The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-04
FORESTS STAGE MANAGER.
He Contrasts the Present with the Past in
Stage Decoration.


Boston Globe.
''The stage costumng of to-day is nothing as
it was few years ago" said one of Bostons best
known costumers once a favorite actor He
stood, buSily engaged in Transforming three
bright-eyed, beardess boys into relocated sol
rooms, ancient medieval and modern in decora
ton, that often fascinating to the visitors
eye.
'If you look at the earlier pictures of Garrick
or Siddons in Hamlet. Lear. or Macbeth, you
will find that, in every character, they are
dressed in the costumes of.Wash1ngtons time,
the Continental costumes as they are called.
They never made any attempt to follow the cos
tunes of the period" 9uS
'Whc started the reform in this natter
st was first introduced in England by Mac
ready and Charles Kean. Formerly the actors
wore either just what they happened to have,
or just what the wardrobe woman gave them,
and it often made the most motley combination
you ever saw l remember once l was playing
with Forrest, and was stage manager also. Now
Forrest was one who was very particular about
his costumes. He would go on to play his part,
and could see him casting his eyes all over the
stage to see how his people looked but he never
would say anything. We'll, one right we opened
somewhere with King Lear. and when / went
to get the costumes from the wardrobe woman,
| said
''What are you going to dress the doctor inT
"a domino, of course We always play him
in domino"
why, how is thatlr said "The doctor is a
gentleman, and should be in gentleman's cos
tune"
well, he always has played in a domino and
he can either use that or go without" l went
home ard faxed up some kind of a costume OF
the gentleman of the PERIOD and we played him
in it that night.
During the play Forest came round to me
and said:
8. Where did you get the idea of playing the
doctor in that costumeF
6 The idea is partly historical and partly my
own,' 1 told him.
=" It's good idea-a mighty good idea he
said, with few of those ornamental words he
often used; let him keep it on
''That is one instance of how these little
changes for the better creep in"
''Where do you obtain all your ideas for cos
tuning historical playF
"Chiefy from reading and experience have
a library of works on the subject, and of general
literature, l wouldn't take 81, 0O0 for Yes plates
help great deal in getting the color. We
can't gain much information from the ordinary
novelist. He isn't definite enough. Now there
is one thing don't think every one has noticed
about Henry Irvings costumes, and those ofShis
company. He owns and designs them all, as
you know, but there is hardly one Of them that
has any gold or silver ornamentation, except q
little on the cloaks He has the very richest
stuffs and the actor has no choice but to take
what Irving gives him. / consider Irving one OF
the very OeSt Stage managers we nave ever mad.
do the star actors as rule, look after the
costumes of their company
'NO, the costumer and the stage manager
attend to that. Lawrence Barrett. believe de
signs many costumes, and is, perhaps, more par
ticular than most of then. The lady stars have
all they can do to look after their own ward
robes Sarah Rernhardt, though, is simply a
marvel of stage manager. She will dodge be
hind the scenes and set six different persons
going in different directions all at once step into
her dressing room and change her magnifcen,
costumes so quickly you can hardly believe
she has done it, and reappear on the stage
smiling Janauschek, too, when when she brought
out Brurhilde here for the first time, procured a
lot OF copies of the German stage setting-she
was the original Brunhide in Germany-and the
scene painter made up all his scenes from them
and they were, OF course, accurate. Take it in
Hanlons "Fantasma," for instance The artists
sent us word that in one scene we must use only
silver and white to match his scene, and Their
we knew just how to 60 to work"
s.Yes, the Germans have the finest stage set
tings in the world, simply because they have
schools whore the business is taught. But look
at US! We have nothing of the sort. We have
a great deal to learn yet"