The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-04-02
ADJUSTMENTS.


Arrayed in all the habiIiments which
betoken pomp and circumstance, with
queenly aspect and decked in regal
jewels, Blanche Walsh made her first
Salt Lake appearance last night in
More Than Queen"
A large and fashionable audience saw
the production, and appreciatively APP
plauded whatever scenes in the drama
afforded emotional possibilities and
gave Miss Walsh an opportunity for the
display of her really rare dramatic
gifts.
1t must be confessed of More Than
Queen that il is vastly inferior in
force and consistent dramatic develop
ment, and lamentably lacks the siren
uOuS force and irresistible cimaxeS OF
the Sardou or Dumas dramas in which
Miss Walsh has heretofore appeared in
Salt Lake. The first three acts are
colorless and insipid. Before the first
really fOrcefuI scene in the fourth act,
where Josephine serenely quaffs a glass
of water after Bonaparte's warning cry
that it has been poisoned, the audience
graVely speculates as to whether the
play is entirely devoid of melodramattc
incidents. In fact More Than Queen
is almost wholly featureless from the
viewpoint of the playwright until the
final denOuement, when the naughty
but stricken Josephine barred from the
chamber of the love sovereign. is
forced deSpairingly and with trembling
vorce.
Emile Bergerat, in more Than
Queen while a facile and consistent
picture of NapOleonic life, wrote some
thing considerably less than a master
full drama. The play, in reality leaves
an impression Of faithful chroni lie of
the tragic love affairs of Josephine and
Bonaparte, written withal without the
genius or fire of dramatic imagination.
The queen of Miss Walsh is
portrayed with subdued, but virile
dramatic art. The final scene with the
stoical emperor shows Miss Walsh in
all her best art-in a passage of fervid
feeling, eloquent, or despairing passion
and wrecked hopes. Miss Walsh's 'por-
trayal of the queen is done with con-
Summate and reSourceful skill.
The support. while generally good
is without distinction. Mr. William
/ Humphrey. as the first emperor, falls
considerably short of a first rate dra-
matte achievement. He portrays Ma
poleon, the austere and commanding.
without dignity or distinction. In pas
! sages with Josephine he appears la
mentally TO be the character of the
weaker intellect. He walks on the
stage, in the role of a world conuueror
with the mincing Swagger of a Broad
way dandy and the stride of a dancing
master. Also there is a sonorOuS nasal
enunciation difficult to forget. Miss
Mayhem and Miss Singer play cIeVerlY
the roles of Napoleon's sisters, and with
sinister glee throw sulphur on the
growing flames of the emperor's jeal-
OuSy.
The Roustan of Frank Sheridan was
commendable and Henry s. Hall. Rob
I ert Harold jr., and Robert Lowe played
with intelligence and merit. The fem
| mime roles were handled with grace
and cleVerneSS.
The scenic effects are splendid in the
extreme, as are also the regal count cos
/ tunes The imperial costumes are those
used by the original company of which
! Julia Arthur was the star. Miss Ar
thurs father, with a paternaI pride in
the redolent charms of his gifted
daughter, paid the expenses of the orig
/ NAL paraphernalia, which were Sc
cured at cost of over 900. The
scene of the imperial coronation. when
Josephine and the emperor appear be-
decked in regal purple, is one of great
| spectacular effect. In each change of
scene Miss Walsh is newly and richly
! begowned.
More Than Queen is the bill for the
remaining three nights, with a Wednes-
/ day matinee.