The Mormons and the Theatre; or, The History of Theatricals in UtahLindsay, John S. (John Shanks)
Religion
The Mormons and the Theatre; or, The History of Theatricals in Utah
Lindsay, John S. (John Shanks)
Latter Day Saints; Theater -- Utah -- History
stage manager. The proscenium doors that had been used for coming in
front of the curtain, were done away with and the present boxes put in
their stead, a very sensible and profitable improvement. Something
like $8,000 was expended in these and other improvements--a costly
experiment the sequel proved. The managers, Clawson and Caine, had in
contemplation a very profitable season and engaged an unusually large
and expensive company. The old stock members had been now so many
seasons constantly before the public that it was thought their drawing
powers were waning, and it was considered necessary to get some new
blood into the stock. Accordingly, while nearly all the old stock was
retained, a number of new people were added to the company, vastly
increasing the salary list. First in prominence was Kate Denin (Mrs.
John Wilson) who was featured as a stock star. Mr. W. J. Cogswell, who
had been playing leads during the latter part of the previous season,
was retained as leading man. "Jim" Vinson, who had put into Salt Lake
before the close of the last season, was retained as stage manager and
to play "old men." "Billie" Crosbie was engaged for the principal
comedy roles, thus displacing the local favorites, Margetts, Graham,
and Dunbar from the choice comedy parts. Arrah Crosbie, Billie's wife,
had to have a place and she made a good utility woman; or she could
play Irish characters. From the mere force of assimilation "Billie"
was a good Irish comedian. Mr. "Al" Thorne, who was added to the
company in the previous November, was retained especially for the
"heavies." "Buck" Zabriske was engaged as prompter at a good fat
salary, because the prompter was a very essential feature in the
makeup of a stock company and generally earned his salary, for he
often had a hard part to play behind the scenes on a first night. Then
there was dear old Frank Rea, with his face and head of antique
beauty; always full of Forrestonian reminiscences, and his wife of
blessed memory, who had grown old in the service, along with her
husband. Then there was Carrie Cogswell-Carter, and Ed Marden was
there. J. W. Carter had parted company with theatrical business and
accepted an engagement to preach the gospel for a while. He succeeded
in making one convert that we know of whom he brought to Utah later
and made Mrs. Carter No. 2. This was a bitter pill for Carrie Carter
and she revenged herself in time by becoming the fourth wife of Bishop
Herrick of Ogden. Apropos of this latter event, about a year later,
December, 1875, Miss Carrie Cogswell was playing Julia in the
"Hunchback" to the writer's "Master Walter" at Ogden. There was a
Gentile paper there at the time called the Ogden Freeman. It was
published by a man named Freeman, who came to Ogden with the advent of
the Union Pacific railroad. Freeman had published his paper at each
successive terminus of the road until it reached Ogden, and then he
settled down there and ran the "Ogden Freeman" as a rabid anti-Mormon
paper.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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