Stage Spectacle that Cost a Fortune to Produce
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UNPACKING THE COSTLMES ON AUKIVAL. KKOM LONDON
SECTION OK THE HC'TTEKKLY UALI.ET KEHEAHS1NO.
(Copyriwht, ll3. Iiy Anna H. II lint's.)
I I tion tlirce short hours roquiroil
HIT HO Jll IM 111 il 1 lliil. X imni-
sand artisans to lay its founda
tions 300 dood1l to make It
sparkle and glitter, and $200. non expended
before the frst performan e.
Such, in brief. Is the history of an Eng
cordiiiK to the vernaettlar of the profession, Lytic hall; the 'moths' at 7:45. All of you
is practical. That 1r, the liURe lily poda, report at s:i.
or leaves, used in the fern Bcene are of
sheet iron twelve times their naturnl si.e,
recently transplanted to producers of spectacle.
begin the work of alteration. The jtenery
is divided between the thenter where the
production is to be made and the s'lc'Io
where the managers have their American
productions built. The properties go to still and made to hold one of 1h'. players. The
mint her establishment, where they underi;o Mother Ooose shoe holds twenty-four ehil-
a process which can be described only as dren. Roth are stoutly built, but careless-
Americanlzai Ion. "Trick props" are ro- ness in their se'tlng would result In dan-
garded as certain fun-makers by American gerous falls to the players
The property man,
lish spectacle
America. Tin work In the costuming department Is every article consigned to his department,
Months before Its New York managers comparatively simple, because it moves on and comparing these with the schedule fur
figured on bringing it acniss the sea. ar- steadily and without interruption fron the nlshed by the property man at the Lon
tisis were working it out in the dingy arrival of the importations untH the dress don theater, makes himself thoroughly fa
old t.nices of a London playhouse, in the rehearsal. The property man and llic mas- miliar with the "props" In the order of the
fog-hung stduios of the ISritlsh metropolis, ter mechanic have more difficult tasks, for scenes In which they are to be employed,
and in the stuffy workshops of I'aris. The the theater li? which the production is to responsible for everything carried
managing dirccter of the historic home of be made Is occupied by other attractions ont0 the stage from a rose for the premier
pantomime and the ballet master spent until a few days before the opening. This )n the ba.Het to the elephant on whose back
weeks In studying ei lor plates, sorting, means two shifts of workmen, who natch Ft!ma makes her entrance.
grouping, throwing this one out anu or- every opportunity, nigni ur u.,, tu Hlg 8ystem consists of accurately group-
trip was made through the eastern part of
the state. Fori Kearney and Fort Sidney
It is nearly midnight when the word of were the principal stopping places en route
dismissal conies. but the wise trnlnmnster never stopped
The amount of energy expended In one of near the station. A Journey across the
these preliminary rehearsals Is marvelous plnUm was much like a voyage at sea to
to behold. The director In his shirtsleeves, n,,, ,,, engaged, and when they came
or, if the weather Is cold, In a sweater ,.rnss humankind they were. In their re
takes the center of the stage and holns it i0(ngs. llkelv to go to excess. Many n
after cheeking off wl,n unflagging limbs and an Ironclad voice (1ny hnR ,)flpn to ,h(1 rom,mny Bf(rr one
all tnrougn me nay anu evening, udh near ()f t hese orgies, and to avoid them -vas one
much of the exhausted, heavy-eyed younj of tho ,.n,,f duties of the tralnm-slcr.
women who are undergoing tho drilling T1 n worst i,nrt nf the lottrnev was after
wno penetrates tn
4
ing that one drawn on different lines.
When the plans were pronounced good.
1,400 men and women found employment
on the 1.200 costumes, costing over $10,000,
and as much as the scenery. Half that
the new scenery so far as it will not Inter
fere with the staging of the attraction 11
ready In possession of the house.
The costumes have been sent over from
England in perfect condition, so the work
Ing the "props" and training his men in
such fashion thnt each employe knows
process, but anyone who penetrate!
darkened thenter during a rehearsal wll'
stumble over young women In short skirts,
knickerbockers, shirt waists, dressing Jack
ets and every form of negligee imaginable
practicing as If life depended upon It.
