The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-20

country. DuI the
enormous expense accompanying the
transportation of large company with
200 supers and forty to fifty stage hands,
not to mention the scenery and prop
erties-as no article employed in one
play is made use of in another-and the
repertoire consisting of about thirty-six
plays, seemed to great risk to both par
ties.
Now that the famous company has dis
banded and the death of its illustrious
manager followed not long ago. it may be
interesting to hear few facts concerning
| it, from temporary member, the more so
as its influence, despite its non-appearance
in this country, can be traced in many i'm
proyements in the New York theaters, in
various elaborate productions and in par
ticular in some Shakespearean reviyals of
a recent date.
Hey you up there, look straight be-
| fore you! but with a searching glance,
some expressing fear, the others courage!"
shouted Head Stage Manager Chronegh,
| when / made my first acquaintance with
the Saxon-Melningen company. He was
| directing the battle of Phillippi at dress
| rehearsal of Julius Cesar
The stout little man with a gray mus
| tache stood on foot-stool with large
| bell in his right hand, pointing emphat-
| ically with the left towards a number of
| supers, who were standing on some rocks.
| l had the audacity to approach him. On
| perceiving me he growled: Don't dis
| turb mel' l turned to Stage Manager
| Paul Richard, standing behind Chronegh
with the text book in his hand. "Con-
versation is not allowedl" he muttered,
| giving me an angry look.
So | could not do better than step back
| into the wings and watch the proceedings
| on the stage.
The scenery and costumes were excel
lent, and the good training of the supers
surprised me. Everyone seemed to know
his business, but it was very hard to satisfy
Chronegh, and some scenes were repeated
over and over again. He was careful of
the smallest details. Not the slightest
| mistake escaped him, so that at last the
evolutions and grouping of the soldiers in
every scene he pronounced finished"
were perfect in their way. They were pic
turesque, full of energy, animated, true to
life and therefore never symmetrical; they
also avoided tableaus at the end of a scene
or act. | could not help exclaiming:
| well, that beats everything / have
seen!' But my astonishment increased
| when in the fourth scene of the fifth act
| the actor who played the first soldier had
| to repeat the words yield, or thou
| diestl' a dozen times or more, until
| Chronegh finally exclaimed: "If you can
not speak the words with more effect
will have to give the part to someone
| else!'
At last, when after few hours the re-
hearsal was over, Chronegh found time to
shake hands with me and introduce me to
members of the company. | was installed
as one of the assistants to Stage Manager
Richards. In this way L saw for the first
time their performance of the Merchant
of Venice" affording me an opportunity
to compare it with the masterpiece of
Henry Irving's career.
Henry Irving is also-and but very few
are acquainted with the fact-a pupil, and
by far the cleverest pupil of the Saxon
Meiningen company, understanding how
to use the collected material in an original
way. Henry Irving seems to have lik-
ing for German acting, as his Mephisto-
pheles is but an exquisite imitation of
Lewinsky's creation of the part in the
Vienna Burg theater.
Henry Irving is. however, still too fond
of red and blue calcium lights, which are
used whenever his features need illumina-
ton.
EsWhat difference there was in the scene
of Lorenzo's elopement with Jessical
Henry Irving has made of it a solitary
midnight scene, with dim greenish-light
effect, and the quiet only interrupted by
the frolics of party of masqueraders.
And Shyiocks slow return over the bridge
and his knocking at the gate of his house
a I'm no a lnCV ars.f
1t was neither giving Venice nor the tenn
permanent of Nenitian masqueradersl
With the Saxon Meiningen the scene
adopted q different aspect. A gondola,
illumined by torches, brought Lorenzo
and his friends TO Shylock's house at the
same moment the masqueraders began to
pour in. Such feast of color in the flick
ering torchlights $50 brilliant that 1t al
most hurt the eyes, and in the shouting,
singing, laughing, frivolous crowd the
elopement took place. This was picture
| of ancient Venice during Lent! And as
for the acung-true enough lrving's
| company is excellent, every actor is an
| artist, but they have failed TO make his
| torical studies
What wonderful imitation, on the
| other hand, of an Italian servant of the
| middle ages was given by the leading
| German comedian as Lancelot Gabbo.
| How original and ethereal was the BUSH
ness with tine blind fatherl
| What Il fierce, poisterous moor the prince
| of Morocco was. with such barbaric ges-
| lures that Portals companions shrank
| back whenever he cast a glance around,
| and the dudish prince of Arragon remains
| unsurpassed. though | have witnessed the
| Merchant Of Venice" dozens and dozens
| of tlmesi
| And then I have never seen n stage pic
| ture superior to the "moonit night OF
| Saxon-Meiningen fame IN Bemont!'
! Whenever the curtain rose, no matter in
| what city or country. there was no ap-
| plause. but an universal murmur of adj
| miration passing through the audience!
| 1t represented marble fpiaZza with
| staircase, settees and plastic statues on
| the baUstrades. framed in by piniens and
| cypress trees. p the distance lay the cas-
| tie Of Belmont iIlumined by one solitary
! light. And the moon of q Southern sky
| trembling over this classic scene, which
| only can be found in Italy!
! ChrOnegh was too busy a man that |
| should have much opportunity to speak
! 10 him, nevertheless | learnt TO esteem
| him very much. He really was the heart
| and soul OF the company. He vas an I'M
| partial Judge, having himself passed
| through all the grades Of an actors career
| he was excellent disciplinarian, model
| of punctuality and master in instruCting
| and regulating. His energy never left
| him, even in DAYS Of sickness. | remember
| one day he was carried. suffering from
| rheumatism, on the stage wrapped in
I blankets. His manner vas serious and
| diguined, Yet kind t. all. But when he
| found fault with anybody his anger knew
| no bounds
I had beeu used To a great deal of discin-