The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-25

over and the actors were skating on
thin ice likely to break, they couldn't
have been sitter with the frost OF
fright, of the fright of a frost. They
might have known that friendly au-
dienee wouldn't throw things at them;
yet they seemed ever alert to dodge
missiles. Probably a smoker of con-
tempt, or a laugh of derision, hits an
actor harder and hurts worse than a
rotten egg or a decayed cabbage.
The only person on the stage that
showed no apprehension wasn't there,
The island scene is a beautiful shore,
with a sea stretching far away, and
when the curtain rises boy and a girl
stand with their backs to the audience
and their faces 10 the expanse of water,
in imitation of the picture Familiarity
underlined What are the wild waves
saying?" Those children come forward
to join ten others in a gambol, but an
opened umbrella, with two feet stick
ing out from under it, is left on a sand
dune. The feet are bare, so are the
ankles, and their shapely smallness in
dictate that they belong to a girl. What
will be the surprise when we see her?
VIII she have on a bathing suit that
denudes her shockingly? How many
Of US hope SO? After a while a comedian
lifts the umbrella. Dangling from it
are pair of stuffed shoes and stock
ingsi
In these days of theatr trade
versus dramatic profession, plays
spring from business instinct oftener
than artistic inspiration. To illustrate.
Very likely the names of Harry Lehr
and Melville Ellis mean nothing to you.
Lehr became Mrs. Astor's cotillion
leader ard society clown while getting
living as a wine agent: and, while
thus booming the sale of his brand OF
champagne he won the big prize of an
Aston set belle for a wife. Ellis is a
musician and actor who resembles Lehr
closely. They are light blondes with
regular features, hair that peroxided
girls might envy for its yellow and
pink cheeks that dimple prettily when
they smile. They would seem girlish
but for a saving manliness of manners.
Ellis may have said to himself: eff
Lehr's individuality caDtivated the
smart SET can't I project mine eff
fectually across the fOotlights to an
audience?" We have him this week
in a monologue at one of the potter
vaudeville theatres He does nothing
that couldn't be done as we'll by dOz-
en- actors to be found any afternoon in
a round of the Players, Greenroom and
Lambs clubs. vet hardly one of them
could entertain with inconsequential
material as ne does. He SaunterS on
the stage as Lehr does into a parlor
mods and smiles how are you? and re-
marks, as though to friends; IF you'll
stand it, I'll sing and play a lit-le." He
sits at a piano and recites rather than
sings about a, slick fellow who thrives
without any income and whose refrain
is, "Oh, I'm a damned smart chap" A
second song is made up of WOmens
gossip at an afternoon tea Next Re.
asks the audience to name five operas.
and from them he makes "ah operate
omelette" by mixing selections from
them with popular tunes of the day
Finally he sings a humorously senti-
mental ballad of things that happen
when love is young" All of the
monoIogue would fall flat if Ellis were
not, like LehT, a born charmer. Why.
when his limit of time is passe |. mod
ish women i'm the parquette spat their
gloves for more and boys in the ga
lery are yelling,
Now for the point that 7 have been
aiming at-the alertness Of theatrical
managers TO get goods thai will sell.
A drama of New York so-ieTy is in
preparation at a principal the1tre. One
of it's characters is a carpet knight at
a cotillion tournament. ''Why NOT
make him Harry Lehr and have him
played by Melville Ellis?" said tie
stage director, after seeing Ellis du-
pIicatiOn of Lehr. Sure" said the
manager. The author-oh, il doe-n't
matter what ne said. The upshot is
that Lehr won't get to you Der FL, S
in vaudeville, but may in drama ii the
play proves to be goods that will sell