SEASON OF '76-'77.
With the approach of the October Conference, which is always a harvest
for the theatre, Mr. Harris got together as strong a company as
possible and revived some of the old favorite plays, opening the
season of '76 and '77 a night or two before and continuing through the
Conference dates to satisfactory business. There was no "star" to
share with, and the theatre reaped a handsome profit.
The next engagement of importance was that of Mr. George Rignold, an
English actor, who was starring in "Henry V." Rignold had come from
England and under the management of Jarrett and Palmer, "Henry V." was
given a fine production in their New York theatre. For some reason or
other, after a short but successful run of the play, a disagreement
arose between those popular managers and Mr. Rignold. They decided to
supersede Mr. Rignold with Lawrence Barrett. They notified him
accordingly and at the expiration of the time for which he had been
engaged Mr. Barrett stepped into Rignold's place and the run of the
play was extended for several weeks. It was the intention to take the
play to San Francisco after the run in New York. This change of stars
threw Rignold out of the San Francisco engagement, much to his chagrin
and disappointment. Not to be out-generaled the English actor quietly
hastened to San Francisco. The California Theatre having been secured
for the Jarret and Palmer company, with as much dispatch and secrecy
as possible Rignold got a company together. Soon as it was known that
Rignold was in San Francisco and was preparing to give the play of
"Henry V" at the Grand Opera House, the news was duly wired to Jarrett
and Palmer; not only were they surprised, but greatly chagrined, on
learning that the English actor had gotten the start of them and was
in a fair way to eclipse their Western engagement. Mr. Barrett and the
managers, after a rather excited consultation, decided to close the
run of "Henry V" with the end of the current week, and have everything
in readiness to leave New York for San Francisco on the following
Sunday. The manager of the California was telegraphed to announce the
play for the following Thursday night. This gave scarcely a week for
advertising, and it seemed incredible that the company could reach San
Francisco by the time, but Jarrett and Palmer had at great expense
made arrangements with the railroad company for a special train, that
was to rush them through from New York to San Francisco in four days.
Barring accidents, they would arrive in San Francisco on Thursday
morning, in time to get their scenery in place and play that night.
It was taking desperate chances, but it was at the same time a great
advertising scheme, for never before had such a flying trip been made
across the continent, and every paper in the country had an account of
it. "From Ocean to Ocean eighty-three hours." Rignold had arranged to
open the following Monday, but learning to his amazement of the great
coup that Jarrett and Palmer were performing to get in ahead of him,
he got a move on too and decided to keep the lead, and open up at
least one night ahead of them, which was as soon as he could possibly
get ready. The fast train was the sensation of the hour, everybody was
talking of it and awaiting its arrival with keen expectancy. This
national advertisement gave the Jarrett and Palmer company a great
advantage over Rignold; besides, they had much the better production,
and the best company, as Rignold had to gather what support he could
and very hurriedly in San Francisco. This was very sharp managerial
practice; what especial reason Lawrence Barrett and the Jarrett and
Palmer management had for this extraordinary coup to down the English
actor we never learned. The rivalry of the two Henrys served to throw
theatrical circles in the Golden Gate City into a feverish excitement,
and the result was that both houses did a good business, as every
theatre-goer felt in duty bound to see both actors, and then compare
their respective merits. Until Rignold played "Henry V" in New York no
American actor had ever attempted the character; Barrett who had in
conjunction with John McCullough managed the California theatre during
the first three years of its career, saw an opportunity to do some
business there and win some fresh laurels in a new part. This in a
measure explains the _haste_ with which the thing was done. The rival
Henrys, however, did not succeed in giving the play a permanent
abiding place in popular favor. We think no other American actor has
ever had the temerity to try it, until the bold and undaunted Richard
Mansfield gave a superb production of it a quarter of a century
later--1902.[A]
[Footnote A: The above account of the "Henry V" excursion is written
entirely from the writer's recollection of the affair, having no
available data. It may contain some slight inaccuracies, but the main
facts were about as here related.]
