Salt Lake Tribune | 1908-08-20 | Page 12 | Theatrical Man Pleased with Zion

THEATRICAL IS PLEAS E D WITH IS Talks About flic City and ihc Great Strides Forward It Is Making. LIKEWISE. HE REFERS TO ORPHEUM CIRCUIT C. E. Dray, Booking Manager for Martin Reek. Pays Salt Lake a Visit. "T am surprised at Salt Lake surprised sur-prised in more ways than one," said Mr. Bray to The Tribune. . "First. I am surprised at- the wonderful progress that Salt Lake is making. As a city it has made wonderful strides, and 1. am confident that the next few years will see Salt Lake City ono of tho great cities of the country. "As to tilings theatrical, well, there is nothing that is too good for Salt Lake. As a show town it has few equals, and in no citv of anywhere near the population of Suit Lake is there better business than here. "Our playhouse here, the Orpheum, has proved "wonderfully successful. H is now tho hub of the "Western iiircuil. everything radiating from hero, hence the best there is in the vaudeville world will come here. "I am on mv wav home lrom a trip through the Northwest, where four new theaters on the circuit have been or will be opened. Saturday ii'ht we oponed the Orpheum in Butte; Monday night the old Murquani Grand in Portland Port-land was opened with Orpheum players. On Sundav we open in Spokane, and on Monday our playhouse in Seattle will be ready. . , . This makes our circuit that is. our Western circuit complete, and. as T have said. Salt Lake is the hub from which evervlhing will radiate. "Will there bo a now Orpheum theater the-ater building erected here? Well. Mr. Beck has charge of all that part ot. the svstem. He was here recently, and. as l' recall it. he gave you an interview that covered tho matter. "Oh. yes. I've been in Salt Lako before. be-fore. I was hero as manager of the 'Alabama' company. 1 have been with vaudeville. Yes, vaudeville has come to stay. Here we open our season almost in midsummer, and with all the resorts to compete with. Ton know the kind of business wo are doinir. It shows the hold that vaudeville has upon the playgoers. . , , "We have enioved our trip throughout through-out the West and Northwest. Mrs. Brav and 1 like tho West, and hero, in Salt Lake we have had a delightful time. The great dead sea which you have has no equal in the world as "a health and pleasure resort. The only thing 1 am surprised at is that, it is not dotted with all kinds of pleasure craft. But I'm in the theatrical business and I'm getting away from the subject. Don't forget that vaudeville is tho real thing and that the Orpheum circuit is the best and that Salt Lake will always get the best."