The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-12

ready there Is a feeling Of imminence In the air.
They may do this same scene every night for
months, but there 10 always something. about
ton from the people who arc 70 DO q &C. The
woman, on the trtpozc and tho cquiiorist on
curtain rises, and then follows q dance OF tho
mechanical animals which William De NernS
devoted 30 much of his life to deyisinr, There
IRE papicr-fnache and canvas bodies which tho
men slip on over their heads and during this
warm weather take of as soon as they possibly
Gradually the marchers begin to gather in
their places. They are all In dark colors now.
for tho battnlions are supposed to be in tho army
OF evil. Out of the dressing room the women
and men-for there are men too IN this march
pour in a steady stream, Every one. receives
tience which William Dc verna expended
on them TO so little real purpose, FOR the beau
t tlSs G the t Ia,,lS appreciates TSs I.t : Sh in ,b dis MinSS
Is n moro serious matter now, for the en-
frances arc all made from a large platform
stage. Tho approach to this from the rear
Is up two narrow wooden staircases and the
women t Who T are tne To- ap aeS eo IN nSs mn l.TG Ss
stretches from the back of the platform to the
east Of the improyiscd dressing room a half
block away. The line trails around tho stage
through one door into n passage and further
than that into the large room Of Nilsson Hall
beyond. The quadrille Of the grotesquef figures
with Merri Osborne is about TO como to an end
and the march Is to commence on tho stage.
After that comes tho final ballet of the evening.
Leaning over the back of a canvas chair
stood the German premiere, who spends her time
about the theatre in absolute loneliness. She
She appears on tho stage in time for her dance.
When she finishes her work there is evi.
d Sst. ba nothing MsrS about Y tho = bs tnS"tre II, that ,n Inter,
only French and German and that few OF tho
person of the theatre speak anything but Eng.
ltsh. The German premiere, moreover, looks
about half the size that she seems from the
front of tho theatre.
She was alone the other night whilo around
the yOuuI French dancer there was gathered an
enthusiastic. group. 1t included her mother. q
friend who interprets for her. and two, or three
other persons. Ono OF these was the stage
You must give that poor girl Q rest" said
see hor toes. She who Is in the habit OF dane.
i Psr tw could 4 ns week bs at s,b ss = 9P ,a Iso SSG 1nisa bS,, in
every night, and at two matinees. She does
need a rest."
No doubt of It," answers the stage manager,
but you just keep quiet about It., She's a
strong girl, only 20 years old, and Il nobody
tag! Oh" Breaks hSs SsI in M rSSsi m s%S Il Of pG Paris sl t'F saSd
how little the Americans care for the ballet.
We work so hard TO learn and 1t takes SO long.
the ballet is finished as If 1t were the easiest
thing In the world TO do-and dancing on my
toes altogether"
while that fat German thing does every.
thing on her fiat feet" came from another per
son in the group, and the discussion might have
been kept up indefinitely had not the march
suddenly come 10 an end and the ballet com.
menced. Then the two bounded lightly on tho
stage, one In spite OF her oyerworkcd toes, and
the other unmindful OF her 1870 pounds. The
ballet ended, the palace Of the wicked king was
destroyed, the thunder rolled. and the Goddess
OF Nature appeared and stood in q calcium
Light long enough to reward the good and pun
ish the wicked.
They began the stampede back to the dressing
rooms. Tho cohorts that had marched in or.
der hurried back IN any way to the dressing
rooms. 1t was impossible for an outsider
to do anything but submit to the drift Vt the
crowd. He wa swept in a confusion Of
armor, helmets, and spears along with the chat
tering crowd. Escape was impossible. The
painting ballet women elbowed yellow and red
devils, and stately AmaEons clutched at their
Wigs, which were nearly torn away in the con-
fusion of the moment.
please let me through pipcd a weak voice
occasionally, I'm in the Transformation scene -
That helped her by sometimes, but in tho hur.
~ and scurry OF the scene. still dim from the
darkened lights that had accompanied the eli.
MAJ OF the play, theSsmotto was "Sauve qui
peut-' The most OF the work was over with
this scene. and when the army reappeared IL
was clothed in a uniform that consisted chiefly
OF sailor hats and shirt waists. The short lasi
act was over before the people in the play be.
gan TO 30 away. Then they disappeared grad
and II bevy Of friends came out with tie French
one. There followed some several hundred
others who said Good night" TO the doorkeepeI
in three or four languages. English predomi
mated. although there were several kinds oil
that. One of the last men out was Stage Man
agor Lytell, who looked relieved at the thought
that another performance of the play was over
For the legs OF the piece belong to the dancer,
and the marchers, but the brains OF it are his.