After the Rignold date here, when "The Lady of Lyons," "Black-Eyed
Susan," and "Henry V" were given with such support as was available,
the stock played fitfully, interrupted by occasional novelties, such
as panoramas and concert companies, minstrels and the like, along the
holiday season and into the spring. On February 3rd, John S. Lindsay
was the recipient of another "benefit," on which occasion he exhibited
his strong predilection for Shakespearian roles by appearing as
Hamlet, a character in which he had already won some local
distinction. As on a previous benefit occasion, there were several
first appearances, and the cast as a whole was not very satisfactory,
but our friends were inclined to overlook many shortcomings on those
benefit occasions. As if "Hamlet" was not enough for a benefit
performance, we had to tack on the farce of "The Trials of Tompkins,"
in which Mr. Graham was wont to shine.
On the 23rd and 24th of February, Mr. E. A. Sothern, the world
renowned Dundreary, filled his first engagement at the Salt Lake
Theatre. He exacted a certainty of one thousand dollars in gold coin
for the two nights. Mr. Harris very naturally had some hesitancy about
closing an engagement with him on such exorbitant terms, so he made a
canvass of his patrons, and after a careful consideration, "closed the
deal" with Mr. Sothern. The prices were advanced from the usual scale
of twenty-five cents to one dollar, to fifty cents to two-fifty. The
house was well filled on both nights and the management, not having a
very expensive company or any production to pay for out of its share,
came out all right. There was much dissatisfaction, however, that such
exorbitant prices should be charged for what at best was but an
ordinary "show," especially the last night when David Garrick was
presented, and by ten o'clock the play was over, and the general
expression of the patrons of the theatre was "Sold!" Indeed so
outspoken was the dissatisfaction with David Garrick, and so severe
were the strictures of the press the following morning, that Mr.
Sothern could not have gotten fifty cents a ticket for a third
performance. As a natural consequence, it was a long time before he
came to Salt Lake again.
On March 10th, Miss Annie Adams (Mrs. Kiskadden) who had recently
returned on a visit to Salt Lake after an absence of three years in
San Francisco, assisted by the stock company, gave a production of
"The Two Orphans," Miss Adams appearing as Louise and Miss Colebrook
as Henriette, the writer in the character of Pierre. This was the
first presentation of this play at this theatre and it proved a great
drawing card.
The next star attraction was one of more than ordinary interest. The
anniversary of Shakespeare's birth (and death) on April 23rd, Adelaide
Neilson, the world acknowledged Juliet, was announced to appear in
that character. Miss Neilson was well-known to our theatregoers by
reputation as the greatest Juliet of the age, and the demand for seats
was extraordinary. The prices were advanced, but not to exorbitant
figures, the prices ranging from 25c to $1.50. Every seat in the house
was filled, and numbers were glad to stand on both evenings rather
than miss seeing the beautiful and popular actress. There was no
dissatisfaction with this engagement; everybody was pleased and
delighted, and Adelaide Neilson's praises were on everybody's lips.
She could have remained a week and played to full houses, but
engagements ahead precluded a longer stay; she only gave two
performances, "As You Like It" being the second bill. There was only
one opinion as to her Juliet, that it was the perfect embodiment of
the character, her rich beauty of face and form, her exquisite grace,
her melodious voice, and the marvelous power of expression in her soft
tender eyes, equipped her completely for the part. As Rosalind she was
equally as charming if not as brilliant as in Juliet. The playing of
Romeo to her Juliet, the writer cherishes as one of the pleasantest
memories of his long professional career. A year later the beautiful
Neilson was dead. Alas! for the mutability of all that is mundane:
"She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time.
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.
It is a tale told by an idiot;
Full of sound and fury; signifying nothing."
--_Macbeth_.
"The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth ere gave
Await alike the inevitable hour;
The paths of glory lead but to the grave."
--_Gray's Elegy_.
The next stellar attraction was Ben de Bar. Ben was the manager of one
of the St. Louis theatres when the writer was a boy, and my first
introduction to the stage was at De Bar's theatre. A young fellow who
was our neighbor in St. Louis induced me to go with him and go on as a
super. The play was "Sixtus V., Pope of Rome." Mr. and Mrs. Farren
were the stars. I made my first acquaintance with the stage in that
play, as one of the mob, little dreaming that I would one day be cast
to play Sixtus V., which I was some years afterwards in the Salt Lake
Theatre.
Ben De Bar was a popular comedian as well as manager at the time of
which I am telling, but for some half dozen years now he has been
starring in the character of Sir John Falstaff. He was very stout, and
well suited to the character and confined himself to it exclusively,
varying the monotony, however, by playing both the plays in which Sir
John is so prominent, "Henry IV" and "The Merry Wives of Windsor."
