Morning journal and courier., 1880-09-20
The New Opera House.

but the great chandelier which is to br1lllant- ly illuminate this great and splendid house of
 amusement was receiving the finishing touch
 es preparatory to being hoisted to it's perma- nent position, high aloft, far above the par quette corps of men were busy moving the big mirrors into the places which they are 1 to occupy at the right and left of the par
 quette The painters were putting the fin
 ishing touches of light French gray color on
 the borders of the stage. Back on the stage, near the wings on the right, was corps ot
 women industriously sewing half enVel- oped in an array of cotton cloth ! which they were engaged upon. Rolls or rich carpeting had just arrived. Unbound l coils of rope lay upon the stage, all ready TOT the use they were to be devoted to In con- l nection with the scenic effects which are to | delight the thousands who, in time to come, will enjoy hours of pastlme at the house ! Gas filters were perspiringly at work finish ing up the connectionsto furnish the chande iers Men were delving and building solid,
 thick stone wall out of sight of the world underneath the vast stage of the house. work ! ing by the dim religious light of a kerosene l lamp, and looking grim and silent, but as much disposed to jest as the grave diggers in Hamlet An approach to them must be by devious paths to avoid the light wood en frames which play important a part in the traps, down which in
 the future diabolical characters are
 to disappear amid blue smoke, in dis comfture and public execration; and which
 are to play those invisible mechanical parts in
 scenes where angels and seraphs, nymphs
 and goddesses are to appear amid the usual
 seraphic accompaniments and public admira-
 tion. Out doors in the large area on the right
 of the house were perspiring men imbedding
 with their heavy roller the stones just laid
 for the smooth bed of tar and cement.
 MT. Carll was present directing all listening
 to agents who were negotiating engagements
 of noted troupes and companies, giving or
 ders here and there, and exhibiting the pos
 session of the rare energy and executive
 power which have characterized his
 erection of this fine structure,
 place of amusement ranking third in size in America, having seating ca pacity for ?, 800, built upon the most ap- proved plans and receiving most fattering encomiums and endorsement of the best judges. The view from the rear of the great stage, as also other parts of the house, is very
 imposing The idea of vastness strikes the visitor from these points, while especially from the rear of the stage the happy archi tectural arrangement is seen, the dip and sweep of the galleries being such as to bring the entire audience within range of the stage, and in easy compass of the voice. The acoustic properties of the build ing are pronounced very superior
 and most gratifying, as proved by actual test \ by noted theatrical and other professional l men. It is said that the voice of an ordinary ! speaker can easily be heard at the remotest
 part of the house, clear up to the highest
 tier of chairs in the upper gallery, in close proximity to the cornice, where the gallery ! gods will be most exalted. Great praise is l bestowed upon the house by noted members
 of the theatrical profession, and it is pro- | nounced by men who are familiar with the opera houses and theatres of every large city
 in the country that this is one of the very finest in the land. A prominent New Haven gentleman, who has just returned from an ex- 1 tended tour, finds in the house l quite a resemblance to the beau l tiful new church of Rev. Dr. Beecher's, l IN 1.,
 and likewise to the opera house in which
 Rev. Dr. Swing breaches in Chicago. A ] brief description of the prominent features l of the house is as follows: The height and l large size of the building are apparent, and from the roof wide view over the city is ! visible Entering the main passageway to
 the building, just opened-there is another | on the left-you pass in through one or other
 of two massive doors of rosewood finish,
 with arch skylights, and pass into the vesti- bule. This extends from side to side of the | building and is about as wide as good sized
 drawing room, barring the space occupied by | the stairways. One on either side, leading to the first gallery, or dress circle. The stair ways are broad with ascents of oak and pan-
 elled balustrades of black walnut,
 substantial and ornamental In the
 supporting wall right and left, dividing the vestibule from the auditorium, are two open | ings through which the agent and ticket sellers | deal with patrons from their offices, which are handsome three sided enclosures of wood 1 work, ornamental and well lighted by many slightly windows looking toward the auditori- | um. Step inside the main doors to the audi | torium, of which there are a central pair | leading to the main aisle and two pairs open | ing to the side aisles respectively. The pas | sageway allows the spectator room to pass | from one side of the house to the other and | is enclosed from the seats by black walnut fence with guard rail and posts.
 We now come to the parquet circle seats, and down slight descent of twenty or twen- ty-five feet to the parquet which is divided l by a similar low black walnut railing from 1 the parquette arch. From the entrance of the auditorium to the stage the seats of both the parquette and parquette circle are on grad | ual descent, more marked in the latter, and l are semi The seating all over tho house is by chairs of iron frames with backs of black walnut, upholstered in red leather | bordered with figured iron work of light pat | tern. The bottoms are upholstered in red leather. The seats are very comfortable and | with sufficient space for comfortable sittings. | Far overhead of the parquet, or orchestra | as Bostonians term it, will hang the lustrous l chandelier, with it's grand circular combina- l tion of pendant prisms, with one of lesser cir conference underneath and fianked by eight satellites set in the rim of the immense flat
 circular reflector which overhangs the whole l The boxes, three tiers of them, flank the par quet, each having two apartments, each of | which will comfortably accommodate ten per- sons, making accommodations for 120 in all
 A pretty low balcony juts out in front of | each box. The partitions between the apart
 ments does not wholly separate, occupants having passageway in front. They are l flanked by fiat grooved pillars. Iron posts | support the lower and upper galleries in front. They are of artistic style and figure. The | from the parquet, and these ample | quarters are located where they can be illuminated by the border lights. The stage
 is one of the largest dimensions in | the country, being 75 feet square. The
 stage is elegantly carpeted there are five
 rows of border lights, having adjustable grooves and is supplied with scenery which,
 in theatrical parlance, can pass twenty-five
 feet through and twenty-five feet below the
 stage, and pass to the flies above the stage also, and roll to each side of the stage. The
 main curtain represents statue of Augustus
 Cesar, fanked by Roman drapery, and is 8
 fine piece of work, executed by Marston, of
 the Union Square Theatre, New York. The
 other scenery represents Italian skies and
 architecture, landscape and other scenes | which the exigeneies of the stage demand
 Great credit is given by MT. Carn to MT.
 Marston and the other scenic artists, Hughson l Hawley, of Covent Garden, England, and | the Madison Square, New York; to
 signor Arrigoni and Richard Smith, | of New York, and John Ritter. | of Union Square, New York Mr. Grevy, of Union Square, has been for some time in at tendance as stage carpenter The green
 room is commodious and finely carpeted and equipped There are no less than eighty