These young women have been dismissed
temporarily b the director for rest, but
so long as they are within reach of tho mu
sic they are In motion. Instead of elghs
and complaints, one hears exclamations
which article he Is to carry on and off the .i-h hetrav 1 holr Indomitable determltm
stage. In the newest spectacle the prop- ,,on t0 wln ou, There Is no hint now of
ertv men handle 3.000 articles nf various .,iv.. 1 ,.i,i nr,,.!a
..i-..! ... l .on A. , . ..I.I. . . . ' . 1 glllierillg IIIUIHKIH 1111.1 litinii.Uft n.r,. -.
iiuiiiut r u. ip. ti i. u...... ...... ,n me American cbiuhiuik 1.......0 .....o.n.o elZPB at Parn performance, and they would imnetii nf nnt.latise but they work with
tlnct sets of scenery and to manufacture principally in fitting the wardrobe to the conB,der It a personal disgrace to have ZaZIZ L
the properties. And during the months in now company. The garments are shipped In a chorus K,rl nBk ..whpre 8 my banner?" a rehearsal is a most businesslike pro-
whlch expert hands wrought, the players hliRe hampers, lined with heavy muslin, and Thpy BrP drilled as carefully as the men "tlnir There Is no system of fines. Few
...... a, r an.. uiiiuicu w3 ni...,v. " V wno nnnote me scenery, ana so aertiy no
hcama!s move slowly and with strict at- ratPS the one used by the stage and ballet )nPy manipulate the thousand and one
tention to detail. The English dancer Is mnster. The costumer and the stage dlrec brcakable trinkets that an accident Is al-
not so quick to grasp instructions as her tora confPrj ana chorus and ballet girls are mnHt unknown.
American sister, but once having maBteren Klouped so as to require as little alteration
them, she Is not to be shaken or contused.
When all this has been accomplished and
Boxing night with its throng of holiday
revellers Is n thing of the past, the Amer
ican manager appears on the scene, sur
as possible In the costumes. The girls are
then given a first fitting, the alterations
are made, and a week or so before the dress
rehearsals a final fitting Is given. For days,
end nichts. too. for that matter, In the
In a production of this sort, loss and
breakage are serious, because many of the
"props" cannot be replaced on this side
regulations exist. Every actor knows that
lnck of attention, tardiness or frequent
absence means a curt dismissal. There Is
no court of inquiry, and no apologies are
accepted. If a girl wants to hold her
place she shows this in actions, which
mean more to the manager than reeoinmen-
veylng the production with a critical eye smnji anterooms attached to the costum-
and figuring on its possibilities In his own
country. Accompanying him are his II-brettis-.
his master mechanic. Ms electri
cian and his costumer. Gradually the little
party scatters, the master mechanic and
Ing department ran be seen a continual
procession of shapely young women and
nnxlous-eyc d dressers or wardrobe women.
As fast as the costumes are fitted they are
arked back into the hampers, ready for
of the water, and the artisans are at their datlons or press notices.
wits end when called upon to "fake" The children are rehearsed with the rest
Imitations of the originals. American 0f the bnllet. For Ihcm a matron Is pro
stage mechanics are masters of tr'.ck vdcd, who watches over them when they
"props," such as animals, automobiles and arP waiting for rehearsals, and accompanies
flying nachlnes, but trlnl:etii like arms. . hom tram their own hull to tho targe
the electrician to bo swallowtd up In that transportation to the theater, and are not
mysterious realm "behind the scenes," not , n, , a:nin until the dress rehearsal,
to emerge until they have passed upon The ihstallat ion of English scenery In the
the novelties In stage mechanism and have ordinary New York playhouse Is of Itself a
fans, banners, crowns and pottery pecu
liar to certain countries are more accu
rately reproduced by foreign manufac
turers. During the process of perfecting the
the trnln reached the "sind hills." These
hills stood as biro bald knobs encircled
with ever-shlfi Ing smds wh"n the wagon
trnlns moved along the valleys between
them. In these valleys the sand wns so
deep that the wagons settled to the hubs of
the wheels, and nt times It would become
necessary to attach half of the oxen In the
train to one wagon to pull It out of the
snnd. Here moving ws slow and difficult.
One man endeavored to reduce the time
between Omaha and Denver by using mules
Instead of oxen. When he reached the snnd
hills his wagons stuck: his mule sank tn
their knees and refused optrr to pull, so
thnt he was compelled to wait until a fol
lowing train arrived to pull him out of the
snnd. This ended the attempt to use mules
on the overland trail.
