The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-05-15

ne was pbTc6pllD1y nervous 10 NnOsS VIII
came in late the change was not known, |
and 1, with many others, supposed it was |
MIR. Henley who was playing. But after
the first act tue play went better, and I
the applause was very hearty at the 4
various denouments. Mr.. HenderSon's /
fine work as piano soloist was specially |
commented on. The caste was as follows
Marguerite Otto Selma Fetter
Hans Otto. Edmund Lyons
Harold Hunting John GlendlDning
John Pacen Theodore hamilton
John Paden, Jr------..-.- L. J. Henley
Adrian karle-------- JucluS Henderson
Mrs, Merryweather- ------------ Mrs. Sol Smith
Jennie erryweather------------ Abb STANCE
Miss Wolf Marion GirouX
Miss Hartman- -...-------------F Fannie Jackson
Marie ----------- Louise Wakelee
Henry Augustus Hildreth
l cannot do better than give you brief
quotations from the criticisms of this
mornings daily papers TO show the i'm
preston the play has made:
The Herald says: new four act play, the
effort OF young playwright, Mr. Edwin Milton
Royle, vas seen at the Standard theatre last
night and yociferouSv applauded, sometimes
with reason and sometimes without
Before the curtain rose Mr.. Lyons, the stage
manager, announced that owing TO aSeYere cold
Mr.. Henley, who was TO have played an impor-
tant part, would lie unable TO appear and that
his place would be taken by Mr. Royle, the
author of the play.
In the circumstances the performances OF
''FTiends' may be set down as a success fat
tering alike TO the play and the players. There
is nothing particularly new in the incidents or
in their treatment but the story Is fairly well
told, and al least one OF the four acts deserves
TO he called stirring.
Amonr the men Mr.. Edmund Lyons as the
drunken ia her carried OF the honors with ease
Mr.. Royle and Mr.. LUcius Henderson, the
harle, were fully competent Mr.. John Glen
denning played the william with ease.
The Iates says: First night auditors though
they were, and Of the kind that is always en-
thusiastic the people who filled the Standard
theatre last evening expressed their approval
OF the play they saw win q manifest sincerity
that must have filed the heart of Mr.. Edwin
Milton Royle with satisfaction. For Mr. Royle
is the author Of Friends the comedy-draIna
presented there and he played in il the leading
part well. MI. ROyle did excellently as his
own hero-excellenty enough, certainly for
an oCcas on when the play and not how it was
acted was The object OF attention.
AS 10 ''trienGs :" then. First, the rivers that
compass Us about are in no danger Of con-
hegration from lis existence, for its faults are
AZ numerous as its merits. But on the other
hanc its merits are real, chiefest among them
being its ain oSt unhagglng interest. Only here
ana there cld lurlo spots show, spots worn
shiny by use. All around them was a fabric
that seemed quite new. OF good honest N ateTial
fun Of the warmth that sincerity alone can give,
The EUspigq Post: Friends, although by no
means free from obvious and serious faults is
undoubtedly far superior to the general run OF
pieces produced at the flag end Of the season,
and IS likely 10 prove popular after 1t has been
condensed and modified. The author is Edwin
Milton Royle, and the story which ne tells re-
lates the adventures OF two young men, each OF
whom tries to Guido the other in the matter Of
solf-sacrifce.
The piece bristles with 1mprobabiIities and
eyaggeratlons and, as Will have been per
ceiVed, is constructed upon conventional melo-
dramatic lines. but is marked by several eqali-
ties which raise II above the level of other pro-
auctions OF its class. The dialogue, except
IN the humorous passages, which are labored
and unreal, is well written in bright and ma
tural style. with an occasional smart bit of cpl
gram; The characters are Sketched with dis
cr!miLation and consistency and the incidents
incredible many OF them are. are handled
with tact that imparts to them the gloss Of
plauslblllty. The second act IS the best both
rs regards the dialogue and the construction
The closing tableau Is particularly ingenious
and effective. In the third act the interest is
well maintained, but the expedients are VIC ent
ana OF a distinctly common order, although IN
doubleday effective in the purely theatrical
sense. The masquersding in the first act ought
10 be omitted altogether.
The performance, On the whole, was highly
creditable one, especially as ii was given in the
face of great difficulties.
The LeGdeF: The marks OF the amateur are
imprinted AL over ~ riends'' L. NJ. Royle'
tour-ac cOmedy-drama produced last night OF
the Standard tneater, but nevertheless, it con-
tains much that l. genuinely good.
1t trifies with time in a most exasperatng
manner but the author is evidently desireous OF
giving his audience the pleasure OF listening to
bright dialogue. The purely literary part OF
the play Is excellent.
In short Mr. Royle's first dramatic effort is a
queer mixture OF GOOD and bad. AT times il
sinks to the level Of cheap melodrama and al
Others Il rises very near 10 the height of weak
comedy.
Verbosity is the main defeat Of his first effort
The action OF the play is unnecessarily pro
longed and IN many places retarded by toe
many words. To be sure the dialogue is bright
and it seems hard TO condemn any part OF an
element which so rarely enters into our plays.
Z. J. Henley was to have been the impecu
NOUS poet but sent word at the last moment
that he was threatened with the grip. MIR
ROVln OlHVpd his mari and nlaVad il nv oil
Indeed the individual performers were one anc
all excellent and gave their roles a semblance o.
reality.
HAL and Express. A play which holds the ser
ious interest of a cultured audience TO the last
curtain betrays dramatic power and skill in the
author which no detects In the production car
hide from the honest observer. and when tht
faults wholly those OF immaturity in The
craft OF play writing, the excellence of the worl
is emphasized and the promise OF clear ant
strong results hereafter is the palmer and more
reliable. Friends" four-act play by Mr.
Edwin Milton Royle, was presented at thu
Standard theatre last evening with very marked
and deserved success. The interest OF the story
is admirably sustained throughout the plot il
consistent, the incidents are crisp, the person:
are engaging and the dialogue is terse, forcible
witty ana appropriate.
Laughter was provoked in the boxes as wei
as in the gallery by the comical epis odes, anC
the humorous sayings sometimes struck suddel
and spontaneous applause from the audience
q tribute TO the genuineness and neatness OF tn,
wriler's viii, which is as rare as il is pleasant.
the audience was glad of the accident which hat
introduced Mr.. Roye as an actor as wei
as drRmatist for the intellectual and re
fined qualities observable in the play were ex
hibited also in his acting, and the effect was ex
ceedingly pleasing.
In the midst of the peculiar gdHchertes whicl
generally mar the production OF new PLAYS b,
young authors and by unknown companies
these points are particularly agreeable and tn
admirable literary style of Friends" places
on a rather high level. AS a matter OF fact in
Quiry reveals that Mr.. Royle is an alumnus O
Princeton and that Mr.. Henderson is Harvar
man. The actor dramatist is a son OF Judg
Royle of Salt Lake city.
Mr. Royle was compelled TO address III
audience. and made capital little modes
speech, despite the extreme nervousness in
cident TO his position.
The World gives the only distinctly unfavor
able opinion 1t says: "A puerile and shallc,
play was produced last night at the Siandar
theatre under the name of Friends II toll
the story of the romantic and self sacrificin
friendship of two men, but IL did not tell it wit
skill. originality or force. L. J. Henley had re
hearsed the leading role, but he did not appea
last night. His part was played by Edwin Mil
Royle, the author Of the play. He wa