The Mormons and the Theatre Part 13

On the 14th, Ada Richmond opened for a week, supported by the stock, which also supported the three preceding attractions. On April 4th, 5th and 6th, Haverly's minstrels filled the time, giving the Conference visitors a taste of genuine minstrelsy.

The last nights of Conference, 7th and 8th, were filled by the stock, who kept it going until Oliver Doud Byron came in on the 15th and 16th to crave their help "Across the Continent." On the 19th Frank C.

Bangs, one of the _big four_ in the "Julius Caesar" production at Booth's theatre, gave a reading entertainment. Why he didn't give a play I don't know, the same old reliable stock was here and had just supported Oliver Doud Byron. The only reason I can a.s.sign is that he hadn't time to stay.

April 25th and 26th Ada Gray appeared in "Whose Wife?" and "Miss Multon."

May 2nd Prof. La Mar, leader of the Fort Douglas Band, gave a band concert. La Mar was a very clever musician and had a fine band; he deserved to be well patronized for he was very accommodating, and volunteered the services of his band on numerous "benefit occasions."

On the 7th and 8th d.i.c.k Roberts in "Humpty Dumpty;" 13th and 14th, Sol Smith Russell and Rice's Evangeline combination.

On the 27th and 28th Harrigan and Hart in "Doyle Brothers," "Old Lavender" and "Sullivan's Christmas."

June 14th and 15th, Salisbury's Troubadores.

July 15th, Joseph Jefferson in "Rip Van Winkle."

September 10th, Henry Ward Beecher in lecture, "Wastes and Burdens."

This was after the notorious Beecher-Tilton scandal and Henry had been studying social economy. The Mormons didn't like Henry very much, but he had a big house.

September 12th and 13th, entertainments were given for the benefit of the yellow fever sufferers in Memphis and vicinity. These entertainments did not "pan out" very well, and the theatre managers decided to get all the dramatic talent they could get to volunteer and give a popular play, in hopes to materially increase the charity fund.

The "School for Scandal" was selected and given with a pretty strong cast, embracing Miss Colebrook as Lady Teazle, David McKenzie as Sir Peter, John T. Caine as Charles Surface, John S. Lindsay as Joseph Surface. Phil Margetts and John C. Graham were in the cast, and a number of others, I cannot remember. The play was given on September 16th, and netted a very tidy sum for the sufferers.

On the 18th, 19th and 20th, Calender's Georgia minstrels held the boards, and business was light. The writer and Harry Emery had but recently returned from their Colorado tour, and both were anxious to be doing something, so I got a cast together and put on "Richelieu,"

which I had recently played in Denver, and received flattering notices for, from the press of that city. I had given away my first appearance for the "benefit" to the yellow fever sufferers, so there was no other attraction than to see me in a new part and that did not prove sufficient to save me from disaster. I had a losing game of it, the receipts being some $75 less than the expenses of the performance.

This was the only time I ever failed to make something when I had rented the theatre and taken chances, which was quite often. This performance, given on the 25th of September, virtually closed the season of '77 and '78.

CHAPTER XXIII.

SEASONS OF '78-'79 AND '80-'82.

The season of '78 and '79 was opened on October 4th by Haverly's minstrels, who filled the night of the 5th also, when the stock company stepped to the front once more, and filled out the remainder of the Conference dates with the "Lancas.h.i.+re La.s.s" and the "Hidden Hand." On the 23rd Susie Spencer was a beneficiary, playing "The Little Rebel." Susie's life was not without a spice of romance, and its chapter of sorrow. Susie Spencer was a very pretty little girl and talented; the managers found her very useful in parts where her pet.i.te stature was suited to the character, and such occasions were not infrequent. Miss Spencer was progressing nicely in her art and had already become a favorite with the patrons of the drama, when she met her fate in the person of Mr. Ed Marden. Marden was one of the Cogswell party who came from California by way of Southern Utah, and waiting on Brigham Young, informed him they had received a revelation (via the Planchette route) instructing them to come to Salt Lake and join the Mormon Church, as it was the only true and authorized church.

The party were duly baptized and confirmed into the Church, and at once installed as members of the stock company. Marden became on very short acquaintance infatuated with the pretty Susie and laid siege to her young and guileless heart with that adroitness and dexterity which come from much experience, with the result that Susie soon became Mrs.