With the building of the Union Pacific
the old trail wns broken up, but n few
years later the hauling of freight from the
Missouri river to the ninck Hills started
On this route mules were used to advan
tage, as the sand was not so deep. The
"Conestoga" wagon had gone from the
land, but In nil other respects the work
was much the same. The construction of
the Elkhorn road to Valentine threw the
freighters further west, but It was not un
til after 1SR5 that the railroad finally drove
studied the details of their construction.
The costumer Is lost In the maze of tex
tures and colors known as the wardrobe
room, and the manager and his librettist
shut themselves up In their hotel to study
the book and the lyrics.
Then, when the American rights are
secured, It Is back to New York, and
silence on this particular topic for months.
Hut und'-r cover of si'ence w rk is pro
gressing steadily. The book Is firs' r
ten to please American theater-goers, for lines or ropes
Jokes which tickled the London spectators from the lofts
were originally borrowed from American
plays anfl cannot be retained. The dialogue,
too, must be cut, for English humor is too
slow a coming to suit Americans. The
lyrics have already been heard In America.
So, by the time the librettist and lyric
eclipse all rivals. They spend not only
lavishly, but well, and. In return for nn
expenditure of 20,onn, they have an equip
ment so solid and of such excellence of
tUnntn fr- 1, t t n u t tl 1 1 1 1, ritlln ratl'fl
Ensemble rehearsals are not held until ,h" " Overland trail
each section of the chorus has been thor- Bn'1 freighters from the state of Nebraska,
oiighly drilled by Its director. For In- , f j 4.4.
Btanee. the chorus of a certain rngtlmo 111 pClllCr S IvCtlCr
mechanism of the production the actors specialty was rehearsed separately for six
have been selected and rehearsed. In w,.rks before the principals Joined In the (Continued from Sixth Pago.)
choosing principals for a spectacle the WOrk. When at last each section Is ready Bny of the ports of the west but so far the
honors must be divided between men who for a full rehearsal they fit together like WCBtern ports are getting the trade,
will make merry and women who will clockwork and each group or chorus la so You can go by boat from Rotterdam to
dress the stage. At least two well-adver- perfectly trained thnt It Is not confused ,hp ,,, ,, by cann, , pRrH Y(m ran
Used beauties are deemed essential, while by those who come before or after. RO ,0 Vienna by way o the Ithlne the
the number of comedians is limited only The dress rehearsal Is the occasion which Main nnd ,ho rannU ,nto ,hp llnlinp am,
by the roles. The masculine members of ,riOB tho Hi f rVery participant, from thnce on to the niaek sea or you can
the chorus are selected solely for their ninnae,.rR to humblest stag" hand. Tlf ,.onneet by canals with other rivers which
vocal abilities, but the young women ar" nrPcedlng rehearsals mny have been nl- wiii (bi,b , i,, , .
IN v LUtJ SIU trB CtllU I 1H3 1IJ KeIIUllo, tv u i v. 11 m. . - 0 - . . ..... ....... ,7 w 1 uiunini out lini I tl 11(11 I II -
writ- sltates the use of tventy-four sets of new ?'vM'd nto two classes-the workers and mof, porf(.t. but small defects will crop Prn Rllropp. AmonK ln MnRlB proj,,t.,0(,
. "'"""- ' out at tne aress rtncnrsai unui every man. Bri, BOmP ronnPrtnK ,nn Elb wn th
or no ability as singers but they must woman ad cnd is fairly on edge with panuhp ani also ,hp Oder and the Vishf.a
erect d en the right-hand slJe of the fly- " , , ' ' """ nervousness. nis renearsai rrequenny with that river, so that In the future It will
door. In mld-alr, for working the elec- '' ,r In groups. ,nHtfl lm(l, iho P,.r, mrnlng hours, when hp poB8lh,p fo BPn ollr KOOR , aXn
, " , V t, ti a 1 , ,np ""Pnny ,s 'hhiiukhci to sieep uuriiin any pnrt of Europe by water.
