The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-08

A y AA<s7C~N saw Up Wv a
week in vaudevilsa to go into
drama at S25- That bit Of his blog-
raphy has been printed abo,lY as many
times, since its original date thirty
SSarS ago, as the one of Dixey's that
ne made his debut as the forelegs of
: 5 neiSf IN EVangeline, with Rich
-S.to Soiden as the hind legs. And VIII
nam H. Crane was the antic comedian
OF the company. Wilson was coupled
win the late Frank Sanger upon his
entrance into a Philadelphia stock com
pahy. remember il because they
were cast for hackdrivers. with no
more than 100 words apiece to speak
IN play Of mine Ga first offense long
since forgotten if not forgiven. VIII
son dramatic art was soon affected
by commeTcialism. His heart was in
MS ambition, but his head knew the
cash value OF his feet for dancing Eur
poses, ana, with Sanger for comrade.
ne went into Nate Salsbury's TrOuba-
dours the earliest of the musical farce
parties. Salisbury made money enough
10 capitalize his own scheme of 3uf-
1aIo Bits Wild. West haif owner.
ship of which enabled him 20 die
wealthy. Sanger never became much
or an actor, but he operated so cleverly
IN theatre and play properties that he
left very large estate. Wilson got to
De rich, too. but he had to earn lis
fortune BY the kind of tOm-fOol acting
- tn9t ne disiiked, for a happy role in
ETninie' marked him for celebrity in
ND4titC UEtLd. w ell. now. having MADE
fortune In Glowing. he joins the
FFohman forces and is once more a
legitimate comedian That is Broad
ways theatrical event of this week.
SO the task which Francis Wilson
undertook on Monday night, was to
be as funny without songs and dances
as he has been with them. a very
knowing audience was there to see
him practice all his tricks of diversion,
minus the bad singing and good dane
ing, but plus sanity of subject and
verify of motive; and what was omit
ted was fully balanced by what was
added- He didn't discard any of his
comic mannerisms. He trotted into
Wow with side-tO-side wabble, over
laden with baggage and scared by the
thought Of missing a train. Within five
minutes be had fooled with two hats on
his one confused head. tumbled over a
trunk ana talked with his mouth
crammed fun of victuals. You who
are familiar With wisconsin know how
We'll those things counted for laughter.
They served this time to characterize
Wilbur jerks from Allentown. Pa.
VINO was touring in Europe. and yet
they didn't change the personality of
the actor one 1ot. In an Alpine scene,
where he put on the clothes of a guide,
we were rather glad he had cut out
promised yodel-knOwing as we did
1 how badly he sings-nOr did we miss
the traVeSty of a Swiss dance which he
could have made grotesque with the
native maid whom he kissed. We were
quite content to laugh at his bare
knees, which the too short knee
breaches and leggings exposed patched
with court plaster 10 mark the bruises
of an automobile accident. BY which
mean to say that the former musical
clown became a legitimate comedian
with no Impairment of his value.
There is an old French comedy Of
Labiche in which two lovers of one girl
agree between themselves to WOO her
together fairly and Squarely: but the
fellow who is crooked outwits the fell
low who is straight, until the exposure
OF his duplicity comes, and then the one
who deserves her gets her right, while
the one who dOeSn gets left. clyde
Fitch has taken that play 10 conStrue
into Cousin Billy" with a star part
for Francis Wilson In this largely
original version of the girl. her rival
SuitOTS. her cousin who gets lnNOlNeu
in the younger triangle of courtship,
and her mother whom he wants to wed,
are all American travellers in Europe
We see them first in Paris railway
station, next in a Swiss inn and last IN
a Pennsylvania home. Fitch has new
er yet been at his best in the adapta-
ton Of foreign plo-.-s, but he is not
nearly at his worst in this instance
He has mOderniZed and Amertcanlzeu
such of the Labiche material as he has
retained. he has provided new incidents
for the old story. and he has provided
a role in which Wilson can be Wilson
over and over, through and through
Two beautiful young red-headed wO-
men centeTed more interest in them
selves than in a new play in which
they were importantly involved. Gene
We've GTeViile HaineS had written
"Once Upon a Time" and although
her husband figured as the star actor.
Gertrude Coghlan had the leading role
of the more interei ting sex People
who regard the native stage studious-
l. haArt watching those women
closely for three years or 50. Mrs
Haines is a peculiarly striking and
commanding personality. daughter of a
Younger branch of the noble British
house of GTeVille. the family name of
the Earls of Warwick, and. In the
present generation. i'm the public eye
because of the daring Lady Violet
GreviIIe. Cenevieve Cireville met Rob
ert T Haines an American college
man and actor. at a fashionable wa
terIng place. In happy wedlock they
have pursued their way together. he
as a player and she as a playwright.
But what commanded attention most
for once Upon Time
was that the young woman s
earlier piece Hearts Ahame," had
Impressed on the discerning mind. in
spite of some technical faults, her
keen human insight and a daring
sense of the dramatic. So we were JUS
titled in the expectation OF something
good in American stage writing.
Gertrude Goghlan had aroused ad-
vance interest by beauty and iudividu-
atty. by family and achievement, quite
eQualling Mrs. Haines. Gertrude is the
crimson-haire daughter of the Cogh-
lcns, and with the distinct personal
ity inherited from her forbears she
had AT her debut indicated a strong
dramatic sense. That was In The
Royal Box" when l watched her be
cause she was the only child of
Charles Coghlsu and niece of Rose
Coghlan- Afterward she was lost TO
New York for several years. though
we heard that she was giving p fine
performance of Beck Sharp as q shoot
ing star in One-shOt towns. A month
or two ago she got chance to aim
at a Broadway mark with a small part
in The SOrceress" alongside Mrs Pat
Campbell and she hit il. Well, in
the case of this one Of the two red
topped beauties. we were rewarded for
hOpefly journey TO a little out-of-
the-way theatre usually devoted 70
amateur performances.
The once upon a time" that served
as a title for Mrs. Haines' play start