The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-06

Dear Old Hal-The Eliason engage
Enent was only a sort of curtain raiser
to the real season, which burst open in
earnest Thursday night. We were all
there in our best gowns, decked out as
If TO receive a bridegroom. and all be-
cause the Frohman ensign foated at the
masthead; one always pays Frohman's
people the tribute of dressing in ones
best realizing that they are distinctly
the upper crust in the world of player
folk.
What follows will petrify you. How
can tell you that the opening night Of
the original and only exclusive and up
per crust New York Empire theatre
company in salt Lake was nipping,
biting, unmitigated frost? l think I
see your smile Of incredulousness as
you remind me that the company sails
under the trade mark-tGle sacred trade
mark-of the great and only Frohman.
But I asseverate, ii was a frost. If
there were three hearty rounds of ap-
plause from beginning to end, 1 didn'
hear them; the faithful ushers did work
up one recall, but it was feeble, and
the actors seemed half ashamed to
acknowledge it. Why in the name OF
all that's marvellous, Mr.. Frohman
should send twenty high-priced people
across the continent to toll and strain
TO make something out of a play like
'Bolle mia, surpasses The understanding
of man to fathOm. 1t is the quintes-
sence Of dizziness; long, talky, nasty
characterless, unoriginal. It really set
my heart to aching to think Of charm
ing Viola Allen wasting her sweetness
in such desert atmosphere The
author sets up some true to life pictures
Of existence in lhe Quarter Latin; grant
ed. But one don't so to theatres, and
pay a dollar and a half, especially, to
see panoramas. If it hadn't been a
bore, it would have been amusing to
see the author try to improve on the
situation in Camille, where the father
begs the girl to clear out to save his
son. Of all weak things. this was the
weakest.
Seriously, Mr. Frohman has taken a
tumble from the lofty pedestal he occu-
pied in the estimation of Salt Lake
theatre-goers. he climbed up there in
days past when he gave US such SUI
perh attractions as Men and Women,
1.-The Lost Paradise, Shenandoah"
Sowing the Wind, etc, and for lead
ing people presented Miss Allen, sgd
ney Armstrong, Odette Tyler Henry
Miller. William Morris and others. Per-
haps he has spoilt US by the munifi-
cence Of his past gifts. But he ought
MOTTO blame US if we judge his plays
and his players by the standard he has
himself erected. One of his ladies play
ed a part tonight in a way simply pre-
posterous.
The second night of the Frohman
season. Friday, bore testimony of the
first; the attendance was niggard. The
play was vastly better, and the players
were at much better advantage. But
1.-The Second Mrs. Tanqueray,' Lady
getting past the fact that there is an
abyss'mal ciasm between this show ana
the Frohnan shows of yore. Most tai
ented is little Allen, clever is Faver-
sham, Chat is, in this play; in the
other he was a fish out of water eX-
cellent is Miss Conquest, admirable is
Dodson, manly is Edeson and most
bric-a-bracy is dainty Gottschalk. But
oh, for a real flesh and blood drama
once more! One that tells something,
makes the blood pulsate, means some
thing I literally hunger for a human
hero and heroine; for the old-time baHed
villain; for the equity old man; for the
lively comedian, the irish policeman,
and the singing soubrette. These prob
lem plays of Pinero's, bright and clever
as they are, are like stately icicles;
they glitter and shine, but they weary
t, the eyesight, and the taste they leave
in the mouth is cold and unsatisfying.
Better one "Pudenhead Wilson" than
a whole cycle of "Bohemias,' benefits
and Doubts" MARGE.