has rendered the house for the O,
casiou. it is too soon yet TO say what til
programme will be, but tho thing is in th
right hands, and selections viii be mad
from all the best of our local talent, prob
ably including some features of the recen
Guitar and Mandolin Home Dramatic per
Torrance, which was bright enough to wal
rant a reproduction on its own merit.
There is no doubt the thing would go wit
rush; the musical aid, through MIR. Bul
CESS orchestra, would come free: the news
papers could be relied on-THE HERALD q
least speaks for itself-Mr Burgess b,
ing one of their largest patrons
we know our leading artists too we
20 think there would be any hesitation o
their part, and the big and generous public
which remembers Mr.. Burgess actio
towards the stranded "Said Pashan peopl
only a few weeks back, which knows {
the recent death and sickness in his famil
and is now sympathizing with him in hi