The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-24

Salt Lake, May %.
Dear Old Hal-I've been in the sew
enth heaven all the week, and am more
or less hystericky at this moment. SO
don't notice ii IL the diary leaves are
a little incoherent this week. Really
and truly it has been enough to war
rant you in striking your TENTS that
what you call it?-and coming all the
way over the desert to be present at it,
If certain event which you and
wot of did not depend so much on your
dear old exertions out there, 1 really
believe should tell you to pull up and
come home for fear of missing some
thing else like it. But no, there
couldn't be anything else just Ike Mayo
and his delicious play; yes, delicious
none of my other words fit it L send
you all the newspapers and the pro-
gramme The story we read together,
when it came out in the Century; who
would have believed it had the making
of such play? You remember we
voted ii rather dull. How surprised
Mark Twain must have been! Here are
the leaves; skip everything till you
come to Wednesday,
Observation-Disclosures
Three houses to choose from, and
not one Of the three worth choosing.
John Griffiths doesn't that suggest tripe
rather than acting? Mr.. Burton allow
ed to come back again with his
Faust" He played the devil-no pro-
family intended-and did it in double
sense. Tried to copy Irving's walk and
succeeded in conveying the impression
that satan had corns. Mr.. Griffiths
took Provo by storm. How did he get
past, Remained long enough to see
Will Smedley come on and die. Poor
boy! He was dreadfully nervous, they
say. and very anxious to know If his
father was in front, a little anna
flourish. but good force and vigor. Ran
down to the Grand. A good play, but
spoiled by Stage Manager Royce haV-
ing too responsible part Edwards
and Remark at their best. Really
some of those kisses made me feel
creepy. I fancy Mr.. Edwards knew
Mrs. Edwards was UP seeing Faust
tonight. 1t seemed to me as though
walter imagined to himself that Jen-
ME was the whole dear Salt Lake pub
lie tonight, and that he was taking
leave of it. Where was Lothian?
Observation-Disclosures
Ten minutes at the Lyceum did me
80, Known The new man. Edmonds,
made me desperate with his ginger
bread emotion, and I was glad to es-
cane. The business indicates that some
one will be left before the week is over
I hope it's Mr.. Edmonds. Dropped in to
see whether Griffiths improved any on
acquaintance, and found he did not.
He actually essayed the Fools Re
venge;" well, he took it out-on me.
Booth is supposed to have gotten out
Of that part pretty much all there was
in it: but Griffiths showed him he had
missed producing one effect-laughter.
Wednesday-M Midnight.
Came home in dream from the the
atre. Simply hungry for some one to
talk il all over with-and Hal half
thousand miles away Who could have
imagined Frank Mayo standing right
right up on the topmost rung OF the
dramatic ladder, out here we all
thought he was gone, done for, faded
away with Davy Crockett and the
wolves, and here, in one bound, as 1t
were. he FORCES up to the top, very
Nestor of the drama. ] feel hunlbiy
thankful to have seen such an actor,
such a company and such play;
know I'm better for it. It's a whole
gust OF air from the metropolis, ana L
drank in so much of ii, that L really
believe l can forego my annual visit
this fall The cast is enormous, but
every man and woman in it is an ar
fist, and l can't say enough grateful
things TO Mr.. Mayo for selecting such
coterie of gifted people. Nothing the
man has done, not even his beautiful
acting stamps him so much an artist
as the selecting and training OF that
company How l wish Hal could have
seen that sheriff, and heard him say,
where the judge told him to go as he
went out of that door: or those wise
men of Dawson; the Swan of Mr.. Gill
and the Campbell of Mr.. Tucker These
were small characters, but l screamed
over them till / was ashamed. If any
one has ever attended a South Jordan
session Of court as / once did, he could
understand my feelings. The two boys,
played by Campeau and Daily; nothing
like : ON and Chambers has ever been
seen on the stage: the one so mean,
cowardly and crafty, the other 50 gen.
tie. clean and pure. simply cried over
Chambers, ne seemed so unconscious of
the way they all imposed on him. Old
biustery. March morning Aiken. too,
he whom we thought SO much of as the
old earl in Fauntleroy; he had fine
OLD southern gentleman Switch means
fine old nt's-part The women
were ali charming, and Moretti, as the
sixteenth negress-great. But they ali
Daled before Mayo. Dear old Pudd n
head; it couldn't be called acting at all;
it was reality itself. / defy any actor
on the stage to more completely sink
himself out of sight in a part than
Mayo did in this. He gave a type we
all know. If I dared, ] could name a
dozen dear, departed. old pioneers who
had all his old-fashioned, patient,
kindly traits and Mayo must be made
Of the same stuff they We're.
Positively, a man couldn't play
such a part, unless there were
good deal of himself in it; its
outside the range OF possibility. I was
proud of the audience. 1t rose and met
Mayo more than half way and showed
st understood him. More than that
he couldn't ask for.
aturday-Midnight
Ran down to the Grand and burst a
pair of gloves giving Walter Edwards
q, fa-ewell When had done that, hur-
ried back to the theatre where / have
been every night of the four worship
ing at Mayo's shrine. Am literally
Mayo mai; fudd' nhead accurately
describes my condition. The play