The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-23
Salt Lake City. May %.

Dear Hal:
This public Of ours is a strange, I'M
known quantity to figure on. I don't
know whether to compare it to
fickle, capricious miss who scowls this
week on what she beamed upon last, or
to poor jaded beast of burden whose
back has been broken by repeated loads
and who kicks out sideways at it's per
secutors. Anyway, it is evident that
the public has for the moment ''soured"
on the local artist" and that the
strength that once lay in the name of
home attraction" has all oozed away.
The Bimetallic Blacks is the latest or
ganization to receive demonstration
of the melancholy fact. Though the
boys had a fair opening, it is doubtful
if the sum total OF their business viii
be sufficient TO see them even; before
them il was the Patience people: in
The same week With the Bimetallic
Blacks the great tabernacle choir was
given proof that the public absolutely
refuses TO be caioled into a place OF
amusement by anything short of a
startling novelty, and Madam Bishop,
(who would be as great as her adver-
tisements made her if her lower notes
We're as good as her upper, must be
still cogitatinS on Salt Lakes boosted
claim Of -eminence as musical
city. AS for the Bimetallics. they might
have done little better financially if
the Joke part of their entertainment
had come I'D TO the musical and the
specially portions. But they never
would have been the success of olden
days, for the reason before noted, that
Mademoiselle Publique is just now not
in humOr to tolerate anything bearing
the homespun brand.
1t might almost be as truthfully said
that she has an equal aversion 10 any
thing OF an imported brand. With the
single exception of Goodwin, whose en-
gagement ran the bank reserves down
several nOtches, nothing recent has
done enough business to justify Mr..
Burton in opening his house; that as
tute manager. however, is always cred
tied with securing his. expenses, even
though his rent gangs aft aglee, so i:
is the visiting attraction that has mos
occasion TO hang out the Grape. Otis
Skinner is the latest instance; he called
on US westward bound, head erect,
chest expanded, nostrils snorting, and
absolutely refused to listen TO anything
less than $3.50 rates. a few weeks ex-
perience on the coast brings him back
a vastly humbled Individual, glad to
get into the house on any terms, and
TO play at the regulation, e-despised
business was almost as bad here as
elsew here. Yesterdays matinee was
the ne oasis in d bowling desert of
bad business They say on the coast
thet nothing equal 10 the box office
hor prs of the Skinner ENGAGEMENTS .
has ever been shown in the annals OF
histrionism Mr. Buckley. Mr.. Skin
ner's manager, being asked how his.
tour had been west of here, made n
astonishingly frank statement: Wei |,
the public simply fayed US alive NJ r.
Skinner, like Miss CaYvan and y n
Whytal, Will return to the east to ell
of the fearful blight that has come
over the west. and who can bla me
them?
The pervading blight seems to h:t I've
fallen on the Grand as well as ke-
where. While I sympathize with Mr.
Huntington and his hard working com
pany,I might feel worse about 1T il
they did not, in such glaringlyi large
type. announce themselves as THE
strongest company ever engaged at this
house The public likes to be given
credit for having a small atom of in }.
telligence, and the public. knowing this
statement to be untrue, reseat il. Mr.
Huntington and his people i've good,
clean, even performance, bLi compare
sons are dangerous things to institute.
Better let them alone. Two causes have
mace business Ddu- One, nSdNy counter
opposition two, the selection of plays
which had been done before and done
better. Keen business mana cement
would have brought out a novelty the
first week, instead of reserving it for
the third. The District Attorney
next week is we'll spoken of, and bust
ness may pull up; l sincerely hope it
NAV. but with a circus and HOPPER to
pull against. John Rogers may we'll be
excused for feeling 'leery."