The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-10

The first night Of 1.-THE Little Michus''
recalled the long-sgo first night of
"Pinafire" by something else than the
mixing up of babies. Both plays were
introduced here by ill-chosen and I'M
prepared companies. Sir Joseph and
Little Buttercup were Mr.. and Mrs.
Thomas Whiffin, who could act but
couldn't sing; Ralph and Josephine
were amateurs who could sing but
couldn't act; and WREN the curtain fell
the rights for this country wouldn't
have brought a thousand dollars, even
If there had been an international copy
right then TO protect them. THE Lit
tie Michus" was endangered at the out
set by hasty decision to perform it
sooner than had been expected. The
MiChu girls needed small soubrettes
able 20 sing like prima donnas, and re-
sembling each other. Suitable looks
and ability were not immedia tely avail
able Two makeshifts We're picked
out of the chorus. and this didn't turn
out TO be one of those cases-usually
pIearranged-of talent discovered sur
prisingly. The chorus pair, poor fright
ened little creatures, sang oft key IS to
one and discordanuy as 10 the other.
while their futile Efforts to act would
have disgraced amatc urs at charity
entertainment. THIN, when the audi
enCc had got into a mood 10 ridicule,
the feminine chorus came on in Empire
gowns, the very tallest girl wearing the
skirt which, probably. had been cut for
one of the short girls drafted out to
play the Michu roles; for the usually
stately dresss ended at her calves,
making heE a sight to@start n guffaw.
But at that moment The new comedian,
Graves. divulged himself in an eXtraV-
agantly grotesque caricature, and
turned the merrimcnt from failure to-
ward success. After the first laughter
at his appearance had exhausted itself
he renewed if by beginning to utter ar
rant nonsense i'm a quaint way. Don't
touch that he exclaimed, with a
shrink and shudder. as some one
touched a piece of fur on his absurd
uniform; that's from the skin of a
gaZeeker-rarest of animals-found only
on the apeXes OF the Andes-hunted on
stilts-shOt with airguns," and SO on
through foolish Tigmarole, ending
with the 5irreveEfIt assertion THAT "a
boil in the pot IS Worth two on the
neck"
Actors are the queerest OF human be-
ngs. one singularity is that they don't
know when they are cheeky. If they
did, probably they couldn't be actors.
Here was this Mi. Graves. making a
tremendous hit; yet, because others in
the company We're making misses,
thereby preventing the play as a whole
from going as well as it had gone in
London. he egOtistieally took the blame
all on himself along with the praise.
Il thank you FOR your kindness to
me-" he said. in response to a call land
please note the personal pronouns),
but it is something of a shock To me,
assure you. wien some Of the things
that scored in London don't i'm New
York. | shall endeavor to learn your
ways. and earn your additional appre-
citation"
The funny fellow was giving hilari-
Gus satisfaction. and perhaps really be
lieving that he hated to talk about him
self yet he was so well convinced that
he was the whole blooming show as to
apologize quite seriously for other
faults than his own. Permit me to re-
iterate. that actors are the queerest OF
human beings.
Lack of original novelty what ails
all the weeks musical plays. The
/ Rose of the Alhambra' and The Girl
and the Governor" are quite AS scant in
/ newness as The Little MichuS. and
~ like IT, they are both helped out by
their music. Yet If you have an ode
scheme in your mead for libretto, bui
rot the money i'm your pocket to pay
for an experiment, there is no probable
=
wouldn't be likely to find a manager {,
produce it at his own risk. Why d'
you think Harry =. Smith goes OF
turning out half dozen librettos an
nually without ever striking out from
! conventionality? Believe me- it ism
because he hasn't the ability TO frcsheI
the staleness. The reason is that IN
produces what is demanded OF him
Other authors follow his thrifty exam
ir,1a 7 hg n
FOUNDERS. on the opening night of "Th'
/ Girl and the Governor were aston
| ished TO see. on looking at the program
at the end of the act that il wasn't thu
writing Of Harry Il. Smith, but of s. Nj
! Rrenner. d stranger. and IL seemed al
though. If Mr.. Bremen really had mad'
IL. n had got his hands on Mr.. Smith
set or stencil plates rubber stamps ans
\ other tools OF rapid work i'm the libret
TO trade. For there was the principa
! comedian, jefferson DeAngelis, again
the potentate of an isolated country
! beset as ever bv an amorous old mai'
! end DESTROYS Of marrying girl tourls
who disliked him.
4 However. this was thoroughly a JEFF
! DeAngeliS show. and in that way gav'
good satisfaction. If he had never beer
seen i'm Broadway before. he would
larouse much the same feelings that Mr.
Graves does-resentment i'm those VIII
regard him as foolish only, and aopro
baton i'm those who deem him funn,
also. DeAngelis is not as glib OF gal
as Graves. but their humor Is on pa
\ I'm their "gagging," aad the America
IS an acrobatic dancer. while the Eng
l1ishman doesn't dance at all. His an
tics are familiar, every one, and are in
cldertal TO a fsndango, a serenade ant
I ofJ,or Cnar7ictl things for the scenes ar
I'm South America. The story goes tina
the unwilling girl pretends 10 be
shreY. and fights him like vicious ca
when he tries 10 fondie her; so he hire
a young fellow-who- chances TO be he
congenial Tover4bo tame her BY
method OF endearments. He make
that amusing. throughout a fandansl