The sun., 1896-10-18
SOuENEW STAGE EFFECTS.
-yr rtlr7TN SCHOONER IN "THE
CIIIPHv THAT WAS.

r.,,,,ce IA Nanny with EieetrieitI-Ths
rL,nr of u Rainbow-A Duel with
,"-,rIc Currents to Make the swords
,r.h Fire Devices for Grand Opera.
" this bc not the golden. II is certainly tho
mechanical age OF the drama. Never BEFORE
g., al, the history OF the thesplan's nrt was so
,,ucn attention paid as at present to the purely
.,o,.lc qualities Of the plays produced. Real
len, seems t, he tho wntchword of the end-of-
thr.ccntury stage; and the stage carpenter
has become n parsonage
WAc.hcr the tremendous demand for me-
clanl.nl effects among manaeors is or Is
not II favorable sign, the critics must decide.
err. a, least, discuss. The scope OF this article
merely embraces description of.some recent
developments in this direction.
To begin with, there s electricity. Nearly
50 pcr cent. of recent effects are in some man
,i,,r connected with matters electrical. AS an
eliminating medium electricity can be ham
a led with far greater ease and safety than gas,
and more varied and dazzling results can be
obtained from its use. When Robert billiard.
who Is new playing the part of a num-
my brought TO life. wishes to explain his re.
vivirntion to an intelligent audience, he calls
in the ntd OF the stage electrician. Several
Young women apply real current to the an
Clcnt corpse, and awaken the dormant life In
his veins. In "SiONe"-a comedy of q decade
.inco wherein somewhat similar revival was
supposed to take place. the electrical current
was left. to the imagination. To-day Mr.. Hill
lard hclicvcs that to convince his audience he
must make his battery wire sizTlc, and let the
current he seen playing ABOUT the cerements
Of the mummy.
WHEN he asked the theatrical electricians to
produce this effect tor him, however. nearly
every one of the craft In New York declared
81 impossible. one only would undertake tho
dangerous undertaking. and he labored for
months before he accomplished his plans. To
show glints of lightning PLAYING around n
wrappc,l.up human body is no easy task. when
the safety of the enclosed is 10 be considered.
The final production of Mr.. H!lliarls project
was distinctly Ingenious.
The mummy's coffin is double. hcnR OF iron
on the inside, hut presenting wooden surface
o the aud, nee. 30 n cnCasings stand on end ,
rkc iron one resting on ply OTIS above and below
pud-a little PLAYING room each side being
allowed, so that it can be moved hither and
,hithcr for half an inch or rhercabout,. The
Use OF this device is alternately to make and
break the currcnt-producing flashes of light
lctweeD the outer and inner cases.
The iron case is connected to ono side of a
current circuit; strip of iron in the inner rim
of the wooden case is connected to tho ether
aide of the circuit. Little strips OF metal are
also connected with the long iron strip and are
,brated against the iron inner case A stage
hand stationed at a crank behind the mummy
case is enabled to shake 1t backward aud for
ward producing makes and breaks OF the cur
rent between the two cases, resulting in arcs
ar flashes of electric flame nil around the boxes.
The effect is vivid aud to the audience is a suf-
fcient cause for the mummy's coming TO life.
hp -ipt, pf En Ir ho,
ever is not limited to electrical effects by any
means. In one of the scenes of THE Caliph' -
two-masted schooner was represented coming
into II harbor. 1t is in mini ture, as II II were
IN the distance. 1t tacks from side to side
across the stage, apparently turning endwise
20 the audience. AS matter of fact, II Is
iHaGe of several fiat pieces of tin which ,lide
one past the other. giving the effect of its hav-
ing turned completely around. The boat is ar
ranged in sections. The bow is one section
The masts and stern comprise the others. There
arc four runways, one for each of these sec
tions. They are back OF one another. but to
tho audienae the various parts of the boat ap-
year TO stand in the same plane. AS the hull
Is painted black 1t '.elps along the illusion. The
Th. the only piece shse reay
IGrns around. As the boat sails across the
stage the sections. being attached TO one an
t. er by pieces OF cord follow II. regular order.
As the hoht nears the end Of the stage and Is
"pparently about 10 tack, II stage hand who
fAcIdits tlc tDblTlNRute SLOWLY Dullh Il cOru
which causes the various Sc .tions of the boat
ro rass graduaiiv behind one another. tt Is. of
cGur'e. snOrtens The beat. and to the audience
II APPEARS 10 he gradually turning around.
Nhen all the sect ons occupy a position direct
II back ot one another. the toat appears to
sand tnw-on To the audience. the how piece
lavln- tn" shape of boat in that position and
"UnctIyc.y covering MP all the other sections.
'. d" ,OWspril gradually points in the opposite
C'7crt"a 20 that which IL first followed, and
ih" oihrr sections opening out again into their
,rl-lu&l positions complete the illusion of the
loat's having turned around. The ends OF
"acn section are shared alike, therefore the
sre"n looks natural in either position. TIE
al beng attached ~ their sections, Of course,
i"!luw aronnu in natural order. The schooner
laliy comes to- nchOr. apparently in the dis
tnce. THIS Illusion has been tried before with
lDlniatur" rowhoats. but never with vessels to
which sails are attached.
In Under the Polar star" purely scenic
lay. the action Of which takes place in Arctic
r"Eon~, ii" HuU-i 7U'eworthy nnoyatip" is the
f","tacle OF tGe aurora horcaiis. This effect
~!ung. 80 whhI ia called in stage parlarce '',ho
ata MaTsAaa -cri"s' OF Illusions. /. e., il!u.
mons 0ro!G cd with the all of the gic la
'"rn. on the stnT" the magic lantern itself /.
ocScril ed "Fata Morcaru," and mos! at
lpspherIc pictures are produced through Its