CHAPTER VI.
SEASON OF '64-'65.
A Metropolitan Theatre in the Wilderness.
The Salt Lake Theatre was a source of wonder and admiration to all strangers visiting it. Considering the time and the place of its erection, the isolated condition of the people, the meagre facilities within reach for so big a project, the quadrupled cost of everything that had to be imported, such as glass, nails, paints, cloth for scenery and everything in the shape of decorations, it was then, and remains today, a monument to the liberality, foresight and enterprise of Brigham Young. Since its erection, forty-three years ago, theatrical architecture has been vastly improved, and in many respects the Salt Lake Theatre is old-fashioned, but few theatres in the country, with all the improvements which have been introduced, surpass it in point of comfort and convenience, especially behind the curtain. When it is considered that not only the architectural designs, the mechanical construction, but all the interior decorations and the scene-painting was done by local talent, it speaks highly for the artistic and mechanical skill that was centered in Salt Lake even at that early period of its history. William H. Folsom was the architect and personally superintended its construction. He was also the architect of the big Tabernacle with its turtle-shaped roof spanning a stretch of 150 feet without a supporting column. The first installment of scenery was painted by W. V. Morris and George M. Ottinger, both clever artists, and with their assistants they gave the theatre stage a very nice investiture in the way of scenery. As the seasons rolled around the stock of scenery was continuously growing, for every new play had to have something done for it in the way of scenery, so that the painters were always working, and as a consequence the Salt Lake Theatre has probably a larger stock of scenery than any theatre in the country. The same may be said in regard to the stage properties. "Charley" Millard was the property man, and Charley could manufacture anything in the shape of a "prop" from a throne chair to a cuspidor, from a papier mache cannon to a firecracker, from a basket horse to a baby; so that in the course of a dozen years the property room became a veritable museum, an "old curiosity shop" well worth an hour of anybody's time to examine.
There was a wardrobe department, which was equal in importance if not superior to the scenic arid property departments. This was presided over by Mr. Claud Clive, an expert tailor, who with his assistants, manufactured all the costumes for the male characters of the plays, while the female costume department was presided over by Mrs. Marion Bowring. Mr. Robert Neslen had general charge of the costume and wig department, and dispensed the necessary apparel and wigs to the company. There was also a tonsorial artist connected with the house, who was always there to curl a wig or put it on in good shape for the actors who needed such assistance. John Squires was the tonsorial artist—he was a busy man in those days. He had his shop in a little adobe house that stood directly opposite the "President's Office" on the lot where the Amelia Palace was afterwards erected. John was the President's barber, and had a large run of custom from the church and tithing offices, besides nearly all the actors patronized him, so that he was a prosperous man in the community. He continued to shave his share of the people up to within a recent date, when he was obliged to retire; "age with his stealing steps had clawed him in his clutch," so this knight of the razor was reluctantly compelled to lay down the implements of tonsorial art, the strong steady hand that once could clean a man's cheek in about three strokes had grown weak and tremulous, and but recently he passed peacefully away to that better land where it is to be hoped there is no shaving or need of hair-dye. His place is amply filled, however, for John has a numerous progeny—and all his sons and grandsons, so far as we know them, are barbers. Here we find a true touch of heredity.
After such a brilliant and successful season as the Irwins had just concluded, it seemed like a daring venture to open up the ensuing season with the stock company unassisted by the strength of a star; but notwithstanding this seeming riskiness, the managers did not wait for the ensuing season, but bravely ushered in a supplemental season on May 14th. Only five weeks after the Irwins had closed their long and brilliant run, the stock were hard at it again, notwithstanding the summer days were come; they kept going till the 18th of June, when the "veteran tragedian" (Lyne, at the time 58 years of age) was engaged to reinforce the stock, and add to the box office receipts. He opened this, his second star engagement, on June 25th and played up to July 16th. He repeated all his former triumphs and achieved some new ones, notably in "Sir Giles Overreach" in "A New Way to Pay Old Debts."
