Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-20

menss Of the royal metropolis in everv direc-
ton and replacing them with the ciss of Cali
cutta, which they dragged about tho stage
a. unceremoniously as il Calcutta were only q
very small village with no municipal rights
whatever.
When the curtain goes up on the next scene,
the portion the audience sees IL only the least
OF 1t, FOR the whole stage back 10 filed
another, which constitute the very beau
tiful setting surrounding the Mikado ballet
During this scene nearly all the available wing
space is filed with coryphees (ballet girls} and
they are even better looking on close view than
at a distance; quiet good hammered girls, too,
with little sauce possibly for stage employes'
but no smiles for the Strangers and when the
reporter in rather a masherly manner congrat-
ulated that one OF the ''three little maids" who
is dressed in blue and dances in such graceful
was SO confused she hadn't a single word Of re-
ply to make. but she was evidently pleased, for
the reporter knows q good thing when he
sees 1t.
This ballet which is one Of the very prettiest
and most unique On the stage from the front,
Is, from the wings, very different affair in
deed, and one can scarcely imagine that side
view and a front vicw could vary 80 widely.
SCENE FIVE.
Another feature of interest is the locomotive
and sleeper on the Pacific road in the third act.
This piece of rolling stock is in effect folded
screen and when 1t 10 not running on schedule
time it Is stuck away in a very small space.
The locomotive is less compressible. however,
but "behind the scenes" unless a diagram went
with it, the novice would scarcely disco vcr its
identity. 1t has the same steam stomach which
supplied the Suez canal vessel. and the sal me
four men who hauled that craft through the
arid desert also pulled the train across the
plains beyond the Rockies.
1t may not have looked that way to the audi
ence, but it was that way just the same.
When the Indians and robbers we're creeping
around to seize Mr.. Foyg and the ladies. A o,d1,
the rescued widow was presenting Nemed, her
beautiful sister. to the reporter and the repor ter
was enjoying himself as if there was not q rob-
Der baron within a thousand miles, aud when
1t was time for the fair ones to walk along be-
hind the car to the door IN front
and step right out of it on to the stage and into
the hands OF their captors with frozen scream
of startled horror, the reporter was right there
with them saying farewell with tears in his
eyes and only the thickness of piece of pain ted
canvas between him and a whole house full of
people. who saw only highwaymen, Indians and
helpless women.
Then came the water scene. with the ship
going to pieces. A wild. weird effect which
the scene shutters produce by pulling the
painted water up and down in three sections,
called waters" first, second and third. num-
boring back from the first piece. which looks as
II 1T would splash right over the footlights and
put them out, preparatory to floating off the
big drum and the bass fiddle and driving the
entire orchestra to the use of life preseryers
As tho waters rise and the ship drops out of
sight, the passengers plunge into the seething
vortex of wave. duck their heads and walk off
the stage with as much ease and dryness as one
would walk through back yard on wash day,
while those who were drowned outright have
probably gone to their dressing room some
time previously. The way a stage manager
dances around and stirs up things in order to
keep the ocean in perfect position and prevent
the waves from lying right down on the floor
Ill state OF collapse would remind anybody of
an untamed Congressman during revival in
the House.
SCENE SIX.
The putting on Of a spectacle is very diff
ferent matter from the ordinary play which
from the wings is a somewhat uninterestng per-
formance, unless the star is a bright woman,
who likes to have visitors while she waits.
The Kiralfy brothers-Imre and Bolossy-are
the leaders in this country in producing spec
taclcs. and they have put on the finest ones we
have ever seen here.
Such play as Around the World" repre-
sents an outlay in the neIghborhood Of a hum
dred thousand dollars and it costs $4,000 a
week to keep i. going. The costumes vary in
value from 800 to $500 each. and such setting
rs that in the first scene, the Eccentric Club
room, which was done ana can only be done in
Europe, costs thousand dollars Other sets
cost from 5000 to 81, 500 each. In the matter of
salaries. coryphees are paid $50, S25 and $50
per week, while seconds and premiers receive
from $50 to 600, and great artists much more,
but dancers are not appreciated in America
Mr.. Bolossy kiraliy says, and it does not pay to
bring the high-priced ones here. Italy fur.
nishes the best ballet girls, but not naturally
the best, the American being quite the equal
VI her Italian sister, but without the facilities
for education which the Italians have Ger.
man girls are also very superior. The French
are less good, because they lack the faculty OF
application and are too fond of having a
good time, and the English girl
Is the least apt. but when she is good she il
very good indeed The best ballet school is in
Milan, but Berlin. Paris, st. Petersburg and
London have good schools. Costumes come
from Paris for the men, and for the women
from London, this the result of competition
among the great variety halls of that city,
where fine spectacies are particularly popular.
The French excel in costumng men because OF
the beauty and variety Of material they have
OF hand.
THE CLIMAX.
startling fact in connection with the bale,
and Mr., Kiralfy vouches for it, though he did
not swear to it, is that many Of the girls are
under twenty and some of the brightest aud
best with him are only sixteen. This may seem
incredible to those who have been taught 10
believe that girl is hot eligible to the ballet
until she is a grandmother, but it is neverthe.
less true, though as previously remarked Mr. X.
does not furnish an affidavit to 60 with his
statement
An elephant is also an adjunct to "Around
the World but she did not appear this week
owing to her indisp0sition to 60 on the stage
again, having broken through a trap door when
they tried her on it the first day of her arrival
This elephant is OF the feminine gender, and
when feminine gender will she WILL you may
depend on t, and when she won't. the way she
won't makes q man trembIe and cleave to the
roof of the house
That's the reason sou don't SEQ the elephant
this week.
The reporter, having gone Around tn g
World" IN two hours and seventy-five minutes,
thanked Mr.. Kfraify. gave a whoop to every.
body for not chucking him through cellar
door for being i'll the way. smiled sweetly al
the Princess and her beautiful sister. yearned
for the three little maids" threw a brick al
SossypdrtoOt and respectfully Withdrew. going
out of the front door with the rest of tho audi.
ence as II nothing had happened
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
FOR ONE AND THE WORLD. By NJ. BETuAM
EDWARDS, author of Love and Marriage u
A~