Show c 1 r Ii i 42 lIE UI r l d y l Dear Hal Feb 25 That we are indeed the metropolis of the mountains was never more plainly evinced than In the astonishing way we have stood up under the strain of four consecutive weeks of opera with the last week an operatic doubleheader double-header A few years back anyone who would have suggested such a run could be achieved in Salt Lake would have been laughed at Yet there were not three nights in the whole series when the houses could be called light and on most pf them every seat was occupied occu-pied Mr Grau hies himself away very wel satisfied with his fortnights stay and the probabilities are that Salt Lake has nut seen the last of him His company despite some uneven spots in it has made many friends and can be ranked as the best 50cent attraction the Grand that is the new Grandhas furnished furnish-ed Miss Mortimer has been the prime favorite Miss Ayers must shut off that tiemulo stop before she can read her title clear to a place among the accepted prima donne Mr Felch is a good comedian co-median and a conscientious worker Mr Pcke has some good tenor notes one stereotyped set of gestures and an ungraceful un-graceful bearing that recalls poor old Mike Forster of the vanished Salt Lake stock actor days Mr Langlois needs two things and needs them badly one is a course in articulation the other anew a-new walk Without them his naturally good vocal organ might as well be utilized uti-lized in crying tomales The chorus has done both good work and bad work I What it knows well it sings well but if it ventures on new ground it gets decidedly shaky Like the little miss with a curl in the middle of her forehead fore-head when its good its very very good and when its bad its horrid Mr Weihes amateurs entered the lists against the professionals and routed them foot and horse that is I comparing artistic and financial results I The chorus of the home people is such a one as no traveling organization carries I car-ries with the possible exception of the Bostonians and In the list of the principals prin-cipals are some who come close to the I professional line Mr Weihe has more reason than ever to feel proud of his organization and Said Pasha may be added to the rapidly swelling list of this companys achievements with the I feeling that it is entitled to stand very 1 near the head of the class if not absolutely ab-solutely at the top Among all the j many treats the production afforded I none excelled that of seeing Spencer I and Young in harness together Tigain It was a breath from the old Home Dramatic days that their army of friends found especially exhilarating The only regret about the entire pro Suction is that it took practically all th2 handsome receipts to pay for rent costumes cos-tumes orchestra lights advertising i j and the thousand and one etceteras inseparable in-separable from a presentation of such pretension Mr Weihe is understood to have observed that the profits would with economy Keep him in rosin for the winter nut he rightly feels the opera is a long way from dead and if the right moment is seized it may be put on at sojnotlmc and made to yield a uroflt yet Our Flat has not set the Jordan afire its humorous trifle but played by a company organized in the main on the bargain counter principle Its I a < coast enterprise working eastward which I very much fear is equivalent to saying that its only ambling toward its open grave MARGE DRAMATIC AND LYRIC Tomorrow evening at the tabernacle I the concert on which a big section of our musical forces has been at work for three months past will be rendered The event is to take the form of a testimonial to Professor Stephens whose long and arduous labors in the cause of music in this city and elsewhere else-where have made him the most prominent promi-nent figure among the musical circles of this community The programme arranged ar-ranged is an entirely unique one con sitting as it does of 12 numbers everyone every-one of which is by Mr Stephens himself him-self and nearly all of which are today unpublished The first number will be a selection from the oratorio called The Siege of the Nephites the words and music of which were written by Mr Stephens many years ago The 500 voices of the tabernacle choir form the chorus of Nephite men and women while Mr Goddard Mr Pyper and Mrs Nellie Druce Pugsley assume the three characters char-acters to whom Is assigned solo work George Chadwick one of Americas greatest composers said of this oratorio ora-torio the manuscript of which was submitted sub-mitted to him that its style was masterly mas-terly but that he regretted it was formed after the school of Handel rather than that of Wagner The second sec-ond number will be Mr Stephens well known glee The Vales of Deseret which was one of the contest prizes at the great eisteddfod The third number num-ber will be a duet between Misses Della Daynes and Leland Clayton originally composed in 1SS3 for the Home Dramatic Dra-matic club and sung by Misses Nellie Druce and Agnes Olsen in the play of The Bankers Daughter The fourth number will be the mo tette God of Israel Hear Our Prayer sung by Lizzie Thomas Edward Thomas Ashworth Willard Christo pherson and the tabernacle choir This I composition was written for the choir about 1885 and was first rendered in laThe The fifth number a duet will be rendered ren-dered by Mr Stephens himself and Wil lard Christopherson This was composed by Mr Stephens in his 15th year No 6 will be the