The times., 1898-06-26
TIE PASSING SHOW.

Ia speaking OF present conditions.
New York dramatic -=lLe said last week:
"Tt seems odd that ma-asers So fully
alive % Hpp1rtuu.t-gs as this. can over
look So promising % aeII laE tHeatric cuI-
r1se AS ls AFFORDED by iIe Eloudike.
There win soon c.u.er large portion of
the c1un-rys wealth and Jhsre, beyond
the reach 5f wars and rumors OF wars.
the financial backer may reglle himself
upon the natural advantages OF the
place"
In looking over this remarkable state
ment. one Is struck with the meteor-uke
brilIancy OF is Lass line. To the unthink-
ing the natural advantages" OF the Yu-
kon had hitherto been confined 10 the
production of gold dust and melOdrama.
But upon closer and more rigid examina-
ti0u one discovers many things that had
never occurred to him before, For ex-
ample. there is the fact that in many
cases there would be no need Of painting
costly scenery for a production. Build an
amphitheater with an open back and go
right ahead with your frost-bitten street
scenes The Two Orphans" and The
ATAfGA ADl LllA 81 LL45A4L SDbu DtIOL2iE
classics under such conditions, while
numbers of plays yet unborn might be
arranged to suit the settings. Striking
advertisements Ike In the Tanned
WiIds'-see the great storm effective
houses and pOstofTice blown away : -
would then become common. The spec
tacular would be most simple. Catch
your blizzard, chain it, and let 1T go with
out food for awhile, and there you are.
Another distinct natural advantage
would be in light effects. a six months
night would be all that was required to
insure the immediate financial success of
the Chinese drama. Some of the stage
hands used in Washington theaters might
also be exported. The dark scenes would
probably be almost long enough for them
to effect necessary changes. Then, too,
fair contracts might be made with some
accommodating aurora borealis for cal
cium rays that would rival those pro-
duced from the enlarged Uranium of John
Drew.
Not that there are not defects to the
scheme. Think, for example. how far
apart one night stands would be and of
the difficulties TO be overcome in reach
ing them. The only kind of ties used
in the Klondike are neckties and the ties
that bind US TO our homes. In addition
to his other versatile abilities the North
ern actor would have to be a heavy
weight pedestrian with records on Skat-
ing, boating, snow shoeing and the Doc
tor Tanner act. 1t is not true that travel
ers in that country have been known to
hitch a Polar bear 10 an iceberg and
travel thus for distances upward of three
thousand miles. The Polar bear is not
a gentle beast and he won't hitch.
Then dream over the joy of a player
who had just finished such a trip in COM
pany with the hotel keeper to whom he
owed S97S for a sandwich and a drink
of Ponds Extract upon arriving at the
frapeed end of his tour He would prob
ably find many things to do before he
could go TO work on his performance If
ii were late he might see the house man.
ager labOring in a vain endeavor to thaw
out the footlights with a gas stove and
the hotel keeper knocking off cups of
frozen coffee with an AK. Great eau
ton would have to be exerted in melting
down the property lunch. 1t might be-
come liquid and run away. No one could
blame it if it did.
One of the worst parts of the whole
business would be the costuming. Fancy
Romeo in a fur duster covered with moth
powder or Timon of Athens gorgeously
clothed in three complete winter suits re-
enforced by eight attacks of red flannel
underwear. Think of a gay soubrette
attempting a skirt dance in a bear skin
ACCORDION pleated dress that weighed 432
pounds. Chorus girls would become OBJ
solete- No one would care to see them
in such attire and one who appeared in
the conventional tights would soon be
frozen so stiff that she would have to be
moved with strings all the rest of her
life. What a terrible thing it would be
If the chewing gum of whole stage