Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-04
OPENING GUN OF
VAUDEVILLE WAR
Prospect Of Two New Big Thea
ters Sets Real Estate
Men Agog.
0RPHEUM TO BREAK GROUND
Sullivan 81 Considime Shows May Move
From Mission Thcatcr to Old
Orpheum OH State.

With two big new theaters in pros
pect the deals closed and closing,
the Salt Lake theatrical and real
estate-world is all agog and awaiting
developments. The invasion OF the
Morris syndicate has brought the
Orpheum syndicate TO It's toes and
this morning it was announced that
ground would be broken on the prop
erty to the north of the Studebakcr
building Immediately. The plans for
the new Orpheum are being prepar-
ed by the syndicate architect and the
house is to be a reproduction of the
san Francisco and Los Angeles houses
with the one exception that the local
theater will be somewhat smaller
with seating capacity of $500 peo-
pie.
Thursday a deal was closed between
Samuel Newhouse and the Morris
syndicate on the one hand, and the
Thompson-Sterrett company on the
upon for the erection of one of the
finest theaters in the west to be
erected at Third South and State
streets. 1t Is to cost something over
a quarter of a million and Is to be of
surprising elegance, according TO
tentative plans. 1t is being designed
by Henry Ives Cobb. the architect of
both the Boston and Newhouse build
ings Its completion is scheduled for
Oct /.
ORPHEUM PLANS.
An ironclad option is held for the
property on which the new Orpheum
Is to be built, and at present there
is a deal OH which Will materially
modify the plans which have pertained
heretofore Instead of a 53-foot en-
trance, with the rear enlarging to
metropolitan size, there Is an ap-
parently successful effort being made
to acquire adjacent property which
will give the Orpheum a total frontage
of 15s feet. This will do away with
the present plan of having an entrance,
to one side of the main part of the
building.
A number of innovations are to be
introduced In the new Orpheum. The
most radical is an upper gallery. with
a capacity of 800. in which every seat
will cost 10 cents. The management
has considered this matter carefully
and has determined that many more
people would sec the exhibitions pro-
vided there were more cheap seats,
There are to be better acoustics in the
new theater and many up o-date con-
veniences will be supplied which are
lacking in the present playhouse.
OLD oRPHEUM'S TENANT.
The future of the present Orpheum
has not as yet been determined. But
with the reported consolidation of the
Sullivan and Considine syndicate with
the Orpheum circuit. it is almost
foregone conclusion that the present
Mission theater will move into the
present Orpheum. This will consolidate
the vaudeville entertainment of the
city-with the possible exception OF
the Morris people-into a clrcum-
scribed district on the upper part OF
State street.
Fl don't know just when we will get
started on the new house." said ].
Howard Garrett. of the Orpheum cir
cult this morning. There is to be
a meeting in New York tomorrow
which may have much to do with the
general future of the circuit. Mr..
Meyerfeld is there now and will be
back through here within 10 days. Then
the whole matter Will be threshed out
We plan to go to work at once and
expect to have the house up by the
middle OF the summer. Even il we
don't, it will not discommode us, for
we have our present house. which is
ample to accommodate the warm sea-
son crowds.
Frank j. GuStln, the attorney, is at
present in st Louis looking into the
title of the property on which we have
an option. the site upon which we are
to erect our new theater. He Is look
ing up some OF the minor heirs. whose
signatures we need. But we have an
option which cannot by any possibIl-
ity be broken. An option for the ad-
joining property Is also in our possess
sion. and we arc in shape to go ahead
with the erection of the new theater
as soon as the weather will permit"
THE FIGHT IS ON.
Mr. Garrett talked at length upon tho
invasion of the Norris syndicate. 'I
don't see just how they can make a 60
OF it." he said. THE nearest theater
which they have is at Chicago. and how
they can make the big jump to Salt
Lake IS more than / can see. They
have invaded Memphis, and QUIT. The
same thing In Toledo. At New Or
leans they have been playing TO bad
business. losing money every week. Yes.
we have been lighting them right along.
every place where they have invaded
our territory 1t has meant Increased
bills for us all around, but we have to
do it as a matter of self protection
The business they get is so much less
for us.
I'm regard to that merger, I cannot
say anything definite as yet. | don't
think really, that 1t Will assume as
great proportions as has been reported.
The east has troubles OF its own, as we
have. The western country Is essen
TALLY an Orpheum territory 1t has
always been so and we Will fight any
invasion. from any syndicate Too large
a circuit is a handicap, as we cannot
crowd all of them in during a season.
and a season is about the length of
any one attraction. The provinces In
theatrical rarlance. Is the west Cities
of half the size of Salt Lake In the east
have New York attractions which DO
not como to the mountain country for a
year afterward, Some of them not for
many years.
SAM NEWfiOUSE SATISFIED.
Mr. Garrett supplemented his re-
marks by saying that he did not think
there was a possibility of the Morris
people making good in Salt Lake until
they had established a line of houses
throughout the west. In contra dis
tinction to this. Water Hoff Seely, rep
resentatiyc of the Morris people. says
that they are in Salt Lake to stay and
that nobody can drive them out Sam
uel Ncwhouse. who is largely instru-