The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-04-17

out, and now reveals drawing-rooom in a palatial mansion in London; all of which is attended by screamings, rum blings and groanings This was car ried to it's extreme in Miss Andersons s revival of Romeo and Juliet" Some times with grotesque effect, as in fine Italian chamber where there was beau tiful Venetian four-post bed. Juliet had said in witching tones, It is the lark, " and Romeo had just let himself down from the window All the romance and exquisite poetry of Shakespeare were in the air at that moment, when, To! the walls began to shake, portions of the room to revolve, and, wonderful to re late, the four-poster itself swung slowly round, it's feet lifted in the air This wonderful four-poster became fountain on the spot in the next scene
 These sudden pantomimic changes destroy all illusion. At the Lyceum, however, the lights are invariably low cred, and the change takes place in a mystery. At another theatre there was scene of an outcast mother, on a snowy night, seated on doorstep with her child, of course It was the snow IoNtlttl ttDpISltD OI Ollf W no OunHL to have shielded and given her shelter. Her piteous case moved the house. especially when she rose from the door, step to seek the fatal river outside. When the scene was about to change, what would become of the doorstep? It could not be left behind, or be carried away by men, or rise in the air With loud and sudden flap, the doorstep in geniously shut up like Venetian blind, and then the door moved off to the sidel It need not be said there was much merriment at this feat, and the gymnas- tic doorstep put the sutferings of the lady out of all heads.
 One of the most ambitious and strik- ing scenic effects ever displayed was in Tennyson's romantic play of the Cup" In the second act was shown the interior of temple formed with rows of large pillars-its pedimcnts all real and prac- ticable. The actual building up of this structure between the acts at the I4y- ceum was most wonderful display of ingenuity, energy and organization The instant the drop-scenc fell, a crowd of men-some thirty or forty-rushcd on the stage, each carrying pillar. an altar, steps, when from the roof came, descending by ropes, all the upper DOT tIons of the temple, which hung there till their supports were ready In ten or twelve minutes, under the intelligent command of their stage manager, Mir. Lovcday, everything was in order. The pillars were made of paper or paper mache-a common material now on ac- count of its lightncss-and in this fash ion: the pillar was modelled in clay. with raised figures and other designs: on this were raised sheets of brown pa per, which follows tine relief exactly un- til the proper thickness is reached Huge trunks of trees full of knots and branches, can all be represented in this convenient way. The modelling of the figures of the classical gods and god desses, all in admirable relief, was all done by the common property man of the theatre Mir Knowles, the editor of the Nm"tfnh GntarH who is also an architect, designed this temple and all its details When Mir Wilson Bar rctt revived Hamlet" Mir Goodwin. an experienced and accomplished arehi- tect, was called in to direct the erection of the buildings that filled the stage Thus, if We have buildings on the stage it is as we'll to have a regular architect to see that all is done correctly.
 Let us next turn to the various me -chanical phenomena of social life that are exhibited on the stage. The French have provcrb that nothing is sacred to a sappcr,' but there is nothing that your stage carpenters cannot grapple with and mimic. Earthquakes storms thunderbolts, fires, waterfalls, animals, steam engines, ships, etc, he is ready for them all, and on the whole, sue ceeds wonderfully How is the roll of thunder contrivcd? Formerly a large sheet of iron, hung up at the wing, was rattled noisily; it sounds exactly as one would expect it would, that is, as unlike thunder as possible and very like striking tea-tray But there is another way" as Mrs Glasse would have it, more terrible and effective In the larger theatres the property room is placed over the audience. Here is wheeled along a sort of truck laden with round shot, which tilts ovor on d hinge, and sends the balls tumbling over eac h other, to be followed by a hollow sound as they roll over the floor
 For lightning long tin tube with spiritlamp is used A powder is then blown through, which takes fire as it passes by the spirit and gives out vivid flash The most effective, though most troublesome, mode is to cut out of the scene ziszig strips in imitation of forked lightning; these are covered with vanished calico and painted.
 Rain is initiated by the rolling of peas in long tube; wind, by revolving roller against a rough cloth. These are not quite as impressive as they might be The most absurd attempt at illusion, and which is still retained at first-rate the atres, is the attempt to represent any crash, such as the breaking open of door, or falling down stairs Tradition requires that this should be invariably done by sprnging rattle accompanied by the loud stroke of q drum, with, per haps heap of broken glass emptied q