, 1875-02-14
THE DRAMA.
SCENE.PAiNTlNG.

| 4Ia AEtlPAL In CEltAtVs
"Ths dressing was elegant and the scener
neat and appropriate" :" is the finally brethren
which usually ends the newspaper discourse upol
= dramatic performance nowadays, and, take
| moderately, it is not far from the truth. Th
blessing Of pieces in modern theatres has durinI
the past few years been greatly improved, an,
| in NO city On the continent has ths i'm
proyement bean more marked than in Chicago
II is not many years since the public, aad there
fore the managers Of theatres, wete quite con
tent wits plain eostuans, which often degen
| Grated into absolute mesSreness, and stage-set
| ting OF 4 very inferior quality. 4 few chair
and tables, with the sams old stsge-carpet, stuff
gowns, and the same WORKOUT pietures
the same dusty curtains aud furniture
served to set OF, any OF the plsyf
which held our stage ten, and even five, year,
ago. Our theatres then were on q par With the
setting which the manager thought good enough,
and, to tell the truth, most OF the dramas which
reached the popular taste bafora the Frenct
school came in were Of character to demand
| nothing more elaborate. But with the introduc-
ton Of
THE FRENCH DRAMA
from "Frou-Frou" to ''Articls Az aud such
pieces-came = demand for something more ex-
psnaive. becauae more in keeping with the sub
jects illustrated. To Augustin Daily mora than
to any man does the American stage owe the
present sumptuous asyle OF dressing and stage
upholstery. He it VAS wbo first introduced the
French drama, and he it was who enriched the
appearance OF the stage and the artists upon it.
Compared with the days when nothing but one
pair Of flats marked " 4 street in Rome," q
'' Palace In Venice" and so on, we are now
richly supplied 30 far our stage setting is ex-
celleut.
There is one department. OF scenic representa-
hon, however, in which the American stage II
still very deficient, and that is in
sCENE-PA1NTEa.
It ia fact that. in this country very 1itt1e st.
tenton is paid to the subject. The s'scenic
artist, upon whom devolses the responsibility
Of the entire appearance at the stage apart from
the milliner and upholsterer, is person to whom
such insignificant value is attached that he holds
no rank At all There has been little to encour-
age the Development Of his art, aud it does not
even hold place - an art. And yet ths
scenic artist can contribute largely to the suc-
cees OF piece. So long as the setting OF .
drama is confued to few sumptuous tinteri-
orr" Of course there is little for him to do but
the day OF the ''modern society drama" is
ended, and With it goes most Of the demand for
satn-coyered furniture, Administer carpets, lace
curtains, and the fnery OF the salon.
THg gcES1o ARTIST,
having little demand for his services, has passed
out Of remembrance but now that some Of the
older dramas are coming back upon the stage. one
misses the brush OF genuine artist. The
country villa, the woodland soene, the
barontal castle, the landscape, all seem
to ba the same that were saeu yesterday or ten
yeara ago, for that matter. The scenic artist has
disappeared. In his place ia the sceue-painter,
daubing away from the same model precisely
the same views. There is the eternal water, and
the everlasting hilltop, the irrepressihle cottage
in the distance, and the indestFuctibla sky in III
seasons. Instead Of artists We have Little left
but mechanics.
Every theatre contains certain number Of
STOCK SCENES,
which are kept to do duty over and over again.
GUY Aan1sering and Neg Ae1.rilies meet Where
Rosalind sported with Orlando the evening Of 80
glibly across the identical spot to be fol-
lowed six months later by Maggie MITCHELL
and her lover Landry; by Hetsn aud .1uiid
BY Dazzle and Sir Harcourt Court!y, and the
host Of people who tread the boards. That sceue
becomes sort Of Inquisition, before which all
must pass. Then again We have = street scene
in tho stock One side contains . c1urch
Of the latest style, with modern houses ad-
joining, With 1amp-posts and atreet-ca1s; the
other is trsae more antique. But Appius
Neither Richmond nor Ar. Do,nbev a-e startled
at its appearance: Master Waller apd Claude
Melnotte ara equally indifferent to it. 1t Is
stock acene, and might just ~ vel! be blank
wall labeled IA street in Rome" Then again
THE SAME ROARING CATARACT
does duty in East Lynne" and Day
Crockett" While it is not necessary to have
something entirely new for every pleca played,
and not even possible, etl1 some concession
might surely be made to the unitles Of time and
taga that their New York brethren hnve where
piece is sure torup 1T least fortnight, and may
continue season, aud allowances must be made;
b pqt for ei that, an Improvement could esrtAinl,
EVEN THE NEW scExEs
which are occasionally painted to please the pub
lie SAVIOR very strongly Of those they coxe-. Our
scenic artists, like actors are liable to fall into
rnta, and paint the same theme over and over
again with gariations They evidently copy
their scenes: from recollection Of what
they painted yeara ago. There have been
several notable exceptions in the past
few years, It is true: Hooley's has sometimes
been heightened with some neat and original
pieces Of work, que Of which, conservatory,
MAS so much admired this season that it is
strange be- did not keep up his scenes to the
same standard. There was bit Of still water,
Loo which tor month or TWO did very well, but,
being good it E.s kept TOO long aDd
some remarkable lttls' rough interiors It
Ehe old Dearborn Theatre, and later, at MYERS
Opera-House. succeeded in making his brush one
If the teatures Of the house. But, beyond &C.
,aslonai Roou LnlnR4 IN tnlS line, there has been
sery little done in the way Of scene-paluting in
Chicago for some time. Just now, however, tha |
ost art. for such it il in this city.
1s UNDERGOING REVIVAL, |
md tho Academy and Adelphi are sharp riyala !
Mr. Gardiner has had some excellent work done |
y MI. Pisgott, but that gentleman has tha d1a-
advantages Of . lack Of space and the absence OF |
subject His manner Of illustrating AGrana |
Jaie." however, shows him to be i bold and |
,riginh designer. The effect of two or
hree OF his scenes, even with the ahal-
ow stage Of tue Academy, was excellent,
l.ld before the season is over it is quite likely
hat he will furnish more work OF the sane Kind. |
[he Adelphi is not exactly the place to which
he casual playgoer would hare thought OF rs-
Fer9ing for the best acene-ps,nting NJ hare ever
lad IN the city, but Mesers. Strong aud Merry
rave 80 far done BY all odds the most
Elective WORK Chicago theatre has ever e1hlb-
ted. The French Spy" called cut their best
'horta- AE. Strong, il ne are not mistaken.
aust hare the credit Of the scenic effects in this
,iece, and thoHs who haye seen his work Nil1 /
ecognize Ut once its unusual merit. The first
Gene, showing bastion III the foreground, with |
i. village In the dBs4nca, and rich skJ effect,
\ among ths mast Ke4llstaa pictures u hare