noted hymn Ho sannah written for the dedication of the Salt Lake temple in 1593 No 7 will be a selection from a work A TOWN TOPICS TRIO which Mr Stephens once began with the story of She as the theme but I which was never finished It Is called I Sing Me a Lay and will be rendered by Mrs Agnes Olsen Thomas and Mr Ashworth Probably the most ambitious number of the night will be the opening scene of an opera called The Diva originally orig-inally known as The Village Song stress the words and music of which were written many years ago by Mr Stephens The choir will form the chorus and the cast will be made up of Mrs Edwards Miss Dwyer Miss Ida Pratt Mr Pyper Mr Goddard Mr Victor Christopherson Mr Andrew Peterson Pe-terson and Mr W Christopherson The ninth number will be an organ solo Christmas Fantasia by Professor Profes-sor Daynes The tenth a soprano solo Linger Not by Mrs Lizzie Thomas Edwards The well known Pioneer Ode which won the 100 prize during the Pioneer Jubilee will be the 11th number and the final number the 12th will be Utahs statehood song written for the inaugural ceremonies Utah We Love Thee The price of admission has been fixed I at 25 cents to all parts of the house and an enormous number of tickets is I reported as sold We certainly trust that the attendance will be in all ways worthy of the event itself 000 I I Musicians who have attended the rehearsals re-hearsals of the Stephens testimonial have been enthusiastic in their praise of the scene from the opera of The Diva and many regrets have been heard that Mr Stephens could not have finished his work which is written on grand opera lines Many people think it would have given him more than a local reputation if it could have been published The libretto of the opera is I written entirely by Mr Stephens and much of it is in rhyme while all the remainder is in blank verse Its plot I is simple but interesting and sympathetic sympa-thetic and the story and music fit well together Briefly stated La Diva is the story of a village songstress LauI rine whose voice heard in the church one Sabbath day captivates a nobleman noble-man who seeing the future that awaits the girl Induces here to leave her father and brother and go to the capital cap-ital to study The girl undergoes a struggle between love and ambition but the latter triumphs and after Inducing the nobleman to provide for the wants I of her parent she secretly departs j from her mountain home Her father rt rdeh i I assuming that his child has deserted t him to lead a life of shame throws j away the gold she left behind her and f d g I fh aKr cl i the first act ends with a strong scene enacted I en-acted by the despairing father and the surrounding villagers who try to console I con-sole him Act 2 finds Laurine at the I height of her triumph as a singer and I the ward of the nobleman who has had her educated She is oppressed however I how-ever by thoughts of her deserted home and overhearing the conversation of the noblemans friends who speak slightingly slight-ingly of her reputation she becomes aware for the first time of the false position po-sition she occupies and flies from the scene of revelry and resolves to return to her mountain home She has no sooner left than her foster brother and the village minister enter in search of her The nobleman is thunderstruck to find that she has flown and the second sec-ond act closes as the party breaks up in consternation The third act opens with a night scene in the village church with the services in progress The deserted father is kneeling at the grave of Lau rines mother singing plaintively of his woes As the daughter enters the church choir Is heard rendering a hymn and she again Joins in taking her old part The father hears her and at first thinks her figure that of a ghost but recognizes his child and repulses her She pleads her innocence in vain until the arrival of the pastor her brother and the nobleman together convince con-vince her father that she Is still stainless stain-less That portion of the opera which is to be illustrated in concert form tomorrow evening Is the opening scene in the village i vil-lage church where the count first hears I Laurines voice I < J > < s > O I Mr George D Pyper will leave Salt I Lake on a flying trip to Omaha on Tuesday morning his last appearance I for the present being at the Stephens 1 testimonial In the tabernacle tomorrow i night Mr Pyper expects to be gone about a week looking over the location for the Utah exhibit at the Omaha exposition ex-position and on his return it Is probable prob-able that Said Pasha may be done in Provo and Logan Mr Burton is also confident from the number of inquiries in-quiries received that the opera can be repeated an afternoon and evening here though it will probably be sometime some-time in the future < > < > 0 Miss Rachel Ford the pretty girl who plays the leading part in Our Flat is the daughter of Colonel Burton inspector in-spector general of the United States army with headquarters at the Presidio Pre-sidio In San Francisco Miss Ford has been the recipient of some marked attentions I at-tentions from army people during her brief stay here Her father Is well I known to Colonel and Mrs Kent and I others of the fort people and paid a I visit to this post not long since 4 > < < j I The fact that 900 people were packed into the Eleventh ward hall on Friday evening last at the testimonial concert ito i-to the Maori chief and that fully another I an-other 500 were unable