Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-05
IN THE FLY GALLERY.
HOW A SPECTACULAR PLAY LOOKS
 FROM THE SKY.

Music and Applause Heard from Afar.
 Men Who Roll tho Curtain-A Fantas.
 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 Spangier, head 'sHyman,n as he opened the rear door of the Grand Opera stage and began to climb the narrow stairs leading to the 'sfy gallery" which is To- cated so far above every other visible part of the theatre that few people know that such place exists. It was 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 hurrying 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 the various parts of the scenery thnt is to be raised and lowered during the play. A sailor ouSou0 OO lccl very IuuCu Ut uOIu6 1u tue ny gallery, for the work and the way it is done is very much like handling a ships sails
 MUSIC FROM AFAR-
 A dozen men are strung up along by tho side 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 a strange, subdued sound, that one can hardly imagine that it is the same music that he has heard in the audi torium. 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 coiled, the bell strikes, and they begin hauling and turning and hauling as if their lives depended on the rapidity of their movements. "It's mighty nice thing,n 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 flood of per spiration from his face) "I 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 stifling to the person who is accustomed to breathing the air of the intermediate re- gions
 "All hands readyI" IS the command of "Captainn Brown, and d dczen bare armed men spring to the ropes ready to raise or lower such parts of the scenery as the first act requires. 'Arch sky upI" he 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 overland, until the "sky" is raised out of sight, and then the rope is hitchcd 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 fAs. The four acrobats 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 fyman's perch they are indeed a fantastic group. The chief of the Spanish cavaliers lies stretched out on his back bal ancing the Queens pasteboard throne on his 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 majesty's demoniacal head gear in just as free a 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 sec the horrible picture of hades on the stage, but the poor fellows in the fly gallery get the full force of it. The thick smoke from the red lights rolls up through the scenery until the men at the ropes gre almost suffocated by the poisonous fumes, and are sometimes forced to spell one another by going below for fresh air.
 The whole dramatic world is under the eye of the fymnn. He ought to be good critic, for at all events he has an opportunity Of sec ing all sides of an actor and all phases of the atrical life.-Buffalo News.