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Show I : I e With The First Nighters O 'I AVID BBLASCO II kept his word I with the flrst- nighters. "The H HI I Boomerang" is Hj IjaaBBSJ I everything h e Hj prom! sed and H considerably more. It is a rollick- H ing comedy, played by a carefully H selected company, and presented in H typical Belasco fashion. The theme H has to do with tho application of a H novel remedy for love-sickness, pre- H scribed by a rising young physician H who makes up in originality what ho H i lacks in experience. The play re- H volves around the physician, the pa- H tient and the nurse. H Wallace Eddinger as Bud Wood- H bridge, the lovesick youth, played a H particularly difficult role to perfection. H Arthur Byron as tho daring physician M whose cure worked so well that it H effected him as well as his patient, H was also happily cast and his work H was splendid. The success of the M play owes much to the exquisite bit of H acting essayed by Martha Hedman, H who does the part of the nurse in a H more than pleasing manner. These H three talented artists carry the plot H from start to finish, assisted by a H small company splendidly cast. H ' But what's the use of attempting to H criticise the production. When Bel- H ' asco presents a play, it goes without H saying that the master critic has al- m ready passed judgment and all there H is left to do is to go and see the play H and look on and laugh or cry, just H as it happens to strike you. Hj "The Boomerang" played the first H three nights of the week and then H surrendered the boards to "The H Knife," a Shubert production from the H pen of Eugene Walter. This latter m play also features the work of a sur- M geon physician who effects a wonder- M ful cure. It is intensely dramatic at H times but one cannot call it a well H balanced production. The author ap- M parently became so wrapped up in Hj the heavy plot that he altogether for- H got to insert any humor in the lines. Hj So it is that the play depresses you H continually and you do not find relief H from your feelings until you leave the H playhouse. It would seem that the H plot has finer possibilities. R This is no attempt to discredit the P production. Only, to thoroughly en- H f joy it, one must have a taste for such H f shows as "Madame X" and other like H gloomy and grewsomo plays. The H company is good, and features Nor- H j man Hackett who formerly played in H 7 a local stock company and was a great H f favorite. His work in "The Knife" is H l difficult but he essays the role of the H j physician most acceptably. Clifford H Stork as the attroney friend does H some splendid acting and so does May R I Buckley. The show runs this after- noon and night. If one cares for this class of melodrama, it is well worth seeing. ORPHEUM XNSPIRING in every way, making the blood tingle, bringing out all the patriotism that is in the individual and causing him to be prouder than over that he is an American, is the patriotic pa-triotic spectacle "America First," the leadliner at the Orpheum this week. Spectacular? Yes, and no. For all attempts at-tempts at the dramatic are eliminated and a most stirring appeal is made to every American to join the colors. And it does appeal. You want to hurrah. You want to don the brown khaki uniform which the soldier boys of this greatest nation on earth wear. You want to march with them and follow Old Glory wherever the flag goes. And this applies to all, old and young alike. Moving pictures add to the presen tation of the spectacle. The three principal prin-cipal scenes represent the West Point Military Academy, the foredeck of the dreadnaught, Pennsylvania, and an encampment en-campment somewhere in the United States. There are patriotic songs. There is flashed on the screen pictures pic-tures of Lincoln and Grant and Sherman Sher-man and Sheridan; of McKinley and Roosevelt and of President Wilson, all of which make one feel proud that he is an American citizen. Were there nothing else upon the bill this week, you would come away from the playhouse play-house feeling better because you were there. The "New Bell Boy" is a medium for a most laughable act in which the characters are well portrayed, that of the new boy by Ben Deely being particularly par-ticularly pleasing. There is a dramatic cartoon presented by Miss Norton and Paul Nicholson that is extremely clever, although much of the repartee fails to get across the footlights, owing ow-ing to the low voice of Miss Norton. A SCENE FROM "THE WAIL OF AN ESKIMO" PLA YED BY HARRY GIRARD AND COMPANY AS ONE OF THE HEADLINE FEATURES OF THE NEW VAUDEVILLE BILL WHICH OPENS AT THE ORPHEUM THE A TRE NEXT WEDNESDA Y E VENING Four favorites in the Chinese quartette quar-tette render several delightful and most tuneful selections. Then Bert Melrose in his clown balancing act is very much out of the ordinary. "Just Fun," by Helene Hamilton and Jack Barnes is all that the title suggests. Their act is most laughable. Clevo and O'Connor in the opening number of the bill are clever. The bill in its entirety en-tirety is more than good. PANT AGES XF the five acts presented at Pan-tages Pan-tages this week, every one is a headliner some are better than others but all are more than good and there is variety enough in the bill to please all. Exceptionally clever acting is that of Leila Shaw in the "Truthful Liar," also by the others in the playlet, but Miss Shaw just bubbles over and she