Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1905-12-23
che Year Ht che Playhouse


possibilities with the holiness which
makes genius unafraid. | am not pos.
ing as an apologist for Miss Roberts
her previous good work is sufficient
answer. An actress who can success
fully measure her dramatic stature as
Ia Ia with Mrs. Leslie Carter and
her "Sapho" with Olga Nethersole
need not go beyond an intelligent au.
dience for her vindication.
| greatly admire Miss Roberts as an
actress, and l believe there is reason
in my madness. Even If she fails to
reach the pinnacle demanded by the
New York critics, in her coming en-
gagement, there can be no lowering
of the esteem she has won in the big
hearted, generous West. Perhaps ]
have dwelt unnecessarily upon this
matter, but from a certain point OF
view, the subject matter is worth more
than a passing notice. Among the big
things, among the dramatic mole-hills
of the year was Dustin Farnum in
"The Virginian" Dustin Farnum
ever since he first came here as the
dashing Denton" in Arizona" has
not only filled the eyes of Salt Lake
matinee girls, but the less emotional
who read between the lines, have read
the coming fortunes of this promising
young actor. When Charles Frohmar
stars him, as is proposed next year
Mr.. Farnum should step at once from
somewhat provincial obscurity into
the spot light of widened prominence
During the year Margaret Anglir
committed the objectionable by ap
pearing here in "Zira" before New
York and San Francisco had seer
what really proved to be a lukewarn
rehash of Wilkie Collins forgotten
New Magdalene." But even Gotham
is now clapping it's hands over "Zira.
What a tickle dame Broadway is! She
turned her proud back on Nance
lO'Neil-the darling of the West-ant
welcomes Margaret Anglin with ex
| travagant hysteria. We among the
crags and peaks of the wild ant
woolly can never quite understand the
dramatic inclinations of those who
frequent the playhouses on Broadway
Many a play has been damned with
faint praise by the New York critics
which received a warm reception in
the West, and we here have sung the
merits of a drama which there has
| frozen the East river with it's cold re
ception. If Stoddart-glorious ole
man Stoddart-had not visited us dur
| ing the year many weeping hoor
would have been hung upon "The Bon
ME Briar Bush" and Zion would have
been disconsolate. But dear Stoddart
came and we lifted up our hearts in
song as we rushed to the ticket win
dow.
All along the line there has been 9
coming and going of stage PERSONAL
| ties-actors who appealed to feminin
| ity, actresses who had charmes fol
masculinity-such as John Drew
Chauncey Olcott, Ethel Barrymore
and May Irwin. Each of them ap
peared in chilly plays, but the person
atty of the performers insured a
warm reception. And the least sub
stantial of all, MRS. Black is Back,
was clear revelation of the posi-
bilities of personality. It's dramatic
infirmity would have been sadly
smashed by the avoirdupois Of the
dubious May had not the Irwin per
sonality supported it with two strong
understudies-of which we said moth
ing, but suspected much. OF musical
shows there has been, as HogheimeI
saws in "The Girl from Kays," suffi
cheney" l had fondly hoped last sea
son that Apollo would take offense
and break his hoop over some of the