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Show "MIKADO" AND THE CRITICS. Fal9c Flattery- on the One Hand and Venomous Criticism on the Other Let the Public Decide. Without a question of doubt Salt Lake City possesses musical talent of as high an order, both amateur and professional, as any city of its rank in the United States, and the public time and again have been convinced of this fact by the numerous and successful efforts which have been; presented for their satisfaction, appreciation apprecia-tion and criticism. Failures ' by home talent have been exceptional, either dramatic dra-matic or lyric, and in many instances local artists and local organizations have not. only compared favorably with , but far surpassed, sur-passed, the alleged traveling galaxies which have deluded the public by slick agents, glittering four-sheet posters, and the various tricks known only to keen and generally unscrupulous managers. Such being the case, the Salt Lake amateurs ama-teurs have held and deservedly, too a high place in the estimation of the people here, of which ample evidence has been repeatedly given. "Patience" placed the home organization organiza-tion on a very high notch, and its artistic success was fully admitted by all critics ( ?) not excepted. Since that production, however, some little jealousy and dissen-tion dissen-tion have appeared upon the surface, and all is not serene. Two local light opera organizations have been the result, and the production of "The Mikadp" by the Careless Cornpany- seems to have awakened a - tumultuous tempest in the teapot. What the individual members of one company think of the individual merits of the other, is an individual right not to be disputed,but it is to be regretted that any jealousy or bitterness, unjust, unreasonable or venomous ven-omous criticism,8hould have been allowed to crop out. The strictures on "The Mikado" Mi-kado" by the Tribune have not been legitimate criticism anymore than has the unstinted mess of adulation published pub-lished in the Salt Lake Herald. "The Mikado" has not been brilliantly performedfar per-formedfar from it but we do not think the public verdict and the public after all are the critics will be with the Iribune, that it " has been "murdered." Some features of the opera have called for a great deal of charity and consideration, but then it was an amateur company, and so advertised adver-tised ; while other portions have received the unqualified and generous approval of the best vocalists and musicians of the city, several of the numbers in the second act last night receiving" well-merited recalls. c It is true the company have failed to interpret the opera with any great degree of success ; that there has been a painful slowness in dialogue, action and singing, with a manifest lack of that brightness and piauanCV Which is the Vflrv Hnnl of nnmin opera ; but, nevertheless, Borne of the gems have been given to us sparkling in an admirable ad-mirable setting ; the few errors of the chorus dwindle to nothing compared to its general excellence, and the piece has had a superb mounting. If we are to have critics in our midst, let us have fair criticism ; for the public understand the opera about as well as do the critics, and are fully as capable to praise or to censure. |