The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-18
What Salt Lakers Win H,,.
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of Amusement N.Y. Y

In nv opinion, Adelaide Nelson wa!
the last Of the great actresses ~ !:
true / WAS very young when studiec
her acting, and youthful Impressions
are likely TO bo overlooked; But, IN my
memory, I can still hear the wonderfn
bell like quality Of her voice, and car
still see the mobile beauty that made
her balcony eccne in "Romeo and
Juliet something never TO be forgot.
ten. Her acting held audiences In rapt
attention. It was no less amazing to
those Of US who watched from the
wings the revelations Of genius which
custom did not stale.
1 WAS quite q young chap when l first
Joined her company, and she amused
herself very often by teasing me when
I blundered in my work. One night che
stood in the wings chatting with me.
"What role do you like mo best inf''
she asked.
ri don't think I could select just
one role" l answered:
| "Well, what role do You like mo
least in7' she persisted
After a moment 8 hesitation, I snid:
"Juliet.' 1t was her most famous
character and she studied my face with
thoughtful eyes.
"Why Juliet7'' she inquired in a Gu
riously altered voice.
"Because, l stammered, "you new
CT seem as NIIuIdl Ill tudL 10 ub NJ
in the other characters
"You are quite right she said, af"
ter moment s pause; "entirely right
in your Judgment. Juliet is the only
role in which I never feel quite nat
uraI l think it is because l was Ia
boriously drilled in that. while the 9th
ers / worked out for myself
After that she never guyed me when
l made mistakes.
cbn ha
saw Nelson play Viola in Twelfth
Night" " I had been given the part OF
he sea captain, and l watched her
closely as she made her first entrance,
Ill the second scene Of the play,
"What country. friends. is thiss' IS
Viola IS first speech. When to my
tTbis is ulyria, lady" she spoke the
words, "And what shall / do in lily
ria?" Nelson gazed about her for a
few moments, as though musing on her
loneliness IN the strange land, then her
eyes filed with tears and as she CON
tinued the speech about her brother the
tears rolled down her cheeks.
OF course tears are not an unusual
manifestation. But it showed that the
great actress felt the part tho moment
she stepped on the stage and the sorrow
pictured on her face was emphasized
by the true, clear infections OF her
At the time of Nelson's s great tri,
umphs, we did not carry scenery or
"props' when we travelled from one
town to another. Each theater fur
nished the settings. and so on that were
required. We did, however, carry
few letters. and sometimes parch.
ment role from which we could read
Imaginary proclamations or set forth
the dishes that were to be served at
the very imaginary dinners. suppers or
Danquets. For my part, 1 remember
very distinctly that I possessed tho
elaborate equipment Of two entirely
different colored pairs of tights
Hotel accommodations were decidedly
worse at that time than in even the
smallest 'ouenigh ght-stands OF the pres.
ent. [ remember one Christmas day in
the thriving city of Jacksonville. III.
The hotel rooms were not heated, SO we
spent the day gathered around the
stove IN the hotel lobby. In spite of
the miserable surroundings, Nelson
was very cheerful and kept up in good
spirits by her selhes Of wit aud fund
Of clever anecdotes. The Christmas
dinner was almost as bad as our stage
feasts, but the great actress made no
complaint, although she did send out
tor some sweets to supplement the dis
couraClng hotel fare provided.
There were few frst-class theatere in
Nelson s time. but the standard of act
ing was certainly equal to that of to.
day-poss!bly much higher.