The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-29

THE early rush Of theatricaIs at
tendant uDon the o5sn'ns OF the
present season is over While
Manager Pyper mas in stose 4 large
number of notable bookings, it can
hardly % hoped that during the same
space Of time the local boards viii fare
80 well. speaking from a standpoint
OF excellence, as they undoubtedly
have since the opening of the Empire
coa1rany. a month ago. The Frohman
infltx, at least, is at an end
The Salt Lake theatre viii remain
dark until next Saturday afternoon,
when the Salt Lake opera company
presents its ninth end perhaps its most
ambitious undertaking. The Wedding
Day" Few travelling com Danies are
stronger with local .t1eatre-g oers than
tne home organization. and their forth
coming production has already created
active interest in musical ciccies. The
Wedding Day" WAS written originally
for Lillian Russell, Della FOX and JEFF
D'Angelis. IL has never been heard in
salt Lake, but its success in New York.
Boston aud Chicago and later in san
Francisco save IL foremost place
among the light operas # the day
George Lasi,. who staged It at she
Tivoli in san Francisco last March.
ar who ga ye the local CO upalv txO
u three days' training. considers II the
of Normandy" and much Of lis music.
be says, is on the grade OF grand
opera.
mo three parts written for tire origi-
nal stars VIII be In the hands Of Nj
Spencer Miss Clark and Miss Fsrrin
who appears for the first time wish
the company. but Mr.. Goddard. MT.
Pyper and Miss Dwyer have strOag
roles. T'be chorus consists of forty. 1t
has heen under the direction OF Pro-
MrfF ,fo-
ami finer showing than ever is the
result anticipated.
The costuming viii be unusually
elaborate. LOO new dresses being re-
quiTeG for the girls alone.
For five nights. beginning tomorrow.
the New Grand has the famous musical
comedy. "A Runaway Girl" which is
che property of the Augustin DAILY es-
tate, and one of the most substantial
attractions on the road this season.
After its remarkable run of 600 nights
at the Gaiety theatre in London. it was
produced at Days theatre. New York.
and its success was duplicated there.
The company of fifty people is head
by Arthur Dunn cOnIsdian of ma
ttonal renOwn, and the piece consists Of
singing and dancing, with a thread IF a
story upon which the sa ne are strung.
soldiers in the Park" more com
monty known as Listen to the Band -
the end Of the week it will probably be
running Ieck and neck with Tell Ne.
pretty Maiden" The selection has a
national reputation.
The play was originally booked for
the salt Lake theatre. A top price of
81 viii prevail during its engagement.
Mr.. Justice. advaAce manager claims
that this will be the first time in the
history OF "A Runaway Girl" that IT
has been presented for less than $3.50.
Miss Annie RusseH's first real oppor-
tunity came when she was IA years
old She created the part of EsmeraIda
IN the play of that name when Il was
frst brought out at the Madison
Square theatre. She tells how she de-
important a role.
Ny dresses were even then not very
long, anc my hair flowed down my
pack. The manager looked at me from
his towering height and decided in mis-
WISDOM that was too youthful. He
and only exchanged few words
and as J felt that among the null
utude Of applicants he would not re-
member me. I determined to play a lit
tie trick. So ] went nome, put on a
Ions dress, did my hair up neatly and
assuming as ancient and demure an
expression as 7 could I went to see
aim again. He fell into the snare and
got the part
annie Russell played Esmeralda
fbont 500 times. and gave up the role
in tSS2- when she married. Next she
appeared ia Hazel Kirke.' and by that
tine her reputation and her place on
the stage were assured. But in 1887
came the greatest artistic success when
she appeared as Elain in the play Of
that title Associated with her in the
production were Marie Burroughs y
on. Holland. Minnie Seiigman and Al
eXander Salvini- And in so notable n
cast as this one, Annie Russell carried
of the honors.
1T may be true" remarked William
II. West the CtIer day, that American
MINISTRIES have burlesqued the old time
plantation negro. and have distorted
his delightful melodies out of recog-
alton Nevertheless. the mintreIs have
been the only ones 70 preserve any
traces of this the really distinctive n2-
tfonal music IF America. The genu-
Inc slave songs. in a mi7nr key with
their wailing refrain and suggestions Of
unmterable i~nging are nov all ont
lost and their full beauty will not
generally be known AMI appreciated
until q composer is found with sulTi-
Gent Imagination and skill 20 do for
these rich themes what has already
been done 50 brilliantly and effectively
tor the folk songs of hungary and
scandinavia It is even now almost too
late 10 do this. The slaves weird rnu-
sic should have had notation by car
While ne was stil a slave. Dan Bry-
ant, T. d. Rice. Stephen c. Poster
and other minstrels and song writer's
OF az almost forgotten genera ton df =
something to preserve IT. but rag
time is its successor now. There were
few IN the old south who could have
set those airs TO music and among the
slave owners probably none would
have cared to do il even If the idea had
occurred 20 them. The danger of this
loss to music was foreseen more than
arquSrter of century ago when The
View York Nation said that 'if the tract
so>ety and the Bible society had per-
formed their mission as faithfully in
South Carolina as i'm Timbuctoo: If
Other ministers could have gone to the
plantations to pray or to preach the
gospel OF Christ. we should have some
thins besides the gospel Of Christian
lty FOR my part / would gladly re-
NlVe the genuine plantation melodies
IN my performances, but I cannot do
SO until some composer devotes years.
perhaps, Of patient study and research
20 the subject. Then I VIII make rag
ume hide its face in shame and give
the American people such music as
they never before heard"
Nat G Goodwin and Maxine Elliott
are the most successful of the Ameri-
cah stars now appearing in London
theatres They are installed at the