Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-08-09

Especial correspondence Of the Des-
eret News, by arrangement with the
Hearst syndicate)
London, July 23,-It isn't often that
stage ladies who have been successfully
addicted to pretty pink tights and dear
little abbreviated tuncs can settle
| down gracefully to long skirts and the
I legitimate" You do not frequently
find comic opera queens who have
been supported by galaxies e tra-la-la
girls and all the paraphernalia Of the
strange hybrid thing known as comic
opera, amiably toying with nOn-glded
roles IN serious drama. You would gasp
at the mere idea OF Lillian Russell in
THE Second Mrs Tant leray' II would
appeal TO you as grotesque,
And 80 It was quite wonderful to me
TO note the metamorphosis Of Marie
Tempest Don't say that you've for
gotten her. You needn't feel bit old
because you happen TO recall her in
THE Fencing Master" under the man
agement Of j. NJ Hill, and In a number
of other scintillant productions In
which she made known some very
fetching vocal pyrotechnics. had seen
her since those days In London produce
tons Of "The Geisha" and other mu-
steal comedies, but until this season /
had never beheld her I'm the dram
mer" Last Summer | was unfortunate
enough to miss her Becky Sharp"
which was produced after my return TO
New York. So IL was new experience
for me TO see Miss Tempest play Polly
Eccles in RObertson's "Caste"-the good
old play-at the Haymarket Theater.
Another surprising thing was that
this queen" Of comic opera, who was
known all over the United States, and
alter reigned almost supreme in George
Edwardes's london did not seek the
association of crowd OF nobodles She
was not supported" by an unhappy
crew OF Toms and Dicks and HarrSs.
II was a star" cast that played this
old Robertsonian comedy. Every char
acter was presented by somebody"
Miss Winifred Emery was the Esther
Eccles; Cyril Maude, old Ecces; Gene
We've Ward, the Marqulse de st. Maur;
Brandon Thomas, Captain Hawtree;
George Giddens, Sam GerrdgS and Al
Ian Aynesworth, George D'Abroy. In
fact II was a star cast with a ven
geance.
And yet this little Acknowledged ex-
prima donna, whom we used TO fondly
call Dresden China" came out In fly
ing colors, and was as fully the central
figure of this Robertsonian revival as
she used TO be In the old days Of De
Koven- Smith collaboration. She played
the jubilant Polly-jubilantly She was
arch, sprightly, captivating and delight
full from start 10 finish. OF course Pol
ly is a very SNOWY role, and Is splendid
~ contrasted with the lugubrious and
dark tinted Esther. But Miss Tempest
might have overdone II. She might
have been contemporary and ostenta-
ttous She might have winked and
prinked. But she did nothing of the
sort. She arrived at her points In the
most legitimate way. She was entire
ly free from self consciousness. You
simply couldn't bNieve that she had |
ever worn tights or stood In the glare Of |
the calcium awaiting the eternal trip |
trip of the tra-la-la chorus
Goodness knows why Miss Tempest |
forsook comic opera. To be sure she |
Isn't beautiful, but she never was She |
was one Of those prima donnas who
make up we'll" But she had a lovely, |
sympathetic voice, and a charmingly |
cultivated way Of using II, and the last
time heard her sing the voice was still
there with all its quality.
Perhaps the meditatiye Miss Tempest
who has never been precisely looked
upon as impulsive or on-calculating-