Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-09

Special Correspondence.
N YEW YORK, May Sour salt
N Lake bunch Of travellers this
way has enjoyed some rare re-
unions with the Utah colony IN
gotham especially with the Bastons,
whose home forms the music center
Of the metropolis for all Utahns here
resident Genial Bob though he has
given up the stage for good and aye,
as he pulls IT, and devotes his attention
to the Brazilian Diamond Mines COM
pany, OF which he is secretary still
takes good care of his rich voice. and
is singing better than ever He has
some influential New York friends
among the Scotch colony who. at their
gatherings. go wild over his rendition
OF such old gems as "Rothsay Bay
"Iighland Mary" THE Maid o Dun
dee" 'Loch Lomond7 and the string
or others Of undying fame which only
Easton knows how to sing.
THE MERRY WIDOW"
We descended in body on THE
Merry Widow the other night and
came away Just little disappointed.
Perhaps the thing had been over
doomed. and our anticipatious had
mounted little too high but the fact
is that we have seen a number OF
things here which have afforded us
greater pleasure, notably The Witch
ing Hour" and THE Merry Widow
only ranks as respectable second In our
list of headlners, OF course it is
headliner, Lehar'e enchanting music
and Savage's gorgeous production
would always ensure that, but the
standard of the leading people was be-
low expectations, there was too much
dialogue and too little music, the crea-
tion is really musical play and not n
comic opera--the story Is much thinner
than we had expected to find such
beautiful music welded to, while the
suggestiveness Of the last actnot the
widely advertised dancing episode
but the scene in the Partisan hurdy
surdy house is loud enough in places
to be-well, deafening-that is, to wild
things that insures longevity. The
three principals were Madam Abar-
banelle, the meSry widow, chic for
eigner who is only "A fair singer, and
whose butchery of the Kings English
Keeps one ON a constant Straln 10
catch the story; Donald Bryan, the
tenor, who can act and dance but
whose singing gave Bob Easton and
the rest of US the fidgets. and the
familiar II. T.. Graham of Minnie Pal-
mer and "Florodora" days, whose COM
edy methods Salt Lake always found
all wood and yard wide, and who does
not improve with age. why savage,
with the prodigHlity he lavished on
dresses, scenery, costumes and chorus
should not have been a little more par
ticular about his leading singers, ~ a
puzzle. They tell us that Ethel Jackson
the original widow, who is now resting
is somewhat better than the very pam
foreign girl who now essays the role,
and Sallie Fisher. who was at ono time
for the part, tells us that
Mr.. Savage frankly said he wanted
acting first, singing second. But Tine
Merry Widow" is the rage, and It's
waltz. with the accompany
ing business" and it's glitter ana gor-
geousness, viii keep IT the rage Tor
an indefinite term. George ID. Pyper
OF the salt Lake theater Is now here
arranging for a visit from the produc-
ton next year, so you VIII be given
chance to rendo your verdict upon 1t.
THE WEIGHING HOUR"
Another thing let us hope Mr. Pyper
may carry home I'm his booking list next
year is THE Witchng Hour" Nothing
more beautiful than this play has been
given the American stage In years,
and Thomas in 1t shows his genius
even more markedly than he did In his
well remembered Alabama" and 'Ari-
iona" The feature of the New York
presentation is the justice OF the SUI
preme court, played by Russ WhYtal'
who came out starring IN salt Lake
years ago with unfortunate results
and who now plays with tenderness
equal TO that of the lamented Stoddard
himself The reading of Bret Harte's
lnigonettc poem was a dream OF de-
light Jack Mason plays the leading