The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-03-30
BEHIND THE SCENES.

tim is the Public; the Imposter
Dave Belasco, stage manager at the
Baldwin Theatre. At the end of
the first act of "Esmeralda" the
curtain goes down upon an inter-
esting tableau. The scene is log
cabin, with three or four characters
in studied attitudes; an unattractive
interior, an array of blankets, pans
and log cabin utensils, and very
unathetic fireplace. The pro-
gramme requests you to be seated
when the scene is concluded. One
wonders why the request is made,
but while wondering the clink of
the curtain bell is heard, and TO the
beholder is disclosed an artists
studio, which is crowded from cell
ing to floor with bric-a-brac, paint
ings, statues, and everything which
an athetic can gather in such
limited room. In the rear is a
female repres 9nting statue. This
change is made usually in twenty
five seconds, sometimes less. The
imposition consists in making the
public believe that each of the 5000
articles in the studio is brought on
the scene by hand. To the uniniti-
ated the almost instantaneous
change appears marvellous. 1t is
marvellous, although explainable.
A Call reporter, determined to as
certain the secret of the business,
stole through the stage door last
evening, and is ready to expose the
imposition. He secured a place near
the first entrance, in pleasant prox-
unity to the footlights, where he
could see the pasSion-worn faces of
old Rogers and Dave Hardy, and
hear their impassioned words as
they
BOUNDED FROM THE SOUNDING
BOARD
Above to the ears of the sympa-
thetic audience. By the way, does
the theatre-going public know that
actors speak in natural tone on tie
stage? Just above the footlighIs,
but concealed from view. is a sound
ing board which inUensifies the tone,
and conveys it to the nearer in the
auditorium as it is really uttered.
The reporter could also see the in
terror. When Dave Hardy came up
the hill to the cabin (as the play has
it), he left group of unsympathetic
WOrkmen behind the stage and stole
through a canvas door, and when
Mrs. Rogers begged the man, who
wished to purchase her farm, to
''step into the next room where you
will find writing materials" she
introduced him to a lot of ropes and
the gas man who was waiting to
turn on the red light. When the
fearful young Esmeralda followed
her trembling father to witness the
deciding away of the old home, she
became entangled in property
carpet. Who left this hOrrii
thing here? Oh, if the audience
could have heard her. And Dave
poor, untutored, uEcouth Dave
with his sun-browned face stealing
out of the cabin, with that woe-be-
gone look upon his face. Poor
Dave. His first remark as he en-
tered the draughty passage was
e It's a mighty good house, l tell
you" This congratulatory remark
was addressed to his bitterest enemy
Con the stage), and it seemed to take
all the pathos out of the play. And
from where the reporter sat he eould
catch a glimpse of somebody up in
the flies with his hand on a rope,
and with q look on his face as if to
say, Wonder when the Old duff
feI'll get through"
Suddenly there were signs Of ire
pidation behind the scenes. The
men who had been before longing
became active and expectant, with
chances cast upon the stage. A
white figure with powdered face
and arms-a most unprepossessing
spectre-st0le by and assumed
position on q box in the rear. 1t
was the statue for the artists stu
dio. Suddenly the curtain fell.
"All ready" cried the stage man
ager, in a stage villain whisper.
The curtain arose responsive to the
dimly-heaTd plaudits from the
front, and when the tableau had
been admired the curtain fell again
THE TRANSFORMATION.
HGOi" shOutod tho ctaorn manaoor