Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-05-28

nights audience was sha Ming
the walls Of the Old Theater
with Its plaudts Of Maude Adams the
bin posters were buslly at work on the
outside OF the same walls setting IN
place the huge steamers for T., H..
Sothern. Mr. Pyper had no more than
shaken hands with Mr., Richards, Maude
Adams manager than he turned 10
salute Mr.. Freedman, who has soth-
ern's destinies In charge And so II
goes, season after season, The theater
is a huge panorama Of constantly
moving, constantly changing effects
and our minds have no sooner taken
on the impress OF one performance
than another comes to sponge away the
first Well Is It said OF the actor that
his name is writ In the sands, where
the first rise of the tide may wash II
away forever.
The last OF Mr. Pypers big -Four"
spring attractions, and the final one
of the season, comes IN r.. H. Sothern
next week The expectation is that
Sotherns business VIII maintain the
pace set by Anna Held, Mansfield, and
Maude Adams, The Theater manage
ment Will be vastly disappointed II it
does not, for these big headliners have
been relied on TO round out what has
been one of the highest seasons In the
history of the house
The vivid impression Sothern left IN
'If | Were King is so well romem-
1 ,pl, IA, Is. Il ba
his new play, THE Proud Prince is
written by the same author, Mr. Justin
Huntly Mccarthy and that the pro-
ductlon viii be made on even n more
lavish scale than last years play, The
company Us larger, the scenery heavier,
and the musical fea lures play so Inn
portant a part that a specially aug
mented orchestra has been engaged,
and Mr.. Sothern VIII bring his own
leader.
The play Of THE Proud Prince" Is
based on the old story Of Robert OF
Sicily, the character which falls to Mr.
Sothern's hands The role Is said TO
be as long as Hamlet, and by far the
most difficult OF any that Sothern has
ever played From the time he enters
the stage until he leaves IT, the make
up" Of his face and form is constantly
being altered. In the first act the
evil hearted king Is seen superbly
handsome Through a miracle he is
transformed into a being as evil with
out, as he has been within From then
on all the changes for better or worse
are shown i'm his exterior until his re-
generation I'm the last act, when he has
become purified and his former hand
some self Is given back to him through
another miracle,
Sothern's changes are made with
such rapidly that he employs three
dressers constantly OF work to assist
him, lie has In all nine changes Of
costume. he wears four different wigs
and he utillzes every known adjunct
OF the actors art from spirit gum IN
the placing on Of the beard, To every
tint that Is known IN facial cosmetics.
The scene Of the miracle Is Mr. Soth-
erns most difficult transformation be-
cause he is allowed but three minutes
time 10 change IN the fun view OF the
audience from the royal gown of the
smoothfaCed king. into the fantastic
finory Of the bearded and grovelling
court fool To tell OF how this remark
able change Is accomplished would be
TO lose perhaps some OF the glamour
of its mystifylng surprise. As can he
understood, however, Mr. Sothern and
his three dressors are husily at work
during the three minutes that he lies
PROSTATE upon the ground, with the
moonlight full upon him, the lightning
playing around him and the archangel
with flaming sword heaplng the curses
of heaven upon him.
The last act is even a greater strain
upon MIR Sothern than the others, as
he changes In the course OF the act
into four different costumes, revealing
In a way four different personages, In
- ln ~ fgtar
men TO assist him. He ls first seen
as white-gowned friar then appears
in a full suit Of armor, This Is stripped
from him and he is IN FOOLS motley, In
which he ascends the stake, lie makes
his re-entrance without having left the
stage by appearing I'm the full rogalla
OF the brilliant smooth faced King
again. AS an example, showing the
care with which Mr. Sothern has
thought how to make these changes In
the quickest possible manner It might
be interesting 10 note that he has his
four assistants placed at different
points Of the stage, As he makes his
exit az the white-cloaked friar, one as
eistant stands at the wings and IN the
twinkling Of an eye divests him Of his
robe and frar accessories. Sothern
then PUSHES through the rear OF the
stage to the extreme opposite side
where two men stand ready with his
armor. This Is quickly placed upon
him, and his drcssers rush behind the
scenes To the stake where each one has
an allotted part Of the costume " the
king to place upon him, His trans
formation to the king IL made while
the populace shield him from the view
of the audience,
Sothcrn found this new role 10 be
such a constant tax upon his strength
that he has been forced 60 give MP his
literary work, In which ne had been In
dulging ga "a pasUme for the last few
years. When asked recently n he did
not regret this, he Is quoted as saying
Il consider an actors day 10 COM
mcnqe when the curtain for the evening
performance rises and his first duty Ia
to save himself for his performance 20
his public"
Il win be a long time before the
echoes OF the enthusiasm awakened by
Maude Adams visit die away from the
salt Lake Theatcr As already stated
by the News the receipts were
among the most prodlgious " any In
the history Of the house and they broke
all records In Mr. Pypor's experience
with the sole exception Of those OF
"Ben Hur.' They would have equalled
or surpassed even the record OF that
success, Mr. Piper thinks, had not tho
seating capacity Of the house been ma
tchally reduced boy the recently adopt
ed FIRE regulations
II was most pleasant for Miss Adams
20 know that her decided success In her
home city was due as much to her in
trinslc merits as an artist, rs 20 the
public desire 10 give her a welcome IN
Che place OF her birth Had she been
d aRuplttf1 lfrQUunv ID uu Dhp would
have won her way by the force Of her
.--uL... ~ MN l. .a.u-l. L.. ---- q. ~ Nh