charms in every way, in this most amusing skit. The musical comedy "Miss Hamlet," in which Pauline Barri and her company com-pany of eleven people appear, is chock full of clever acting, pretty dancing features, charming chorus and presents pre-sents a travesty on the original Hamlet Ham-let that is very pleasing. There are three lyres in Harvey, Henderson and Leonard that are all that the title implies, for they are most tuneful and their stories are new and far above the average. This is also true of the unique comedy combination, combina-tion, something entirely different in which Howard, Kibel and Herbert present pre-sent a stunt that carries the house with them from their entrance until their exit from the stage. The songs of both these combinations are catchy. The animal act with which the bill is opened is a paradox of animal life in which the animals, cats and rats are seen in an unusual laughter-pi o-ducing o-ducing novelty, the boxing match between be-tween two felines being out of the ordinary. or-dinary. There is the screen picture of "The Fatal Ring," in which Pearl White is featured and the delightful music of Gronneman's orchestra to add to the pleasure of the evening. THE WILKES j HE Spendthrift," written by V- Poiter Emerson Browne, author au-thor of "A Fool There Was," affords an excellent oppoitunity for exploiting exploit-ing the talents of the two featured players of the Wilkes company, Nana Bryant and Ralph Cloninger. The play calls for a small but select cast and deals with the every day problem of economy vs. extravagancy. There are some clever lines and the humor is quite refreshing. Miss Bryant does some spleriuid emotional acting in the play and Mr. Cloninger shows to far better advantage advan-tage this week than last. Both are a big hit in "The Spendthrift," as the wife and husband. Claire Sinclaire is exceptionally good in the hole of Gretchen Jans, the wealthy old aunt with money to burn. Cliff Thompson is just as pleasing as ever. The whole company is splendidly cast and the production is of a high order. Some good things are said to be in store for the Wilkes patrons, among which will be "The Commanding Officer," Of-ficer," which will be played next week, and "He Comes Up Smiling," now in "preparation for a later date. LIBERTY HE Four Old Veterans have been J entertaining big crowds at the Liberty with their patriotic offering, "The Spirit of '61." The management had announced that G-. A. R. veterans and their wives would be admitted free and many have taken advantage of the opportunity. The Old Veterans present a unique act replete with comedy and patriotism. patriot-ism. They play, dance and sing and make an unusual appeal to the audience. audi-ence. The boys who helped to settle the difference between the grays and the blues, appear in the Grand Army uniform and play on the viol, cornet, fife and drum, the old tunes that inspired in-spired them on their way to victory in the old days. They are a real treat. In addition to the old soldiers, Blanch Leduc and S. A. Ross are seen in songs, chatter and whirlwind dancing. danc-ing. Permane is a master on the concertina. con-certina. Marie Genaro, billed as the - "Flexible Venus," twists her supple form in many inconceivable shapes. George Kahn and Marjorie Gates have a fair line of comedy and wear smart clothes. "WATCH YOUR STEP" CLAYS may come and plays may go, but it will be many a day before an author will succeed in evolving evolv-ing a stage production that is as fascinating fasci-nating as Irving Berlin's international syncopated musical success, "Watch Your Step," which comes to the Salt Lake Theater on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 21-22 for a limited engagement of three performances. The play contains all the elements that go to make up an entertainment that appeals to the general public. It has syncopated one-stepping, fox trotting, waltzing and oven grand p opera syncopated, screamingly funny lines and yards and yards of Mr. Berlin's Ber-lin's music that gets into your heels and makes you whistle whether you will or not. It's a great gift to be able to write music that people will whistle and warble. Mr. Berlin has that gift developed to a large degree, and in ' Watch Your step" he has contributed con-tributed more liberally than is encountered en-countered in most of the recent play-writing play-writing efforts. One of the greatest charms to "Watch Your Step" .is that it is extremely ex-tremely original, especially in the stage settings and arrangements, the opera scene being one of the most striking and unique ever shown on any stage. SAUNTERINGS Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Savage and daughters will leave Sunday the 16th for Southern California. Mr. Savage will only stay a short while, while Mrs. Savage and the girls will remain in Southern California for the winter. Mrs. J. M. Callow accompanied by her two young daughters, Miss Margaret Mar-garet and Miss Frances Callow, left on Friday for the east. Miss Margaret will return to Vassar for the sophomore sopho-more year and Miss Frances will enter en-ter Dana Hall for the winter. Mrs. L. H. Farnsworth will spend the winter in New York and Boston. Her young daughter, Ruth, is enrolled as a freshman at Dana Hall near Boston. Bos-ton. Mrs. Graham F. Putnam of Los Angeles An-geles is at the Hotel Utah for a few weeks and during her stay is being delightfully de-lightfully entertained by old friends. |