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.
CHAPTER XXII.
SEASON OF '77-'78.
On October 5th, the fall Conference was provided for. The house opened for the season of '77 and '78 on this date with a reproduction of "Under One Flag." The stock played through the Conference date, reviving some of the old favorite plays, and continued playing until November 12th. On November 14th The Kellogg-Cary Concert Company opened a three nights' engagement and sang to big houses. Miss Louise Kellogg was one of the greatest singers of her day, and Miss Cary was equally popular, their concerts being very well patronized and highly appreciated by the music lovers of Salt Lake.
On November 23rd, Mrs. D. P. Bowers and Mr. "Jim" McCollom (who was
Mrs. Bowers' second husband) opened a week's engagement in
Giogametti's play of "Elizabeth," which was played for three nights,
and the week was filled out with "Lady Audley's Secret," "Married
Life" and "Camille."
Mrs. Bowers was beyond question one of the greatest actresses our country had ever produced. She was the first American actress to play the character of Elizabeth. After Ristori, the great Italian actress, had played this great character in a few of the principal cities of our country only, Mrs. Bowers took it up and starred the country with it, making a great success.
Mr. James McCollom was a very efficient support to her in the characters of Essex in "Elizabeth," Armand in "Camille" and Robert Audley in "Lady Audley's Secret." Mrs. Bowers achieved her celebrity as Mrs. Bowers and never changed her name to McCollom on the stage. Mrs. Bowers was supported by the stock company in this engagement.
On December 8th, J. K. Emmett opened a three nights' engagement in "Fritz," supported by the stock. On December 20-21-22, The Lilliputian Opera Company. Christmas Day the stock resumed operations and played through the holidays and up to the 13th of the month; they were temporarily retired again to make room for Ilma de Murska and her concert company, who gave scenes from "II Trovatore," "Martha," "Crispina," and other operas, remaining three nights, 15th to 17th, inclusive. De Murski was not only a great singer but a great actress as well, and her singing and acting were received with unusual enthusiasm.