The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-06-30

Ol0Ee Jupiter mas Sleu HIS SOlQCl
CLEANS athwart us sufficiently t
cause a rapid rise in all surroundin;
thermometers, Manager Rogers ha
been seeing things. BY this we do no
intend 20 convey the supposition tina
mr.. Rogers is a victim to sunstroke
neither are we casting reflections upOI
his mental, moral or physical condi
ton; we are merely abiding TO hi:
managerial perSpicuity.
Morning, noon and night, Saltair's
vast pavilion flOaled before hi
minds eye with the persistency of {
nightmare, whilst countless living pic
lures dispOrting in the pellucid depths
of the great Salt Lake appeared as
so many statues of doom pointing with
menacing finger towards the Crane
Opera house.
Manager Rogers accepted these Wis
ions as no signs of mental alteration
but welcomed them with the faith Of
a true believer, and imbued with the
spirit of his calling gave instant recog-
milton to the ultimate financial benefit
that would accrue to him by so doing
Hence the departure Of the PIKE
Opera company for green fields and
pastures new or in other words, to
Glitch Gardens, Denver. With their
desolation becomes complete. We
are. Electrically speaking, left to our
own devices. Home talent, where dOSt
thou hide thy head?
The closing of the Opera house does
not fail upon us with the unexpected
ness of a thunderclap, for it has al
ways been understood that with the
first intimation of Improbable bust
ness the death kneH of light opera
would be struck. So although we are
necessarily loath TO part from those
with whom many hours Of mirth and
enjoyment have been passed, we are
not, by any means, overwhelmed with
the suddennesS of their departure.
Although the Pyke engagement, ow-
ing in q measure to its briefnesS. has
not proved a GOlcOnda 10 the COM
pany it has relieved them of consider
able Indebtedness. Previous to their
arrival in our midst and during their
northwestern tour under the manage
ment Of John Mcguire, they were I'M
fortunate in several ways. Mcguire,
being reared in the Roman Catholic
faith, endeavoTed to pursue his calling
and follow his religion at the same
time His lauda.ble intentions were
not permitted by the =. p. a s, who
cotting. This brought about a disas-
trous termination to the Butte engage
inert of the Pyl1e Opera company, also
TO their Montana engagement, where
they were practically stranded.
Through the timely help exerteT by
the railroads in their behalf they T,ere
enabled TO reach Salt Lake. Here
they must have experienced compare
tive rest and appreciation after wan
dering and wondering through the
hyperborean regions Of Montana and
Washington.
The series of performances given in
our city by the Pyke Opera company
were upon the whole credftable,
though several gaps in its excellence
did not pass unnOtiCed. But, taking
into consideration the prices OF ad-
mission. the critics were not disposed
to be severe, for each performance,
though not worth over dollar, was
fully worth fifty cents.
In commenting upon the performers
and performances of this company we
cannot refrain from airing few of
our opinions incidental to the requisi-
tons of an operate company.
One of the essentials is voice, and
this was possessed by but few of the
members of this company. Out of
score or so Of performers, only two or
three could lay any legal claims 10
good voice, notably Winfield Blake
and Mrs. Py,ke.
Their performances were not want
ing in the dasc and spirit
which is another essential to light
opera. This very appai ent go aided
them materially in glossl 1g ever their
vocal imperfections that would other
wise have been almost insupportable.
But go or stay, viii neither excuse
nor atone for the second presentation
Of Mr. Wretched McFadden as the
AIdkado. The first night might have
been a mistake or a catastrophe. but
mitted TO go upon the stage was an
insult to the audience and an injury
to their aural nerves.
Mr.. Blake's rich voice end his
ability as an actor have made him
conspicuous in the company, and Jug
gested that he was fitted To belong to
any metropolitan organization. He is
not a man of Que idea, and is not al /
ways obviously Winfield Blake On
the con trary he shows his versatility |
rs an actor by well nigh losing this
identity as ar individual The marked
difference between his representations !
OF the leader of the Tziganes in /
"Faika' and Dick Deadeye in Pima
FORE is sufficient to prove this without
further illustration.
Mrs. Pyke is a hard worker and a /
good all round leader in light opera /
roles. After singing every evening for /
forty nights, it is not to be wondered I
at that her voice seemed to lose some /
of its freshness and her gestures
seemed to become artificial in their
Vigor The amount of labor and study |
into this period must
certainly have taxed the strength of /
anyone, and we hope that she has
found the season sufficiently profitable
t. enable her TO enjoy a well-earned
rest.
Al Leech finds himself a prime IA
vorite at the termination of the en-
gagement. He sings no worse than
Eddie Foy and is almost as funny His
principal failure was to captiVate the
matinee girl by his personal beauty
out the way he leaped away from the
voice, and the way the audi
ence showed a similar disposition was
an evidence Of his agility, and at the
same time q tribute to the AIikado's
vocal powers OF repulsion.
Helen Salirger's popularity seemed
to wax and Wane. It was at its eli
max Of intensity during the week in
which she carried the most of the bus
mess upon her shapely shoulders by
The Sappho dance into the
Three Black Mantles" She was
not successful as dear little Buttercup.
and as Katisha showed that a beauti-
fcl face and Igure can be concealed
with proper DISCUSSES.
The engagement that started aus