In the meantime a new star had appeared in our dramatic horizon; by the time Lyne had closed his engagement, it was in our ascendant, astrologically speaking, and by the time it had reached our zenith, or midheaven, it had shed another halo over the Salt Lake Theatre and the drama in Utah. This bright particular star was George Pauncefort. "He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one," an actor of rare and varied accomplishments, and proved to be an invaluable instructor and model for the company. Under his leadership a great progress was made. Pauncefort was an English actor, who had acquired considerable celebrity on the London stage. He was a married actor, and his wife and several daughters, at the time of which I am writing, were quite popular on the stage, and their names appeared frequently in the London casts. Pauncefort came to the United States as early as 1858. He was the original "Armand Duval" in "Camille," when Matilda Heron first produced that play in New York. After his New York engagement, Pauncefort drifted West, and in 1864 came to Salt Lake for a brief engagement of a week or two. He had just concluded a stellar engagement with Jack Langrishe at Denver. Denver at that time was not so large as Salt Lake City, nor could it boast anything like so good a theatre. The great overland road had not been projected at this time, and people crossing the country from Denver to Salt Lake or San Francisco were obliged "to stage it," or travel with private conveyances. So George had to stage it, not a difficult thing for an actor to do. He was accompanied by Mrs. Florence Bell who was featured with him as co-star during his first engagement. He opened on July 20th, 1864, just four nights after Lyne closed, in "The Romance of a Poor Young Man," in the character of "Manuel," Mrs. Bell playing "Marguerite." Pauncefort's "Manuel" made a great hit, and stamped him at once as an actor of superior parts. It was a new awakening. His style was so different from anything we had seen, either in Lyne or Irwin. Mrs. Bell, however, fell as far below public expectation as Pauncefort went above it. She was not the equal of our own leading lady, Mrs. Gibson who in consequence of this engagement had to be retired from the leading roles, and bear with what grace she might to see an inferior actress usurping her place. The popular verdict was all in Mrs. Gibson's favor. Mrs. Bell was a pretty woman, but a very mediocre actress. The management would gladly have retired the lady after the first performance, but there was a contract, and she was allowed to play the leads in several plays, during this engagement. Pauncefort played until September 30th, when the season closed.
It no doubt cost the princely George a pang to realize that Mrs. Bell had not made a favorable impression with the public, as he had featured her on the bills. She had found great favor in his eyes, if not so fortunate in gaining the public favor. Their admiration was mutual and so apparent that it was frowned upon by "the powers that be." George was given plainly to understand that although Mormons believed in and practiced polygamy, they drew the line in morals at promiscuity, and he could not continue his present intimate relations with Mrs. Bell and his engagement at the Salt Lake Theatre. George took the hint and severed the "entangling alliance;" all the easier, no doubt, as Mr. Bell had come closely on their heels from Denver. Bell was a good cornet player, and secured an engagement in the Theatre Orchestra, where he played until the end of the Pauncefort season, and then drifted off to Montana, "taking the fair Desdemona along with him."
That the Bell alliance worked to Pauncefort's injury there is no question. President Young took great offense at it, and never attended the theatre during Pauncefort's engagement after the opening performances, when he became apprised of the intimacy existing between George and Florence. On Brigham's first visit to the theatre after the Pauncefort season, the writer met him on the stage near his box and took occasion to express his pleasure at seeing him occupy his accustomed seat after so long an absence, remarking, "It is a long time since you were here, President Young." "Yes," he replied. "I told John T. and Hyrum (the managers of the house) that I would not come into the theatre while that man Pauncefort was here." This showed how strong a prejudice he had conceived against Pauncefort—and notwithstanding the very favorable impression his acting had made, it was quite a long time, nearly four months, before he again appeared.
The Lyne and Pauncefort engagement following each other in such close succession and in an extra season, and that season a mid-summer one, had given the theatre-going public a very gratifying sufficiency of theatricals, and consequently it was not thought advisable to open the theatre again until the ensuing October Conference; so the house was closed up for a period of five weeks and reopened on the 5th of October, just in time to catch the Conference gatherings. Although both Lyne and Pauncefort were in the vicinity, neither of them were engaged until after the Conference dates were passed. The management could rely on full houses during the Conference and could not see the policy of sharing up the profits with a star when the stock company could fill the house to its capacity. The Conference over, the following week T. A. Lyne opened his third engagement and played up to the 10th of December; a very long engagement, lasting eight weeks. Pauncefort should naturally, according to all professional ways of looking at it, have filled this time; and no doubt would have had the preference over Lyne if the managers had not been handicapped by the strong prejudice of the "President" against this actor; for he was the newer and more attractive star. Lyne had already played two long engagements and exhausted his repertoire, besides Pauncefort had introduced us to a more modern and popular school, and from financial considerations alone, any manager would have given him the preference, but he did not get back into the theatre for a second engagement until after Lyne had played everything he knew; still he lingered in the vicinity. He went out through the provinces—played smaller towns, such as Springville and Provo, with their home companies—and dabbled in merchandising, shipping fruit to Montana; it was bringing big prices just then. On the 17th of December, 1864, George Pauncefort began his second engagement in "A Bachelor of Arts" and "Black-Eyed Susan." It was during this engagement that "Hamlet" and "Macbeth" had their initial performances in the Salt Lake Theatre. Both of these plays were marked events in the history of the theatre, more particularly "Macbeth," which called into requisition the Tabernacle choir to play the witches and sing the music of the play, which was ably conducted by Prof. C. J. Thomas.
"Macbeth" was the last play of this engagement and closed the second Pauncefort season on January 7th, 1865—a brief season of three weeks—after waiting around about four months. Why this engagement ended so suddenly in the very height of its brilliancy is somewhat puzzling to understand, as there was no other star to follow, and the stock company played unassisted by any stellar attraction up till May 20th, which closed the season of '64 and '65.
Pauncefort shortly after the closing of his engagement went to San Francisco, where he remained for more than two years playing there at intervals.