The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-04-03

VIEWED FROM THE REAR.
Peeping at the Opera Through q Hole In
the Scenery-The Conductor.
MAN vorl Cor Inter ncaan1

Pceping ut the Opera Through Hole In
the scenery-The Conductor.
New York Cor. Inter ocean,
have Just had sight Of performance
Of Patience" from the rear. It did not
seem to me that the time worn opera could
afford any entertainment to q person In the
auditorium, but ! was mistaken as to that,
for the Casino-full Of people-were almost
as demonstretive as though they had never
seen the piece before. 1t was their facial
aspect that first struck me, ON peeping at
them through hole in the scenery. Some
body ought to photograph an audience, by
an instantaneous process, in the midst Of
general laughter. The picture would be i'm
mensely funny. II q mirror could be flashed
In front Of you at the instant that the
comedian OF q farce does something to make
you roar, it isn't likely that you would
recognize yourself in the horribly grimacing
reflection.
Imagine thousand persons with SIM
ilarly distorted facssi That was what Bun
thorne and l saw when he was singing some
new topical verses interpolated into Gilbert's
work, and l was squirting through the peep
hole. Still more astounding was the spec
tacle when the love-sick maidens trooped
upon the scene. To me they presented
merely good variety Of back hair and ar
tistic outlines as they Topped in the poses Of
exaggerated estheticism; but to the spec
tator in front, upon whom their pretty faces
beamed, inferred that they were entranc-
ing. This conclusion was based upon
row after row Of countenances which were
idiotically rapt IL they belonged to men and
calmly critical il they belonged to women.
The dudes in the nearest chairs were very
Romeos for their facial expression Of fond,
yearning, callow admiration.
The strangest face. however, was one
which could be seen only from the stage, for
1t was that Of the conductor. The waving
baton and agitated back Of this official may
be familiar to you as part Of comic operas
figures, but you ought really to see his
countenance. 1t Is mistake to suppose that
he employs his arms only in keeping the
singers in harmony, il 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 q
Kaleidoscope for forming, at every shake, a
new combination. He winked with his right
eye at Patience as signal to begin, and SIM
ultansously with his left at Grosvenor to
stop. He frowned with one side of his face
at the chorus girls, because they were out Of
time, and smiled with the other sids 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 to the depths Of acute torture with q
suddenness which threatened to break him
into bits, and then rose again with sky
rocket celerity. Every twitch Of a nerve
or jerk of muscle apparently meant
some particular thing to the performers, but
to me the display was a marvel, and Won
dered whether, after years Of that sort Of
thing, the man could let his face settle down
into state Of rest without the aid Of por-
trait taken at the outset of his wry career.