Ben had been to San Francisco and had just played an engagement there,
before coming to Salt Lake. He opened here on May 17th in "The Merry
Wives." He complained of not feeling well and it was quite perceptible
that something was the matter; he was uncertain and forgetful. On the
second night in "Henry IV," his lapses of memory were still more
perceptible. In short, it was palpable to all the company, if not the
audience, that Mr. De Bar was suffering from some derangement of
memory to such an extent as to in places mar the scenes, and very much
embarrass those who had dialogue with him. The writer was playing
Hotspur on the occasion, and had but little to do with the boastful
Sir John, but noticing his lapses of memory in several places and his
consequent and apparent distress, kindly inquired as to his trouble,
when he feelingly told me he had suffered in San Francisco the same
way, and he felt no confidence in himself whatever. He said his memory
was deserting him and he feared his professional career was at an end.
After the play was over he called me into his dressing room, and said:
"Mr. Lindsay, I have made my last appearance on the stage. I am done,
sir. I feel that I have subjected the entire company tonight to a
great deal of embarrassment, and my lapses of memory must have been
quite apparent to the audience. No, sir, I can no longer rely on my
memory, and I shall never attempt to play again. I feel my career is
ended." His words were pathetic, and as it proved, _prophetic_; he
never did appear on the stage again. In less than a year dear old Ben
de Bar died of softening of the brain. Ben de Bar was about sixty
years of age when he died. "What old acquaintance! Could not all this
flesh keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! I could have better
spared a better man." Prince Hal in "Henry IV," Part First.
Salt Lake seemed to be an attractive summer resort for a certain class
of attractions, and quite a number found their way here during the
very hottest of the weather. On July 24th Robert Heller, a very clever
magician and an excellent pianist, assisted by Miss Helen (his
sister), entertained the patrons of the theatre for a week with his
very clever tricks and fine piano playing. His second sight business,
in which he was ably assisted by Miss Helen, was wonderfully clever,
and mystified the beholders very much indeed. He was the first to
introduct a second-sight business here, and was as much of a wonder as
Anna Eva Fay has since been.
On August 6th, Rose Eytinge, then in the zenith of her fame, opened a
three nights' engagement in the play of "Rose Michel" and followed it
with "Miss Multon" and "Macbeth." The writer had some hard work during
this brief engagement, the two first plays being entirely new to him,
in both of which he had very long and arduous parts, and on the third
night he had to do Macbeth. Rose Eytinge at this time was one of the
best actresses and most beautiful women we had on the stage. Good
gracious! that is twenty-eight years ago, and she is still acting! but
she has to play the old woman now. When I played with her two years
later in Portland, Oregon, she was married to an English actor named
Cyril Searle, who insisted on playing Macbeth, but made me study
Antony in "Antony and Cleopatra" on very short notice as the San
Francisco papers had criticised his Antony so severely he declared he
would never play it again.
On August 14th, the Richings-Bernard Opera Company played one night.
Played again on the 16th. On the following night, the 15th, Tony
Pastor with a fine vaudeville company, gave a great show the first
company of that kind to cross the continent and play in the Salt Lake
Theatre. He had a packed house, for his show was a great novelty.
It was a little surprising that with the love of the drama so
universal in Utah so few contributions to dramatic literature were
offered by local authors for representation on the stage. Those
thought worthy of presentation by the managers we have already
recorded. Mr. E. L. Sloan's "Osceola" (an Indian play), in which Julia
Dean and George Waldron played the leading characters, and his "Stage
and Steam," a later production, contrasting the old stage coach with
the locomotive methods and results. By far the most important local
contributions to the stage were the plays of Edward W. Tullidge:
"Eleanor de Vere," played by Julia Dean and stock company, "Ben
Israel" and "Oliver Cromwell," played by the local company. Now comes
John S. Lindsay with "Under One Flag," a drama of the Civil War. This
play was presented for the first time on September 13th and made so
favorable an impression as to hold the boards for three nights. It was
repeated on October 5th, during the conference season, and has been
played by the author and his company in nearly all the towns and
cities of the Northwest. These performances of "Under One Flag"
virtually closed the season of '76 and '77, which had run
intermittently all through the summer.