The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-20
SUMMER OFFERINGS
IN GOTHAM
az FRANKLIN FYLES.

BY FRANKLIN FYLEs.
New York. June 1S.-The New York
stage in summer is as frivolous as La
Cisale" of fable fame. But there is this
difference: whereas the cheerful grass
hopper starved the next winter because
IL danced and sang all summer, the
warm and Wam-Weather extravaganza
of Broadway is a wise bird and takes
its substance from the plays of the win
ter previous.
SatiricaI reviews of a Parisianesque
sort have long been the signs of sum-
mertime along the Great White Way.
When one manager gave them up upon
finding himself not penny richer after
a half dozen annual buTlesques that
looked like successes but cost too much
to really be such i'm the end, another
appeared ready to carry on the scheme
along his own lines. The FOllies of
1907 was popular enough that when
1908 came along and demanded follies
all its own the roof garden on which
the passing seasons frisk themselves
had to be altered To seat more folk
Again more room Is made for people to
see The Follies of 1903" the latest dash
Of light and gaiety and color in Broad
way
that this latest musical frOhC has no
plot. 1t has not even one of those dis
appearing comic opera. plots which re-
veal themselves after the opening cho-
rus of villagers, appear once during the
play-usually TO introduce the prima
donna princess COlOratura waltz song
and emerge again only in time to bring
the piece to a happy conclusion. Harry
r. Smith that prolific father of comic
operas, starts us, in this instance, on
Venus, the planet, with Venus, the god
dess. looking through a telescope upon
Broadway and signing for a man. By
aid Of Jack Binns-C. Q. D. effort by
Cupid-she gets one wirelessly up, but
frds without delay that a petticoat is
generally hanging 10 every cOattail. As
for what becomes of Venus when she
lands on the earth, don't ask me. She
seems t0 become mixed up with every
one from Kermit Roosevelt and the
German emperor to Anna Held and
Mike Donlin. As far as I could make
out through the general glitter and
crash and confusion. she became trans
formed 10y slow degrees and gradual
lowering of bodices, to Mary Garden
a thing any Venus might we'll be
pleased to do.
we find contrast i'm the confusion at one
from superhuity of managers and di-
Iectors TO the perfect accord at the 9TH
er where Oscar Hammerstein sits COM
r.ete.y surrounded by portraits of him
SELF managing his own theatre, work
ing az numerous inventions, composing
q grand opera and otherwise employed
il several and simultaneous bodies,
each of precisely the same face and
fnrD- Finally discharging Tetrazzini
and Nary Garden as unnecessary, he
IIHllces row of dummies and leads
Them through the Lucia" sextette with
perfect satisfaction to himself. Again
The theatrical rivalry is hit Off-and
With none too delicate a touch-in a
scene In which the public rushes to
SPECTATORS charging SO for even the
poorest seats to see Anna Held where
ais $40 apiece is being offered as a re-
ward tp anyone who viii go to the New
theatre. the artistic and Intellectual en-
.erlrIse TO be undertaken in October
+. FIerpont Morgan, ". K. Wander
.ll and numerous other well known
men of artistic taste and knowledge
ana the money to indulge and express
.'la- Shakespeare, in the spirit, is
brought in TO say he would rather have
written am Anna Held show than
H-n.et' had he been capable.
x X X
The Follies Of 1909" is really far fun
--eF when 1t takes us away from Broad
way squabbles to the African jungle
lA7 transition is as easy and quick and
--=AP aimed as the hop and a skip from
me planet Venus to the midst Of our
Grand opera war. In Africa We find
-7-shttul assem- blage, from the tail gi-
zane % the 1.-the and little monkeys
nom the graceful tiger TO the Uysgainly
t-1ant, all terrified at the coming Of
-.ay. All are prepared for it, all
wrought up. The ostrich, indeed. is i'm
E--- a state about II that he has to
---ee TO relieve his feelings. A girl in
user sEn-doubtless African, though
tlssl3-y ElinOr Glynian-sings about
moving Gay in the jungle" Perhaps
..-- most poignant lyric iIlustrati ton of
-.e terror spread by the coming of the
president is the information that in
-g.arIul apprehension, the panther lost
Dis pants"
hermit Roosevelt. however, is the
.-sl 10 appear. He tells of his troubles
!. song, Of the necessity Of giving up TO
.ls Lather anything he might shoot. as,
,ol example, when he hit little rabbit
~ yll aadoy had to grab it" Fortunately
Nelllt meets a lion. In preparation
-oI 'ne coming Of the Mighty Hunter he