The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-07
,,rvrs ppov1DENCE R. t. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER z. 1898
Artistic Taste and Skill Required 10
Secure Fine Effects.
The Work Can Only Be Entrusted 10 Men
Possessing Artistic Instinct.

a New York gentleman who dropped |
into Keiths New Theatre I'm Providence
for an hour the other afternoon anu
that is that just as much atteh'ion
seems TO be paid to the stage settings
as one expects to find i'm what we call
the great dramatic productions In the
Heading combination theatres In rat
throughout every detail OF the manase
ment of the houses there Is "a minute
attention to detail that, as wnole' -
really not found ip, the other theat,es.
The gentleman's comments ue"
thought TO a matter that perhaps es
capes the attention OF many iata
| poers; but the elegance ana conpie,e
| ness of the stage settings at he'h
neNv theatre have elected many COM
| nliments. Very few persons, however
| realize the amount OF thousht anu Ia
| bor involved in accomplishing 'he ie
! suit. ,.,s ha
artistic I'm design and coloring,l Dut
| with each "set" care must De taheh
that the furniture and other propeI
| ties used i'm IL harmonize Win IL PEI
! fectly according to the pest artlstiu
teste furthermore. every little detail
that may I'm any way add TO the COM
pleteness. the naturalness, the reaiistlc
| character of the scene must be thought
of and provided, with no regard Tor cost
or time or trouble. 80, ~,
All this cannot be accomplished py
the ordinary stage hand" nor with
much regard for economy, as IL ~
| ordinarily understood; but the mousse
must have man possessing the true
artistic Instinct. with trained eye anu
| refined taste, and who knows that ne
| has carte blanche as to expense IN Sc
| curing the desired results. Nor can
this important work be performed at
the beginning of the season or the OPEN
| ing of the house, for each week prinss
| new acts with entirely new ana dliier-
, | ing requirements as TO settings o,teh
, | involving the construction ana bullulns
| az entirely new and elaborate scenery,
| as is now being done, for instance, 1or
, | the coming production of "Dr. Chaun-
, ! cay" by Joseph Hart at keith $.
: All this attention TO detail however
is decidedly "A modern innovation ihtio-
| duced by Mr.. Keith simply as one eie-
ment i'm the general policy of the man
; agement of his continuous perform
= ance" houses In the variety the-
$ atres such thing as due regard loI
K harmony OF color and APPROPRIATENESS
n and completeness OF furnishings has
never been considered, while the RUE
d of economy has prevented th'
d thought Of painting special scenery re-
y | ouircd Tor the proper presentation %
& | any act however important, ana
a Kitchen scene has often been seen TO az
y | duty Tor a Ddrn OF stoiS VI CIV"
| sitting or bedroom.
High class vaudeville, however, a
presented in the Keith houses, wa
from the first placed on the same pldii
% in this respect ais the most pretentiou
productions in the leading theatres u
~ the country: and the fact that 10 90 ;
IS of necessity. because of the week.
n. change OF bills and the great variety @
as | the acts presented. involved muc
,y greater annual expense than IN III
~ combination theatres, Is one OF the II
ne lustrations Of the policy OF Mr.. keit
,d TO ignore entirely any consideration ,
ot cost i'm giving TO the public entertain
ht ments as nearly perfect as human SKI
in | and ingenuity and liberal eXpenditui
le could make them in even the minutes
es detail confident that the results woui'
rs az they have, fully vindicate ms pohc.
al In this respect as in many others tf
v, Keith theatres lead the world. for
Europe the theatres which can mo
~ | nearly be compared with these al
yo marked by an entire lack of attentio
TO detail. though in the stock and con
TO- ! bination houses this is less true, son
~. of them actually employing famous "A
no fists To design both scenery and co
IT'S tunes. q,
i' In London Edwin A. Abbey is to d
-, sign the scenery and costumes 4
DLS Henry Irving's Richard III" Ain
20 Tadema was responsible for the beau'
!
IA the chief charm of Beerbohm Tree
80, Julius Caesar"
up The shabby, colorless, and duh lo
,a,, of Sir Henry 1rving's scenery illu
, i trates one great difference between I
III scene painters here and in Englaf
.,u " There they paint without allowance
" a. the fact that the picture is To be su
:" jected to the strong Illumination OF
y stage light but color the canvas just al
", it's effects were TO be made in the Ola
Ia 10. light In this country allowance is ma
i,"T and the colors are laid on with the io
~ that they will be subjected To
lls strong stage lights and for that n
us son need intensihcation in every det
;, Oh Scenery painted i'm England looks dir
'lhs when compared in the daylight w
ioI the kind painted here.
ne The use of materials here and In
US; rope differs. With the Frenchmen II
peu chiefly "A question OF design and co
ma There the fact is vePy-preperly app
the ciated that color is really the impc
OF ! ant question. So long rs the effects
dla that respect are well done. the text
ecu. is not important. A drapery that ma
my well and costs only 81 "A yard viii
put DISTINGUISHED from one costing
new times that amount only by man '
1eil- sells the goods or somebody else eql
open ly expert The public and the Az ist
ards he Interested only i'm the color and
dls- design. The first of these is really
more important. lnat same pric
ut ! IL followed i'm this country, but
cked -, ofyocts are NOT secured and
rain So,,it cor,as i'm nine cases out Of
osite go, careIassness I'm regard to the n
not ties of color
the There are only slight differences
'front.' ,u.oo, tho renaration for the perfo
luite ance of "a play here and in Europe
on. lavishness and willingness To ~
road ,,,onav ~ NOT i'm minute carefur
lie To - ,,roductions are ahead even II
no ~, nj aIwavs oct the best of resu
sc 'ms as HOTEL ARRIVALS.