The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-04

Between book covers Madame X is
a cruel. terrific story. In The bands OF
such a company of artists as Grippcd and
held spellbound a great audience at the
Colonial thcater last night. IT. became far
more than two such adjcctives can sug-
sest a reality that tramplcs the chords
Of human emotion like pit!lcss jusgcr-
naut-
1t took Frcnchmau 10 write Madame
"" for OF IL Frcnchman it is said that he
can touch more deeply and more sharply
the horror or the delight OF lile as the
case may be And in "Mndame X II Is
the horror, the sheer horror OF life in
it's most tragic phases That furnishes the
mpelling spirit Of the play. Then it took
Henry w. Savage TO produce Madame x
with his fautlcss cast. his perfect align
ment Of stage effect and his superb fin
ishnE touches.
This comhina ton Of wonderful play
with method Of production equally
strong and artistic. has resulted in a dra
matte creation fit to stand alongside the
has ever wiped it's eyes in somber emo
ton. II is rs pit)css as Macbeth, az
terrible as Tbscn's 'Hetta Gebcr" as
fateful as life itself.
Equal to the play, almost essential to
it's success. is the kind Of acting done
by Madeline Dunlap in the iitle role; By
ron Douglas as Louis Flor'ol, her lIns-
friend and Harry Malnhall Raymond
1Tlorlot tho son. whose pleading saves his
mother from the eXecutioncr. Among the
male principals it would br hard 10 piCCk
the greater artist bur towering above
them all Is the Consummate genius OF Miss
Dunlap. TJcrc is another Mrs, Fiske or
Leslie Carter and III the comparison the
advantage OF youth stands in the scales
in favor Of Miss Dunlap, To the brilliant
art Of 4 Flske oi a Carter she has brought
the added genius Of youth. SO equipped.
she IL superb.
Looking upon the more tense scenes OF
Madame X one finds II a grateful re-
lief to remember that this is onlv u story,
like most Of ms used TO do when little Eva
dies in "ITncle Toms Cabin" only now IL
is the Grown-ups that find occasion for
llarking back Ia this comforting thought,
so monstrous is the thing portrayed he
hind the foouights.
through a prologue and three acts In
which the audience erasps eagerly for
whatever little whisps OF hunor and OF
lightness that the playwright has allowed
TO creep into his curdlinS scenes. Here
and there n chance To laugh Is offered
and the audience last night seized upon
them like people engulfed in darkness
would rush towards sunbeam. And
then, crash: would come the tragedy
and the laugh would he cut short, both
upon the stage and i'm the audience. The
very laughs were but the ushers OF
soUbeV scene.
About the cast that supports Miss Dun
lap little else need be said other than
that il is as near perfect as so large n
company could possibly hope to he, The
most insignificant part has been filled
with an artist Perhaps the most pleas
ing chara cter is that of Noel. the friend.
Robert Patton Gibhs's handling Of IL
The same might be said Of Byron Doug
las, as F1oriot. the husband. whose pride
is greater than his love. But after all
IL is the boy. Raymond, pleading his first
I 1tg1.s
and all unCousciousy acquitting his
mother Of the charge OF murder that Is
the leading male role. though nc does not
come into the play until the last act.
Harry Mainhall in This part assimiIatcs a
Iboyish anna teurishness that captivatcs
the audience as easily as IT does tho
most difficult part and lie does it with
an ease and finish that leaves no doubt
OF mis- nigh ability.
Laroduc the adycnturcr. tor whose
an opportunity Tor exceptionally clever
acting. Edwin Forsbers makes himself
dispicabie in the part. one almost shares
| the vrctched woman's hatred for him,
| Then there i Rose. the housell"cpcr for
| Louis Elorio,. Helen Courtney wins the
| audience in this role from the start. Hell
and swcethesTi of Raymond. who wins
against her father. is A delightful bit Of
Girl done exceedingly we'll by Naomi
| Childcrs. Others OF tho cast, even To the
iurymeu. the servants and the court Of
| ficers, arc wholly plea sing Madame Y
will appear at In. Colonial tonight to-
morrow afternoon and night and Wedncs-
| day night.
! When the intrinsic value ui play
! carries II TO the stage OF stock production.
! IL doesn't necessar riIy follow that its value
as dramatic literature will carry IL
| through week. two weeks. or. az In
some uf the larger cities. q month. 81
| profitable business on a stock stage. But
| when tho intrinsic EHlup Thai Diay :
combined with Tho acting ability of a
| first-clasE stock company and produced
under efficient. painstakiug director,
| and staged in ma1ner calculated to