The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-05

the story than to the talents of those
who told it last night at the Salt Lake
theatre.
The performance Of The Little Min
lister" by the Cummings stock com
pany last evening came TO a rather sen
satiOIai close. In tre last scene of the
fral act Miss Hall, who was playing
Babbie, tainted into total unconscious
ness, and the curtain had to be rung
T down before the performance was quite
over. 1t was during the love scene be
tween Baobie and the little minister,
/ the latter character being in the hands
Of Mr. Cummings. Miss Hall was par
TALLY i'll all day. She had not been out
side the theatre since breaktast-the
company having rehearsed all day long
and the wear and ear on her nerves
was bound to show. Fortunately, Mr..
Cummings was near the young
woman when she swOOned. and
Drsver-sd her from bad fail
The curtain was rung down
quietly. ana the audience. with a COM
plete understanding of the situation,
filed QUE without a nurmur. Il was an
hour or more before Miss Hall was able
to be removed to her hotel
There was another feature of the per-
torrance almost as Tegrettable Mr..
Cummings did not know his part. For
the past eight or ten days he has work
"a Alf a HldNG 10 Eel MS hEODlE UP III
the difficult play before them. He spent
day after day and night after night
with most apparent disregard for him
embarrassing his cast and the mob,
getting the necessary paraphernalia to-
S6ther and looking after a hundred and
one things that should never devoIve
III on an actor Yesterday he remained
a. the theatre from o'clock in the
morning until night. When he went on
last night he was sick and carewOrn.
he spoke no more than a dozen lines
al through the evening without the aid
OF the prompter, and at times that in
QlNlduaiS voice was so audible that
but Tor the other truly magnificent fea-
lures the performance would have been
ruined. Realizing his condition Mr..
Cummings simply resigned himself and
stumbled through the four acts, his
race cioUded by a look of detection even
more distinct than those OF his friends
and admirers. A good lesson. though
an expensive one. has been taught. Mr..
cummings, while it is in justice TO him
70 say that he received the part for
study only last Thursday, viii never
aE ain attempt the stage direction at
the expense Of his individual perform
ance. Perhaps it was wrong in the
first place to put on a play which calls
Tor so much with only a limited time in
which to prepare.
salt Lake is not supposed to know
i Tie Ll--te Minister. never having
seen It before, but it would seem impOs-
sible for any play TO be more fasctrat-
ing. And so far as the dispute over the
two versions is concerned, it may be
said the one presented, last night is
about 5 perfect a stage picture as
could be taken from the book. The
Cummings company Outdid itself in
every respect The scenry was beauti-
ful-gorgeous at times-and the mem
bers wrestled with the Scotch dialect.
the most difficult thing in connection
aba.
Miss Hail. in spite of her exhausted
condition, gave a delightful presenta-
tiOn of the Egyptian girl. A great per-
Torrance may be lsoked for from her
before the week is OVER
Robert Cummings aStTammas Wha7
mond. sustained his good reputation