The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-17
! NAFO

New York, April 10.
a NOTEWORTHY drama is the one
u entitled THE Shepherd King"
But VIII it go long? Or will it
stop short? Expert judgment is re-
served as yet and the multitude has
not made up its mind. This is a Bib
lical play and for that reason 10 one
can forecast its fate. As its story is
based on the Old Testament. its
4 hepherd king being David. the sweet
eyer and swift singer. il is not a
, Aristiau piece. but Jewish. nor is il
religious, but patriotic rather with Is
Iaelite natiOnalism: yet its appeal Is
10 those people. Christian and jew
alike. who believe that the Book of
Samuel is holy writ j. is TOO soon TO
say how IL Will strike them. The Ger
taiuty about the production is its
great cost Wright Lorimer. who
wrote IL jointly with Arnold Reeves.
raised the capital among his relatives,
directed the preparations and acts the
role of David. SAYS that the invest
mtut reached 500 600 before the cur
tain WAS raised. ! know something
about true and false theatrical figures.
and 7 think that the five exceptionally
elaborate. scenes. the $50 costumes. the
finely printed portraits and hioE-
raphies that have been distributed i'm
VAST quantities and the many other
1lre lirrlinarN- OUTLAWS can't have
sarounted To- less than half o. ygoooo
and may be To- tyvp-thirds If there was
much waste OF money. All this bread
cast upon the waters may come back
in multiplied loavcs-to say nothing OF
pies and Cakes-if the masses OF Amer
leans viii but eat the original bake as
they did The Christian and Ben
HUI With voracity. II they Won't
well Mr. Lorimer VIII have paid dearly
Tor some experience
The art of The Shepherd King" is
coud and the literature is bad The
fermentation 10 our eyes of David
summoned from his pastures to be
guile the melancholy of Saul with
songs. Of his going out 90 STAY the
giant Goliath and of his rise to the
throne Of Israel Is an iuprcssivciy pic
tcrial And the introduction OF sam
mel the prophet. Eudor the witch. Saul
The misauthrope and Jonathan the
loving is calculated judicioUsly for
stage show So is the fctional inter
rotation OF a fond princess FOR sweet
heart To David But what our ears
hear is much less satisfactory. The
language is modern and commonplace.
rXTrpf MnfIl .lakFN IINIIl lllf DUN IT
seems TO me that tho form OF the COM
position should have been metrical
ANYWAY. n dignity of diction is needed
and is lacking. As il is, what we hear
kdoes not accord with what We see. and
ffliNs two Of our senses are set against
each other in ii contradiction of pleas
ure and pain. David and his Michal
pre- gracefully picturesque pair. for
Wright Lorimer is handsome and May
Buckley is pretty: but May makes the
Israeiite princess a charming girl Of
the present day. in manner. as well as
IN speech. while ner lover is consistent
~ different Besides that inconsruity.
the actor Is an utter stranger TO New
Yorkers. and so. very happily has no
personality other than that OF David;
5ut the actress is well known 20 us on
4 ne stage for her own cleVerness and
NJ the stage for having been the cause
a maniac admirers pistol snot IN
toadway restaurant. However,
y 10 Mr.. Lorimer. I'm the Scriptural
l1rase oft spoken i'm his drama and