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Show H I With the First Nighters Hi the fortune hunter. I H; It would take extremely bad acting on the H j part of an entire company to spoil so fine a play H i as "The Fortune Hunter," and for that reason, H' even with the cast provided for the western tour, H Winchell Smith's comedy has delighted Salt Lake H Theatre audiences during the week. But the joy H has come of the play, and through a few of those who are presenting it here, among whom, the I supposed star is not to be included. In fact, local i playgoers have been treated to the unusual sight ' of another Frank Bacon as the druggist com pletely eclipsing the lusterless effect unwisely chosen for the leading role. So much has been heaid and read legarding "The Fortune" Hunter" during its phenomenal eastern successes that its coming has been eager-i eager-i ly awaited, and it is pleasant to chronicle the pleasure with which the clever ply has been received. re-ceived. The staging is in accord with that always to 1 be expected of a Cohan & Harris production, the lines, situations and "business" are replete with genuine fun, and there is no comedy on the stage so thoroughly clean and free from the objectionable. objection-able. It is a simple story that of a young man born and bred in the city who, upon the advice of a friend (having failed in several business undertakings) un-dertakings) goes to a little village with a book of "Don'ts," his ultimate object being to capture the village heiress. During the proceedings, in which he is eminently successful, he really falls in love with another, and naturally the end of the play finds them about to live in a rose topaz glow forever for-ever after. The play is splendid, but as a whole the company com-pany presenting it here is inferior, in spite of the promises made by the efficient press agent. But the mediocrity of some was a distinct advantage to others, particularly Frank Bacon, whose Sam Graham is as beautiful a character portrayal as one could wish to see. In the particular part he is playing now, he has found something to which, in manner, gesture ges-ture and voice he is perfectly suited and he has furnished us with something new to add to those p'easant memories, which grow sweeter with the lengthening of time. As for Mr. Fred Niblo, or rather his work as Nathaniel Duncan, it was almost negative so far as any apparent understanding of the humor of the role was displayed. Stilted, studied, and lacking in initiative, the lines lead him to the laughs, and he was very disappointing. To compare him to Barrymore or for that matter Ross, is outside the province of one who has a high appreciation of real comedians. Among the other men Francis Conlin as the sheriff, Frank Buoman as the oldest inhabitant, and Avon Breyer as the tailor were especially good. Edward Saxon as the ibanker was fair, Warren Rodgers as the bank clerk gave an impression im-pression that would lead one to believe he would bt more at home in a part necessitating his ap-, ap-, pearance behind a push-cart with the Williams- J burg Bridge as a back drop, Robert Lowe as i Henry Kellog sounded as though he was used to i talking through a megaphone, and T. N. Heffron 1 read like a beginner in two-a-day stock. Alma Belwin as Betty Graham was fairly acceptable, ac-ceptable, though by no means up to the standard set by Mary Ryan, and Lento Fulwell as Josle Lockwood is hardly headed for the Nazlmova I class. . I But really, the play itself is perfectly fine, and with Frank Bacon and part of his support well H worth seeing. THE ORPHEUIV1. The Orpheum bill is a lifeless sort and with one exception the acts that are worth seeing are repeaters. Half of it is worth a word or two of praise were the turns new locally. To take them as the program does Lem-Put, of the boneless 'voice, would have a name much more In keeping with his efforts at entertaining if he wou'd drop the last end of his hyphenated cognomen and make it straight Lemon. The Krags trio top the week's entertainment In a splendid strong-arm act that is remarkably clean-cut and interesting. All three are marvelously developed and trained. In Irene Howley, Mr. Beck's house has another an-other of those "Oh, You Bear" ladies, who go as far as they can with their voices and finish out with several well placed, slow-time, sugges- JOHN MASON IN "THE WITCHING HOUR." tive wiggles. The excitement over her in the gallery gal-lery all week has been Intense. "Sweethearts" is too well known and liked, possibly, to necessitate much comment on this, Mr. and Mrs. Connelly's 'steonth season in. the sketch. It is well acted and staged and would be a feature were it not so familiar to the theatregoers thea-tregoers who have enjoyed the Connelly efforts of other seasons. Arthur Brown, the singing cartoonist, car-toonist, is on in a clean-cut and somewhat novel sketching act that puts kinks and curves on