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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1903)
I III ! : H -. 'i 'Pf-Tmt. i " It V I errA: in; -k EES JA;, p&lil'i IMiKKNi: A Til TMK STACK AT Til K 'I'll SISTAIN TMK WKIHIIT ' i Tl II 'KKIil.Y iniiimli. wlii'ti i kiih i li! r i-.l ns mii Mlisirai l n -opoHil luii, tsi ii'iirc 1 1 : i h I ( ) n i iiIiikmI as nun 11 fur llic amusement of man uh for llii' :t in i I h ir;i l Inn (if his cuiulil ion in other dlrei Uoim. No K'ii' dini'ovcry or Invent Inn Iiuh Ihmmi luiiuled forth for enernl iih hut has been almost Immediately adopted for tln purposes of the HtaKi', that iiilmlc world, where the mirror la held up to nature thai every man may mo I herein all natures lull his oun It may lie that from an exaet literary standpoint the modern stiiU'eraft has made hut ullht if any ad vauee over that of the amienls. hut In a purely tiieehanleal way the progress Is sueh as oeeasiona 1 1 y astonlshen even oil" who has heeu familiar with the theater for many years. l iulerlakinK-i (hat hut a very little while ano would have heen eon sldered rhiinerlial ar now curried out w ith a suei esM that Is all hut marvi hum "Itcallsm" hat heen llic keynotp of the art world for more than two decades, mid while the Ideal Mill has Its place and Its dovotecH, tho worshlpcra at Ihc Hhrlnc of the real have heroine more numerous than were all i he visit ors to the fine noi no very h ni; un. On the stanc we have hail lank p!avs and Huwinill diamas, and almost every conceivable form of life's me chanical adjuncts has been presented In a ' practical" shape. Somet linen the realism has been carried to all extreme, as, for ex ample, during the production of n sawmill play In a Council lllutYs theater a few years ami. One of Its scenes required that the hern bo bound on a Ion and fed lino a hiiKo naw Ordinarily he would he res cued by the heroine, who threw oil' I he belt ami slopped the machinery Just in lime On t he occasion referred to, the heroine mlsKcd her cue or mnnM liinn happened to d.lay her, for the machinery waa not slopped until tin' ritht arm of the hero had I n severed "in full view of the audleii, e " Sin li rialisin N too palpable and kioss lo aiiiaei much if any seri-Mix a'liiition. It I. ill.' realism ihal s.eui; lo ho without rctcaliiiK lb'' means b which it is ihal c.'ii'inaiids i he ihiucht of the spictatnr. No III, Who eer .! H Will folUet the i i rm lie ill S i r I hi' - "Ob- a ' l a ' a pfi sent. ,1 bv III.' la'e I'.iiiIIV laetlpol'l. ilia1 awful burst ,. wind and lam. which, swept with loinadi. fiirv across the bav at b x.in Iria. and dr. .v.- tin- It. .man shi, pine Into splintered wreiKs on the shores, while lb. cheiou; .pie. n of 1'. u pi invoked the ti. .1 of storm and w in. I from the leiu pb vv h. re she and n oii h el i ik.-n re 'u i;. . Ml the i.ir lle j h. n.'iii. n.i of the tornado was r pr. du I Sharp liishmiim Hashed in vivid, jacwd streaks. lliundT nimble. I and . r.i. k.-d 'ti t-h-irp del . nat ion . rain and hcl p. It. d. a .id the wind h.wbl an I '.ihi-ib d and roar-.1 Sia-.lv palms bowed lo ill- .-.ir' li and -' 1 1 it: -I -I back en ft, only to ! howd aci:n Mid above il all could be li. it'l ihe invocation of the illeell p! i. l e-s. "Collie, oh Typh.ll'" Ni more thrill'iic .'lie. n r one more artistic, nor one tier.- r. alistie. wis .i.r pre setitcl. and : the methods were so sim ple that ore aim. st laughs w h. n they arc thought of wind ma. tiine is a bo over wlihli silk i drawn, so that it may be brush..!, with the . tie, I of a "swi -h" Uiv thunder was made by the rolling of MkHI 3 111 f J if wiRWf Deceptions of IIUVU TIIKTKI. SIIOWIMi IKlW IT I K "IIK Mill'' M A f'l 1 1 N K K V. IN TMK IUCCINC I.OKT AIHiYK TMK ST A QB. 2?. 'r- -W? f7Q': -J- rtv vA. Jp U,r2 fit i?:H-- z """" rfSfegl L - - - . . - - - 'c -.