Marden. Marden was a member of the stock here all during the "Jimmy"

Harris regime. He and "Jimmy" were fast friends, they both came to Utah Gentiles, joined the Church and married Mormon girls. Soon after the close of the Harris management in '77, Marden drifted off and left his Susie a heart-broken little woman. He was through with Utah, and through with the Mormon Church, and through with his little Mormon wife, and cast them all aside as he would a worn-out suit. He never came back, and Susie, after a year or two of repining, found consolation in the affections of a better man. She became the wife of Mr. Rice, a well-to-do banker of the mining town of Frisco, Utah, where she lived happily in her new alliance until a few years ago, when she pa.s.sed away from earth, still young in years.

The next stellar attraction was Mrs. Scott Siddons, a niece of the great Sarah Siddons, who appeared on November 22nd in a dramatic recital; with what success the writer cannot tell, as he was away again at this time. This lady had just closed a week's engagement at Portland, Oregon, when I arrived there. I met her at the hotel before her departure, and she impressed me as being an extraordinary woman and a brilliant actress.

December 25th, Nat Goodwin and Eliza Weatherby opened a four nights'

engagement in "Hobbies;" they gave on the following evenings "Under the Rose" and "Cruets." This was Goodwin's first engagement in Salt Lake.

On January 10th and 11th, 1879, Alice Gates' Comic Opera Company played to exceptionally large houses.

Barney Macauley in "The Messenger from Jarvis Station" was the next stellar attraction.

There was a dearth of star attractions along about this time and the stock company had plenty of time to fill in, but it had become so depleted as to be unable to keep up the interest for more than two or three nights at a time.

On May 2nd, "Buffalo Bill," Col. Wm. F. Cody, gave an exhibition, a.s.sisted by the stock company. He called it "A Knight of the Plains."

On May 8th, Annie Adams (Mrs. Kiskadden) and her daughter Maude, who were in Salt Lake on a visit, created some interest in her reappearance here, and that of Maude who on this occasion played her first _speaking part_ in Salt Lake. Miss Adams a.s.sisted by the stock (what remained of it) and some amateurs, gave on the 8th, "A Woman of the People." This was the old French play of "Madeline, the Belle of the Faubourg," which Julia Dean had played some years before. Like many another good play since, it was made to do double duty by appearing under a new t.i.tle. For the second night's bill, the comedy of "Stepmother" and the farce of "Little Susie" were given. In the farce Little Maude played the name part, "Little Susie." Maude was then six years and six months old, and had already played several parts in San Francisco, the most notable one, Little Adrienne in "A Celebrated Case," which she played in the Baldwin production of the play, and afterwards in Portland with John Maguire's production of it, for which she and her mother were especially engaged. Afterwards with the Maguire company _en tour_ through Oregon and Was.h.i.+ngton, when "Little Maude" was featured in "The Case" and also in "Ten Nights in a Bar Room," her mother and the writer playing the leading roles in these plays. This second bill was repeated on the 10th inst., the probability being that Maude had caught the public favor at that early day.

The next attraction of note was Lawrence Barrett, who opened on July 8th (midsummer nights--no dream) for four nights, opening play "Richelieu" followed by "Hamlet," "A New Play" and "Julius Caesar."

How the fastidious and exacting Barrett managed to cast these great plays here has never been explained to me. He must have carried his princ.i.p.al support with him.

In the fall of this year Miss Annie Adams revived "The Two Orphans"

with a complete cast of amateurs, excepting herself and Jimmy Harris.

