Evening star., 1909-08-29
Julian Mitchell. Master of Color

Julian Mitchell, Master of Color
THE productions made by Julian Mitchell
are, perhaps, the best known in the United
States for Mitchell has been in prominent
position for many wears, though he is still a
young man, and many of his productions have
been of the spectacular kind He is marvel
at accomplishing much in a small space, as was
proved by his astonishing productions at Weber
q Fields in the early days of that bandbox OF
playhouse, when it made its fame and fortune
The stage at this little house scarcely
eighteen feet deep, with a tiny proscenium
opening; vet Mitchell used to make the large
company look perfectly comfortable in some of
his complicated groupings.
Previous to the Weber & Fields days, how
ever, he had plenty of experience, having pro-
duced those semlmuscal comedies, the Charles
II. Hoyt plays, in which he also acted. Then,
after five years at the little Broadway music
hall, he linked fortunes with the late Fred Ham
lin and gave the public such beautiful pro-
ductions as THE Wizard of Or" and Babes
in Tovland.' These were notable not only
through the originality of the stage business
feature that has always made Julian Mitch
ellis name one to con- Jure with, but also through
the great group pictures and color combina-
tions. think that Mr.. Mitchell, perhaps more
than any of his contemporaries, is master OF
this important branch of the Stage Managers
profession,-the arrangement of color schemes.
Who can ever forget the poppy field IN The
Wizard" for instance. when the great flowers
seemed to come to life in the rays OF the sun,
and turned into girls? Recently his notable
successes have been the Ziegfeld shows, the
Follies of 1907 1908, and 1909 well as
Anna Held's latest entertainments.
He is absolutely merciless in the way he will
make chorus go dance again and again,
until they have learned to do it the way he
wants it done. | have seen him keep one group
of girls at the same few steps whole morning.
Long before he saw fit to excuse them and take
up some other number, everybody else around
the theater would be perfectly satisfied with
thn< 1c' ,rr1r- bod hall ,-n1f
makes no difference to him who the person is
whom he is rehearsing, either.
An All Night Drill
T REMEMBER well one night at Weber G.
Fields. 1t was supposed to be dress re-
hearsa1; but dress rehearsals at that little
happy go lucky house, where everyone used to
think up his own bright lines, were little differ
ent from ordinary rehearsals, except that the
company wore their costumes and makeup,
and the scenery up. 1t was midnight, and
everyone was tired. when it came time for the
solo dance by Miss Bessie Clayton. She made
her entrance from picture above an upright
piano, at which somebody was playing. 1t
was dream" idea.
Miss CLAYTON in ballet costume appeared
and the light was thrown on her from the wings.
Something about the effect did not please
Mitchell, and he ordered Miss Clayton to make
the entrance again. at the same time making
few remarks to the hghtman about his careless
ness. The dancer appeared once more. This
time the light was all right; but as Miss Clayton
came down from the piano top by way of some
steps made for the purpose, Mitchell was not
satisfied with the way she did it.
Go back!" he commanded. Back she
went. After at least half dozen attempts to
effect an entrance that would suit the Stage
Manager, Miss Clayton finally succeeded, and
the waiting, tired company heaved sigh of
relief when the dancer was finally on the stage
and ready to GO with her dance.
But this was by means the end of it.
Pale lights were expected to follow the dancer
about the stage, striking her at just the proper
moments to make the picture effective. 1t was
a most difficult combination to bring about
and time and again it had to be gone over.
Mitchell was in the wings, out in front, on the
stage, everywhere, never raging some Stage
Managers do, but working with tooth and nail
to get affairs Strengthened out.
This went without rest for nearly an
hour, and finally everyone had lost patience
except Mitchell himself. He never does Joe
Weber, in his Dutch makeup, came down to
the footlights and said:
For goodness sake, Tuian Besse's dance
is all right, and the lights are all right Re
hearse the rest of us and let's get home
Yes, do, Julian" pleaded Miss Clayton.
Nope, not till it's right Clear the stage
and We'll go through it againl Lights ready
Hurry up"
1t was nearly four o'clock when Mitchell de-
cided that everything was exactly as he wanted
it. Then he ready to go on with the rest
of the rehearsal Did not the dancer show any