Show I I I j 1 1 DRAMATIC AND LYRIC 1 st I f I A Chat with MissilIarie Pres Icott I cott i 1 I f f I J I LEADING LADY TO SALVINI I 1 I i ActressChange at the j J An American t Walker Opera House Ilistorl Dramatic Notes f I The principal event in dramatic circles for a long time past has without doubt j been the visit of the Wages of Sin com pariy and the principal reason why the J event proved so much more notable l than the usual melodrama visits was the presence of Marie Prescott in the I 1 1 cast A reporter of THE HEBXLB sent I i e up his card to Miss Prescott at the Walker House on Thursday afternoon Jrl 1 4 and after having been requested to I I wait a few moments and the few moments t I t ments had extended themselves into the I i r best part of half an hour the lady entered en-tered the parlor and warmly extended 11 l r a very small hand to the newspaper Irt representative Off the stage Miss 17 ff Prescott looks as if she anight be 30 or 32 of has a countenance of II t X32 years age I much animation pair of blue eyes which she often fixes reflectively on t in the ceiling a rather I some point I smooth complexion and a face that without being handsome would be called a thoroughly good one She was t1 I attired plainly in a brownish dress I l of some rough texture and wore t L t rrfn TIA mnot ctriIrmfr article in what her toilet was fcilu a UJLUaw peculiarly iai ivMr large linen collar which can hardly be described any other way than ass sailor collar I inverted It achieved a broad circle t tt around the neek descended a goodly way down the front of the dress and was then tucked away into same hidden recess leaving a fair portion of aifull c throat visible Murmuring an apology for keeping the reporter waiting the actress sank into a seat The fact is she said with a half smile that I jnstenjoying a nap Something I very seldom do in the day time but I have been up everyday every-day since my arrival enjoying your delightful F de-lightful sulphur baths and today the plunge made me a little sleepy i i After some further words of a preliminary J I prelim-inary nature in which Miss Prescott expressed herself with rapture over the appearance of Salt Lake the reporter asked how Ions she had been in melodrama melo-drama 1 Only a few weeks was the response You see T joined the Wages of Sin solely to go to California 1 have no I business atall to do the melodrama nit n-it you know I am entirely out of my sphere Shakespeare and the legitimate legiti-mate are what I have devoted myself to all my life and I feel lost out of themWhat do you intend doing in flan i Francisco 1 c i I want to put on my play of Ozeka I I have already had some talk with Mr Hayman about it and I hope to cast it I I down there You have no conception in of what California success means a the east They regard California as i almost across the ocean and a play that I has made a hit there has ever so many better chances than if it had made it in Chicago or even Boston I You do not return east with the Wages of Sin then 1 It will depend upon whether I can v secure an opening for my play in the fall in San Francisco If I can I shall remain re-main there during the summer My place in this company can be readily filled The reporter ventured a doubt as to this My season with them ends in four or five weeks said Miss Prescott Pres-cott I long to get back to my proper place in the more legitimate drama Oreka I have strong hopes for It is a tragic play and like all the strong dramas written for lady stars ends in the death ot the heroine Some of my friends tell me I ought to choose a play where everything winds up happily but L tell Them that all the u notable tragedies all Sardous heroines end in the death of the leading character char-acter Hnw long did you star with Salvini 1 I the reporter inquired Qh Salvini l said the lady with a j sigh of half serious ecstasy now you speak pOf a period in my life of which I have reason to be pro d I was with Salvini iwo years the season of 1880 and 1882 luwas engaged to Stetson to star in ForgetMeNot and roW company 1 were all engaged Stetson had sent J Ch Zola the same who sat here with Kistori orer to France to secure Bern s hardt butMr Abbey beat kirn Chiz tl zola then suggested to Stetson that he should brig Salvini over from Italy Stetson had very little faith an it but the thin wa5Stetson deciding shrewdly 1 as he once IRA while does that the great tragedian jp Italian and an Amen J can company supporting him in English 1 Eng-lish would be a great drawing eard i It turned out that we could not secure t the right to play Forget Me Not and Mr Btetson proposed to me tiei I