The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-21
THEATRE CROWD
Is TURNED BACK
David WarfeId Declines to Play
Saturday Night.
DAMAGE CLAIM RESULTS
PIPER WOULDN'T STAND FOR
SIGHTING PERFORMANCE.

Five hundred to a Thousand persons
walked up the steps of the Salt Lake
theatre last evening only to find the
house dark and to be greeted with the
announcement that Mr.. warfield will
not appear tonight. Money will be re-
funded at the box Office There was
a disappointed throng, but they were
not nearly as disappointed as the man
ager of the Theatre, George D. Piper
who was kept busy explaining. As a
result of the failure of the company TO
appear last evening, Mr.. Piper has
wired a claim for damages to New
York, and if this is not settled he will
bring suit,
The trouble began Immediately after
the matinee performance of David
War1eld and company in THE Auc-
tIOneer-" Mr.. -Pyper last evening gave
the following account of the trouble:
After the matinee performance our
stage carpenter came to me and told
me that the company's stage manager
wanted to move out the scenery used
in the second act, substituting stock
scenery, saying that arrangements to
that effect had been made with me.
told him that no such arrangements
had been made and that no scenery
was to leave the Theatre without my
]
act. representing the interior of d man.
sion. is the handsOmest in the play. and
1 could not consent TO any substitution.
especially after the good scenery had
been used for the other performances.
My contract calls for a complete seem
ic production, and I wanted it.
! Wanted to Take Scenery.
THE manager of the company, Harry
f. Sanford, then asked me to let the
scenery be taken out, so they could
| catch the train for San Francisco. 1
told him there was ample time to catch
! that train and give a full production
Almost every company that plays a
Saturday night engagement with US
catches that train and opens in San
Francisco Monday evening, and I told
him there would be plenty of time with
the full production.
We had already agreed 10 begin the
Saturday night performance at s
O'Clock instead of Sis, our stage hands
had become familiar with The scenery
and could have saved almost half an
hour between the acts. The, train does
/ not leave until 1890 a. m, and could
1 be held if necessary. And, on top of
/ all. the train they wished to take in
| Ogden was three hours late There
fore, 1 could see no reason for hurting
| the performance in any way and dis
/ appointing our patrons. l told him l
| certainly would not consent to dis
appointing our patrons when there was
no excuse for it.
Refused to Play.
! Mr.. Warf1eld and he then declared
/ that the company would not play I'M
/ less they were permitted to remove the
scenery. 1 told them 1 should hold
them to their contract and demand
damages if they broke it. They. said
| they would not play. Warf1eld de-
| clared there was no use discussing the
| question, as they would not spoil a
| $500 opening for the sake of Salt
! Lake
1.-The upshot of it all was that they
positively declined to play and we
We're forced to so inform our patrons
and refund their money. / have wired
our booking agent in New York, Al
1 Hayman. to make a demand on David
Belasco. the proprietor Of the play, fOI
damages. If this claim is not settled
l will bring suit. I told Mr.. Sanford
| that, although I could attach the seen
cry and keep them from leaving town
until the claim was settled, but I re-
| allied the company was responsible
I and I would not resort to those tao
ties. To sum up my position, I insisted
that the Salt Lake public should be
given the best, as my contract called
for, and the company refused to give
or to go on at all"