Wichita eagle., 1888-03-03
IN THE FLY GALLERY.
HOW a SPECTACULAR PLAY LOOKS
FROM THE SKY.

Music and Applause Heard from Affair.".
Men Who Roll the Curtain "A Fantas-
tic Group-Smoke from the Red Lights
of Hades.
"Follow me and you'll get there; but I'll
tell you at the beginning, that you're going
into strange region" This was the remark
of Frank Spangler, head ''fyman," as he
opened the rear door Of the Grand Opera
stage and began to climb the narrow stairs
leading to the ''fly gallery" which is To-
Gated so far above every other visible part OF
the theatre that few people know that such q
place exists. 1t was a curious looking place.
A long narrow shelf extending along on the
right side of the stage, and as one looked down
through the confusion of ropes, borders and
flies at the crowd of half costumed actors
nurrying here and there and everywhere
behind the scenes, it is really new phase Of
the theatre and for the first night it is really
preferable to seat in the orchestra.
Running through the center of the gallery
is the ''tie rail-" to which is fastened an al
most innumerable number of ropes run up
through the rigging lofts and attached to
IUe various Ol IUS SCeiltlN tiItt 10 w pc
raised and lowered during the play. A sailor
ought to feel very much at home in the fly
gallery, for the work and the way it is done
is very much like handling ships sails.
MUSIC FROM AFFAIR
A dozen men are strung up along by the
eide of the railing looking down at the prepar-
ations that are being made on the stage for
the first act. The orchestra strikes up the
overture but it has such strange, subdued
sound, that one can hardly imagine that it is
the same music that he has heard in the audi
forum. Finally the stage is all ready, the
first warning whistle comes up through the
pipe, the two curtain men spring to their
places by the large windlass on which the
curtain rope is cooled, the bell strikes, and
they begin hauling and turning and hauling
as if their lives depended on the rapidity of
their movements Its a mighty nice thing"
said one of the curtain men to the reporter,
''to sit out there and watch that curtain roll
up and so gracefully, but if they knew that
this was what did it" (wiping food of per-
spiration from his face Il don't believe they
would enjoy it quite so much"
The curtain is up. The heated breath from
the audience, the odor Of perfumes, the smell
of cosmetics and stage paint, and all the
scents of the place rise at once into the space
above the stage and at first it is almost
sitting to the person who is accustomed to
breathing the air of the intermediate re-
gions
"All hands ready" is the command OF
"Captain" Brown, and dozen bare armed
men spring to the ropes ready to raise or
lower such parts Of the scenery as the first
act requires. arch sky up.n be shouts the
audience below do not hear it, of course) and
at different points along the rail the ropes
are seized and hauled in, hand over hand,
until the ''skyn is raised out of sight, and
then the rope is hitched over the rail pin and
the men drop back on the rail TO wait the
next change.
A BREATHING SPELL
At last comes a breathing spell for the men
in the flies. The four acrohats are going
through their performance on the front part
Of the stage, while the fairy queen and the
devil, with their followers, are waiting be-
hind the scenes for their next appearance in
the lower regions Looking down at them
from the Aymans perch they are indeed
fantastic group The chief Of the Spanish
cavaliers lies stretched out on his back bal
aICiIc- Tue queen ; is4SJtoOaid tuIOtt On MS
feet. One Of the devils horns had Just got
misplaced and the fairy queen holds the
mammoth sandwich, which she is eating. be-
tween her teeth, while she reaches up on tip
toe and adjusts his maiesty's demouiacal
head gear In Just as free q manner as if she
were the devils servant instead OF the great
queen Of the fairies.
Two whistles through the pipe, another
quick pull at the ropes and the stage below IS
instantly transformed into the regions Of
darkness The Spectators in the auditorium
see the horrible Picture Of hades on the stage,
but the poor fellows in the hy gallery get the
full force Of IL The thick smoke from the
red lights rolls up through the scenery until
the men at tEe ropes are almost sIffocated by
the poisonous fumes, and are sometimes
forced to spell one another by going below
fer fresh air.
The whole dramatic world Is under the eye
of the lyman He ought to be good critic,
for ct all events he has an opportunity If So
ing all sides OF an actor and ali phases Of the
atrIcaI I,ie-DuEalo News