Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-19
THE PLAY r
IN GOTHAM.
News and Gossip From Arthur
CriSpin.
SUCCESS OF JOSEF HOFFMAN,.
The Spanish Drama In New York.
RumorS on the Rialto-Return
Of Helen Bertram Sea
br00ke's Success Abroad.
SUCCESS OF JOSEF HOFMANN.

New York. March 1A-Josef Hoffman,,
who n decade or so ago created a
iurore IN this city as phenomenal
enid pianist and incidentally made q
small fortune for his manager, Henry
U. ABBEY. who was at the time paying
MN salary heretofore unheard of for
boy, ~ with us once more This time,
however. he poses as a man. In reali-
W ne Is but an overgrown lad, and his
awkwardness on the stage Is believed
oy many shrewd observers to have con-
tributed largely to the enormous sue.
cess which he has undoubtedlyac heyed.
his admirers declare that when Hof.
mann was here before he was merely
marvellous for boy. but that now he
u marvellous as compared with any
pianist living. Whether all the gush
that mas been poured out about the
young man In deserved is open to ques-
tioh' but there can be no sort of doubt
AZ TO the magnitude OF the hit which he
aus made In this city. Paderewski has
probably been the cause OF more alb
suru eDuiiitions ON the part OF impress
s,ohapie or rather hysterlcal women
than any artist in any line in the
world during the last half decade.
rhere are those. however, who assert
that, allowing for the natural growth in
popularity and technique. Holman is
nkeiy to supersede the Polish performer
as n stage Idol within the next five
years or SO.
There is one phase of Hofmann,s char.
hcter which makes him UNIQUE at least.
Most OF the great piano PLAYERS are
masses of concentrated afrectatIon,
they are not frank, even with them
selves. Conceit Ia as natural 10 them
~ Ellis are to fish. Holman Is real
~ modest young fellow. That is to
say he Is not self assertlve and is will
ing TO admit that perhaps there are
pther performers In the world He Is
iuiiy Impressed with sense of his own
hpiiity' but he is particularly retlcent
about discussing II.
After this 1t will not be surprising ~
some reckless spirit should declare that
he knows an actor who is ayerse tn
newspaper notoriety. Stranger things
nave happened: but, on second thought
no. There could be nothing stranger
than that. II Is the limit, or would be n
Il were possible.
the Spanish are not In high favor in
this country at the present time. but IT
ID pretty safe to assert that Echegary.
their representative playwright. would
be warmly received II he could he
brought TO New York. His drama. eel
Gran Galeoto." which has lust had an
experimental presentation OF one week
ut the hands of the enterprise known
as the Criterion Theater" has con-
WINGED the doubters that Spain has Mt
least one dramatist who Is fit to rapJ,
with the best in the world. Eel Gran
Galeoto' Is practically sermon agalnst
scandal mongering, and 1t shows inter.
estlngiy and oonvincingly how, with |
perhaps the purest motives, busybodies |
may wreck lives by permitting their |
tongues TO wag idly.
The adaptation was made no ,,.a
Maude Banks. and 1t was ndnnirahi,,
done, according to the critics of nanrI,,
all the daily papers of this citv shs
also played the leading female role wIth
great ability. Altogether the produc-
ton was almost Us much of a triumnl,
Tor Miss Banks as for Echegary and The
Criterion theater people.
The latter, despite the sneers M tho
carpers, by the way, are going ohso1
on the lines originally laid down ma
there can be little doubt that they will
eventually accomplish much in the al.
reetion OF cultivating a taste for some
thing beyond frothy nonsensicallties
and impure sexual problem plays on the
part OF the theater goers of New York
and that some well directed effort i'm
that direction is urgently needed no
'ne who Is disinterested will deny.
-
The rumor committee OF the Rialto
has disposed OF Edna Wallace Hopper