The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-28

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/ q new comedy named Fritz and
I Smitz": The Flower Girl" big mus
! ical comedy, and the popular melo-
| drama, Two Little Waifs.'
After the season opens it viii run
| almost continuously without many dark
nights and the outlook is much brighter
! for business than last season. although
It may be a little dull until after the
I election is over.
Commenting upon the announcement
/ OF the engagement in this country Of
( Elmete Novelli, the great Italian actor,
Miss Elizabeth Waflace of the Univer-
sity of Chicago, wrote the following in
teresting sketch of the famous players
career:
Who IS Ermete Novelli? His name
sounds strange, but the musical com
/ birstioB of the novels tells us that he
must be kin to R!stori and Salvini and
/ Duse.
When Ermete NoveTi comes TO the
Jaited States next winter it will not be
the first time he has been across the
Weter, for he has made several success
full tours in South America.
N0velh and Flsvio Austo. Ermete
ZaCcOni and Claudio Leigheb are the
men who stand at the head of their pro-
fession. Like Duse and ZaccOni, he is
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bore the title of count. ran away from
home at an early age because his fam
lily was bent on making a priest of him.
he added to his crime by marrying,
and then, in order to make an honest
! living. he became pTOmpter in a tTav-
cling company.
On May ;, 1851. at the little town of
Lucques, between Pistola and Pisa, was
born the only son Of their marriage
Ermete Novelii. His mother died soon
afteTward and the poor child grew up
without much care. for his fathers du-
ties as pTompter kept him much at the
theatre. The child devoted most Of
his time and all the money he was
given 10 the buying of marionettes and
the equipping Of miniature theatres.
Darker days came with the wars. for
I the theatres were closed, Novellis
father lost his position and Ermete be
came a waiter in a cafe and took his
turn at supporting the family.
At the first opportunity, however, he
returned to the theatre and spent his
apprentice years, with some second
class companies.
From these he passed on 10 better
work and became associated with some
OF the best Italian artists, Virginia
Mariani, CaludiO and Teresa Leigheb
and EnTic0 Reinach. Later he organ
I
exclusively TO the production Of COM
edies. In this enterprise. he was ably
seconded by his wife. who was also
| his leading lady, Lima Marazzi. This
company Travelled TO Spain, Portugal,
France, Egypt and South America and
won a fair degree OF success
But from this time on Novelli deter
mined to cOnfine himself no longef to
comic roles. He was ambitious for
= 80 4r-r-
his talents in tragedy. At first he met
with bitter criticism and lack of sue
cess. His audiences had not ceased to
laugh and it was hard to persuade them
TO treat him seriously He won, how
ever. and answered the attacks of his
critics by putting on Louis X"
/ Hamlet" "OthellO' and The Merch-
ant OF Venice"
Since then his place has been assured
and he is equally popular as comedian
and as a traSedian. His versatility is
remarkable. and every character he
represents is a clear. distinct and def
mite type. He loses himself entirely in
his character and makes one forget
that he is NovelH. He has cultivated
no particular genre, he has no manner
isms. and he can at viii be gTOtesque,
comic. sentimental. passionate or trag-
ic One evening he viii be the Jealous
and savage Othelio, and the next even
ing ne can cOHvulse the audience With
his limitations of Rossi, Salvini and FL
eouroa Dusc.
1t was the frst night Of the season
/ Of 1855. at Uncle John EllsleT's old
Academy of Music in Cleveland. Hack
/ EFT father of James X. Hackett, was
playing Falstaff il King Henry "
/ OF the band of travellers which in the
/ play IS attacked by Falstaff and his
robbers. two were making their first
/ appearance on any stage. They came
on hand - hand. One was a girl, the
other a boy. Both had dozen words
10 say. He ratified them of mechan-
ically IN a voice so low that they could
scarcely be heard beyond the foot
lights. Frightened? Wen, / should
think so. The girl. although hers was
. not a sparkling part, was happy De
cause she had taken her nrst step IN
a career which later brought her fame,
IL not fortune The giTl was Clara Nor
ris- The boy2 He stands before you
The speaker was DR.. Martin L.
I Wright Of Cleveland. who has been
paying a visit TO Washington for the
first time IN more than a third of a
century. he went on the stage ia 1863.
and remained in the profession two
years, when, bowling to the wish OF his
mother, he abandoned il for what she
CONSIDERED a more Stdbie pEOicSSlollS
that Of dentistry.
When I went on the stage" he con-
| tinued. stars did not carry their COM
/ paniss with them as they do today
| Rather, each theatre had a permanent
company, with the leading man and all
the rest. The stars Travelled about and
! played repertoire. Such stars as Nc
Keen Buchanan and Joe Proctor; &.
/ W. Couldock Of Hazel Kirk fame, Mr..
and Airs. Charles Keane, and Sallie
] St Clair, whose husband wrote Black
/ Crook, played at The academy while l
was a member of the company.
"0f all the stars that came to play
with us the one we loved and admired
most was John Wilkes Booth, who as
sassinated President Lincoln. Poor.
mad John Wilkesi There was never a
better fellow or a more perfect gen
/ tleman He was not high and mighty
| like most of the stars. Any super
numerary couid go TO him for advice
and was always sure to get il. Who
( ever went to him was received With
gentle courtesy, and generally came
away an ardent admifef.
The trouble With Booth was. Ia my