The cast included Mr. Laron c.u.mmings as the Chevalier, Heber M. Wells as the Doctor, Orson Whitney as Jacques, John D. Spencer as Pierre, John T. White as Picard, W. T. Harris played Frochard, which fact certainly denoted a great paucity of female talent here about that time. Annie Adams played Louise and Delia Clawson, Heriette, which is as much of the cast as we can gather from Miss Adams' own account of this performance. So successful was the performance as a whole and so meritorious the acting of the numerous debutants on this occasion that Mr. Bud Whitney who was managing the business end of the affair, proposed the organization of a "Home Club," which should comprise all of the amateurs who had taken part in "The Two Orphans." The proposition was readily adopted by those concerned, and out of this sprang "The Home Dramatic Club." The time was most opportune, for there was a dearth of dramatic attractions at the time; the old stock had dwindled until there were but a few of its members left in Salt Lake, and some new blood and talent was needed to give renewed interest to home productions. "The Home Dramatic Club," with great prudence and foresight, secured the ensuing April Conference dates on which to make their initial bow to the Utah public. It was a good long time to wait but they were sure of big results in a financial way, and it gave them plenty of time in which to perfect themselves in their opening play, which was "The Romance of a Poor Young Man." It was a good selection, well suited to the young people, and scored a success; only the older people in the community could remember George Pauncefort opening in the same play in 1864, and scoring a great triumph. The club had large and friendly audiences and their introductory play was p.r.o.nounced a genuine success, both artistically and financially. It could not be otherwise than a good paying proposition, as Conference nights are always a harvest time for the theatre. So well encouraged were they that the club continued in the business of playing _occasionally_, whenever they could secure favorable dates, such as Conferences and other holiday times, for a number of years. "The Home Dramatic Club" averaged about three or four plays a year during their career of about ten years. The club being more of a society affair than a professional theatre company, they picked their times and opportune ones, and playing so seldom they never were subjected to the tasks in study and rehearsals and dramatic work which characterized the busy years of the old stock company. It was a talented company, however, and no doubt could have made good under different and more exacting conditions.

In March, 1881, the writer was back in Salt Lake after a two years'

absence, princ.i.p.ally in Portland and San Francisco. On my return there was nothing doing in the theatrical line. The "club" had been organized nearly a year, yet had given only a very few plays. There was a dearth of theatricals, and the writer with the acquiescence and a.s.sistance of Mr. Clawson, who was again manager of the theatre, got up occasional performances with such a.s.sistance as he could procure.

The first of these was "A Celebrated Case," in which he had the a.s.sistance of Manager Clawson's daughters, Miss Edith Clawson and Mrs.

Ardelle c.u.mmings. Other performances were given in connection with David McKenzie, Philip Margetts and John C. Graham, with such support as we could muster from the depleted ranks of the old stock, and what new aspirants were in the field for dramatic honors. The "gallery G.o.ds" honored the three gentlemen and myself with the somewhat flattering appellation of the _big four_, the same t.i.tle the New Yorkers bestowed on Booth, Barrett, Davenport and Bangs when these four stars formed the great constellation in the play of "Julius Caesar." These performances, however, like those of "The Home Dramatic," were few and far between, and to a person depending on acting for a livelihood, did not prove very remunerative.

About this time another project which interested the writer hove into view. Dr. D. Banks McKenzie, a temperance lecturer and reformer, had succeeded after a considerable effort in organizing a temperance club in Salt Lake City (a prodigious task to accomplish at that time). He had succeeded in raising a fund of some thirty thousand dollars in contributions towards the erection of a first-cla.s.s lecture hall, with library, and various other nice accommodations for the society. The Walkers Brothers had contributed a building site where the Atlas block now stands, 50x100 feet. This was put in at $13,000, making nearly one-half of the $30,000 contributed. On being informed by one of the Walker Brothers of what was projected, the writer with some self-interest suggested that inasmuch as they were going to put up a building of such size and cost, that they might just as well make it a little larger, and make a theatre of it; that a theatre would answer all the purposes of the proposed hall, and often rent when the hall would not. The idea grew with them, and the Walker Grand Opera House was the result. It occupied a year in building. It was opened on June 5th, 1882, with a vocal and instrumental concert, with Prof. George Careless as conductor. As a matter of historical interest and to show the musical status of Salt Lake at that time, a copy of the opening program is here appended.

OPENING OF THE WALKER GRAND OPERA HOUSE.

Monday Evening, June 5th, 1882.

Lessee ................................ D. Banks McKenzie Manager ................................. John S. Lindsay

PROGRAM.

1. Overture--"William Tell" ..................... Rossini 2. Quartette--"The Night Before the Battle" ....... White

Misses Olsen and Richards, Messrs. Whitney and Spencer.

3. Flute Solo--"Concert Polka" .................. Rudolph

Mr. George Hedger.

4. Aria--Il Profeta ........................... Meyerbeer

Mrs. J. Leviburg.

5. Selection Favorite ......................... Donozetti

Orchestra.

INTERMISSION.

6. Overture--Pique Dame ........................... Suppe

7. Aria--E. Puritane ............................ Belline

Mr. Robert Gorlinske.