The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-11

New York. Oct. 9.-Ffve new plays
by American authors In Broadway
within a week are so various that the
two that are political differ from each
other, and so do the two that are mu-
steal. quite as much as those -four do
from the fifth that is domestic. Is our
native stagecraft getting TO be di-
versely O~riginative?
X X X
The most rapid and violent commO-
ton that I have ever seen maintained
on any stage throughout a Ong even
ing is In 1.-THE American Idea" which
the program classified as a ''frivolity."
The first character to introduce him
self says in a song that his name is
Sullivan. There is Big Tim" he as
serts in the refrain. meaning Tamma-
-Sy's sub-boss congressman and a the
atrical operator in vaudeville; there
is Big Tim. you know him, and John
l.. you know him we'll. There never
was a man by the name of Sullivan
that wasn't a damned good Irishman!"
Next to tell bout himself is Rud-
meyer. a German. who hates the Irish
Sullivan as keenly as Sullivan hates
him. Each has a yOung son and
daughter with singing voices and dane
ing feet, who at their outbreaking en-
trance as a %quaTette explain that they
are paired in love despite parental ami
mostly Lndl IL lle NOuDlth INOAilSO-
juliet. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS theme of
George M Cohan's latest "frivolity,'
and recurs once in a while during that
racketty turmoil of THE American
Idea" the idea seeming to be that
Americans in Paris don't do as Pa
risians do. but raise hell Columbia!
They raise it particularly high for a
climax to the middle act. when a hun
49, - 49,, % Z, Dovig hn+aI froOp
into the drawing room dressed as va
q RANTS of Uncle Sam and the Goddess
of Liberty. to sing n dance in Amer
lean ragtime a wild Indian rather than
tame negro cakewalk TO a COhaneSe
medley of our patriotic airs The prin-
cipals in the company lead the ballet
chorus in and out n round about
the scene, doing stunts often acrobatic
and always so swift that they look
ike moving pictures showed through
the machine at double the orig
InaI speed. The first night spec
tators. sitting lazy in their seats, eX-
cept for clapping their hands. demand
ed lifts of the curtain fourteen times,
until two of the exhausted girls faint
and a 1eshy comedian stopped in
collapse. Which should get credence
for the assertion that this is the live
Hest Conan show ever yet. And that is
true. although George himself. isn't in
il. and a duartette Of comedians voices
for him his familiar curtain speech: 81
thank YOU my mother hanks you, my
father thanks you. my sister thanks
you-thank you-thank you!' He
doesn't baulk at poking fun at himself
or his work.
No one since Charles H. Hoyt. eX-
cepting Conan, has equalled that stage
humorist in finding vaudeville talent To
serve his farcical purpose. Only the
names Of Trixie FriganZa and George
Beban meant anything TO me in the
program: yet the performance brought
out all the plays values. A Robert L
Daley turned out TO be a brother OF
the late Peter F. Daley, with some OF
Pete's funmaking knack. A Stella
Hammerstein, good-looking and agree
able, was identified as a daughter OF
that Oscar Hammerstein who wears
comic hats and makes money in vau-
deville to spend in grand opera. New
York dotes on the dancing of Adeline
Cenee. Bessie Clayton. Petite Adelaide
and Belle Dazier. yet here are a Ger
tie Vanderbilt and a Rosie Green, new
md amazing in grace OF contortion. The
Pony Ballots name is a trademark
established by litigation. yet here are
eight as agile and timber crea-
lures as ever were let loose
from a chool of dancing. Il is
OF always a saving of expense
though. when talent is brought from
the variety shows int semi-dramatiC
use. Not long ago a vaudeville mono
loguist submitted to a cut from s35(
TO $500 a week to get a chance as 9
dramatic comedian. and the outcome
was such a fasco hat he scoote6
back TO his accustomed work and
e But CO1nn is as shrewd as Be
laScO in choosing persons to exploit
and, truth to tell. New Workers are as
eager TO he ecstatic over Cohanese
farce as they are over Belascan melo-