The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-21

Its Place in the Drama of To-day
'DressinE" the Civil War Play.
Brooklyn Eagle.

Brooklyn Eagle
More important even than the stage
meal remarked the old-timer. lis stage
clothing. A meal is eaten only Once in a
show. sometimes not even once. but stage
clothing, except in buriesque and society
Drama, Is worn literally always. Nothing
80 tests the direcsor's iitness for his work
as Wnen he sets out to properly costume
a play, ano nothing, even in these advanced
Gays, Is so productive OF glaring incOn-
slstencies as the efforts some directors
Letting responsibilities severely alone.
noWeVer and judging stage clothes solely
from the standpoint OF an audience, what
an interesting study they provide w nat
revelations they have 10 offer. Where else
put on the stage may one see a civil war
woman togged IN in "a. the latest TWEEN
mu'..~d boom of the bass drum behind the
scenes and eXclaims "Oh, those dreadful
guns Iney are beginning again on the
rue, she takes with her over to the stage
WINDOW as modern a gown as ever graced
q tallor window. The time of the play
Is 1913, and the place Virginia or there
apouts, but what of that--the faithful even
ing gowns performs its task like a stole.
That is only one example OF course in
DIE SHOWS, where the details are worked out
10 minute conclusion. the actress strug-
sIeS all over the stage with a hoop skirt
ana bonnet with long strings Then the
audience is satisfied and ii will consent TO
overlook any other shortcomings. | love
the war play, with its booming guns its
wounded riders covered with dust and red
paint Tor blood. / love il for its fascinat-
ing little sister of the sobbing heroine, who
waves an American flag in the face of the
advancing Confederates and is just as
saucy as can be TO the general with the
gray goatee. l love the brave hero, who
when shot full of holes in the second act
grabs at the air and gasps, 1t is nothing
nothng. The villain who swears in a
hoarse voice 1 love also In fact I love
them ALL. and that is why 1 hate to see
the heroine or the first old woman or
somebody else spoil the uniformity of the
picture by wearing modern clothes
Stage tradition extends to clothes quite
as much as IL does to speech or manners.
For instance, take the overcoat in the rural
dramatic truly rural drama. Dear old
ulster, how hard it works. What truly
or several of it? AS it comes stalking
through the door of the farmhouse scene,
an actor inside of it, how the audience
goes back TO old bOyhood days and watches
with fond attention the stage snow which
comes tumbling Off. Would the audience
permit any other coat in the truly rural
drama? Never, never. The Wearer of it.
who almost invariably comes in from the
barn or the village or the postoffice. un-
winds seven yards of plaid scarf and finally
the nre Should he neglect to say, It's
gittin colder, mother nearly as much
meat would be taken out of the scene as
If the ulster itself failed to appear.
You notice that | alluded TO the fact that
the wearer-not necessarily the owner-of
the ulster, describes the night aforesaid as
cold 1t may be more than cold ii may be
overpowering. but under no circumstances
Is the wearer of an ulster in the truly rural
or any other style Of drama 10 refer to Il
as bitter. There are just about two classes
of stage people who are licensed to that
term, as applied to stage weather One IS
the sorrowful woman. indoors. who peers
out into the darkness beyond the back drop.
and shudders, IT'S year since he left me-
She may say bitter and the other person.
thus licensed by tradition. Is the prosecuted
girl, who returns to her native village in
the driving storm. As she wraps her spare
shawl about her and stumbles pathetically
over the white steps of the village church.
she, In all fitness, may eXcaim All, tbs a
bitter night; | can see the light of fathers
house, but 1 shall never return-no. never.
III there IS an organ In the cast Ii is always
well to light up the church windows and
pull hard at the pathos ropes. These will
invariably produce such an expression as
All. how sweetly the old village choir sings
Mountaineering infection. pwhew-ew-ew of
the wind, whirl of the snow.
m afraid | got a little off my track of
stage clothes. but l couldn't help il. When
ever IHsee the truly rural drama | always
think how got typhoid fever from drink
ing well water on "A farm in Huntington
and it makes my heart rejoice. This has
been rather a fragmentary talk but before
| stop | wish TO pay my. respects to just
one more piece Of stage clothing-and that
is, the note book of the typical stage re-
porter. Although only a note book. ii is so
big and so conspicuous that it really de-
serves consideration as an article of stage
apparel. Therefore, let us consider it,
''In the first place no reporter ever lived
who made such an extraordinary ass of
himself as the stage reporter does. With
his omniDresent note book. which only the
greenest kind of a newspaper man carries,
as a rule. he figures invariably as q come
dian. irresponsible and idotic. He parades
his wad of paper in the face Of the man he
IS interviewing i'm the play and gets infor-
nation which real reporter who flashed
a note book would get in thousand years.
He takes down carefully what is dictated
TO him. when the average man of enough
public consequence TO justify an interview.
would close up like n jack knife scared TO
death at the first intimation OF pencil and
paper. The stage reporter has heaps to
learn. but he can begin the right way by
discarding the note book as an article Of
clothing and being a little less of a buf-
foon.