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Show THE CITIZEN 10 With The First Nighters HP HE frivols and felicities of Chin Chin have been succeeded at the Salt Lake theatre by the fascinating presentation of The Masquerader by Guy Bates Post and an admirable company. The subtle and powerful characterization of the dual role by Mr. Post is as notable in its way as was the Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Mansfield, a generation ago. One leaves the theatre with the same impression of the sinister forces of life and of a richness of portrayal typical' of the master histrions John Hunter Booth has utilized with marvelous deftness the material in Katherin Cecil Thurston's novel. He has been enabled to give the story a stronger seeming of realtiy by pitching it in the period of the Great War. The prologue deals with . a chance meeting under a street lamp in a London fog between John Chilcote, M. P.f and John Loder. The striking of a match under each other's noses reveals to them their startling similarity in form and features. Chilcote, one of the great orators of parliament, is supposed to be suffering from a nervous breakdown. In reality he has become a victim of alcohol and morphia. He had been put up by his party to deliver the speech that should, convince Germany of guilt, but he had sunk back into his seat wtih-ou- t a word The leaders are aghast and have decided that he shall have no. other chance. John Loder, bom in Canada and inured to lifes hardships and high adventures, is Chilcothes cousin, although neither knows it at the time of the meeting in the fog. Loder, however, takes it on himself to chide the great orator for his drunkenness Then the and loss of . self-respec- We have given enough of the plot brous light that the change is not to show the magic of what remains noted by the audience until the actor untold. Post appars in the protean rises on the couch and begins his role of John Chilcote and John Loder. mad scene. At some points in the play a double At the garden party of Lady is used to stagger across the stage in when she discovers the decepdimly lighted rooms, but the talking tion which has fooled Chilcotes wife, is done by Post. another shift is necessary. Loder, Take the meeting in the fog, for exaccused before the guests of being a ample. In that scene we discern but spy, is trying to make his escape. As vaguely two men in dress suits and he approaches a gate he sees Chilcote mooning along looking about in high hats. It apears to the audience that a conversation is being conlucted his mistress garden for morphine. between the two, but, if we are to Loder dashes out at the gate after judge by what occurs later, the lines giving Chilcote a shove that carries of both Chilcote and Loder are him through an arbor into the presby but one actor in that scene. ence of the assembled guests. After And so it goes throughout the play. the shove every one on the stage When Chilcote is dying ' in Loders gathers about the arbor in such a lodgings, Post, enacting the role of way that Post is enabled to resume Loder, stands with his back to the the character, passing from Loder to audience and in the obscurity appears Chilcote. Lady Alstrupp has chalto be carrying on a conversation with lenged Loder to show the scar under the wretch huddled up on a couch at a ring on his third finger and thus the back. Post does all the talking. prove himself an impostor. As ChilA few minutes later Loder goes out cote he takes off the ring and there at the door and is compelled to take is no scar. Lady Alstrupp is dumbthe place on the couch so that he can . founded and is denounced by every present the death scene. The shift one as queer. is probably made through the back of In the end Loder, despite his efthe couch, which is in such a tene forts, is compelled to keep the place Al-strup- ut-tter- ed t. the day that Chilcote is to be told that he can no longer speak for his party his disregarded wife arrives from Italy. She succeeds by her cleverness and wiles in having the ban lifted, Chilcote .appears in his draw. ing room before, the .leaders and makes a. presentable apeparance, even flashing forth a few epigrams and other evidences of his old brilliancy. The leaders are somewhat reassured and. ask him to make the speech of On . " , bis life that afternoon. One of the noble characterizations of the play is that by Elwyn Eaton as Brock, the faithful servant who had been in the home since the days of thegrandfather, the ship-buildin- g magnate and founder of the family. ChilAs the afternoon aproaches cote, who has ben able to get large doses of morphia from his paramour, Lady Astrupp, and from his various hiding places about the house, is in no condition to make a speech. He realizes it aiid as he fumbles the card of John Loder in his vest pocket it occurs to him to invite Loder to make the speech while he. himself takes the place of Loder. and she with him. The impossibilities do nto seem to detract from the allurement of the of the play It has the wonder-charArabian nights with the grip of modern realism added Guy Bates Post possesses what might be called the high affectation that leaves the impression of truth. Henry Irving had it It consists of the most sophisticated mannerisms, but the actors art disarms criticism. In fact the affectation, like a rich and highly seasoned sauce, has a pecuiar fascination. m ORPHEUM TNDEED, folks, it is quite a girl INow then a and parade. musical note creeps into the playlet , to divert our attention, and occasionally somebody sings a song or lets loose a witticism. It really doesnt matter whether you hear it or not. To put you exactly right we are remarking about a certain musical act at the Orpheum this week. Its a girl act, wtih plenty of pot, a lot of music, Some dancing but a whole flock of abbreviated costumes. Its called Not Yet Marie The piece was writ ten and staged by Frank Stammers. ' Now having disposed of these trifling details we will get back to the main issue There is just one scene after another, with kimonos, real evening gowns, batha dash of color ing costumes, here and a splash of more color there and you have Not Yet Marie in a nut shell. Wiliam Edmunds plays Bambino, the artist from sunny Italy, and he is. kept busy trying to understand the language of the Irish. There is a lot of dancing with the chorus participating . Miss Dorothy Shirley, Helen Boyne and William Cotton are well cast. Harry and Emma Sharrock are back in their wonderfully amusing skit, Behind the Grand Stand. This act is a vaudevile cassic and never grows old. Miss Sharrock is better than ever in her mental telepathy stunts The clever pair have added many new lines and new business to their travesty. Color Gems is one of the most artistic posing acts on the stage today. Four beautiful girls appear in a dozen or more beautifully arranged scenes. It is a picturesque act and a decided innovation in such bits of entertainment. Carl Emmys -- . two go their way. t p, of Chilcote, because the fate of the. nation depends on it and because he has fallen in love with Chilcote'g wife are exceptionally trained dogs. Emmy has a running obligato of patter which adds immensely tif-hiact. The Kanazawa boys are clever Japs who show a new line of acrobatic stunts. Bryan Lee and Mary Cranston have a bright bit in A Brittany Romance. Mr Lee is a fine tenor singer and Miss Cranston "purps . LEONA STEPHENS, OF STEPHENS & HOLLISTER, WHO WILL APPEAR OUT IN CALIFORNIA " AT THE ORPHEUM NEXT WEEK. INI s |