The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-10
ROOM FOR AN ARMY.
London Has the Largest Theater In the
World, With Capacious Stage.

London Has the Largest Theater In the
World, With Capacious Stage.
From London Tid-Bits)
LONDON now possesses not only the
largest wheel, but the biggest theater
~ the world. Until recently Chicago,
viii us tremendous Auditorium thea
ter, may be said to have had the LARGEST
building erected for theatrical displays.
put now Earrs court with the Emprese
theater, goes one better than the Ameri.
can city. The only building in london
IN which theatrical displays have been
given TO be compared with the EN-
press theater is Olympia. IA this
huge structure was not built expressly,
ior tneatr1cal purposes, the claims 81
the Empress theater still hold rood
imagine an iron and brick building
towering above everything at EarI's
court except the great wheel. aImosx
as long as Trafalgar square ana near.
ly as wide! The span of the roof -
only beaten by one erection of tina
kingdom that. we believe, being tina
span of st. Pancras station. This roof
span of the Empress theater is 22O feet.
while the height from ground to Ian.
tern is no less than III feet, or mora
than half the height of the monument,
and only seven feet shorter than tho
duke of York's column in Carlton
House terrace
AS the auditorium is one of the
largest in this country, so, too, 10 the
immense stage. In designing this lat.
ter work, 1mre Kiralfy has adopted
some remarkable and curious devices.
Ihe entire stage can be moved about
mere and there, and put up in sections
IN such u mechanical way that It can
De made to assume any form called
Tor by the exigencies Of the scene.
On this great stage of the Empress
theater there is room for at least
5000 people without undue crushing
and at least 1000 performers, in ad.
dition to 500 workmen - carpenters,
Shutters. property men, etc.-are on if
In one scene in the production. When
to this main stage is added another
seventy feet In depth, which can be
made to appear and disappear at Will
some idea may be obtained as to the
hugeness OF the place.
To provide for this immense number
OF performers there are scores Of
dressing-rooms at the rear OF the
stage. To light this great stage and
auditorium over thirty electric arc
lamps are used. while twenty lime
lights help to produce the beautiful
color effects. now seen in every the.
atrical display. In addition to these
greater lights over 5000 incapdescent
burners are In use all over the build.
ing.
Certainly In the way of a curtain
the Empress theater has the biggest in
the world. 1t Is rich and elaborate
piece of artistic work, eighty-five feet
nigh and 200 feet long. A curtain Of
this kind would hide more than half
OF the frontage Of the National gal
lery and much of the roof of that large
building. Over 1900 dresses are
worn during the production of India"
many of tho performers wearing three,
four and five in the piece. The num-
Der Of spanGles used runs into mill
lions, and the sequins on the Indian
dresses are almost without number.
Nearly as many wigs as dresses are
used. OF the humber of dancers
shoes which are worn out during a
months performance 1t would be hard
to give an accurate report, but 1000
would be near the mark. All the
scenery, the curtain and the stage
are moved by steam power, for no
human effort alone could build up
some of the stage pictures produced,
From every point of view this thea
ter probably holds the palm for huge
ness and ease in managing it.