The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-13
NEW YORK THEATRICALS

Al EW YORK. Dec. ia play that
makes a new big show is Mother
Goose" with a basis of nursery
tale and whimsical Illustration in the
latest Drury Lane spectacle. But the
distance between Drury Lane and
Broadway, as measured by the impor-
tation of holiday spectacles. has grown
longer and longer year by year. and
the present exhibition. as viewed here.
is very far away from what was seen
over there. John j. McNa1y, who used
to be a newspaper reviewer in Boston,
and wrote in high admiration Of sedate
theatrical endeavor, has taken two jobs
I'm making stage fun that occupy his
pen the whole year through. They are
the Origination Of an extravaganza for
the Rogers brothers and the writing
over an old Drury output. Cook Nc
Nally's kneading Of the London dough
in Mother Goose" his. putting in Of
American yeast to make It rise lightly
from it's English sogginess, and his
spreading of the native jam to tickle
our palate and agree with our taste.
That is the best and the worst that can
be said So many OF our people like
to leave their real troubles at home
WheC they go to the theatre, and dis
like 70 be bothered by the mimic trOu-
bles Of others when they get there, that
plays Of frOlic and nonsense are bound
20 be more salabie in the amusement
market than sober dramas. They cost
much more to put on the stage and to
keep going. but there is less risk of
Nr.rra 81
probability of profit In the one ease,
a single author, or perhaps two, must
De depended on, and the craftiest Of
them is as likely to miss with their
aim as % hit. But the present method
OF making extravaganza permits the
employment of many experts. Two
men devised and wrote Mother Goose"
as Sc was presented in London. and
two more composed the music. The
contributors Of material for the Amer
lean version. besides McNaIy, number
eleven rhymegters and tunemakers.
The songs are competitive in a way.
Rival authors and contentious publish
ers are interested diversely. Partisans
Of these different interests betrayed
themselves I'm the applause on the open
ing night But 70 was too soon to award
amy prizes for superiority. The test Of
commercial value is not applied tin the
Whisucrs and the hummers. the home
pianists and the restaurant orchestras
make their experiments with the tunes.
The words count FOR something Of
course. but the tunes for Car more: and
81 me OF these Z think win go through
the ordeal and az length get TO the
hand organs.
Several of the songs are acted olab-
uratCly and embeilishcd prOfusely. one
has "a rew s0ubrette OF the delicately
demonstratve type. Leila Mcintyre 60
declare in its refrain that she Is "the
rose OF the Blveirs." and a lot OF WOO
men and little girls. in the skirts and
nirts and The coats Of handles 20 sup
port her assertion in chorus. An equal
ly handsome and more ur1sual illustra-
ton is given Go a ballad III which a
white scout asks a bevy of Indian girls
t0 marry him. The candidate for big
amy is Harry Bulgcr. very ugly and
unsuitable (the cast has no cOmely ten
or. the wooers being played with this
incidental exception. by cOpranos and
cOntraItos). but the squaws are ideal
ized savages. who don't SLOUGH or sneak
like the real things when they dance.
and are brought out picturesQuely from