Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-06

50 a yard will be distinguished from one
costing ten times that amount only Dy d
man who sells the goods or someoouy
else equally expert. The public and the
artist will be interested only in the color
and the design. The first Of these IS really
the more important. That same principle
is followed in London with greater eA-
travagance as regards the price OF the
goods Managers will pay much more IMAM
the French men for the textures Inc
Same thing is true of this country, but
the same effects are not secured, ana the
fault comes in nine cases out of ten from
carelessness I'm regard to the niceties oil
color.
81 will explain just how that happens
An American manager buys what is pro-
fessionallv known as the production Oh
a foreign success That means the plates
OF the scenery. the costumes. and the pro-
perties. All these plates and models are
brought over here and distributed to the
costumer. the scene painter, and the pro-
nertv man. The costumer will set at
work. After awhile he will come to
costume that requires magenta sleeves.
He looks over his stock and cannot mo
velvet of that color. Then he sends TO
few places and finds that it is not to pc
had So he uses scarlet. Both are reu'
out the artists idea. 1t may make no
difference that the original designer, TAX
ing all the figures in a particular group
decided that magenta was the color need
ed there. That may have been necessary
for Paris, but il wasn't needed here. Inc
costumer knows his business, he thinks,
as well as any mere Paris artist. and ne
puts in scarlet If he hasn't magenta.
That is the principle on which many for
eign plates and models are followed. In
a smaller degree the same course Is fol-
lowed with the scenery. The Paris orlgl-
nal is always adapted more or less TO the
ideas Of the local representative who car
ries them out.
zone thing in which the American pro-
ducers Of plays have never approached
their foreign colleagues is the use or
lights. An actress who was recently ac-
scused Of wearing a dinner dress in the
early afternoon explained 1t on the
ground that what was supposed to be
twilight was so inadequately indicated
that the spectators thought they We're
gazing at a scene which was taking place
at high noon. Either the stage manager
forgot to turn off the gas, or he did not
turn IL off enough. Turning off the light
suddenly is the customary way or indl-
eating the approach of twilight L often
90 10 a theatre at which hundreds Of
dollars are spent on the performances,
and see one light turned out after an
other TO make the impression Of APP
preaching darkness. The slow, gradual
darkenng that is so well managed abroad
Is rarely seen here. That IL can be done
is shown by the effects seen when foreign
actors use the ordinary mechanical ap-
pliances found i'm most OF our theatres.
They produce very different effects by
their management of just these same
means. Nobody has devoted so much at
tention to this question Of lights as Sir
Henry Irving. The elaborate schemes that
he has adopted to produce certain effects
are well known. l have often heard the
stories Of his efforts TO arrange light in
n certain way I'm The Lyons Mall He
wanted It TO fall in a certain place, but
no use OF the calcium thrown from off
the scene made that possible. SO. after
long experiment, he hit on a plan that
accomplished just the result he had de-
sired He placed a box against the back
drop. or background and had II so paint
ed that il could not be distinguished from
the background by persons seated In the
audience In this he placed the light,
which fell on the right spot in the way
he wanted il TO do. Very few men would
have taken so much trouble for so small
an end. But no other men get the same
results that Irving does. Many OF his
results are the result of just. such elabo
rate working out of what de "a unimpor
tant ideas ahlf
"a manager who produces burlesques
here and is especially praised for the