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,-lt isn't often that
stage ladies who have been successfully
addicted to pretty pink tights and dear
little abbreviated tunlcs can settle
down gracefully to long skirts and the
Legitimate" You do not frequently
find comic opera queens" who have
been supported by gaaXies e ira -la-la
girls and all the paraphernalia of the
strange hybrid thing known as comic
opera, amiably toying with non-gllded
roles in serious drama, You would gasp
at the mere idea OF Lillian Russell in
"The Second Mrs. TarH lefay." II would
appeal TO you as grQtesque.
And so IL 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
agemcnt Of j. NJ Hin aud In a number
Of other scntlllant productions in
fetching vocal pyrotechnics. I had seen
her since those days in London produc-
lions Of "rhe Geisha" and other mu-
steal comedies but until this season |
had never beheld her in "the dram
mer" Last Summer | was unfortunate
enough to miss her Becky Sharp"
which was produced after my return to
New York So II was a new experience
e. 81 NJ
Eccles in Robertson's "Caste'--the good
old play-at the Iiaymarket Theater.
Another surprising thing was that
this queen" Of comic opera, who was
known all over the United States. and
later reigned almost supreme In George
Edwardess London, did Not seek the
association Of crowd of rtObodles. She
was not supported" by an unhappy
crew of Toms and Dicks and Harrys
1t was a star" cast that played this
old Robertsonan comedy Every char
acter was presented by somebody
Miss Winfred Emery was the Esther
Eccles; Cyril Maude, old Ecoles; Gene
We've Ward the Marquise de ST. Maur;
Brandon Thomas, Captain ,Hawtree;
George Glddens, Sam uerrldge, and Al
IAN Aynesworth, George D'Abroy In
fact It was n 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 col0rs, 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 jublant Polly-jubilantly. She was
arch. sprightly captivating and delight |
fil from start TO finish OF course, Poll |
Iy is a very SNOWY role and is splendid |
Iy contrasted with the lugubrous and |
iark-tinted Esther But Miss Tempest |
might have overdone IT, She might |
have been contemporary and ostenta- |
Nous. She might have wnked and !
prinked. But she did nothing of the
sort. she arrived at her points in the
most legitimate way She was entire
v free from self-consciousness, You
simply couldn't bSieye that she had
yer worn tights or stood In the glare Of
he calcium awaiting the eternal trip
rip OF the tra-la-la chorus,
Goodness knows why Miss Tempest
orsook comic opera. To be sure she
sn't beautiful, but she never was. She
vas one Of those prima donnas who
make up we'll" But she had lovely,
voice. and a charmingly
cultivated way Of using II, and the last
ime | heard her sing the voice was still
here with all its quality.
Perhaps the meditatiye Miss Tempest
who has never been precisely looked
pom as impulsive or non-calculating-