Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1896-12-19
ROOM FOR AN ARMY.
London Has the Largest Thcater In
the World, with q ca pnciOus Stage.


the World, with capnciOus Stage.
London now possesses not only the
largest wheel, but the biggest thcater
In the world. Until recently Chicago.
with It's tremendous Auditorium thea.
ter, may be said to have had the largest
building erected for theatrical displays.
but now Earl's court, with the Empress
theater, goes one better than the Amer.
lean city. The only building In London
In which theatrical displays have been
given to DO compared with the En-.
press theater Ii Olympia. As this huge
structure was not built expressly for
theatrical purposes. the claims Of the
Empress theater still hold good.
Imagine an iron and brick building
towering above everything Mt Earl's
court, except tho great wheel. almost
us long as Trafalgar square ana nearly
us wide! The span of the roof IL only
beaten by one erection of the kingdom,
that, we believe, being the span Of st.
Pancras station. This roof span of
the Empress theater Is 300 feet, while
tho height from ground to lantern is
no less than III feet, or more than half
the height Of tho monument, ana only
seven feet shorter than the duke of
iork's column In Carlton House ter.
race.
AS the auditorium Is one of the largest
In this country, so, too. Is the Immense
stage. In designing this latter work,
Imre Kiralfy has adopted some remark.
able and curious devices. The entire
stage can be moved about here ana
there. ana put up In sections In such a
mechanical way that 1t can be made
to assume any form called for by the
eXigencles of the scene. On this great
stage of the Empress theater there IL
room for at least O,OOO people without
undue crushing ana Mt least 1000 per-
formers, In addition to 500 wOrkmen---
carpenters, shifters, property men, etc.
are on 1t In one scene In the prOduc-
tiOn. When to this main stage IL 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 dress.
light this great stage and the auditor
ium over thirty electric are lamps are
used, while twenty limelights help to
produce the beautiful color effects now
seen In every theatrical display. In
addition to these greater lights over
5000 incandescent burners are in use
all over the building.
Certainly In the way of curtain the
Empress theater has the biggest In the
world. 1t IL rich ana elaborate piece
of artistic work, eighty-five feet high
and 200 feet long. A curtain of this
kind would hide more than half of the
frontage of the National gallery and
much of the roof of that large building.
Over 10000 dresses are worn during
the production of "Indla," many of the
performers wearing three, four ana five
In the piece. The number of spangles
used runs into millions. and the se-
qulns on the Indian dresses are almost
without number. Nearly ms many
wigs as dresses are used. or the num-
ber of dancers shoes which are worn
out during months performance 1t
would be hard to give an accurate re-
port, but 1000 would be near the mark.
All the scenery, the curtain ana 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 theater
probably holds the palm for hugeness
and ease in managing it.-LOndOn It'd
Bits. .