, 1885-04-03
VIEWED FROM TIE REAR
rreping at she Opera Through a HoIe ~
the Scenerv--The Conductors.

AN"IaHk - - 0ENh| -
the scenery-Ihe Conductor.
New York Cor. Inter Ocean
have just had a sight Of a performance
OF ~Patiences from the rear. 1t did not
seem 10 me that the time-worn opera could
afford any entertainment TO a person In the
auditorium, but / was mistaken as TO that,
for the Casino-fuD Of people-were almost
as demonstrative as though they had never
seen the piece before. II was their facial
inspect that first struck me, m peeping at
them through a hole in the scenery. Some
body ought % photograph an audience, by
an instnntaneous process, in the midst OF
general laughter. The picture would be i'm
mensely funny. II a mirror could be flashed
in front Of you at the instant that the
comedian OF a farce does something TO make
you roar, it isn't likely that you would
recognise yonnolf IN the horribly grimacIng
reflection.
Imagine a thousand persons with sim
ilarly distorted facesi That was what Bun
thorne and 1 saw. when he was singing some
now topical verses interpolated into Gilbert's
work, and | was squirting through the peep
hole. Stfl more astounding was the spec
tacie when the love-sick maiden trooped
upon the scene. To mo they presented
merely n good variety Of back hair and ar.
tistic outlines as they Topped in the poses Of
exaggerated ustheticism; but to the spec
tator In front. upon whom their pretty faces
beamed, l inferred that they were antranc-
ing. This conclusion was based upon
row after row Of countenances which were
idiotically rapt II they belonged to men and
calmly critical IL they belonged to women.
TIT dudes In the nearest chairs were very
Romeos for their facial expression Of fond,
yearning, callow admiration RI
The strangest face. however,. was one
which could DO seen only from the stage, for
IL was that Of the conductor. The waving
baton and agitated back OF this official may
be familiar 10 you as a part of comic operas
figures, but you ought really TO SEQ his
countenance. II Is a mistake to suppose that
he employs his arms only in keeping tho
singers in harmony, II this particular speci-
men was fairly illustrative OF his class He
beat all the disciples Of Valentine Vox for
mobility and meaning OF countenance. His
features were like the bits OF glass In a
Kaleidoscope for forming, at every shake, a
new combination He winked with his right
eye at Patience as a signal 10 begin, and sim
ultaneonsly with his left at Grosvenor 10
stop. He frowned with one side OF his face
nt the chorus girls, because they were out Of
time, and smiled with tho other side at the
chorus fellows as an approval OF their better
vocalism- He sang bars of the music him
self. He dropped from the exaltation Of de-
light 70 tho depths OF acute torture with a
/. suddenness which threatened 10 break him
into bits, and then rose again with sky
rocket celebrity. Every twitch OF a nerve
or. jerk Of a muscle apparently meant
some particular thing to the performers, but
10 mo the display was a marvel, and | won
dered whether, after years Of that sort OF
thing, the man could lot his face sottle down
into a state Of rest without the aid OF a por-
trait taken at tho outset OF his wry career. &