The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-11

is herself shot beside her lover-instead of
throwing herself from the ramparts, the
more artistic death that Bernhardt en-
ploys.
Davenport was admirable in the first act
where the scene is all comedy; in the
second, when jealousy begins to
torture her, and ia the third, where
she struggles between her desire to
save her lover from torture and her desire
to shield her friend from discovery, she
was at her very best. The scene where
she kills Scarpia was finely done, but
hardly up to the other, and the point where
she discovers her lover is really dead lacks
somewhat, we think in strength and in
tensity. She wore some beautiful gowns
OF the Directory period, and was given
call after nearly every act. Mr.. Mcdowell
was great Scarpia-the galleries testified
to that when they Kissed him on his ap
pearance before the curtain. If he had
any fault, it was that his face looked
too handsome and manly for the ex-
ecraole villain he was portray
ing. Mr.. Roberts Mario was
most excellent delineation, as strong
IN Us way as his hephron, and the
support-barring a weak queen-was ad-
mirable. The stage settings were of the
handsomest and the special scenery beauti-
full particularly the first and last acts.
in the time Of Napoleon might be criticised
only because everything else in the play
is so admirably appropriate and we'll timed.
A HERALD representative had the pleas
ure Of a few minutes chat with Miss
Davenport in her dressing room between
the fourth and fifth acts last evening. He
found her the bright, alert, prompt and
rather assertlye woman she must be to di-
rect the wonderful stage business of piece
of mechanism like Cleopatra She is
well preserved and looks about forty,
Did you receive suggestions or instruc-
tons from Sardou on his playsn' asked the
reporter.
Il had no directions from him except
such business as was marked in the copies
OF Fedora and La Tosca.' The business of
Theodore got up myself, and l am just
little proud of it.
The reporter assured her she might well
be, and asked what she thought of her Salt
Lake business.
oh, beautiful" was the ready answer,
land do you know am so much pleased
with my audience tonight. In that first
act of La Tosca, ths public always seems
afraid to laugh, because it's in a church
scene. They shouldn't and I was glad to
see the audience Taught as it ought to.
Have you cut the original business of
placing crucitix at the head of Scarpia,
and arranging the candles alongside mis-
body after the death sceneH"
''Oh, no; by no means. 1t is very effect
/ i've. | was forced to omit it tonight be-
cause my cruciix "a very old one from the
/ time OF Michael Angelo which | bought in
tIorence) had gone on in my trunk. ! tried
/ to borrow one from the convent but was
unable. Yes; the action is sometimes crit
iciSed by religious people but see nothing
Objectionable in it. 1t was the impulse OF
/ La Tosca to save the soul Of the man she
had killed, and 10 one of her training would
have been q most natural thing to do.''
How long is it, Miss Davenport, since
you played here with Days company,
''Oh, don't know. | have no head for
dates. L don't even know when | was
! born
The reporter started to say that he had 8
play book bearing date of 1870 in which
she, Clara Morris, Fanny Morant ant
Sara Jewett appeared in Saratoga a.
the Fifth Avenue, but on hearing thi,
speech he judiciously dessted.
DO you expect to call here on your way
back from California;
Il want to very much, if it can be ar.
ranged. would like to do Fedora anC
may be--n
There the call boy put his head into tn,
room and called out Fifth actn and tn,
actress was forced to excuse herself anC
rush to join Mario in the prison scene
The popular comedian, Mr.. Sol Smith
Russell, always great favorite in tbi
city. will appear at the theater to morrow
night, presenting his successful new pIay
Peaceful Valley Mr.. Russell has TO
years held first place among American
comedians. His methods are peculiar l.
himself, his artistic work so natural and s,
perfect, and his characters so hfelike AM
homely, that his stage portraiUures ar,
among the most familiar to the play goinl
public. There IS no actor to-day who ma
greater power over the feelings of an audi
ence, and who can more readily move then
by the magic of his art to smiles and tear
at will. Theater- goers from Maine I
southern California know that there is BIN
one Sol Smith Russell.
Next Friday and Saturday evenings an