should star with Salvini and the company i com-pany should support us The idea i struck me as novel and I accepteddi C How well I remember said Miss Press Pres-s cott warming enthusiastically with the t recollection the first time we saw the I great Kahan mazier The company t met for n first rehearsal of Othello and i Salvini yras introduced to us we were r all quaking with fear of him but he turned out to be the quietest kindest and most reserved gentleman yon could imagine I tlat a compliment Jrom him whiqh on account of tlifr ray it was procured I prize vefy highly I can assure you I had been chosen tot to-t play his leadmg lady parts Ophelia I Lady Macbeth etc but l would not x ba cast for Deidemona When he was informed 5 in-formed that I had chosen to play Ames Ame-s Jia instead he was rather exasperated and in Frenchthat was the language in which we had to meet eacbletfrer fie spoke no English and I no Italian he expostulated with me for my choice He once put his foot down but I put down mine too for I would have Amelia a because you know of course that it takes so much better with the house the chances in it are twice as great as those of Desdemona He finally gave in though with considerable reluctance and Amelia I played When the 7 performance was over he came to me with the remark I now understand why you chose Amelia I have played Othello thirty years but in thirty years I have never before seen an Amelia He had Chizzola get up and translate the remark to the whole company Something to be proud of was it not But I was telling yon of our first rehearsal re-hearsal You may imagine that it was pretty awkward he speaking in Italian and we in English We started out all of us reading our parts mechanically for you know theres nothing an old stager detests so much as being forced to exert himself at rehearsalswhen Salvini suddenly stopped the rehearsal He spoke to his agent who said Sal vini insisted on having the company act The company objected said they could not do it Salvini still insisted and at length the objectors yielded We then started and the great tragedian trage-dian threw his soul into his work Oh that Othello I There was no need of telling us to act after that The applause ap-plause that that little company gave the tragedian during that rehearsal I am sure he never heard equaled subsequently subse-quently for genuine wild enthusiasm imagine what two years of constant acting with such a master asSalvini has done for me Have you never seen him No Then you have the feast of your life to come I never before or since saw the actor who seemed to moa mo-a glda rather cross godwhen he was acting His eyes are the most marvelous orbs for expressing his feelings Some people think he uses them too much but once get under their influence and no one can be insensible in-sensible to their powers What that man can express bv his countenance the lights and shades he portrays I corer expect to see againand the lady paused in breathless enthusiasm Who will support him this season 1 1 dont iknow somewhat mournfully mourn-fully He will have to get two leading Ii ladies I am sure for I believe there are none of our actresses who can do as I did play the two lines he needs such as youthful characters like Ophelia and heavier ones like Lady Macbeth Kate Forsythe I understand has been engaged en-gaged for the juveniles He wanted me badly I am told but pleasant as it would be to star with him I must consult con-sult my business interests first you know But I never shall forget my experiences with him nor can 1 value them highly enough after he was gone the critics all said I was copying him If I did so it was insensibly but I can well understand that no one could constantly he under the influences of his methods asJ was without imbibing some of them Salvmis versions of Shakespeare Miss Prescott stated are much the sameas the English though some fine scenes are cut from the original two prompters were carried one Italian the other English Asked as to her impression im-pression of Irving she said she had only seen him twice and both those occasionswere in plays she had chosen as being those that would best show off Miss Terry whom she was most anxious to see hersheliked extremely likemost American professional people however she was born in Kentucky she was not greatly impressed Juvipg Miss Prescott played in the famous stockcompanyat California Theatre with Barton Hill nine years ago and sheis looking forward with much anticipation antici-pation to a renewal of her old associations Her lawsuits with the American News Company she informed the reporter had been appealed ap-pealed