to obtain admission j ad-mission has Induced the committee in I i charge to repeat the excellent pro j I gramme rendered on that occasion and the Assembly hall has been secured 1 for that purpose on Wednesday evening j i even-ing next It is understood that the hall will be thrown open free but that an opportunity will be given all who desire de-sire to contribute to the testimonial fund The programme will be the same i as that rendered on Friday evening I except that Mr Pypers place will be j filled by Mr Thomas Ashworth i A l 1 a The theatre will be closed until Friday Fri-day and Saturday of this week when the amateur dramatic society known as the Salt Lake Drarflatlc company under the direction of Miffs Ruth Eld redge renders Harvest Fennel and Broken Ties Harvest will be done with the same cast as before and the dramatis personae of the other pieces will be as follows FENNEL Sad des Ferrari a master violin makerWaldemar Young Filippo an apprenticeChester Ames Sandro an apprenticeAlfred Alfred G Swenson Gionnina Ferraris daughter Ethel B Ferguson BROKEN TIES Lionel WarnerAlfred G Swenson Herbert WarnerRobert B Rogers Lord CastletowersCharles W Mealdn Sir John RichmondWaldemar Young Randal Richmond Synville C Riter I Lady RlchmondElla Emery Lucy RlchmondAnnie Calder Mrs SherwoodEthel B Ferguson La Silvia Ruth Eldredge > < s > c > Town Topics the uptodate farce comedy is to visit Salt Lake again opening at the Grand tomorrow evening even-ing for a week It is described as an entertainment in three parts In short Town Topics Is a farce comedy performance per-formance in all that the word implies I and was written for laughing purposes pur-poses only All that is pure and wholesome I whole-some In the comedy field has been skillfully skill-fully packed into two and a half hours I of invigorating fun The company presenting pre-senting it is composed of the following people William Keller William H Mack John W World Charles Roach Charles E Graham John Crowe Edward Ed-ward Brown Miss Marie Leslie Gussie Nelson Bessie Phillips Nellie Ryan and a chorus of young and pretty girls < i > < a < i > The following paragraph anent Utah amateur dramatic societies is taken from the San Francisco Music and Drama If any of our young Thespians Thespi-ans in the country are guilty of the charge named they should at once about face Stealing another mans ideas Is only another form of putting jour hand in his pocket The article says An apparent injustice In the provisions provi-sions of the new copyright law is the immunity amateur companies are given I from the penalties for its violation Music and Drama Is Informed that in Utah there are several socalled amateur ama-teur organizations playing copyrighted plays regardless of the law which they continue to make an exception in favor of amateurs in all cases instead of those In which performances are given only for charitable purposes The Eph raim Dramatic club Is playing The Silver Sil-ver King and In Mizzoura and the Society stock company of Richfield Queena and Little Lord Fauntleroy for Feb IS and 19 in Manti Utah 600 The theatre had a light gathering at the matinee yesterday and a fair turnout turn-out last evening Both audiences laughed Immoderately over the fun of Our Flat 0 < sAt > < > s-At the Grand the engagement of the I Grau Opera company concluded to two of the largest houses of the engagement engage-ment Martha was the afternoon bill and was sung with the same cast as I before In the evening Fatinitza was rendered and It became evident why it had been deferred to the last The company Is not at home In the opera and neither the principals nor the chorus cho-rus were seen at their best Mr Packer rendering the beautiful song My Native Na-tive Land left much to be desired and the singing of the four wives was very much off color Miss Mortimer played Lydia swetly and Miss Meyers made a fair Fatinitza though not bringing oui all the possibilities of the role The general of Mr Douglas was fair and the Turk of Mr Clayton was poor while Mr Felch got considerable fun out of the ennuch < 5 > < S > S London Feb 20 Copyright 1898 by the Associated PresEThe theatrical week has not been marked by the production pro-duction of any new plays Messrs Wyndham and Hare two influenza absentees ab-sentees hive returned to their respective respect-ive theatres The programme for the Nellie Farren benefit at Drury Lane on March 17 shows a most remarkable collection col-lection of notabilities i The cast of Lord Lyttons Money Includes Messrs Tree Hare Pawley Herbert Warring Louis Walter and Arthur Ar-thur Roberts and in Trial by Jury not only the principle but the jury bridesmaids and lady visitors in the court are all celebrities Lady Bancroft I Lydia Thompson and Kate Stanley being be-ing among the visitors In the Harlequinade Letty Lynd I will be the columbine while Arthur I Roberts Harry Monkhouse Willie i I Edouin Charles Hawley and Louie I Freer and other distinguished actors will play such parts as the policeman the Hshmongsr etc Another feature of the benefit will be a street band composed entirely of the conductors of the orchestra of the various London theatres Every available seat has been sold netting nearly 5000 23000 while in addition subscriptions are pouring in including t200 1000 from George Edwardes Jl00 500 from the Roths childs 100 500 from the Duke of i Beaufort J20 100 from Lord Rose berry and 20 5100 each from Lord I Latham the Duke of Fife Earl Cado gan and Lord Farquhar |