- ' . (fjtt v'tU I . ; ' ;' -r : ; . ; . Lmmimiiiw ii Mil im m 1 Is . . .,n .....Ml....lli.ilMi.iim .i...... m IM n- , , ... ,3i I'NLOahino the machinery koh "hkn uni" at the novn balls down a runway, and by the rumble of a sheet of Iron, the liKhtnlnu cornea from a calcium lii;ht that Is hidden by .1 screen with a slot In It. and the stately palms were -bowed'' before the blast by a lusty st.ine hand, who pulled a rope attached to the ' trees" iii such a way that the audience couldn't see it, and the trees were re tiii'in.l bv means of springs to an upright position wlirii'Ver the pull was relaxed Clouds were bits of painted canvas, swum; back and forth acrasw the line of vision, an I tin rain and hail were similarly pro duced tin. .1 'lie most r alistie storm scenes i .iw I', nm us, d mi the stane is that in the pi. iv which Mrs Minnie Madden I-'isk-has wen sii, h a signal triumph in diirltr: the pr. -i tit 1-. aseii. "Mary of Macdala." In many ways this is an improvement on the I la v . nport storm s. elie. It Is Slip posed to represent the atmospheric and seismic disturbance that accompanied Ihe eruoitivioii of Jesus Christ. Win ii the curtain rises on the final scene if the irayedy. Ihe sp. cl. Hers, slnl'ii; in a doom . iislireiid.-.l audit . riiim. arc con fronted by an inky pall, for all lights at. down, and ev.n the vacinst outline of tic siae sittiiiu is not discernible Then there comes a nuick. I Undine. Hash, llliiminatltii; for a moment towerinc crass and a deep far r.-a.hinK ravine. Almost at the suuo instant a peal of thunder is hoard not the roll ,f sheet iron thai has s. ben; siti;u lat.d heaven's artillery in the theatric Uv but a sharp, cutting peal the real "deep dread-bolted thunder, such as has cauae.l ,n.iny a child t bury Its head under the the Modern 1 I -J ' t , I Ri . 4 a If . . : - s WAS SlluUKIi II' T(IV1N(1 AWAY TASK I'lHl AXU'l HKK C1.IMI'; IIANMI.KM. coverlets, and made older folk wish their pride did not prevent them from .hunt; tho -aine. nain and auain the lihtnini; Hasina and the iliiin.l.i- p.als. ihe former iiierearinn in V 1 V hit, ess and the Inter in V ill. ine II. e with each repetition i t en .lu. las is discerned, as an esp. i tally . l , hi Hash Imhts up the entire scene, and as 11. .b-.itlds to tile ravine and m ac. -, eti.s out. 'oh. Thou. Who hast th. hut tniiiK in Thy nia. hast Tin. ii no' one bo't for me"' there comes an . . ill.i'erv II. i. I., almost Min imi;, and a p. al as i:' ' thin b r when the . binds in an iiiuti i rack t . v i rv ni. ni u .f the ,),,, . .1 .. : th. Imlittrni: in .'. as. s in I i 1 1 1 i.i :i. v . lie thunder peals mi n lou-llv and t h s'.,in, .-ircelei at os in its fury ol's-rvant h. a' .--u, , i - who have seen "Maiv of Maud.il.i" will have pr. bably no tic. I a i;r it cran Jiitiini; up against tin skv 1 1 1 1 1'.. Ill i.l this j 1 1 -1 before the cur tain rises, a man with a stereoptoscope an :tist rum. nt .It It. v m; but h 1 1 1. f t . ni ' li ordinary st. r. optt. on . r m it-.- li t.t ti tak. s his place. The st i t . ,. d scop. c. n' . mis a 1 -cail- 11. pow.r cal. ium haht. an I tin cratot. by pl.icinu liis hand belor. t h bus, shut.-. ..If the liu-ht until he wi-lhp to pfodu e a Ha-h Tli. ti . i ' ; . K 1 r. tiev-t.i; an I r.plac ini; his hand he iHumiues th. wh p. ,,f t 1 1 -b.l. k if. p. ill this - a so p lili'e I t . t epros. li a i. i till sky. In this vv a v t h" c . n . r y sh. I 1 uht ni 'i i; m av be si in iilat . d Itut the rem. ukable feature of the lich' ning effect Is that it tak.s on the form of such death-dealing bolts and forked flashes Staye k-T 1 ! . i i i i - "If -.. I ' t itlij la .. . '!- 1. A TMK i'l!.H I.KS N Wllli'll TMK STACK MAN MS CIIAIiluT K OF Tl.K lilCCINC I .OFT, PIIOWINC theater, omamn. as I'UHjuui' has seeii in iiaiuu and peihupe feared. The ueiieral sunij.i.sit ion is that tins is effect, d by means of an electric cur- :.ni Hashing along a line of tine wire, but any sin h at rang. ini nl as that Would be too dang, tons for use on a dark and crowded stage. For t'lc "Mary of Magdala " i..rm ten I'iu.iographa of lightning under vaivng i ohdlllullS of llglll uhd cloud Were olii.uil. d i .f ach of these a Ua. i: g w.u, made on .. thill .oppel' plate the same M.e as the old. ha, V gl l.so pl.ilo U.-id 111 a Slelco,il icon 1 In ii came the uios.1 dillic'il', part ol the oii. A hole waa drilled into i.uh copp.-i p. ate al t he , x; r. ;ue . dge u: t In i:,,.-h niai k. and with a ke, n-edgt d saw Ui. line o, iiglil waa en; liiroiiga the copper. Th. in 11 dl!l: uit hele waa in g. mug a clean .ui . dg. , fur the most iiiliiuiesim.il lagged loss .11 the pla'e Wollld be . X .1 g g . , 1 1 . , I'll I tie- s. In II or dlop. ill, I.