The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-03-23
Eorbidding Subject Is Diagnosed
kfE DRAMAS PRURIENT
p,sse1l Lectures on How to Live a Hun
\" dred Years and Die Young.
By Kanderheyden Fyles

man should look into the moral and
financial status OF a prospective SON
1n-laW without making any inquiry
concerning hts health. The perform
ance was preceded by an address
oy the Rev John Jay Holmes, OF a
course Of which he quoted coplousy
from the well-known, caustic preface
written by Bernard Shaw for the
Volume of Brieux plays translated,
In part. by Mr. Shaw. No such mat
inee, would be complete without a
word from Brother Shaw. At the
end OF the play. In answer to in
sistent enthusiasm. Mr.. Bennett
asked Mr.. Lackaye to speak for him;
which. never shy at such times, Mr..
and did Among the things he told
ms was that he thought Damaged
Goods" might do as much for the
evil exposed as "Uncle Toms Cab
In did for the emancipation OF the
slaves. Mr.. l-ackaye has played I'm
Bennett insists the production was
not made as commercial enterprise;
and I. for one. do not doubt him
But with managerial competition keen
as II is. il would not be surprising
to see one or another OF our Broad
way magnates grab at play that
can arouse such curiosity
A FTER mere critics had hurried
home and dressed and gobbled
the brief meal which Is all we get
time for nowadays. we ambled off to
an evening OF harlotry and murder
The four new plays that concerned
themselves with these delightful SUBJ
jects dedicated a new theater called,
with delicious appropriateness,
the Princess 1t holds only 2ss per-
sons. and Is handsome and comfort
able In every way, Bills of short
plays are to be presented there.
which Is a desira bic scheme for audi
ences and authors. Many literary
treasures never reach the general gaze
because OF their brevity: they are dis
and too good for the taste OF the
average vaudeville audience. Usually
they do not get beyond book k-covers.
IS The Twilight OF the God" by
Edith Wharton, and Miss Civiliza-
ton" by Richard Harding Davis,
benefit" On the authors side. such
a theater would offer an arena for
new talent. where a man could feel
his way to larger accomplishment by
writing in brief, Arthur Wing Pin
ero and Augustus Thomas are among
the draTatist who served an appren-
ticeshlp in this way: though their
early efforts were cramped by cir
circumstances, being necessa rily de-
signed as trivial 'curtain raisers" 10
policy OF the Princess eliminates that
handicap, Success to It!
TJNFORTUNATELY the germ Of the
French sensation play has crept
in. Kill II, Messrs Princess, before 1t
kills you, That sort of thing has
been tried before and Inva ria bly, has
a T,u Frnf f,lr
nan are accomplished actor managers
who have done II very we'll and had
emptied exchequers as their only
recompense- However, Holbrook
Of high ideals, is at the head Of the
Princess scheme, as player and pro-
ducer. So We have every reason to
hope the ho.ror-plays with which the
start has been made Will soon give
place TO pieces more worthy Of SO
an enterprise.
OF the four new plays, two are
farces and two melodraInas; and all
are concerned with Vice. 'rbe
Switchboard," by Edgar Wallace, is a
a0a b.tesr II nl. the mg stsnr sss
not been so unimagInatlve. We see
only a girl at telephone switch
board. with a black cloth s the back
ground. Different conversations are
nehrQ, as IN rne ait, except tHat the
effect is nothing more nor less than
the actuality-several actors talking
from behind curtain
THE second play IS from the
Grand Gulgnol in Paris, on
which the policy Of the Princess Is
avowedly formed. The French capital
to Shilling shockers' OF this sort,
"Au Telephone Is the best of them
that has reached us. The houses are
called "theaters a cote'-thst rs
the taste of the localities In which
they stand, somewhat In the manner
OF our motion picture houses, regu-
lating the degree Of thrills admins
tered according TO the nelghborhood.
This Grand Guigrol melodrama Is
II. r. Lenormand and Jean d Augu-
zan, called Fear; and II is the best
play OF the four. For people who en-
joy an exhibition OF mental torture,
punctuated with one murder and cul-
treat. It appeals to about the same
senses as a peculiarly heartless bull
fight. The sole purpose IL to Illus
trate abject, frantic fear. An Eng
lish engineer is stationed with one
army camp In India, The maddening
heat is wonderfully suggested by the
low ceiling and swinging fans OF the
hut, by the stretch OF sun-baked
sands outside and by the painting,
staring. spent demeanor OF the men.
The roles are WILDLY realized by Mr..
Blinn and Edward Ellis, The en-
gineer Is In terror OF the cholera cpl
demlc, which Is gradually overtaking
the ca mp. He has sought courage In
whisky and quinine. His companion
is searching for evidence OF cholera
in tubes Of blood. He scratches his
finger InoculatlnE himself, The en-
glneer is mortified; and when the
mans back Is turned, he shoots him IN
cold blood The second scene ls less
effective. because virtually a repetl-
tion OF the first. The lone murder
er's condition is more wretched than
before. II possible; his fear more
frantic. native who is Infected
gets into the hut to hide from SOL
dIers who would shoot him 10 pre-
vent a spread Of the disease. His pllr-
guers discover his refuge and fire
through a window, ending the Eng
Iishmar's HE as he had cut off his
companions.
cThNLEY HOUGHToN, author Of
- that admirable play, "Iiindle
Wakes" reveals himself IN q diner
ent mood IN Fancy Free II is
a frivolous and witty tribe, somewhere