The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-03-23
THE ONLY JEFFERSON
He Entertains a Two Thousand
Dollar Audience.
Sheridan's Rivals" on its First Production
Here = Louis James and
Viola Allen.

Salt Lake drew on her reserve last evening.
Gwen performance like Booth ana Barrett S
Julius Cesar" James and Wainwright's
School for Scandal or Stuart Robson's
"Sh- Stops to Conquer" and straightway you
md our great phalanx of regular theatre goers
reinforced by heavy scattering of people who
are very rarely wooed over the portals of play
mouse. Intellectual pleasure-not amusement
is what draws them: the scent of the library
ana study clings round them and they come
when they come, to note, to criticise to COM
pare and to lnwardy digest. They were out IN
Iorce last evening, and plenty they found to
engage their attention; when they rose at the
end they said with sigh there are no such
actors as j EMERSON and hlrS. Drew growing UP
nowadays" and teey were not far wr ong
Inc densely packed and brilliant gathering
counted up close upon 1900. an audience
larger than any Davenport drew, larger than
any OF Juchs, the largest in fact since Booth
and Barrett played TO ID ticket. The or
chestra was banished to the stage-from
whence 1t sounded very charming-be
ProT. Careless than it has done in front for the
past week or so. Even the galleries were well
hlled at doubled prices and on all hands there
was the excitement of the keenest anticipation.
When Fag announced, at the middle Of the
hrst act, mir. Acres is just arrived and is be-
low, buzz of expectancy swept over the
house ana broke into "a tornado OF applause as
the familiar form and features of Mr.. Jefferson
came into sight. From that moment on till the
finish the actor carried the house with MIN 1t
was not the greatness of the story for 1.-The
Rivals lacks both the brilliance and the in
terest OF the same authors school for
scandal"-but the inimitable art of Mr. JEFF
ferson and his great coterie of players, that
maze the great success OF the production. At
slxty-three he is seen more unctiously funny
and even morelU wonderful in his play Of
countenance than he was at forty-dve
1t Is true there is sense of odd.
ness at man of his age playing
the young country buck but it doesn't affect
the success of the delineator in the least in
fact the ludicrousne $ seems to be heightened
Acres is really subsidiary character in Z" ne
Rivals" and that Jefferson could lift il into
tne prominence he did, and so completely over
SHADOW the love interest, and every other inter
est in the play-Mrs. Drew, alone executed
! shows the heights he has attained as an actor.
| When we come TO Mrs Drew, one almost
pauses for words; when she is on the stage we
think that ali the others ara supporting her,
rather than that she is feature ia the support
Probably seven Fights of the audience heard
The Rivals for the first time last night-it is
almost the only one of the old school comedies
ever before done here-and in the
hilarious nGtdpF0p0iSmS Of Mrs. Malaprop
they learned the source of scores of the
jokes that have served funny papers and pro-
fessional story teilers for the last half a cent
ury. One lady was heard to say 1t at sort OF
thing had been worked out in Mrs. Partngton."
she probably belonged o that class who COM
plain that Hamlet is full of quotations. Mrs
Drew-who was airing her teens when Jefer-
son was born-Whose name has been synonym
years, who has given to the stage three such
children as George Drew Barrymore John
Drew and Sydney Drew, and who leaves her
Philadelphia theatres and travels across the
continent merely for the pleasure of playing in
congenlal roles with congenial actor of the
last fading school OF which Sic herself
IS one of the few remaining relics
Mrs. Drew stood ABREAST of Mr.. Jefferson
in the eulogiums of he night. and amply shared
his triumphS. We shall wait long-pernaps an
other generatlon-befoIe we see such another
pair OF stars in conjunction in our theatrical hor.
ZION. The supporting cast was made up with
only one end in vlew-that of perfection-aud
for that again we say hail to Jefferson. Louis
James, who succeeded the lamented Florence
does not quite fill his shoes, but almost The
Hibernian brogue does not come of his tongue
as readily as il might, but he played so well as
10 arouse the thought that his character was
not up 10 his deserts Viola Allen Was sweet
and altogether charming, but she hardly
caught the eighteenth century atmosphere so
well as the others, and we still think she Is best
IN the odern plays like 'ESmeralda, y in which
she nrst appeared here. Jack Barnes is as hand
! some as his reputat on makes him, but Just a
trltte arge and 'logyn for the Captain Absolute
of tradition. Mr. Owen, the SIR Peter and
Scion shingie OF former days, could not be ex-
celled as sir Anthony. He was an ideal Eng
l1sh parent OF the Sheridan school Mr.
Owsley was handsome. manly and altogether
capable as Falkland and Mr.. Denham
David was creation. Mr. Warren (1r. JEFF
ferson's son, by the way was fair as Fag, and
Miss Bender was sweetness itself as Ivey The
company left for Denver last evening and they
vii! end the season there. Mr.. jefferson and
Mrs Drew only pay the shortest of seasons,
and next year the time they will fill will be
shorter than ever. 1t is said Mr.. Jefferson will
limit himself entirely to Rip Van Wrinkle as
that part requires less eXertion than any other
He is immensely wealthy, and acts purely for
the pleasure he finds in it.
WONDERLAND.
To-day being the ladies' day, so called on &C.
count OF the custom observed by the house in
pre- enttng souvenirs to any lady visiting the
place on Wednesdays, also being the last day
OF "RoXte," MIR. Clifton's strong spectacular
drama. big attendance should be the order of
the day. Tomorrow the new programme goes
into force, introducing new ana attractive feat
ures OF great interest. Mr.. Al Feely, the pop
ular young actor, assumes charge OF the stock
company presenting the beautiful and emo.
tlonal drama "Esmeralda."
NINE. oRAwFoRD's MUSICALE.
Nine. Jeanette w. Crawfords first recital
OF BeethoVen's sonatas was given before a
small. out ppreciative audience, at the Metro
poiiIan parlOrS last evening The lack of a
greater attendance was doubtless due to Jeffer-
son engagement at the theatre. 1t is iortu-
nate for the public that Nine. Crawford is to
give more than on recital, for to miss her per-
Torrance would be to miss one of the rarest
musical treats Salt Lake has ever been fav-
ored with. Her fingers are like we'll tempered
Steel they are SO flexible. At times the sounds
produced are like the soft murmuring of gen.
Tie breeze, and again the clear distinct notes
vlorate through the air as clear and loud as a
silver bell. One particular feal ure of
NINE. Craw1ord's playing is her phrasing
III Is exquisite. In short it is perfect; and one
reason Tor this is the peculiarly clear toned and
oeautilui piano she uses. which was pitched ex-
PR ssly FOR the music of Beethoven.
q. 10 CHI 4