The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-20
Wind Up ofthe Amateur Minstrel
Season.
FATINITzA ON CHRISTMAS EVE
Fanny Davenport's Illness-The Tabernacle
Concert-Latest Musical and
Dramatic Notes.

travelling organization we have seen. and
are quite good enough to go On the road.
Last evening the house was surprisingly
large for a second performance and the
receipts for the two nights will lot run far
below fifteen hundred dollars, of which
the Ladies Aid fund of the Unitarian
society gets very comfortable lump.
The performance in the Park did not result
in any profit. and was only intended as a
sort of dress rehearsal.
As before Sam Park walked off with the
acting honors last evening as Nat Brigham
did the singing honors- Ellsworth was
uncuously funny as before, and Geo.
Downey's song "He did it SO poiitelv.n
took quite as well as ever. Several of the
Objectionable parts of the local illusions
were dropped, much to the betterment of
the whole. The action was quicker and
smoother throughout, and the general i'm
provement was marked.
1t has leaked out that the reason the bows
SO unceremoniously shelved the afterpiece
IAN All Night Session of the City Coun-
Gill;" was that it was killed by the frosts of
Park City. 1t seems that the show went
very well up to the time the Rfterpiece
came on, but then the audience exper-
fenced a reversiou of feeling. The Masto-
dons guarded the secret well, and it is not
POSSlDIS W SSlu AluCu VI lUSa OF WndL
the plot of the sketch was like. Handled
well, it should have afforded good deal of
amusement, but they say 1t was hampered
with long speeches and that it had too
little action. When it had lasted four or
tive minutes, the audience began to grow
restless, but no one seems to have thought
of laughing. When the eight minute pole
was reached two or three men got up and
went out. At ten minutes whole benches
were vacated and those who saw il say
Nat Brigham's eyes, cleaning from amid
the Ethiopian darkness of his countenance
was study worthy of Rembrandt When
the benches kept on emptyiug, some of the
boys on the stage got panic
struck, and one of them yelled in a hoarse
stage whisper, Ring down the curtain"
The prompter obeyed at once, and down
came the curtain just as George Downey
or Ida Spears-reports vary as to which
was IN the middle of a grand pas de seul
After the show a council of war was held
scouts were thrown out to see whether it
would be safe to venture to the cars, and
when 1t was found that the coast was clear,
the train pulled out with muffied wheels
Sam Park was delegated to get up medley
of some sort to take the place of the after
piece, ard the hastily improvised "Darkies'
Time was the result.
Fatlnitza is in every ones mouth now as
its charming airs are apt to be next week
Amateur opera was always a strong card
in Salt Lake, and Falnitza draws even
more than the usual amount of attention
from the fact that so many of the different
classes of talent in the community have
combined to render it. The cast is very
trong and though the opera is difficult
one for amateury, owing to its heavy
dialogue, there is little question of the COM
pany being able 10 cope with IL; their
audiences are very tolerant of the acting
in amateurs if their music is up to the
standard, and that the music will be done
full justice to. those who know the people
engaged cannot doubt. The full compile
ment of the company appears in another
column and is quite bewildering in its i'm
mensity. Ogden will be visited on New
Years night and an excursion train
will run up TO take in the
opera and oine at the new Reed hotel
Three nights and a matinee in Salt Lake
opening Christmas evening, and the one
night in Ogden, will be the limit of the
engagement, as the costumes, which come
from the Tivoli in San Francisco are only
contracted for till January l.
Miss Jennie Hawley, who has the part of
Fatinitza, is said to be singing this season
better than ever in her lie before An
operation performed on her throat while
she was in Chicago, has relieved her of the
old business that occasionally interfered
with her tones, and at the rehearsals her
renditions have been the occasion of the
warmest commentator.
The stage rehearsals from this time on
will be held strictly behind closed DOORS
OF Fanny Davenport's recent illness and
non-appearance in Kansas City, the Mirror
says: Fanny Davenport is seriously af-
fiicted by illness. She appeared on Mon
day and Tuesday nights of last week at the
Coates opera house, Kansas City, in Cleo
patra, under the care of a physician. On
Wednesday night, however she was un-
able to appear.
Her malady is pronounced to be nervous
prostration. 1t is due to overwork grief
over the death of her mother and her sister
in-law, Isabel Archer, and to the fact that
for several weeks she has been in high alti-
tudes, and changeable climate.
1t was stated to Kansas City reporter
that Miss Davenport's illness was caused
by anti-fat medicine. This was denied
however, by Archie" Mackenzie, Miss
Davenports business manager.
Miss Davenport's brother Harry Daven-
port, said in Kansas City of his sister.
1.-The poor girl needs a long rest Our fam
lily has been terribly afflicted during the
last two years and Fanny, especially has
been broken down. What she wants is a
years rest, and l think she will take it
next season.
Miss Davenport has resumed acting. She
has clause in her contract by which she
is entitled TO a two weeks vacation during
the season. 1t is possible that she will
avail herself Of the privilege offered by the
clause.
The fact that Mrs. Langtry decided not
to come to America next season. do not
cause any public outbreak, but it Ia. oc-
part OF theatrical managers all ovL. the
land. The Dramatic NelUS says
Mrs. Langtry's reputation for reckless
eccentricity has received another signal
illustration within the past ten days This
lady had authorized Joseph Reynolds to
direct tour for her in the United States,
beginning early in January; and under
that authorization Mr.. Reynolds had tied
up the time Of some Of the leading theatres
of this country. At the last moment when
she was supposed to be on the point of sail
ing for America, Mrs. Langtry simply
cabled that she would not come, and Mr..
Reynolds has ever since been engaged
in an interesting effort to secure the
cancellation of the various con-
tracts which he had made. Several man
ayers insist upon receiving indemnity
from Mrs. LaDgtry, and 1 trust that they
will continue in that pursuit The time
has arrived, 1T seems to me, when this lady
should receive lesson as to the aivisa-
bility OF playing fast aud loose with the
fortunes Of theatrical managers. There is
enough property standing in her n&me in
this country to make it possible for those
who have been subjected to loss at her
hands to secure themselves amply. There
seems 70 be no reason why suits should not
be begun at once, particularly as Mr.. Rey-
nolds was employed as Mrs Langtry's az
ent, and she thus becomes the RESPONSE
Bile party.