In 1912 newly weds Percy Harold and Bessie Morgan Rex established their home in Randolph, Utah. They lived and ranched outside of town for their first years there. Bessie was raised in Salt Lake City and helped establish a Ladies Literary Club there as a young woman. She loved the arts and was a talented teacher and writer.
Randolph, A Look Back,
page 203
“Drama in the Old Opera house”
Written by Vera H. Peart Pulsipher
Under the direction of Alice Reay, Stewart McKinnon and
Bessie M. Rex, many shows were put on in the Old Opera House. Willard and I
took part in most of them.
We were really a Traveling Troupe taking shows throughout
the County. One time we went to Woodruff to put on a play. We were to put on a
matinee for the children and a performance at night for the adults. This one
time the show was not going over very good for the children. Fat (Delbert)
Fackrell, one of the actors, said, “We must do something for the kids to enjoy
of they will go home and tell their parents what a poor show it is and the
adults won’t come out.” With this in mind, they started punching one another
and knocking over tables—anything to make the children laugh. The result was a
large turn-out at the night performance.
Another time Willard was to kiss Stella Israelson, who was
the leading lady. She had a lace dress on and when Willard kissed her, one of
his coat buttons got caught on her dress and there they were, attached to each
other. The curtain had to be dropped. In another one, Willard was the villain.
Joyce, about four years old, was in the audience with her Aunt Thelma. Willard
was “shot” and dropped to the floor; the “catsup” started to ooze out on his
white shirt, and Joyce yelled and cried, “They have shot my Dad.” It brought
the house down in laughter.
Every production had its comedy, as something funny always
happened—like the time “Fat” Fackrell got his coat changed with Mearl Peart. Mearl came out with sleeves to his knees, and
“Fat” was struggling to get into his.
In a show that Stewart was conducting, he was also the
prompter; it got so funny, he got to laughing so hard, he lost the place in the
script. The show had to stop for awhile as the actor forgot his lines and
Stewart couldn’t prompt him.
When the MIA sponsored contest dramas, the best one from the
stake would go to Salt Lake to June Conference. Alice Reay directed Woodruff Stake,
which Randolph Ward won and went to Salt Lake in June. Letha Spencer and R. D.
Law were the leading parts: Reuben had to kiss Letha. Blaine (Letha’s husband)
was in the audience, and he said, “you know, I think he likes that too-o-o
much!”
