The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-07

New York. June Drama is a JOKE
in June. Do you recall the old-time
trick signboards that, by lettering OF
Stats, was made TO say one thing as
you approached. another as you got in
front and still another as you passe
beyond? At Bergen Beach l read in
points Of electric fire: The Phenome-
nal Forrest Family in 'Virginius.
CHANGING over my shoulder when / had
gone by, 1 saw: Phenomenal PhOrrest
Family" Sauntering back, l noted:
Phenomenal Forrest Phamily." The
persuader at the doorway was saying
that the entire tragedy of 'Virginius
was given. like the molasses candy OF
the confectionery shops, fresh every
hour, at a dime per COB, by lineal
descendant of Edwin Forrest the
Great and his phenomenal family.
n ade seVenty-fOur persons present.
Someone, probably, the principal heir
To Forests genius, peeped through a
hole in the curtain. saw $40 in a
count-up of the house, and Immediate
~ the performance was begun with a
monograph and photographs worked
in unison. AS the pictures moved in
rapid scenes from the earlier portions
OF the play, the speaking machine gave
sentences. along with explanatory re-
marks by human voice belonging, as
subsequently revealed, to the main
Forrestian descendant. Thus the pOr-
ton of the tragedy Cp TO the episode
in the market place was run out by
the two machines and the one speak
er in ten minutes.
Then the stage was opened 10 its en-
tire depth OF eight feet. The tyrant
sat on his forum, painted life-size on
canvas. and his lictOrs stood in similar
fixidityi but the phenomenal Forrest
family, consisting of Nirginius, Nir-
ginia and Icillius. were alive, and they
enacted the Staying of the daughter
by the maddened father with all their
might. The new Forrest made as
much noise as the old Forrest, and
evidently he was an actor of training
and experience. The daughter and her
lover may have been recent graduates
from a dramatic school A short phon-
ographic and Photographic spell en-
sued. Then the lover changed in
guise to the tyrant, was chOked 10
death by the raving, ranting Virginus
In truly Forrestian uprOar. And all in
half an hour for 10 cents.
\ X
A dramatic joke of hot temperature
is THE She Devil and the Demon.
The fiend looks like Gothe's MephistO
but the girl he would destroy is no
German fraulein. blonde and good, but
a Spanish senOrita, brunette and bad.
When Demon finds She Devil asleep
in a forest of hell. he grabs her like
a faun or satyr When she aWakes
she wriggles loose; but on taking a
look at him, she has no notion of run
ming away. Rather would she daily
with and dominate he devil So she
dances all the Spanish wriggles and
twists she knows Of, all the twirls and
swirls. the graceful contortions and
picturesque pastures, and becomes 50
caioric that even his clothes seem 10
blush red. His horns, hOOfs and tail
don't come into view, but his bad dis
position towards women shows itself
50 wickedly as to scare her out of her
she deVtltry. She carries a jeweled
dagger, a gift from Car Nicholas, 50
she says; also that she is surprised by
Car RoOsevelt's refusal 10 let her
dance before him and perhaps give heI
a big stick as a trophy. She is right
glad now that she didn't take a tip
from Herod's stepdaughter dancing
for the head of John the Baptist, and
ask Nicholas for a nihilists; for, any
way, heads are cheap and plenty; and
be-
She Devil will stick that dagger
through Demon where a heart ought
10 be. But her idea of demOniac ana
tony is wrong. She can't jab the blade
into this fellow. Also, he eyinces hvp-
motto power lige Syengalfs over Tril-
by. He makes several passes at her
glares into her eyes. and laughs in
fiendish glee, because he believes he
has her in MS powwow- wower. But
IL is not so. She whirls, leaps, ties
herself in double bow knot. straight
ems out and falls fiat on her back be-
fore him-but not in a trance. She is
dead Possibly they may meet again
in-but what's the use OF theological
surmise? 1 merely tell you of the dra-
matte joke played on a he devil by a
she devil
One OF the summer theatrical
changes in New York is that the vau-
deville roof garden Is under disdain
where not long ago it was a delight
The people expect now something like
a plays diversion for a plays price
They used 10 pay, through ticket ped
lars in the sidewalk, fun dramatfc
rates for an ordinary dramatic show
They won't do that now. Whether on
or under roofs. they demand fully
equipped and cleverly-performed plays
of foolery IN hot weather. The She
Devil and the Demon" with AIexia
as a new Carmencita. nils half an hour
IN the only vaudeville entertainment
that Will occupy a roof gardedn In
Broadway this season She is the
head-liner as they say now, the top
sawyer. as they used TO say-a sylph-
shape young woman of the Spanish
sort. and she adds Russian. Partisan
and Oriental tricks. even the Ameri-
can "serpentine" effects, 10 the fan
dango exercises OF her native debut
audaciously, too. as in her use OF the
Russian name AleXia. along with the
tale of the Russian ears dagger. She
is a dancing wonder though. and
stands out in splendor by contrast with
the dizziness of the show generally.
How most OF US do dOte on clever
dancing. though. Alexia and her male
mate. Orpheo. dance not as two, but
as one. in transitions from human
zephyrs OF quietude to tornadoes. In
the other roof garden opening of the
week, off Broadway. an American pair
Rock and Fulton. leg it similarly Ia
the top line of the bill by singularly
harmonious dancing On the night two
years ago that Thaw shot White in a