The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-10
day, and will open for a 40 weeks sea-
son the last week in August.

day, and will open for a 40 weeks sea-
son the last week in August.
g @ g
The Salt Lake Opera company, be-
lieVing that the coming season will be
an opportune one for home operate at
fractions, are laying plans for the pro
dGction of three operas during the fall
be during conference and eisteddfod
week, when the opera people believe
there will be enough people Of musical
tastes in town to justify them in pro-
ducing a new work, in spite of the
counter attraction at the tabernacle.
What the opening opera will be is not
yet decided on, though the choice lies
between the Queens Lace Handker-
chief "a Trip to Africa 1.-The Beggar
Student" and "The Black Hussar."
There is also a likelihood that The
Mikado" may be revived during the
winter. This popular opera is being
given at half a dozen theatres through
out the country, and in San Francisco,
New York and Chicago, the revivals
have been attended with astonishing
success. The home people would have
put on the japanese opera some time
ago, but deferred action on account of
the fact that the proposed opera COM
pany in Ogden were at work upon it.
Now, however, that the ogden COM
pany has been given up, and that the
revivals east and west are bringing the
work into so much prominence again,
it is not unlikely that the home COM
pany will decide to make it one of the
winter events. They could certainly
give it an ideal cast, with Miss Savage
as Yum Yum, Mr.. Spencer as Ko Ko-
one of his best roles-Mr. Goddard as
PoOhbah, and Mr.. Piper as Nanki-Poo.
Is 90 <S
Paul Hammer, late treasurer of the
Salt Lake theatre, is now cashier of
the new Kenyon. No better choice
could have been made for the position;
Paul's extensive acquaintance in the
professionals has counted up" with
almost every manager that travels be-
tween the Atlantic and the Pacific
will stand him in stead in attracting
theatrical patronage to the new hos
telry.
How strong was the hold that Tom
Keene had on the affections of the null
titude is eVinced by the way in which
paragraphs are still going the rounds
about his life, his peculiarities and his
personal traits. One writer relates that
Keene's first great success was made
in "L'AsSomoir'' drink, and that off
the stage he was the embodiment of
der the sway. of the demon drink. He
made a fearful struggle against it. For
six or eight weeks at a time Thomas
Keene would go without a drop of the
fiery fluid. Suddenly, with his salary
in his pocket, with a new suit of clothes
on his back, with his finances tolerably
readjusted since the last fall, he would
start out afresh, first dallying with the
monster, then succumbing to it alto
gether, until days and weeks afterward
some friend would pick him out of
the gutter for another fight with the
grimmest of all tyrants.
- g g
How Keene came to be cured of the
drink habit is an interesting story. He
was booked to play an engagement in
a small town in the interior of Ohio
He arrived there Sunday morning and
had to lie over until the next day. He
had been drinking heavily all day and,
without half knowing what he was do
ing, wandered away from his hotel at
night, strOlling aimlessly through the
town, until he struck an open church
door. In a spirit of bravado Keene
entered. He took a seat in one of the
back pews and listened to the singing.
Then the minister assembled the pulpit
and preached against drink and all
the vices that follow in its wake" 1t
listened attentively. The stage was
touched up a bit by the man of the
gospel, and this the actor resented. He
rose to his feet, and in a maudlin sort
of way entered a protest against the
minister's charges. One of the deacons
came back to where the actor sat and
attempted TO GUST him, but the pastor
saying that if the actor
present was not intoxicated, he would
NOT have done what "a
the services the minister, whose name
was Mckinley, came back to Keene
and took him away. That night the
tragedian renowned liquor forever,
and from that day to the end never |
touched it again. Never boisterous in |
his cups, he became a quiet, unobtru-
sive man, who walked from the stage |
door to his hotel, and from his hotel to |
the theatre, without stopping by the |
way, as he had formerly done, for a |
dozen drinks before the performance.