... .. 1 i.i. ib ..-nmn.i.-.i tnp flayj r,.porttng in time to nress ror ine
The show girls try the soul of the prac prnnK performance at night.
itcai stage manager, and ne swears by tne As for thP imnnKors, the stage directors 1
little gin wnn snarp features who has to nd fhP ballet master, there Is neither rest
be padded to fill a costume, but who never nor Blppp for (nm until the verdict of th
falls to lead her line whither It should go. puf,0 )g heard. An Investment of $200,00'
iif iirarBBis 01 me jh actors go on simul
taneously In as many halls as the manage
ment can command. The ballet master has
one large stage, the director of ensemble
specialties another, the director 'ho makes
a specialty of ragtime numbers a third, and
the principals have a smaller hall all to
themselves. Each director has his assist
ants, varying In number from three o five.
tiig tisk. America r.s yet has no theater
built to accommodate the English spec
tacle, and the cost of making room for
frcenery alone Is an Mem to Btagger people
who view the play from the front. For
last season's reigning spectacle rock was
blasted from under the theater, and a sec
ond or sub-cellar was built. This year, the
entire scenic Investiture is worked from
the sides and the fly galleries, which neces-
In dropping the scenery
An iron bridge was also
trlcal effects, and the electric plant of the
1 heater was reinforced. Forty-eight stage
men worked lt night aud day shifts fer six
weeks, laying off only for matinee and
writer finish their work, only the skeleton evening perforniLnces. During the day re
of the book remains, on which to hang the hearsals were held on the stage, but as only
bfergeous costumes and the glittering seen- stage carpenters can, they dodged round the
fy which comes over from England. players, the music of their hammers keep
It Is in their scenic effects and their cos- ing time to the strains of the over-worked
tumes that the English stage directors pianos.
FRANK O. CARPENTER.
All of the fitting of scenery Is done under
the direction of the master mechanic. A
cool head and executive ability are as
essential to the success of this autocrat
material and workmanship that it will live behind the scenes as is mechanical ability.
to dazzle two continents. He must have no more men under him than A ,....i . m... 1. .
(111.1 r.-.-ini iinuini9. i ..." will id MUll-
III the meantime, the new scenes do- are absolutely necessary to the staging (,al)y unceaslng-for the director, for 't'!o
man. led by the American book are be Ins of the piece, as space Is at a premium, and Kroups and rows are drilled separately, the
s. His asslstaD's are
is practically at the mercy of the few hun
dred who gather to see the curtain roll up
the first time on the imported spectacle.
Karly Day Freighting
(Continued from Fourth Page )
una'ined or resign Iheir positions. There
is one man in Nebraska who acted for an
Omaha company for several years who
curried a revolver 011 every trip and never
had occasion to draw It from Its holster.
2 Tho Strength c
built, the drawings I r the 200 costum t so he must train each man to act promptly director never rest
needed for typically American spclilt is and deftly. A moment's hesitation on the SPfu principally In keeping order and In T"1' principal camping place for trains
are being made In New Ycrk. This work 13 part of a man high up In the fly gallery drilling what might be termed the awk.vard getting teady to leave Omaha was a point
pretty well disposed of when the first Eng
lish shipment arrives, under bond, Novem
ber 1. The second installment arrives a
month later, and both are divided Into three
lots.
The costumes are taken to a big loit tn n
Broadway theater where 200 men and
worm n, the force of a ood sized garment
factory, are waiting to receive them and
will spoil a situation as surely as the fail- Bmiad near the corner of Twenty-fourth and
ure of an actor to take up his cue. Once Rehearsals begin at 10 o'clock In the Cuming itreets, where a creek ran toward
the scenery Is Installed It Is rehearsed morning, and, with an hour's recess rt the river, and there vas gruhs In abund-
until each man works with the regularity oon, last until 5:30 o'clock. Whenever n anee. From the camp the wagons would
and promptness of a piston rod In a well ball can be secured for the evening, they come to town for their loads, and then
oiled engine. are resumed at 7 o'clock, the director mak- start on the long Journey across the plains.
The stage men guard not only the sue- nK bis announcement In the afternoon The first camping place on the road was at
cess of the piece, but the lives of the BOmethlng after this fashion: Elkhorn creek, about twelve miles out of
actors. In a spectacle, the scenery, ac- "The 'butterflies' meet me at 7 o'clock at Omaha, and by stages such as these the
Tho Strength
of the cofTee you buy adds to ita
value in the cup.
Lion Coffee
comes to you (resh and ol full
strength, always in sealed, air-tight
packages. Hulk coffees lose their
strength, deteriorate in flavor, and
also gather dirt.
Uniformity, hakita wl fall rtmth
lawad la mmmn t Lion Otttu.