The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-11

III ginning tomorrow.
| The Colonial thcater opened sunday
night for the season Of 19l1-l2 with a
well played stage version Of Rex Beach, 8
! powerful drama, THE Barrier" E:u-
gene Presbrey dramatiZed tho novel and
Ihad ample material from which 10 weave
four acts Of as intensely suspcpseful and
emotions OF theatergoers IN long lln1e.
The story Of The Barrier began
! twenty years before the opening OF the
| play. IT terminates in the dark. the Ia
BILE and lamp having been overturned
when the flash from a pistol reveals 10
us two men in terrible. CORY hand to-
hand struggle. in which tho death OF one
or the other must result. When the
| lights are turned on. one Of them lies with
n knife thrust through his ribs; the other
! wounded in the arm
For twenty years the man who got his
| Just deserts in the combat had been pur-
suing his opponent in order to nave MN
! committed. He had shot and killed his
own wife as she was clipping with his
rival, who Immediately consoled himself
| by marrying a sauaw. But he had taken
the infant from the slain mothers breast
and that girl IS supposed TO be his daugh-
] ter. a half-brced. At n mining camp
where he keeps a general store and bar
room. a United states captain falls In
| love with her. Presently the enemy en-
ters drawn hither by rumored gold dis
Sovery. He orders a drink. and tronnle
|
10 be white and not half-breed, and
gets her captain,
Necia. the girl in the case. Is sur
| rounded with circumstances that are cN-
ceptionaly romantic. and Miss Eleanor
Haber. who plays the role, has an ek-
celent opportunity. Of which she avails
herself in exhibiting 10 her audience one
phase OF her apparent versatility: Her
deinlation of the semi harbarous Nccia is
a delightful piece of character work; IN
| which light hearted raillery Is shaded into
TlS cnlnIi0n de-
spondency. In either vein she proves her
self the mistress OF the situation, She Is
good TO look upon, her diction is excel
lent, and her manner OF Interpretation
should carry her swiftly TO greater things;
In fact, the whole play is made mp OF
nearly dozen carefully drawn character
| sketches. Norval MacGregor plays John
Gale. around whom most Of the action or
the play centers. Mr.. MacGregor is sell
dom off the stage during the run OF the
piece and most of the time his position
| Is a trying one. But there Is not a break
IN the portrayal, he seemingly gathering
strength mp to The climax in which he
land appears in the sympathetic role oil
Poleon Dorret a French Canadian hope
lessly In love with Necia. He brings to
! the part pleasing dialect and succeeds
in making the role n pleasing one through
out Lee Millar is efficient as Captain
Burrell. The other parts arc in capable
hands.
The Barrier will play through
Wednesday night with a matinee
Wednesday afternoon.
The class of the orpheum bill this
week is William II Thompson; capa BILE
actor, in THE Wise Rabbi The hit OF
the Orpheum bill this week-so ran the
verdict of the Sunday nighters-is Charles
Wilson. farce comedian. The difference
between the class OF the show and the
hit OF the show Is the difference be
tween the sublime and the ridiculous. MIR.
Thompson appeals TO the audience with
his art: Wilson with his foolishness. Be
tween the class OF the show and the MT
Of the show and running through and
of acts. all Of them well received,
Mr. Thompson. in the role or the wise
rabbi. presents some character acting that ma
difficult and the playlet does not give
opportunity for full display OF the ac-
tors capabilities It is the sya s,ory OF me 1he
oppressed people are about TO he driven
from the land, The rabbi believes he
can save them II he can but get the ear
of the chancellor This he tries to do
In a number Of ways, but is always un-
successful. Finally he encounters gar
dener and by making the latter's love al
getting "a word" with the high and
mighty government minister, The chan
celor agrees 10 the word, but sCpu-
lates that il the rabbi utters more tnan
one. the Jews certainly will fare Ill and
the gardener Is TO receive blow OF the
knout for every word the rabbi speaks In In
addition TO the one granted II IlttS CuSilS
be imagined that the rabbi who had vol
umes TO pour into the ear OF the chan-
ceIor. was sore beset with trying TO de-
Wise the single word which oliered inc
salvation oc his people. The audience
thinks at one time that the word VIII be
mercy" at another that It will he de
fiance," and is quite astonlshed when me
rabbi gives the word "silence," The dell
cate art required in bringing the olmaX
OF the piece demands the capabilities OF
n genuine actor. and Mr., Thompson fills
Charles and Adelaide Wilson, the mes
senger the maid and the violin catches
the crowd especially Wilson and the vio-
lin. Wilson's limitations are excellent,
and his grotesque playing and dancing
serve to bring q roar Of laughter
A dainty offering, is that OF Miss Elsa
, Ward. Miss Ward has good voice. with
remarkable range. She initiates the Tio,,,
lin with rare skill. Her songs are wei!
chosen, and she VIII doubtless prove a
favorte with orpheum audiences this
week
A number Of not little pretenslon is
The DandicS' In our Audiences. rms
is an English conception and is said TO TO
have been performed by royal command
before the king and queen OF Great Brit
ain. Henry J. Corner has baritone OF
good quality and yolume. and and Jack Lepo u
The company the Misses Alice Coverick,
Marjorie Cecil and Florence Mordin. are
singers with good voices and good stage
presence.
The Wood Brothers. performing on the
flvin. rings are at the top In their line,
Their muscular development Is speak
Ing eXcmplIfication Of the extent 10 when
physical culture may be studied anu prac-
ticed Their act Is good.
Patsy Doyle. monolog!st has good
many new ones. He sings n couple OF
original little ditlIcs that tickle the audi
ence and he makes his twenty minutes
on the stage count for fun
a band OF comcly young women under
the leadership OF Molly Moller and the
general supervision of Dan Burke give "A
brisk finish TO the bill. The girls sing
well and dance we'll in their natty cos
tunes. Burkcs dancing wins merited ap-
plausc
. The daylight motion pictures show
thrilling fcats in horscm2nship. The or
. chcstra gets Il liberal hand for It's splcn i
did rendition of Tits Serenade.