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Show "The Straight Road." which Blanche Walsh brought to the Salt Lake Theater last night.' Is one of the leaders among the productions which have been seen here this season. It differs widely from nearly overy other play which attempts to depict the seamy side of life and to draw a moral. It accomplishes the first of thnca with a realism that at times is startling but It reaches the second result with an utter absence of insane, wishy-washy wishy-washy accompaniments which characterize charac-terize too many of the plays in which the battle between virtue and vice Is' shown. v The most lasting Impression which the spectator gains Is the tremendous strength of the character of Moll, the central figure. Moll appears first as a dissolute, hopeless woman of the lower world, engaged in a lively fight with another an-other woman of her class. She .resists with determination the effort of a mission mis-sion worker to lift her to a higher plane, but the discerning woman who undertakes under-takes her salvation finds her one point of weakness. Her "Achilles heel of goodness her woman's soul or the germ of one, burled beneath all her curses and waywardness" way-wardness" is her love of children, and the crippled little boy who lives In the same tenement awakens her better self. To save the woman who assisted her to higher living from marriage with a worthless deceiver, Moll entraps this man and permits herself to be discovered discov-ered In his arms. The fiancee of the man she seeks to expose at first refuses to believe even the evidence of her own eyes and Moll's affianced husband casts her aside. Then Moll is about to resign herself to another and this time a deeper plunge in sin. She swears she will descend to the lowest depths. Her renunciation of this purposes furnishes the most .dramatic situation of the play. She is raising a glass of whisky to her lips, as the first step in her renewal of the old life of shame when her eyes fall on a picture-of picture-of the Virgin, Before It Moll falls on her knees uttering the prayer: "Forgive me, oh blessed Virgin, mother of us all, forgive me. Take even me to your loving arms, Holy Mother of Sorrows Sor-rows and hold me tight." Miss Walsh gives an extraordinarily adequate conception of this character. It is doubtful if she ever appeared to better bet-ter advantage and It is hard to conceive con-ceive of any actress painting the role in truer colors. Her support, too, is capable throughout, though the strongest of her personality overshadows all of the others. Helen Lowell Is a capital Mrs. Flnnerty. a woman with the true Irish wit and with a highly developed propensity to have a hand In everybody's else business. Charles Dalton Is a true Bill Hubbell. "barkeep:" Llda McMlllen Is satisfactory as Miss Thompson, the mission worker: and Beaulah Thompson Is most acceptable accept-able as Miss Lanner, her friend who from the start suspects the Insincerity of Douglas Alnes, who seeks the hand of j the angel of mercy. Alnes is taken by William Travers. ' The other performers are lovers of the Shakespearean drama I.azy XAz; Cornelia M. Flood, as Mike Finnerty; Ethlyn Clemens, Harry La Grange and Clement Hopkins. The seat sale for Miss Annie Russell's engagement at the Salt Lake Theater the first three nights of next week, with Wednesday matinee, opened at the box office at 10 o'clock with a briskness that would indicate that local theater-goers are lovers of the Shakespearean drama when correctly interpreted. Although most every writer of theatrical affairs in the country has had something to say about Annie Russell's delightful Interpretation Interpre-tation of "Puck," and has spoken about the great features oft the $50,000 production produc-tion of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." many details have not been dwelt upon. The most notable one concerns the company com-pany which surrounds Miss Russell. In the present magnificent production, she insisted that each member of her company com-pany should be the one best fitted to portray the special character. Fortunately Fortunate-ly her desires were In accordance with those of her managers, and the result is a company of exceptional merit. Among the well-known members of Miss Russell's Rus-sell's company of 125 are John Bunny, Oswald Yorke, Thomas Coffin Cooke, Atkins Lawrence Edmund Longman. Edmund Ed-mund Mordant. Lanslnl? Rowan, Catherine Cather-ine Proctor and Ina Brooks. "Zorah," the Russian play being presented pre-sented at the Grand by Harry Lelghton and his company, is proving popular this week. Next week's attraction, beginning Sunday evening, will be Lelghton's new play. "Butternut Jones." an idyl of the great Southwest. It will be the first production pro-duction of the play on any stage. Next week the Orpheum has the usual excellent features. Including the famous actress, Mattle Keene and her company, producing Ella Wheeler Wilcox's Wil-cox's first dramatic comedy.' "Her First Divorce Case." The sketch is said to be one of the features of the entire vaudeville vaude-ville season. "Her First Divorce Case" Is a short sketch running fifteen or sixteen minutes and brimming over with bright sayings, with here and there a touch of sentiment of the kind which distinguishes dis-tinguishes Mrs. Wilcox, and the whole is produced in a most perfect manner by Miss Keene and her company. In addition to the star of the piece are J. H. Phillips, I.ouiH Chevalier and Miss Lawson, all excellent in their different parts. AMUSEMENTS TONIGHT'S AMUSEMENTS. SALT LAKE Blanche Walsh in "The Straight Road." ORPHEUM Vaudeville. ORANI "Zorah." LYRIC Vaudeville. AUDITORIUM Roller Skating. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Free. For positive strength, Clyde Fitch's |