The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-11-02
|GOV. WELLS MAKES
PLEASING ADDRESS
Society People of the City Are
Out in Great Numbers 10
Witness Initial Per-
fOrnanCe.
TIME new Empress theater. said to
be one of the most beautiful and


perfectly appointed houses OH the
Sullivan Considine circuit. WIS
formally opened to the public last
night Not in the history of local the
atrlcals hes PLAYHOUSE been more aus
piciously dedicated.
A splendid audience packed the the
ater TO the very entrance. Before the
| first performance had begun hundreds
were clamoring for tickets to the soc.
ond show, crowding the lobby to It's ca
pacity The crowd extended across the
sidewalk and far out into Main street.
Hundreds who were turned away would
have gladly paid twice the price of ad-
mission for standing room, had that
been available.
After a patriotic selection by the En-
press orchestra former Governor Heber
NJ Wells delivered the dcdicatory
speech. which was short worthy, ap-
propriate and extremely interesting. His
remarks, i'm part, were as follows:
"Ladics and Gentlemen: Upon this
formal opening of the Empress tbeater
tho biggest. the grandest and most
costly theater IN our city, before the
curtain goes up on the first act of yau-
deville to which it is to be devoted. the
management has planned TO have some
one make brief address. not more than
Of five minutes duration. as dedica-
| tory exercise. The management
| invited Governor Sprv TO make the ad-
dress. but not being able to procure him
on account OF his absence from the
state, u kindly disposed person con
neeted with the enterprise asked me to
| oificiate
81 am proud of the honor. In the
words Of The gentleman who extended
to me the invitation, who is always e'o-
Qucnt and convincing and who Is no
less a celebrity than Judge Orlando w,
overs. You will get au opportunity,
cx. office holder as you are. to appear
again before a public, which. some
years ago. relegated you TO oblivion.
an opportunity, ex-actor. as YOU arc al
legged to be. to appear again behind the
footlights; an opportunity, old and OBJ
| scure as YOU have become to have the
calcium shine again upon your poor
bard head and let its reflective eflul-
gence. as it were, hold the mirror up to
nature for brief trausitory spell. Be
sides all this, he said. fvou Will get a
pass for the opening performance good
for Yourself aud wife and several In
vited guests.
Seemed Fair Enough,
"That seemed fair enough, and so
/ accepted. And so | am here tonight
to take in all the glories the good
! Judge so eloquently and pleasantly de-
| picted-to partake of these crumbs
from our absent governor table. and
in doing so, let me propose Shakes
pearean toast. which, If we caupot all
drink in spirits, we may at least i'm
! bbe IN spirit; ] drink to the health
Of the general table round, and 10 our
good FREUD, Governor Spry, whom we
miss-would that he were here
Mr.. Wells stated that Sale Lake City
| haS npnDlut1pp oF 1nn SalllS
mostly theaterGoers; that the average
| Salt Laker stlnts himself in a good
many ways, but when q good show
comes to town he will be there if he
.'bas TO rob the baby s savings bank. -
He said that he believed Salt Lake
iusatab Bile theatrical thirst was iuhor
eut born. imbibed as u habit by the
very early settler.
Many years ago, be continued,
'Fwben this place was infested with the
coyote. the jack rabbit and cricket,
when at night no sound was heard on
Maiu street save the casual croak of
belatcd frog; before evcn Dick Keyes,
the original Gcutile pioneer, had at
rived, there stood on Temple square,
within stone s throw of this maguih-
cent ediIce, an old bowerv with only
branches Of -ninc and balsam hewn
from the adjacent mountains for
covering. IL was there the people Of
"a primitive settlement gathered in
Sunday service, and there also on week
days, as carly as 1851 to participate in
home tbeatrirals given BY the best tai
cnt the humble community could
arord.
Air. Wells said that the first play
produced WAS 'Robert MacuIre,
afterwards. IN New York, reincArDated
as an opera under the name of 90 Er
minc.' in which Francis Wilson
made his first big impression. The
east of this first theatrical production
in Utah was named bv Mr.. Wells John
KAY PLAYED Robert Marairc; Hvrum B.
/ Clawson, JaGues Strop; Phil Margetts,
Pierre; Miss Orcm, Marie. and Miss
Margaret Judd. Clcmcrtna.
Honored Guests Present.
"Of these celebrities two. Mr. Kay and
Miss Orem, have gone to that bourne
from which no traveller returns. and one