The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-17

THE spring season at the Grand
opera house was opened yesterday un-
der very favorable auspices by the
Cummings company in J. NJ Barrie's
The Little Minister" The hearty well
come accorded play and players at both
afternoon and evening performances
FULLY attested the merit ofsthe character
work of the leading people and the gen
eraI excellence of the performance as
a whole.
THE story of The Little Minister is
familiar to the average reader. but as
a dramatic production it becomes de-
lightful character study of life among
the Scotch that requires an exception
ally clever company to intelligently
portray the dialect, peculiaritieS and
idiOsyncrasies of the characters pic
tured by Mr.. Barrie All these require
ments may be said to have been met
by the Cummings company, and to an
extent that proved an agreeable sur
prise to many.
The company is evenly balanced
with people we'll adapted TO their re-
spective parts. giving an individuality
to each. The interest, of course, cen
tiers in Rev. Gavin Dishart, the little
minister, and in Lady Babbie, the
Egyptian Laura Nelson Hall as Bah
bic and Ralph Z. Cummings as Dis
hart made a distinct and positive sue
cess. Miss Hall gave a charming inter
probation of the saucy, piquant gypsy
maid, and Mr. Cummings gave a quiet,
dignified and fOrceful rendition of the
little minister who. after all, was only
human. Miss Hall Won her way into
the affections of her audiences early
in the play, and both she and Mr..
Cummings had TO respond to numerous
curtain calls
There is a delightful vein of humor
throughout the four acts that is not
overdrawn, and Charles Giblyn as the
policeman, James w. Cole as Rob Dow
and Robert Cummings, H. d. Henry
and NJ Harry Fard as the elders, fur
nished many hearty laughs Ruth Holt
was effective as Mamie Webster.
THE play is we'll mounted and has
special scenery for the several acts. 1t
Will run throughout the week"
russo & Hollands big minstrel fes-
tival is the Offering at the Theatre next
Friday and Saturday. The house IS
dark until then. This organization
grew out of Richards & Pringle's min
Strels and to judge from its good bust
ness in the west the show is one of the
/ best in its particular line on the road
4 this season. The fact that Billy Ker-
sands, the popular black-face comedian
/ is heading the company as an end man
should prove a strong drawing card
/ The management, in their advance no.
/ tices. claim to have retired all the old
( timers who are used to travelling on
their regulations and have engaged
! such people as John Rucker, Pear
Brewer, Henry Robinson and George
Fosey. The company boasts of a grea1
/ musical team and some flying acrobatS
/ whose work is startling.
] GLIMMERINGS.
Julia Dean died thirty three years
ago this month.
James K. Hackett's play for mex
season will be Victor Iapes drama
I Don Caesars Return
Bernhardt and Coquelin are going
back to New York in April to play one
week in L AiSlon" at popular prices
Sadie Martinez will begin tour il
i"Sapho' on March-S with olga Neither
sOle'S company, and under the manage
ment of Louis Nerhersole.
William a. Brady gave his long
promised revival Of Uncle Toms Cab
in with an all-star cast at the New
York Academy of Music last week
The production is making money, OW
ing to the merits of the players. vii
ton Lackaye made d big hit as Uncl
Tom
Charles Frohman, it is said, has com
pleted his plans for Maude Adams fu
ture. Commencing next October, at tn
Knickerbocker theatre. Miss Adam
will play Rosalind in an elaborate re
vivaI of las You Like It. and in re