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Show jGOOD PERFORMANCE BUT AUDIENCE IS MOT LARGE Why hag local Interest In homo dra matlcs fallen to such a low ehb within tho pas) few years. was a question asked last night bv a theater-goer who looked about the auditorium ol the Orpheum theatre and saw many empty seats. Has the community lost tho pride it used to feel In the.tal'-nt of its children" It must be so. for never was dramatic art as expressed by the amateur on a higher plane In Ogden or Dtah ihan at the present time. Thus was expressed a feeling easily believed to have been general among the "faithful. " who have been steady patrons of the drama, amateur and professional, alter witnessing the per-romance per-romance of "The Rainbow" bj the I'niversity of Ctah dramatic cluh. be-! be-! fore a regrettably small audience The performance, in the main, was of professional excellence, due largely to , the finished art of Moroni Olsen, leading lead-ing actor of the company, and Miss , Lila Bccles, the director, both of Og- j den. With i hose two, it is but just to place MlM Helen Spencer, daughter daugh-ter of John D. Spencer of Salt Lake City, who rose 10 fame in the days of the old Salt Lake Opera company. (The other members ol the . ompany who were w0D cast and whose acting was especially meritorious Were I Frank Rasmussen. Fay Cornwall, I Blanche Marks and Margaret Swing, Miss Spencer was tho embodiment of ' Sweet Sixteen" In all her pristine charm, taking the older folk back to memories of a less sophist icate.l age than the year of our Lord "1917.' That many eyes filled with tears as they watched her scenes with Mr. Olsen was not a matter of wonderment and doubtless many of the auditors envied Mr. Spencer as much as they did the ! Ogden actor who was the pater of this young lady In her stage guise. I For two and a half hours last night. 1 Miss Spencer was Cynthia Sumner, a sweet, innocent and lovable a maid as was eer conjured up in the mind ' of a dramatist Mr. Olsen, who carried the role of Neil Sumner father of Cynthia lightly upon his broad shoulders, needs, it would seem, to but say the word and the toll gate between the amateur and professional fields of dramatic art would be let down to him. Through his infinite artistry, in scenes shared by Miss Spencer, nr swayed by the spirit of the young girl she was impersonating, he moved the home audience to lears. that resolved into smiles and laughter as the youthful youth-ful actress brought the sunshine into them. The first scene between the two was one of the most delightful bits of acting ever seen at the local playhouse and yet only a foretaste of those that followed. Fay Cornwall, as Betsy Sumner; Blanche Marks, as Mrs. Sumner, and I Margaret Ewing, roles requiring serious seri-ous study were entirely satitsfyinc and all shared scenes honors with Mr. Olsen in effective scenes. Traise Is also due Frank Rasmussen: possessor pos-sessor of an unusually fine voice for Stage work. His impersonation ol Ned Fellows was of professional finish. Aside from Its local interest in being presented by an all-Ctah company, "The Rainbow," by A. E Thomas, is a comedy-drama of the first water, its dialogue containing bits of delicious , humor, philosophy and a strong moral lessons. It was admirably staged and the profits were presented by the I'niversity players to the Child Cul- j ture club of Ogden. to be added to the I municipal swimming pool fund of that organization. oo |
