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Show M "DRAMA m THE WHINE OF A BARNSTORMER AND B, MANAGER PYPER'S OUTRAGED FEELINGS. V Theatregoers who haven't forgotten the ap- ft pearance at the Salt Lake Theatre a few weeks H ago of Mr. Wright Lorimer, in "The Shepherd H King," will scarcely need be reminded that it H was because of the review of the play which m , appeared in GOOOWIN'S WEEKLY, in which it H j was stated the play was worthless and tiresome H and poorly presented, that Manager Pyper of the H Theatre found himself unable to express his in- H dignation in words forcible enough to re- H lieve the pressure on his outraged feelings and H therefore withdrew from this, journal the adver- VAHj Using patronage and courtesies of the Theatre. EHh At the time, Mr. Pyper stated "The Shepherd H King" merited no such roast ins it received in H' tliese columns and that the show was considered H and should be treated as a high class attraction. H While perfectly willing to let our judgment of H the Shepherd thing stand for itself and by itself, H it seems this journal was hardly the first to pick H the show as a ringer from the kerosene circuit Hj wjiich the K. & E. syndicate by dint of unlimited Hj circus advertising was offering a good natured H public at high class prices. H A week before his Salt Lake engagement, Mr. H Lorimer appeared in San Francisco where, un- Hl like Salt Lake, the dramatic reviewers of the B leading daily papers are permitted by the ad- V vertising departments of their journals to print R an honest criticism now and then. It was a chill, H grey dawn for the Lorimer youngster and his H show when he got hold of the San Francisco pa- H pers the morning after his opening night there H and what ho read so peeved the erstwhile shep- H herd that he couldn't resist a few remarks the H last night of his engagement on the lack of ap- H preciation of true art among 'Frisco playgoers, B following which the editor of San Francisco Town H Talk paid the spear bearer his respects in the M following paragraph: M Another actor-r has discovered that San Fran- M cisco is a jay town. Wright Lorimer is his name. j He is the pet of one-night stands from the heart H, of the Middle West to the sundown rim of this Hj glorious continent. Mr. Lorimer came to San M ' Francisco to introduce to us what he calls "a H1 play with an uplift," a play entitled "The Shep- M herd. King." This play was received with great B enthusiasm everywhere within the circumference M of the Chautauqua Circle, but here in San Fran- H ' cisqo where there is not much of the sweetness H and but faint flickers of the light that Matthew M f Arnold deemed essential to a high civilization, H "The Shepherd King" excited not half the in- M terest that has been excited from time to time by H kings of the turf and kings of the opium ring and B kings of the tenderloin and other monarchs in- M digenous to the home of democracy and popular M at prices ranging from ten to iifty cents. Mr. M Lorimer, I suspect, made the mistake of putting m too high an appraisement on his royal puppet. M I "The Shepherd King" was not seen for less than H ' a quarter and the highest priced seats were $1.50. m i Theatregoers balked, and Mr. Lorimer sulked and WA waxed indignant, and on the last night of the H show, after disposing of the big Philistine, the K actor, quitting the role of Shepherd King ap- V peared before the audience in his own propria H. persona and ch.'ded the people of San Francisco H on their lack of taste and their abominable pre- Hu judice against plays that uplift. Now as I have Hm never seen Mr. Lorlmer's play I am not com- H ' petent to judge whether the actor wn justified H in censuring us for failing to overflow the theatre H I and put money in his purse, but I will suggest H that perhaps the reason of my failure go to the H , show was the same that deterred otheis. My H reason was that Mr. Lorimer placarded the town H with bills which set forth the dictum of one Wil- BMBL liam J. Bryan to the effect that "No greater play than 'The Sheherd King" had been written since 'Ben Hur.'" From these bills I mow nvo inferences; in-ferences; first, that Mr. L6rimer regarded Mr. Bryan as a competent dramatic critic; secondly, that he regarded "Ben Ilur" as a great" play. Everybody who knows anything about drama knows that "Bon Hur" was one of the worst pieces of claptrap that was over put on the stage. Knowing something about the drama I concluded that Mr. Lorimer who believes that no higher praise could be given to his play than to compare it with "Ben Hur," was peddling through the country something that was hardly worth while. In all the circumstances of the matter it is Intensely In-tensely amusing to hear of this barnstormer setting set-ting himself up as an apostle of culture. |