to a higher court She has three heavy suits for libel agaihst that mon oply most peqple are aware for infamous in-famous statements concerning her private pri-vate character made in the Police Gazette Ga-zette a paper soliTby the News Company Two of the verdicts have awarded her heavydamages She says she will fight as longas she lives and IS confident of ultimately obtaining justice Change at the Opera House Al llayman is negotiating for a lease oft of-t e WalkerOpera House in Salt LakeCity One ofdhe owners is in town in this connection con-nection Noticing this paragraph in the last number of the San Francisco Music and Drama a jeporter of THE HERALD called onJMr Sharp Walker owner of the Opera House last evening and asked concerning its truthfulness I was in San Francisco recently said Mr Walker and Mr Hayman and I did have a preliminary sort of talkabout his taking hold < of the building build-ing In another month the lease to Maguire will expire and ithe negotiations negotia-tions will be continued J expect Mr Hayman will be uphere shortly Mr Hayman it is almost needless to fajis now the toemost theatrical man in San Francisco He controls both the Baldwinand the California theatre and has extensive bookingof eastern attraction designed feed those places of amusement Should the Qpera House go under his management a notable change would probably be worked in ike Justery local amusements SUstaci California If any additional evidence were needed that the great artiste has seen her beat day at would be found in her San Francisco engagement Poorhouses Poor-houses and lukewarmiuotices have been the rule this aceek The Chronicle says Ristori has been great actress she is still a great artist Her artistic quality shows ia everything ahe does ner long experience has made her absolutely certain of aU the details cl the roles ate undertakes and the educated theatre goers will never Jail to recognize and enjoy her best momenta There is no illusion about tier now especially IE t English The face is there still the fine artistic spirit is there tut the force is not under as accurate control and the spirit is no longer perfectly pliable There is less of Ee heroic the ideal about Ris tori now than the practical the realistic She rarely touches the emotions emo-tions and in Elizabeth she never touches the feelings unless it be a kind of pity she inspires sometimes for her weakness Notes I Jp A STEVENS is in San Francisco waiting for a chance to appear there HU2 LEE is about to try his luck at starring in San Francisco We prophesy N Gno go THE JTEXX attraction at the Theatre so far as at present known is Pecks Bad Boy on May 1st THE Alta is authority for the statement state-ment that Couldock > will star neytseason in the Willow Copse THE Miss RUSSEH who played the part of Josiah Deans daughter in the Wages of Sin a sister to the famous Lilian THE muchadvertised New Lyceum Theatre New York commenced with a failure Dakolar was its name Steele Mackaye too author THE MUSICAL services at the Tabernacle Taber-nacle today it is expected will be Something out of the ordinary BOECICADLT Fanny Davenport May Blossom Aimee and Rossi Coghlan are among the attractions which will cross the continent in 4ene future Twcrs HAS made a failure in Sail Francisco We never thought much of Bishop as a star attraction He will be remembered here from his Widow Bedott T j ROSE CocHLAH has produced her new play of Our Joan Wallacks and is credited with a decided success She will brine it to the Baldwin in a few weeks Bulletin THE PEOVO Dramatic Association are negotiating with the Home Dramatic Club of this city with a view to purchasing pur-chasing the right to perform the Green Lanes of England at the opening of the Provo theatre THE R tsKiN company left for Portland Port-land on Thursday and will be gone four weeks They will play the California circuit under M B Leavitta management manage-ment on their return and then locate at the California Theatre as a stock company com-pany Musicand Drama LEWIS MORRISON will remain on the coast some weeks He probablywill not go to London to join Irvings Company on a London salary Meantime he is reading plays with a view to a starring tour in the near futureBulletin TJ GREENWALD our Salt Lake correspondent cor-respondent who is connected with the wellknown cigar firm of C MaIm Co is in town Although this is Mr Green walds first visit to San Francisco he is not a stranger as he has a number of friends here among them being Al Hayman who is an old schoolmate and Mose Gunst both of whom are exerting themselves to make his visit very pleasant San Francisco Music and Drama j |