most ot his competitors, though there is scarcely enough vim in his musical work. George McKay and John Cantwell string a, lot of horse-play along until it gets on fertile ground out front and during the week they have managed to get themselves pretty well liked. "Jack, the Giant Killer," tickled the kiddies with the help of Ernest Rommel and Caroline Hass. There is better promise, however, in the announcement an-nouncement for the new bill which opens Sunday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Colby return in what ' ' they term Mystical, Electrical, Musical "Kimo, ' w while with them on the program will be Jean-nette Jean-nette Adler and her colored assistants, William Flemen and company in a sketch called "Back to Boston;" the Jack Artois duo, horizontal bar Pier- l rots, and the Bison City Four. J "In Africa' is the title of a sketch for which much is claimed and which will be given by the i Four Riamos. "MARY JANE'S PA." i With his Doldub stories and the quaintness of j most of the Edith Ellis story, Max Figman has I taken a peculiar hold on play-goers the past two seasons as the straying philosopher and Mary j1 Jane's daddy, but if he could eliminate some of ! his set mannerisms and shadow boxing that hold would grow much tighter. ,v A return engagement of the Indiana play at the Colonial this week brought the attraction a deal of business and added a lot of admirers to the scores who enjoyed Mr. Figman iu tne first representation of the play here a season ago. He has had no better opportunity in several sev-eral years, and "Mary Jane's Pa" fills a niche in the hum-drum run of music and drama pretty nearly its own. The support in this year's show is excellent, the same practically as was seen last winter, with the exception of Mary Jane, who is played splendidly and delightfully this time by Mistress Dorothy McKay. Helen Lack- v, aye has, if anything, improved and gives a delightful de-lightful performance. "THE IRONMASTER." The Pritchard play at the Garrlc has been mostly gowns and excellent acting of a slow-mov-Ipg, ponderous play. I I The frocks of the ladles of the company have kept the women very busy with the opera glasses and Mr. Ingersoll and his players have striven hard to give "The Ironmaster" an adequate and effective production. It is sombre and weighty at best, however, and the result has not been, by any means, a production up to the Ingersoll stan dsrd. The Shubert is steadily building a clientele among the seekers of popular priced theatrical entertainment and with "The Girl and the Prince" this week has offered the Curtis company in Its nineteenth consecutive play. It has been aver-agely aver-agely good and gives place this afternoon to "The Flirting Duchess." THE WITCHING HOUR. One of the best attractions of the season will be seen at the Colonial theatre next week when John Mason and his company, under the direction of the Shuberts, will present "The Witching Hour," which by many critics is considered to be Augustus Thomas' masterpiece. Salt Lake has waited for this two years, but so great has been 1 1 the demand for the play in the east that it has been impossible to send Mr. Mason on the road before this season. Mr. Mason created the character char-acter of Brookfleld in "The Witching Hour," a play which was written especially for him and which he played at the Hackett theatre in New York for a season and a half. 'The Witching Hour" is a genuinely stirring drama of the higher sort, containing many unique and curious surprises of plot, dealing with mystic phenomena and weird inheritances of ancestry and startling influences of personality on personality person-ality down through generations, and the effect of mental telepathy from the gambler's fashionable card room to the very sha'dow of the supreme court and the jury room of a great murder trial. Mr. Thomas has skilfully interwoven many human interests together with many of the new ideas concerning telepathy, Christian Science, spiritualism, spiritual-ism, hypnotism, mesmerism and all that concerns mystic phenomena. The playgoers who see "The Witching Hour" will carry home with them a multitude of new sensations, feelings and thoughts, and will find fresh interest in the curious coincidences and strange impressions of every day life. The Ingersoll company at the Garrick will present pre-sent that delightful and cleverly written comedy, "Miss Hobbs," the engagement opening Sunday Tj evening for the weok. It is Henry Miller's old comedy success and one of the brightest and swiftest moving funmakers of the older modern comedies. Mr. Miller last played it hero and it should prove a popular play for the Ingersoll forces next week. "The Flirting Duchess,' a musical show cut to an hour and a half for its presentation, will go on today at the Shubert, with Maude Beatty, Carlton Carl-ton Chase, Frank Vack, Henry Auerbach and other members of the Curtis company In new roles. |