The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-13
Music and Drama

Nothing as lavish in mountings and
dress as The Darling Of the Gods, not
even the purely scenic production, ~Ben
Hur has been seen in Salt Lake for
years. The stage at the Grand must have
been TANNED to its last inch of space but
the play was put on in all of its gorgeous
details. The scenery really makes the
players secondary considerations And
yet especially in the case of Blanche
Bates, who came back TO her friends last
night. this should not be so.
The most striking thing about THE
Darling Of the Gods" aside from the set
tings, is its unreaIity. The average mod
ern American play-goer knows very little
about old Japan, the Japan of hundred
years ago He knows very much more
about the new Japan that is at the throat
OF the Russian bear in the Orient The
people OF old Japan may have lived and
loved and died as did the people on the
stage last night but Il is hard for us 10
work up great deal of sympathy for
1t is difficult for. one who knows moth
ing of the Japan of the early nineteenth
century TO say whether or not the play
was true 20 life. Historians who have
seen II say it is true to the last fine
| little detail. Certainly there were times
when the play seemed less a spectacle
Il InPre
were times when Miss Bates Yo-San was
a real girl who loved and who suffered
because of her love- She was as much a
japanese girl to her audience as any who
ever walked IN old Japan
There was nothing American about her
except her language-pardon the solecism
and that wasn't so very American. The
play is a tragedy. The gloom creeps into
the first act and. except for q light touch
/ here and there. tragedy and sorrow per-
/ Nade the production. 1t is apparent at
the outset that the play. to end natur-
ally. must end sadly, and il does Every
| body. who is really worth while is killed
/ at the finish. And before the finish a
/ number undergo torture while their walls
/ foretell their finish.
/ Miss Bates has grown meaSurabiy since
/ she was last seen here. 1t is small won
| der that shf has won for herself so high
a place in the esteem of piay-goers in the
/ east and wherever she has ppeared.
There are no tricks in her acting And
yet Il would be difficult to say exactly
: what her charm is, aside from her good
i looks and her marvelously sweet voice.
/ There we think we have IL, the voice. A
! world of Dathos. q wealth of affection
| a wilderness of hate she gets into il as
she wills. There are three scenes in The
| Darling of the Gods in which Miss Bates
1 figures most prominently. and each Of
/ them gives her talent different outlet.
The first is the scene in which she
makes the acquaintance Of the giesha CIR
I and innOcently expresses her desire L
become a geisha girl Here a subjec
Is treated that, less delicately treated
| would be reDulsive. Miss Bates come:
out of it triumphant. The next is th'
scene with her wounded lover, an alto
/ gether charming bit of acting. The thirC
is the scene with Zakkuri when she learns
fer the first time of the uncleanness Of
! the war minister's desires. Sympath,
could not be withheld here.
The company playing with Miss Bates
is. on the whole. satisfactory. Alber
Z Bruening as Zakkuri is entitled 10 tn
10 N q e. sAs
izatiOn Of cold. hard villain who coult
find pleasure in torturing his victims anC
/ in finding fresh victims for torture. Flu
gene Ormonde as Kara. the outlaw prince
was happiest in theSlove scenes in the
second act. but his work was more thar
good throughout
''The Darling of the Gods will be seer
again tonight and tomorrow night TIT
matinee bin for tomorrow is double one
Madame Butterfly" and MY Aunt's Ad
vice."
White Whittiesey acted his way straigh
into the hearts of a big audience at thi
! Salt Lake theatre last night. He chOs
for the opening of his engagement henr,
~ Miller never put it on to better ad
vantage.
MIR. Whittlesey is himself. not Henr
Miller. He makes no effort TO imitat
the mannerisms of his predecessor In tn
part of Eric Temple-which is fortunat
for Mr. Whittlesey. In the third act
though Mr. WhitIlesev looks so niue
like Miller that those who had seen Hen
~ in the play fairly gasped II was a
If Miller himself had stepped upon III
stage. 1t was at the close of this act. toe
that the audience testified generously 1t
appreciation of Mr.. Whittiesey's work.
There must have been eight or ten cur
tain calls. and they were genuine. too
not worked up by friendly ushers an
Fpeople connected with the company Whel
the curtain went up on the last call Nh
I Whittlesey made a graceful little tax Q
acknowledgment He said he had com
to Salt Lake a stranger. but he hoped h
II would not long be a stranger TO the pee
| pie here. They had received him so cor
daily that he ventured to hope they like
| his company. and he promised himse
and his cast much pleasure in d COnt1r
uancc OF the acquaintance so happtl
begun.
Knowing TIE firm Of Belasco. MAYER
| Price--the head Of Il being. by the wa.
! a brother OF the Belasco who presente
Blanche Bates at the Grand last night
Salt Lake expected talent 10 Mr.. Whittle
sew. Last nights audience was not dis
( appointed II is a pleasure to he able I
/ commend him and his company 10 Sal
Lakers. The support is worthy of III
star, with one or two possible exception;
And the costuming and scenic appoint
desired. Mr.. Whittlesey may be sure
splendid business throuehout- his week
engagement, for he Is giving first-clas
performances at practically popula
prices.
Tonight ~Heartsease' will be presente
again. Al the matinee tomorrow and to
morrow and Thursday evenings The SCI
ond In Command' will be the. offering.