OCR Text |
Show cellent musical offering. Miss Annie Russell and her large company com-pany of players, having achieved a distinct dis-tinct success and won critical approval In a long run at the Astor theater. New York, and a brief tour of the principal cities, comes, to the Salt Lake Theater for three nights beginning Monday. April 22, in Wagenhals & Kemper's stupendous scenic production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Viewed as a spectacle this production was one of the most remarkable re-markable ever revealed on Broadway, the original text and an Idea of Shakespeare being augmented and enlarged upon, as it were, by such spectacular features as a "Flying Fairy ballet," and a large chorus singing and dancing add to the effect. "Zorah" at the Grand Is drawing good audiences. Beginning next Sunday even-lng even-lng Leighton will present for the first time on any stage his new play of the great Southwest, "Butternut Jones." . The Lyric bill for next week, beginning next Saturday's matinee, will Include Nellie Andrews' grand opera trio. La Adella, a dancer, will add to the week's entertainment. AMUSEMENTS TONIGHTS AMUSEMENTS. ORPHEUM Vaudeville. GRAND "Zorah." LYRIC Vaudeville. AUDITORIUM Roller Skating. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Free. The songsters have come and gone. To everyone who attended any of the three performances of the San Carlo company the close of the brief engagement is a signal for sincere regret. Having heard the great artists and artistes must linger long in memory as a time of unalloyed pleasure. From the standpoint of the hearer there Is no middle-ground In grand opera. Either It Is not understood and, consequently, conse-quently, In no degree appreciated, or It moves to genuine rapture. This is according ac-cording as the auditor has. in any svnse, what is called the musical ear. To the person able to derive the best from the highest class of music the handicap of a foreign language is more than offset by the wealth of delicious melody which flows from the most gifted of human voices and the extraordinarily talented instrumentalists. in-strumentalists. And unhappy indeed Is he on whose ear falls the strains of masterpieces master-pieces by Puccini or Gounod, as uttered by Nielsen, Nordlca or Constantino, who is not entranced by what he hears. Last night was Nordlca's. It would be presumptuous for any but the most skilled critic to attempt to analyze her vocal charm. It simply hypnotizes. And It does it with so little apparent effort that it makes the average person even the average singer ashamed of himself. The sweetness of her voice is almost incomparable. in-comparable. She sings and acts the role of Marguerite In "Faust" with a high degree de-gree of finish and a brilliant ornamentation ornamenta-tion that seem Impossible of approach. The easy, sustained control of the high notes Is marvelous. And as the observant obser-vant hearer Is moved to a more than liberal lib-eral recognition of the extraordinary vocal ability, so to the watchful spectator specta-tor the care and close attention to manner man-ner of performance are always evident. Another artistic triumph 'was that scored by Richard Martin, the young French American who sang the part of Faust. His voice Is clear, almost with a hint of the metallic, and Is produced freely, free-ly, and easily In all registers. Ho sings Intelligently and naturally and his acting Is In good taste. Notably Senor de Segurola, the Mephistopheles, but also each of the four others, every member of the cast sang in a highly capable manner. As was so evident evi-dent in "La Boheme" Monday night the San Carlo company claim to an all-star company was more than fully justined. Mme. Montl-Baldlnl, Mme. Perego, 'Signor Fornart and Signor Valentini were well selected for their parts. The stage settings in "Faust" seem almost beyond compare. Particularly effective ef-fective is the garden scene, in which also the music is more than ever appealing. The most dramatic scene is the final one. when Marguerite views the glories of Paradise and Faust pays his debt to the devil. In the San Carlo engagement Signor Contl gave convincing proof of his abilities abili-ties as a conductor, reading the beautiful scores with the sympathy and taste which only the master can manifest. Blanche Walsh will bo seen at the Salt Lake In Clyde Fitch's newest play "The Straight Road." Thursday night. It is said that the play is simple in construction, construc-tion, being a plain unvarnished story of New York life. Possibly Fiteli has followed fol-lowed the advice which Miss Walsh once gave to a. young dramatist. This young man went to her home by appointment one day and told her that he had a plot for a play which ho would like her opinion opin-ion of. Miss Walsh was Just sitting down to her breakfast, which consisted of two eggs. "I am perfectly willing to give you my opinion." said Miss Walsh, after she had listened patiently to the enthusiastic young man. "but let me tell you that to mv mind one secret of successful play-writing play-writing is the simplicity of plot. If you can tell me your plot while I eat these two eggs, there Is some little hope." Miss Walsh broke the first egg and the young dramatist began his story. Miss Walsh listened as she ate. As she broke the second egg. the young man finished his story, with the words, "and that is the plot." Miss Walsh looked up and remarked quickly, "Write your play." Lillian Shaw, who was stalled east of Aspen tunnel Monday, and was unable to appear at the Orpheum Monday night, is now included In the bill and makes a bright addition to the evening's entertainment. entertain-ment. She goes in for imitations, and at the last appears in a most outlandish costume cos-tume and plaintively asks Information of the orchestra and the gallery regarding the whereabouts of - one 'Enry Brown. The OHvottla, if anything, have added to their triumph of the opening night and now render additional encores to their ex. ' '1 f |