The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-09


Seeley. in "The Hen Pecks,N and
instantly established her as ia.
vorite. She brought 1T from San
Francisco where it RACES, To peo-
pie who have not seen it the near
est possible description of tho
dance is to fancy combined
matiche and cake-walk. The dane
ers assert themselves into couples
couples who gyrate in as close
proximity as possible. When it be-
came known that Valeska Suratt
was hurrying her entertainment
into town ahead of rival show in
which the turkey irot was to be
made much Of, many of us antici-
pated ''The Red Rose with some
misgivings. But she and the girls
with her danced only with their
own sex The elimination of men
made the difference. The result
was simply a gay and "go-ey,'
rather comic and wholly inoffensive
dance.
Saddest of Plays.
I am not at all sure but that
HBaXter S Partner is the saddest
play ] have ever seen. 1t is com
edv. and funny comedy; so | do
not mean sad in that sense. But
the funnier it was the sadder it be
came. What ! mean IS simply this:
Baxter s Partner is almost sure
10 die in infancy, bllghted by
June frost; yet more than one play
mo better has enjoyed several
months Of metropolitan popularity.
One is inclined 10 doubt whether
HSeven Days. itself could have
survived SO many handicaps as
mitigated against the. success of =
this first play by Thomas T, Raj
ley, an attorney of st. Louis. Mid
summer is an almost hopeless time
10 ask New York to welcome any
novelty TO its theaters that is not
Just frivolity and girls. and music,
But such an inadequate company
as was engaged in this affair would
he as. unwelcome in January as
June. With one or two exceptions
and those few actors admirable
only by comparison-the group of
actors intrusted with Mr. Railey's
brain child represented the blue
ribbon class in all that histrion
For few performances only
and in small cities, Mr.. Railey
tried bis comedy last autumn. At
that time he called it "Tbe Third
Rail- and why he should have
abandoned SO lively, up-to:date and
withal so appropriate a title for
name so trite as "Baxter s Part
ner,' is very hard to guess. For a
third rail- - is Just what Baxter's
partner proves himself to be. 1t
is the sort OF role in which admir-
ers of John Barrymore delight to
see him A tight wad millionaire
regards his iust-out of college son
as "no damned good ''-to quote
Stephen Cranes climateric phrase
in "The Second Generation SO
he arranges with an "up-state at"
torney to take the boy in as part
ner; gives his son ten dollar bill
and leaves him to sink or swim.
The Third Rail.
At first it looks as though the
latter would be the upshot. The
blunders of an idle. eitybred
young man in a New York state
town are laughable. But as he
says he is a third rail-explaining
to the local vaps that this rail in
the subway tracks looks harmless
enough but gets in its fatal work
if anybody steps on ii. Old Baxter
learns the electric shock of this
smile when he tries to trample
down the girl his youthful partner
loves the moment he laws eyes on
her. She is a rather poor girl Of
the town and comes across his path
first when she dashes into the law
Office distracted because her fance
is wanted by the police on charge
OF murder. She has been there be-
fore and comes again to plead to
have the case handled by believing
old Baxter. who has manner and
a temper that make Simon Legree
seem as gentle as Little Eva,
The somnolent city rail flashes
into live trauemuter of deadly in
dignation. When his efforts to per-
suade Baxter to take the case fail,
he turns against the crochety old
partner forced upon him and COW
crtly buys him out. His tiny store
of money goes; and then his Office
furnishings, bought on the install
ment plan, go too. But he fills
their places with barrels and SOAP
boxes, and perseveres. The trouble
is that the man suspected Of the
murder refuses to defend himself,
To do So he declares, would in
volve the good name of the woman
he loves. The lawyer takes this to
mean the girl to whom he silently
has given his OWN heart, though
the audience is aware that her
fiapce really had transferred his af-
fections to none other than old man
Baxter's young wife. He was with
her on a country road when. in an
swer to an insult to her and in self
defense, he fred the shot that
killed.
This is the situation when the
final scene of the second act is
sighted. And Just here the dramatic
debutant. who has shown some hu-
NOR and some skill in sketchlng
contemporary American types, re-
vcals himself the amateur. The
scene with which he concludes the
crucial moment of the play is not
| bad in itself but it is a poor sub
stitute for the dramatic conflict
hat easily could have been devels
| oped. Tears come when one spec
ulates on what the author of ''Mrs
Dane s Defense would have done
| at that point. The lawyer and the
girl are left alone together. The
| audience knows the facts; but the
silent lover believes his idol TO
| have heen with her fance that
! NIGHT and therefore the only one