The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-11-17

Crossman's husband went shopping in
the old world as we'll as in the new for
the Wherewithal to make "The Chris
tan Pilgrim" and he found more of
what he wanted in Vienna than in
New York
The stage show of. :Ben Hur" was
rendered extremely sensuous with wo-
men in displays OF fascination; no play
of carly Christianity, so far as / have
seen, has done without voluptuous ex-
nibitons before a pagan tyrant; and
by that trick and device piOus people
have been induced to look at carnal
ballets which purported TO be essential
TO "A full illustration of religious
theme. 1t is AT the Vanity Fair that
the same thing is done in "The Chris
tian Pilgrim but the scene is so
graceful in the motion of its women,
so exquisite in the coloring of their
robes, and so free of grossness in their
WileS, that the most squeamish of
purists has to rest his complaint Who'll
ly on the one creature whose skirts are
cut away to give a view of a dan
seuse's activities. Bunyans wanton
is here an embodiment of wickedness.
as she leads her young women in an
attempt to bedeYil Christian; but she
and they are draped to their feet, and
their onslaught on him is fully clad
all save that Of a single dancer, who
toddles around him on the tips Of her
toes, in the stiff-legged manner of a
ballet permier. She is the only sight
that seemed inharmonious in this Sc
ries of Bunyan pictures.
There was no police interference at
the first performance Of tom Jones. "
You may ask why should there have
been? Well. those who defend a GEN.
sorship Of all theatrical productions, in
the fieTcely fought agitation on the
subject now raging in London. remark,
with a sneerful side glance at Amer
leans. that ii is better to have objec-
| tionablc plays prohibited beforehand
| than sensationally removed from view
| by The police, and it is TO be recalled
Henry Fielding. author of this same
| bold, bad tom JONES' was the direct
| cause OF the stage censorship in Eng
| land little short of two centuries ago.
But anything more innocent-one
/ might say innocuous-thans this comic
/ OperiZed TON Jones" could hardly be
| imagined. The characters are barely
| recognizable and the plot has been left
out. So has the naughtiness. And
TON Jones" eXpurgated is a little
more like other romantic operetta than
| becomes the traditional choleric blus-
terer of operaland, and his daughter
in the pretty and really delightful per-
| son of Louise Cunning, is the conven-
| tional young woman of trills and
| tremolos instead of flesh and blood
| Tom Jones adventures are no more
| daredevilishly dashing than an Occa-
sional rapid cross from right upper en-
| trance to left front. He, being personi-
fed by Van Rensselaer, Wheeler. has 3
! pleasing vim and a strong voice. The
Coolest thing (to borrow Annie Yea
mans phrase) in this expurgated TON
| Jones' is Benjamin Partridge's pot OF
leeches, from which the favorite, Liz
Zie, has departed; and that incites him
| to moan mOurnfully and cry loudly fol-
Lizzie. my leech!"
After all. though, it is not the libret-
! to Of Tom Jones' that obtained fol
| the entertainment four months OF
popularity in London, and may brins
ii success here: ii is the music. Rober
Courtreidge. who. with Alexander NJ
Thompson. wrote the libretto, came
i from London to New York for the frs
night, as did the composer of the score
Charles II. Taylor, who contributed the
| verses. died a few months ago. II IL
the music by Edward German that will
be responsible for whatever vogue Of
a large sort the piece may achieve
here. German is, since the death Of
Sullivan, whose unfinished score o.
THE Emerald Isle" he completed, the
foremost composer of romantic operet,
| ia in England. and it hardly necessary
to note. TO people of musical knowledge
| and appreciation, that any work from
his pen is of solid worth. The old Eng
lish atmosphere of Tom Jones' doubt
less appealed to the composer of the
famous Henry VIII dances. It is 6
favOrite period and mood of music with
| German. who. IL may be recalled
gained his first fame with musica
setting for Richard Mansf1elds stump
tuous production of Richard III a.