St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-25
WITHOUT THEIR PAINT
What the Singers Go Through
Before Presenting an
Opera.
The Stage Without It's Illu-
sions and It's Gorgeous
Effects.
Acting and Singing as 1t Ap-
pears in the Preliminary
Rehearsal.
Short Description of What
the Performers Do and
How.

comic opera is a pleasant sight to Wit
ness. Chorus and principals are all in
their places. Every movement is
smooth, even precise. There are no
bitches, no delays. no breaks in the per
Torrance. And all this the audience
expects as matter of course. There Is
never a thought given to the hard,
earnest. patient work expended upon
the preparations for the performance.
But if the stage-struck damsels who
crowd to the theaters to see the chorus
girls briskly march around the stage in
f1eShings, to see the principals caper
and laugh and act as if having general
good time, and to long to change places
with those performers. could only go
behind the scenes and witness the work
done by those same performers they
would get over believing that to be on
the stage is all but equal to being in
Elysium.
The opera company now playing at
the Harris theater presents anew opera
everyWeek. There are six evening
performances and three matinees. nine
performances performances per week
in all. which entail, in themselves, a
vast amount of work. Add to this nine
rehearsals of two hours each per week,
one every day and two on days when no
matinee is given, and you have the
amount of work which every person
who takes part in performance has to
go through. and it is all work too. 1t is
study,
REHEARSAL AND DRILL,
and drill. rehearsal and study every
day. There is no cessation and but LII,
tie time for pleasure. Cali is not gold
that glitters, ''and "Things are not what
they SEEM" are aphOrisms which pecu-
liarly fit life on the stage.
Rehearsals for new opera begin on
Tuesday. At the first one the princi-
pals alone occupy the stage, the rest
being drilled Oh the music in another
mart of the building. All the humor-
ous ouips and quirks of the dialogue
fall upon cold, unresponsive audience
of orchestra chairs. and such thing as
a smile from one of the company would
be unheard Of. Tragedy and comedy,
pathos and humor, are alike gone
through as if they differed not whit.
But all this is preliminary. The real
rehearsal comes when principals and
chorus are called together to go through
the whole opera.
The theater is dark and gloomy and,
seen from the front, the stage looks like
some nnfathomabie cavern, the pieces
of scenery looming up with like shad-
owv creatures of fantastic world, the
Weirdness of the whole effect being
heightened by the influence OF the fam-
ing gas lets which illumine the musical
directors stand.
All up for the opening" shouts the
stage manager, and the chorous
troops upon the stage. There Is no
paint, no powder, no false balr, no TN
sci, no gorgeous costumes: with
sleepy-looking eyes and tired move
ments, the men in OVercoatS ana nats,
for the theater may be a tribe emily,
the girls
IN CLOAKS AND HATS
stand there in the gloom and 60 through
the first choral number. 1t is not quite
satisfactory.
"a little more pitch right here,", re-
marks the man at the piano, and he
sings the line as he thinks it should be
sung. The chorus tries 1t again. it may
be two or three times more, and then
falls back to give the principals a
chance. The cue for such as should
appear at that point is shouted out by
the stage manager, and on they come
More singing, a solo, duet, mayhap
trio, and then must be introduced lit
tie |'business" peculiar to some OF the
characters.
ssPut a little life into it," commands
the stage manager. "This is the way"
and he goes through the bit. Should
one of the performers not quite carry
out his instructions. the stage manager
grasps his or her shoulder and assists
in the operation. Here, perchance, the
E0I in tho a.
ton of the opera.
''Up the stagel Up the stage!" comes
from the lips of the stage manager, VINO
bears the same part in the re-
hearsal as does general in
battle, and the chorus does
what he commands as well as they can,
impeded by long skirts and cloaks. The
stage manager is right with them, the
busiest of all. hurrying up the laggards,
calling out sharp, quick, decisive words
of advice and direction. Then comes a
point In the progress of the opera where
the principals have the stage to them
selves and the chorus retreats into the
flies, some of them to
MEND THEIR TIGHTS
where they show signs of giving way.
some to chat about the latest "mash,"
nearly all to chew gum.
Hes just the incest little fellow, and
stands the greatest amount of leg pull
-" "Ha7e you seen those tights down
at Blanks? They're perfectly lovely
and only" Did you notice what What {; a
1 should say. Pm dead on, Got
any more g -" ppm just all tired
"All on for the ensemble" is the cry
from the stage manager, breaking in
upon this promiScuouS conversation,
and the chorus ruShes on again to go
| through another song, accompanied by
more or less action, and the principals
have the stage to themselves again, in
some music of another act.
All this time the stage manager is the
busiest man of all, showing this one
how to do his dance, another how to
use his hands, another how to make his
entrance, and still another how to make
an effective exit. Meanwhile some of
the cast who are supposed to be off the
| stage just then are sitting about on
| chairs, leaning against the wall, or
| walking to and fro studying some
| portion of the lines which have
| been forgotten. One who sung in
the same opera several times before
emits an occasional growl about being
compelled to pet up at an unhoiy hour
for rehearsal, when he knows the whole
opera, and heartily cursing the stage
manager. All the time the rehearsal
goes on, in pretty much the same man.
ner as before described, until finally the
stage manager ends everything by call
ing out:
Everybody this afternoon at g." and
that rehearsal is over.
The rehearsal is no fun for the mem
bers of the company, although it might
be an interesting spectacle for an out
slider; but if the opera goer wishes to
fully enjoy the performance, let him
forever keep away from the rehearsal.
1t will destroy all the illusion and fresh
ness.
DIR. KILVINGTON'S ANNUAL.