The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-05

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The last two weeks have been the
greatest ones in theatrical business
Salt Lake has ever had. The theatre,
the Grand and the Lyceum all made
money Christmas week, but the week
just past has been the most wonderful
one in the history Of our theatrical
annals-twenty-tw performances in
one week. all drawing good housesi
This surely demonstrates one fact
that the Salt Lake public is becoming
a theatre going public; but it takes
good attractions to draw them. With
Keene, Marie Wainwright, and Henry
L. Dixey, at the theatre; The ANA
IONS" the best comedy attraction the
Grand has yet put out, and the splendid
double bin at the Lyceum Salt Lake
has had as good a LAY OUT for one
weeks amusement as could be picked
out among the various attractions. 1t
would more than likely have been a
sorry week for the management of the
A. tons been of an inferior order. 1t was
:. quite a matter of speculation how Salt
Lake would stand the strain, but the
record is satisfactory.
The coming week viii not be far be-
hind the one Just past for amount Of
amusement. Monday night is the great
inaugural ball Tuesday and Wednesday,
the Orpheu's clubs burlesque opera,
Thursday and Friday, I'm Old Ken
lucky" The attraction at the Grand
will be The Silver Lining and at the
Lyceum My Awful Dad with Harry
CorsCn Clarke in the cast, and the
flower scene from "Ingomar,"
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1.-The posi-
ton Of advance agent of an attraction
like the Mormon Tabernacle choir, is
one of the soft things of life; not
that there is no work connected with
it. In a city like San Francisco, Where
there are a dozen newspapers to inter-
view and be interviewed myriad of
bin posters to wait on. clouds of hotels
to figure with, a score of halls and
theatres to inspect, and one great rail
road to PROSTATE yourself before, the
average man finds the three days al
loted for his work, fairly well broken
into. But what 1 mean to say is that
an attraction which Blooms" itself is
vastly diferent thing to represent,
from one that no one knows much
about. Since our arrival here to look
into the feasibility Of an excursion and
several concerts for the big choir in
the spring, everything, as in the case
OF the man who starts to so downhill.
seems creased for the occasion 1t has
n Of, 10
Every other person we meet seems
to nave heard the choir at home and
TO be on the qui Vive to greet it here.
The papers had been posted in advance
OF our coming by their enIerprising
Salt Lake correspondents, and we had
hardly arrived before they swooped
down upon us. One had an artist
sketchiug Professor Stephens on the
sly while a reporter lulled his sus-
picions by talking to him about his
temple music When the picture ap-
peared next morning it was really a
question as to whether we might not
be detained by the authorities; the look
of absolute depravity on the profess
Sor's face was something appalling.
a settled gloom has been noticed in his
demeanor ever since. The WelShmen
Of the city who are having a modest
little Eisteddfod here this week, sent
q committee 10 request the presence OF
Mr.. Stephens, who, of course, attended.
and gave them a talk in their own
undef1led Canlbrian; every mother S
son and daughter OF them had the his
tory of the choirs trip to the World S
fair and the recent Salt Lake Eistedd-
fod at his tongues end, and all as
Sured Mr.. Stephens Of their aid here.
The manager of the San Jose Opera
house offered a date there on very ad-
Vantageous terms, and the trip will
now include that point, which had not
been included in the original plan
we shall, however. try to obtain one
of the large churches in San Jose, as
they not only seat more than the
theatres, but their organs aid the
chorus materially.
We have closed with the Metropoli-
tan Temple in San Francisco for five
concerts. This building is the best
one Of its kind in the city and is the
one in which most Of the high class
concerts and lectures are given It has
a fine pipe organ and seats 1900 peo-
pie with standing room for several
hundred more; it is larger than any
theatre here except the Grand Opera
house, which was our first choice, but
. which could not be obtained, as it is
now running every night in the year
as a cheap priced theatre. The only
other place available was the Ne
5000 or 5000; this was offered us on
reasonable terms, but the acoustics
and interior arrangements are so poor
that no artistic effect could have been
produced, and Professor Stephens
would not consider it, Another ad-
vantage of the Metropolitan Temple
is that it has but one gallery and most
Of its seats are those which will bring
the highest price. The managers of
the Baldwin and California theatres
offered US dates but their Only open
time was in May.
The plan rs at present laid out is
TO leave home on Saturday, April l.
Give q sacred concert in Sacramento
Sunday, 18th; San Jose, Monday, 18th;
Oakland, Tuesday, 18th; in the Con-
gregational church. a handsome edi-
fee, San Francisco, Wednesday, Thurs
day, Friday and Saturday afternoon
and evening the 18th, and then to
start for home, arriving Monday morn
ing, the 10th. consuming an even ten
days in the trip.
The Southern Pacific has accorded
a satisfactory rate, and given permits
sion for a limited number of cheap
excursion tickets TO be sold to the
friends and relatives of the choir who
will wish to make the trip with it,
We have been treated with the
warmest courtesy by theatrical man
ayers, and have seen everything now
being offered for the delectation of this
big, hustling, busting, generous en-
thusiastic. but critical city. May
Irwin, at the California seems to be
making more money than any one else,
though nearly every house is doing
we'll Fanny Rice. at the Columbia
formerly StOr1xwelTs but now run as