Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-05-20
LEIGHTON BENEFIT VETOED.
Strange Action of Manager Beck Re-
suits i'm no Performance,

The Leighton players who started
out SO auspiciously at the Grand a
couple of months ago have Joined The
procession OF Improbable theatrical
ventures in Salt Lake and today the
company In it's entirety Is no more
while the Thespian barque is on the
rocks of the financial reef.
Tho whole trouble seems to be that
Mr. Leighton insisted in putting on
high class plays while the clientele
Of the Grand were clamoring for the
popular melodrama of the villain
unhand-me' type In consequence
the masses did not patronlze the
house to the extent anticipated. fur
thermore Mr.. leighton brought his
company here on per centage basis.
Then MIR. Leighton had trouble"
with some OF his leading support, all
Of which is not conducive to money
making
TWO weeks aga Mr.. Leighton under
took to put his financial standing be-
fore tho members of his company and
The ghost" did not walk that night.
The members of the company made
the best of n bad job and concluded to
stay with the ship. Then came the
presentation Of THE Prisoner Of Zen
ia" and the box office barometer
scared and It looked as though there
would be trimmings with the frugal
supper saturday night. But the sal
aries were not forthcoming.
Last week Messrs Clark and Cham
bers. the second man and the char
acter man of the aggregation of actor
folk. $50 claimed the stage hands,,
had a most stormy session with Mr..
Leighton.
Then came the benefit proposition
at tho Orpheum and Messrs. Clark
and Chambers declined to go on un
less Mr. Leighton apologlzed or asked
them to help out. Mr.. Leighton, ap-
parently did not comply and an at
tachment was levied at the box office
by members Of the company.
Just prior to this some of Mr.
Lelghton's friends, including Mr.. r.
". sloan, took up the benefit PROPOSE
tion at the orpheum. They guaranteed
the advertising In the papers and
started everything for a final big send
off. The Orpheum management was
approached and as Mr.. Bray, personal
representative OF Martin Beck, the
general manager OF the Orpheum
circuit was in town the matter was
laid before him. The outcome was
that the Orpheum theater was ten
dered 10 Mr.. Leighton for the occa-
sion, while Willard Weihe and his or
Chestra augmented by half dozen
volunteer musicians of the city agreed
TO help out and give the players a
rousing and artistic sendon Two ac-
tors were secured 10 take the places
made vacant by Messrs. Clark and
Chambers and II looked as though
there would be big benefit. The ad-
vance sale was a good one.
But late on Saturday night there
was a wet blanket thrown on the af-
fair. 1t came in the form OF a dis
patch from the headquarters of the
Otpheum circuit in Chicago and sign
I'd by Martin Beck. which stated that
MI Leighton was not TO use the Or
pheum theater under any circum-
stances, regardless OF the promise
made by Mr. Bray.
Just about this time the transient
actor who had been secured 10 play
the heavy in The Prisoner OF 2enda"
stalked in threw down his manu-
script and walked out again
These two incidents finally closed
the career OF the leighton players as
far as Salt Lake is concerned There
was no benefit at the Orpheum last
night. ana AR Leighton Is stlll Won
dorins who IL responsible