The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-06-05

ara theatre, appears to nave made
most substantial success. [ do not think
| ever saw such diversity of newspaper
opinion regarding a theatrical production
as that which marked the frat
night of this piece. One paper de-
clared it was a remarkably strong
play, and another said, with no less empha-
sis, that 1t was remarkably weak play.
One said it was good, another said it was
bad. One declared that it was high class,
and another that it was way down. After
you had read a couple of these criticisms
you were apt to feel rather dazed and
finally you gathered desire to read
all the rest of them. Then, when
you had finished with the news
papers, your only chance to know
anything at all about the play was to go
and see it for yourself. 1t turned out to
be an exceedingly interesting piece, which
had suffered greatly on the first night by
reason of the illness of the actor who was
to have filed the principal part. AS
soon as Friends" got into smooth
running order the houses began to
pick up, and they increased right
along. e. M. Royle, the author, had been
forced, much against his will, TO play the
principal character, aud to his own sur
prise, he made a distinct success of it, so
that he finds himself at the present time in
the unexpected position of a full Pledged
star in successful play of his own manu-
facture. Friends will undoubtedly be q
great money maker next season.
"Natural Gas'' is once more announced
and no farce comedy is more welcome.
Always bright and clever, the well-known
comedians, Donnelly and Girard, seem
each year to make their play more inter-
esting, more laughable and more attractive.
AS usual, they have again this year
changed it somewhat, and filled it to the
very brim with the most amusing songs,
graceful dances and wholesome fun max
ing. Manager Samuel p Cox has also
surrounded his brilliant stars with COM
pany of particularly bright and able peo-
pie, and as consequence, Natural Gas"
is this year better than ever it was. The
date is q week from tomorrow night.
Francis Wilson and his charming COM
pany opened in San Francisco last Monday
and achieved an instRntanean triumph.
The audience was the most brilliant the
bay city could turn out. Wilson wac called
before the curtain for a speech and little
Chaser and the clever Plunkett got share
of the general favor. The Examiner says:
1.-THE perfection of ensemble is unquestiou-
ably leading feature of the performance,
and that is the keynote to success IN almost
any kind of opera That The Merry Mon
US and attract to himself many of his loyal
subjects by his delightful humor is already
an assured certainty. The gorgeousness
of the scenery, the resplendency of the cos
tunes and the artistic and sumptuoUs stage
settings, together with the voluDtuousness
of physical attractions, will delight the
senses during the run of the opera"
The announcement that Emma Juch is
singing in sPinafore' in San Francisco
makes one feel somewhat mournfu. 1t
should not be thought that the beautiful
songstress has lost her voice. or that she is
unable longer to cope with the roles of
Wagner or Verdi. She has simply been
under the management of that combined
Jonah and Micawber of the profession
Charles E. Locke, and has shared the fate
of other professionals who have pinned
their faith to that erratic gentleman.
Michelena, the tenor whom Abbott used
foudly to refer to as "Mltchie," is among
the stranded. The Examiner says of the
'sPinaforen performance:
1.-THE performance of 'Pinafore' by Miss
Juch's company last evening was so highly
creditable as to deserve the large audience
that was in attendance. 1t is no slight
task for a company that has been habitually
accustomed to grand opera music and
methods to catch the proper spirit OF light
opera, but this production demonstrated
the versatility and training of both star
and company, and was on the whole con-
siderable of surprise. Miss Juch, in par
ticular, gave a pretty and very clever
rendition of her part throwing into
Josephine much OF the spirit that lit up the
earlier part of her rendition of Carmen.
Her singing was highly appreciated and
her opening song, Sorry Her Lot in the
first act and "A Simple Sailor Lad, and
the trio in the second were encored. Sig
nor Michelena was somewhat hampered by
lack of fluency in English, but made up for
IL by excellent singing and by throwing
into his part fervor Of alteration that few
Ralphs have shown"
John D. Spencer, of the Salt Lake Home
Dramatic club, now temporarily in Boise,
writes that the club has been invited to
open Boise City's palatial new opera house,
which will be finished some time near the
winter holidays. The principal owner of
the house will be the mayor of the city,
Hon James A. Pinney, who has so long
and successfully managed the old theatre,
Sonnas opera house. The new building
will seat l. 500 people, it will be illuminated
by $50 electric lamps, twelve sets of seen
cry will be painted by a Chicago artist, and |
the drop curtain will be executed in the
most elaborate style, the stage will be 20 /
feet wide, 40 feet deep and 80 feet high. the /
interior of the auditorium will be elegantly |
l.