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Show I , AMUSEMENTS. C Salt Lako thentro N. C. Goodwin ! in "Tho Usurper" today and "A Glided M Utaluia theatre Itellned vandovlllc, .'T afternoon and ovonlng. j COMING ATTRACTIONS. k Salt Lako theatre Sothorn and Mar- $ lowc, "Much Ado About Nothing," I ! May 22; "Romeo and Juliet," May 2:ird. John Drew In tho "Duko of KIlll- cranklo," Thursdny, Friday and Sat- T j urday, May 25, 20 and 27. I Utahna theatre Grand revival of jg k "Tho Octoroon," week beginning May I That Nat Goodwin has really cured his penchant for tho classic drama is qui to evident after seeing him in "Tho Usurper." When Goodwin essayed r "Bottom" In "A Mldsumincd Night's Dream" and tho bottom loll out of tho i boxolllce, tho shrewd comedian had tho L good sense to pass up Mr. Shake- & spearc. Ills further wisdom was do- I monstratod by returning to tho drama t, of strenuous American llfoof which ho ', has always boon a successful exponent. St And whllo llmo hns been adding both B ' avoirdupois and years to tho gonial ff' actor, ho Is not yet disannulled to im personate tho commercial Yankee whoso hard business cheeks cnu still blush softly with lovo. Hut, It Is evident evi-dent that "The Usurper," In tho hands of a less capable actor, would create i. ftmrv mi tho dramatic market, and I no winy uh mu ummtm. ...... it Is accepted because Goodwin we cannot afford to reject. Tho play as originally written must havo been nn outright melodrama. Even now It has a squint In that direction, although it 1 is evident that Goodwin diluted tho i ilorld elements of tho play and injected tho characteristic humor which hns mado htm famo and a bank account. However, tho part of tho suddenly-grown suddenly-grown rich American is a Goodwin part and nioro so than some of tho ' other roles In which ho has appeared. 1 Indeed ho Is not quite so much of a littlo tin-god as In somo characters ho has assumed and this, In Itself should oxclto joy from ticket buyers. Wo woro growing rather tired of Mr. Good-win Good-win playing doleful music on tho solf-sacrificing solf-sacrificing harp. "When Wo Were Twonty-Ono" Is a case In point which sadly rises to tho memory with anybody any-body but Goodwin, tho piny would havo fallen through Its own weight of sontimontal tonnage. ! In "Tho Usurper" thcro Is plonty or action and tho nowly-rlch Yankee Mr. Goodwin flits and flics, upon the wings of Croesus, to tho side of nls lady lovo, although seas divide and great waters run between. Just what peculiar fascination tho lady lovo could have for an ox-cowboy or for anybody elsn even tho gods of wisdom can never know. Preposterous? Pre-posterous? Of course. But then Goodwin Good-win has a knack at making absurdities absurdi-ties seem plausible. And well, there you aro! With tho coin jingling In his pockets, ho Is a right royal wooer. Tho girl doesn't know her own mind and hovers with fearful certainty between two contending affections or so sho thinks. Hut, of course, It Is absolutely necessary neces-sary that sho marry somo one, like tho "Florodora" s xtetto girl, and the Yankeo being on hand sho decides It might as well bo him as another. The whole piny Is filled with absurdity, absurd-ity, and thoro nro two or three scenes of which Lincoln J. Carter might have been tho author. Hut, despite absurdities, the play llts tho star although Mr. Goodwin, as an actor, receives no additional lustre from "Tho Usurper." At tho matinee today "Tho Usurper" will bo repeated. Tonight Mr. Goodwin Good-win will shlno with more than glided nrt In "A Glided Food," a play In which Mr. Goodwin has won a justly famous reputation. It is from tne gifted pen of Henry Guy Carlotqn and Is In tho following four acts: Act I. Chauncey Short's Apartments. Easter morning. Act II. I.ibrnry at resldenco of Matthew Mat-thew Huthvon. Two weeks later. Act III. Same as Act II. The samo evening. Act IV. Tho samo. Tho following morning. Tho scenery Is esueclally designed by Ernest Albert' of tho Leo Lash studio, and tho costumes by Pasquln, 1-ollx and Worth. The big dramatic event of tho season sea-son will bo the nppearanco of Sothern and Mnrlowo as co-stars In grand revivals re-vivals of "Mucii Ado About Nothing" and "Homeo and Juliet." Tho former play will bo presented Monday evening even-ing next with B. H. Sothorn as "Benedick" "Bene-dick" and Julia Marlowe as "Beatrice." Tho following evening, Tuesday, faothorn assumes tho rolo of "Romeo" and Miss Marlowe "Juliet." In negotiating the co-star alliance of Sothern and Marlowe, Mr. Prohman, under whoso management they appear, evidently had In mind tho effect tho Individuality of both would exert in two ways, first assuring a capable expression ex-pression of Shakespeare's great dramas, dra-mas, and second, the bringing together on an exalted plan of professional activity ac-tivity two actors of great merit and certain popularity. The combination Is calculated to appeal ap-peal to varying clienteles ranging from those who love Shakespeare for the poet's sake down through tho gradations gra-dations of those who care not particularly particu-larly what the play Is so long as they arc amused and those who havo a penchant pen-chant for tho dramatic personalities of the actress and actor. Mr. Frohman, who Is famous for the elaborate details in which he mounts his productions, Is said to have surpassed sur-passed all previous efforts In mounting tho Shakespearean plays in which he Is offering Sothern and Marlowe. Tho prices range from 50c to ?3, but Shakespeare Is rare nowadays, and so Is a combination like E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe. Mr. Gourloy Is giving vaudeville lovers lov-ers another crackerjack program this week. Tho program is one of the best nnd the boxofllce business Is a demonstration demon-stration that the crowds are satisfied. On Monday, May 29th, Mr. Gourley will havo the open air vaudeville theatre, thea-tre, in Utahna park, open for the summer sum-mer season. A number of surprises aro hidden up Mr. Gourley's sleeve, and, from time to time, things will happen at tho park which will agreobaly surprise the amusement-loving public. Tho Utahna theatre Itself will be continued open, the past success of tho Utahna stock company having mado It evident that Salt Lakers will take kindly to Mr. Gourley's company of players In a series ser-ies of summer dramas. lit !C The testimonial benefit to Phil Mar-gett's Mar-gett's realized about ?400 for tho veteran vet-eran actor It should have been more, of course, but Mr. Margetts Is duly appreciative ap-preciative of tho honors shown him. Next week at tho Utahna theatre tho stock company returns after a successful success-ful trip on tho road. The play to be presented, beginning Monday night next, Is that old-time dramatic classic, "The OrtZT representation of tho m ? ?' a days before tho war .It is , n ' vory years since "The Octoroon" wSW1? in Salt Lake. Indeed, Slg? heads can recall the famou" iS' the young generation of theatre 1 knowing nothing of It. ManaTo ,? ley Is to be congratulated on Ws dm Pd vival of "The Octoroon -P The box-offlce returns will, no donht verify his good Judgment. Ubt HARRY LE GRANDE |