The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-10-12
Theatergoers Do
Not Realize Work
Behind Big Plays
~ Hc Site IN HIS scat and Gazcs Up
On tho Production. He Docs Not
Know W7aa. Efrorts and Labor
We're Expended.
Gx Georca a. Eensou.l

(Ey George a. Eenson.)
Verify. row Complex Is simplicity!
The man VINO sits on the plush side OF
the asbestos curtain little dreams ef
the itlood-Sweat:ng human beings ca
the other side. He sits In his seat and
sazes eaiE.lly. e.ea ..stlessly upoa the
shifting socres With no thought Of tae
mental and physical LABOR. not TO men,
tioa money they represent.
70 w grsss1 ae: .4S. a asrs dempa n d h;is !
they Gent to the heart Of the great
and desolate Desert Of Sarah. Gecrse
c. Tyler. WITH ilugh Ford. general
stage manager. and Edward Morangc.
a scenic artist. Their mission wa to
bring back to America a real sand
storm. They did Sc. after being
caught and nearly s%uffccated IN a
storm on the sahara.
To reproduce II driving whirlwind
of gritty sand. great ingenuity was
aided by a series Of under-stage cleo
trio blowers. innumerable sets OF pipes
above stage. { dozen men feeding sand
into trougns close to the blowers. three
hundred pounds Of ecrnmeal at each
performance: a9a an ar S current 10
nostrils Of tao audience. and thus
making the storm TOO painfully realis-
tic. The blower and pipes were SO ar
ranged as 10 make the sand" swirl
and whtrl u7cessiaaly until the storm
shated. Cnrareal was uscd hccauss
real sad looking like SCOT undo. the
eiect-,G lights. The effects was Won
derful and truly soul-stirring. and full
j.: repaid the efforts expended.
But consider the play in which a
collcsal effort ha2 seen made 10 ap-
pear unaffected. Such a Little
Queen" hke othe- queens REQUIRES a
%>,NS%1, ~ 1ixsf. xLiN~o A~@ Ss1$ @ -
skillfull. were Trey arranged that a
critic described he STAG effects as
possessed Of a remarkable degree Of
homely simplicity" The "hcmely
simplicity was the result, in Act /. OF
fourteen pieces Of stage machinery.
n ceiling. two doors. two windows.
full set Of dishes. a complete set If
ly worked. an ice box. a cupboard. q
sink that ran off water" a dumb
waiter, n candies. crown. sceptre,
trunk with clothes and a suit case.
The other three acts we're no less COM
plicated, and in eaeh act the proper
ties were different. To make matters
worse, a live canary that must be fed
and cared for was a most important
member of the company.
When David Belasco decides that
Mahomet and the mountain shall
meet, he does not hesitate to bring the
mountain to Mahomet, II the latter
finds 1t announcement to journey forth.
Who Of US. in a lazy hour. has not
wished that the restaurant would come
70 US to save US the effort? Belasco
valves the fairy wand. and. 10, the
:nstaurant.
When The Governors Lady. was
aged this fall. Belasco scorned an
''dinary setting for the restaurant
scene. A few chairs and tables. with
nme food and dishes, might have
.@ufticed' for anyone but him. But he
~3,onveiTed the idea Of reproducing ar
exact replica Of one Of child's. popu-
lar New York restaurants. So COM
plete was 1t that during ~rehearsals.
meals were. furnished to all actors and
stage hands at the usual rates. and
the scene paid for itself. If ever Bel
will still he independent, for he can
run an eating house.
Everything was purchased from
Childs; even to the griddle cooker and
the dumb waiter. The men from
Childs installed the new estaura as
~ It were in a public place and ready
to do business" As for the food. each
ordinary New York eating house. The
baked apples eaten at each perform.
ance we're especially gratifying to the
actors palates. Everyone liked the
eating scene. except the property man
and the scrub woman. whose already
duo duties are here made mani
fold. AS some one remarked in para.
DO. 1T was no child's play"
AS we look behind the scenes and
View the dove-tailed minims of the
Great whole. we unconsciously repeat
the memory gem Of our childhood:
Little drops Of water.
Little grains of sand.
Make the mighty ocean
And the bea uteous land"