- i's!uji;.; I h, illusion. A half .1,... i, or in-de an.mp.s had to be mad vv r Ii ..oh ol tie- pla'.a I. f' I'e the i in. i i s.I wa- sa: i.-la, -t n; 1 1 y I I produced. It. pl'iducli.g the VIVli lla.-ll, t in I'. I.l!.'. tie- opilator plans oil. of the copp.r pla-' s ill Ihe s'i r i ptosci pe. ki pihg Ins haul oVer the I. lis Ulitll his l lie , oil 1 1 s I'll. 1 1 I 'Wifi'.y r. li, .tig and I e la i tig his hand ;h-tlit-h i:. tins ins-aihe a single line i.f thifi l.itht. .-in..- all the r. st is resisted by tie "p o; .le . ., p. r is proj. .t.d ii i In sky diop .,i the lack In several instances audi flashes are re inforced and made more vivid by another contrivance, which, thounh simile In itself adds to the blindlngly realistic effect. Per- - a , ill 't , ' llllliiil Illustrations from Photograph: Taken bv The lice Staff Artist - I ' l;i'K i r: NICMTl.Y MOW "liKOrS" AN in Hi i ii:ks" a:;k sons vvlio have s. i n the play will recall that lifter the crucilixion, Judas, almost crazed with agony, turns to llarau, seeking lo know if he is suspected as the betrayer of the Naarelie. "Midst thou hear his name?" he asks. As Haran answers " "I'ia whispered his name is Judas" there cornea a Hash that causes many eyes to close involuntarily and at the same time a terrific trash of thunder breaks over the theater. Here, at the very moment that the light from the stereoptoscope is thrown on the drop, a man in the wings brings together the points of two carl. ons, whi.li ar. respectively at tached to the negative and positive poles ol u battery. The resultant spark or Hash re inforces Ihe .ffeel pro. lured by the slere oploscope. The impressiveiiess of the lightning dis play is increased by the thunder, which in this case is also Ihe perfection of stage mechanics. At an elevated point on the stage a box with three ci, mpart incut s has been built. Each of the compartments is divided into three sections, with doors passing from one into the other. From the box itself a small door opens on to a runway of hardwood that extends to the opposite side of the stage. At the end of the runway there is a little alley, heavily padded, and at intervals along the runway are placed upright points of wood. In cadi of the lower sections of the box there is an eighteen-pound cannon ball and the upper sections are filled Willi cobbl. si oll.-S. When the mod. I'll .li.Ve .lishes in thunder lie simply opens the Intl.- door and allow. one of tin- cannon halls to roll down the runway, the projecting points pto.lurmg tht' u v. ii, Jarrin effect of a broken peal of thunder. As the first hall is released the one from the second section takes its place, ready for the next peal. Where an especially noisy crash is desired some of the cobblestones are released ut the same time as the cannon ball, and, in conjunction with it, clatter down the runway. At the bottom the ball and stones enter the little padded alley, falling noiselessly, and are gathered up by a boy, who returns tln ni to the box, bo that the storm may be 1011 t nor d in.b tit.it Iv F. i le .'iiiiiiiii.it ,i g an I most tern Ik' crash, s not only are the can non ball and cobblestones r. b as. d. but upon "horror's head horrors a. . utiiul it.-' by means of the simult am mis In a ting of a roll from a drum and the tiring of a double barreled shotgun into an airtight iint.il cylinder. s tlh- s'ag. i- d .rk lb" man at tie st. r optoscop and the "thunder, r" are signaled by m. at;s of .-!. , i ,, hghi s . a pnih' i n ' le- dialogii. . a f. w - ; . le s ale el , f 'to ,i. il. il . :.. f,,.- 'In tl.i-h ..ml '!o' crash " "- r pr. ss. s ,', ;, a li-'r -li.-w s i ' th- op. r I'or's s'a'imv 'ir !' I.n. r a r. d l:-'h' uiv. s hi in Me '' ' "'' F'lf li' -' !! sc, (le aboil- V l t.. -ill 1 I ale . l; p..v. I. ;, b 1 ii" b.i v .- a t, y t i Ml, t u.i-', , j -h. r. ' li'- ' : f a in I, 's I-.,: , 1 ijj on . he ar' i:. ac.r In hit !, I- . x; is th.-, Ir . or, ti , fen irv-'i'-. J l, 1 I'. i!i,.; the fir. fli. : the I Ifeets .1 '11. racers ma . tl" prettiest bird act of n th. (Continued on Seventh I'age.j
