Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-17


second week at the Savoy, this piece
played to very nearly $4,000 on the
week Imagine the proflts for the
management on such an investment as
that,
Mr. Francis Wilson, who ought TO
have a pretty fair idea OF the theatric-
al situation during the two years when
ne has spent IN II since he turned
his back on musical comedy, remarked
IN the course Of conversation the
other night: Whatever my asplra-
lions towards serious work may be,
you will find me sticking 20 farce
for the most part for the next two or
three seasons. The reason IS simple
enough. believe that there Is O bar
rel OF money for any actor or manager
who invests In a good farce Just now.
The utter collapse OF musical comedy
makes that inevitable, Eight-tenths Of
the playgoers go to the thedter TO
laugh. and now that most Of the musi-
cal shows have become positively trag-
ic, farce Is naturally going 20 have its
day And In my opinion us a good
thing for the stage that II Is In
spite Of many opinions 10 the contrary
| believe that II takes a clever artist
TO score IN farce. It's by no means
easy work, but It's rewarsd are ampls
even when you look only AZ the artistic
point OF view. Moreover II calls Tor
ensemble work. Everybody works but
father does not apply 10 farce at all,
let me tell you. II father doesn't work
just as hard as everybody else he soon
goes to the foot OF the family. Now,
In my experience In musical comedy.
have found It almost impossible to get
any assistance from the other members
In scoring points. The other comedians
are naturally bent on scoring points FOR
themselves as far az possible While the
soprano, the tenor and the basso, who
are usually persons without the slight
est sense OF humor are 30 busy think
Ing OF the song which they have 10
sing as soon as the comedy scene N
done that their assistance has about
the effect OF load OF coal suddenly
dumped on top OF you My one little
venture into serious work THE Little
Father of the Wilderness" won't be
seen In New York until next week. be-
cause Mr.. Frohman very wisely decid-
ed that II was better for us TO make
sure that we had one success before We
produced another play along with H.
II my performance In II meets with one
half the appreciation here In New York
that It received IN various cities on the
read last season. I shall be more than
delighted. But even II score in It,
don't want my old clientele 10 get the
idea that / am going entirely for
tragedy as yet"
In The Mountain Climber" Mr.. Will
son has one Of those Ananlas sort Of
roles which enables him TO indulge In
no end OF tom-foolery. but at the same
time the play provides Miss May Rob-
son with the role OF doting enthusiasts
tic wife which she plays on such legit-
nate lines that In many Of the scenes
she actually carries the play quite
away from the star. II IL by far tbs
cleverest performance which she has
given In many seasons.
The Embassy Ball" the other farce
which has lately come TO town--but Il
Is farce In spite OF the fact that its
author, Mr.. AugustIn Thomas. insists
on billing II as comedy--contaln
some clever scenes and some exceed
ingly witty lines. but as a piece OF
stage-craft II Is far below Mr.. Thorn.
as standard. The star, Laurence
D'Orsay. proved the chief dIsappoint.
ment. His three years in stellardom
as THE Earl of Pawtucket" have
brought about such an elaboration Of
succeeds In only giving an exasperst-
Ing burlesque OF his old self.
How completely the old DAILY ellen
tele has drifted away from the famous
old theatcr was demonstrated at "The
Embassy Balls" first performance. for
when Mr.. George Clarke. a member OF
the late AugustIn Days company for
over 80 years. steps on the old stage
once, he did not even receive one well
coming hand. Mr.. Clarke succeeded az
big-hearted bluff westerner In giving
his cleverest performance in the play,
none the less. Speaking Of Mr.. Clarke
and his long career under Mr.. Days
banner recalls dear old Mrs. Gilbert
once more. The auction sale OF her eff
fects and the tragic death Of youns
II. j, Morgan We're the two saddest
events OF the past theatrical week.
The sale OF Mrs. Gllbert's souve.
Mrs, photographs, costumes and thea
trical treasures was held at the
Knlckerbocker art rooms and the prices
that these old relics brought were abb
solutely pitiful, Even her big Bible
brought only paltry Sl2, while her
autographed photographs Of famous
men and women, her old progra ms,and
prompt copies Of play books brought
prices ranging anywhere from 10 to
30 cents, In spite of the fact that
over 300 lots of her effects were put
up AT auction. the gross receipts of the
sale must have been considerably less
than 500. The old black silk potticoat
which Nh DAILY always insisted upon
her wearing al every first performance,
because he called It her lucky skirt,
was Knocked down TO a secondhand
dealer for 81 IS. Mr., Charles Richman
was the only graduate OF the DAILY
company who attended the sale. He
and his wife bid In a number Of. the
old pay-bills and the poem, composed
by John Glendenning, which MIR. Rich
man. the then leading man OF Miss An
ME Russcll's company, read to her on
her eighty-,hird birthday.
The accidental death OF T.. NJ Morgan
on Saturday was peculiarly sad, owing
to the fact that he had Just come out
Of d sanitarium, whore he seemed to
have conquered the indrmity which had
married his work for several seasons
and seemed 20 BIZ ~ quite his old health
and spirits. The' report that he had
committed suicide was az cruel as II
was untrue, tor nn the very day Of his
death he had just accepted an engage,
ment to star IN new play, which was
especially written FOR him by Hartley
Manners Ne and clara Morris were
TO head The cast
AZ the theaters this week the attrac-
tons are 9s follows Empire peter
Pam Belaseo. The Girl Of the Gold
on Vest Broadway, The Vanderbilt
Gun Academy. The Heart OF Mary
d .H t.H NJ. 4