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Show I "Lights on. Mr. Electrician. All : ready I 1 1 was the singe manager for "rhe Land of Nod" who uttered this oxr-lamation. Tho time was S:20 o'clock Friday evening, tho place the .Salt Lake J heater. The. girl was in evidence both in the audience and upon the singe. The orchestra had plaved the overture, over-ture, the asbestos curtain had been I raised and lho big audience was readv for the piny. Upon the Hinge tho scene had been set. The play was the musical e.vtrva-gnnza e.vtrva-gnnza of "Tho Land of Nod." The settings set-tings showed tho garden in Bonnie's homo, whore she had played all day. It was in tho good old suimiier time, bv the way; one of those drowsy davs when the world was at pence with a'll, and Bonnie, worn out and tirc, had fallen asleep. It wns in rcalily "The Land of Nod." And then again the cry, ''All rend v. Everybody to your post. Move on!"" Then a push button was touched. Tho orchestra leader raised his baton. There was a blending of brass and stringed instruments and flute, the crash of cymbals, the boating of drum and the whir ol. slides as they rolled over tho ,' (onor. The drop curtain was elevated. ; I he play was on. : And there iu this beautiful garden : was Bonnie, She was iu "The Land of j -Nod." Anil she dreamed dreams. The great big world passed before hor It . was a panorama, a wonderful panorama. ' You have seen it. You have been in dreamland. And Bonnie was in "The Land of Nod." Then came the opening chorus and the pretty girls were out in force on , tho stage. True, some of them had grease paint upon their faces, and a i 'Iron ot hidlnilrnMin h:ir given luster to their eyes had enlarged the pupil and the drooping eyelashes had been made more beautiful with a pencil, and l ie rouge about the lips had made the cherry rod richer and sweeter to kiss, and some wore tights and some had abbreviated ab-breviated gowns, both above and below. be-low. But it was "Tho Land of Nod." you know, and all were dreamers. Then came the retreat behind tho scones, and one of the handsomest of the chorus stopped by the scribe no nowspapcr man was over addressed on 1 the stage bv other than handsome I women and said: "Who is his jag-! lets over there with the billv-goats 'and the glims? Is he a real polvgi He looks like one." Assured lhat hor diag- ' nosis was true, she said: "Watch me j from now on. lie '11 see nobodv but ' me before the show is over."' Hor pro t diction proved true, for before the final curtain the man with the "billy goats j and glims" could sec no one but her. . "Rod lights there, mv bov. " said V"1 stage malinger. "Now tone 'em down a little. That's the stuff! Easv, now. give us a little blue tinge. There, now, am I. that fJrace Drew a beaut?" .Mm was appearing as Jack of Hearts ! in a duet with Bonnie, who had awak-I awak-I oned trom her dream and while still iu "Ihe Land of Nod" was awake. " Now. speaking, of lights and stage settings and the like." naid the stage manager, " electricity is the only thing when it conies lo the stage Plenty of them hero and vet not too manv. How ninny nrc necessary to this plav? Oh. only about I0Q0. Astonished, are. vou'J Well, an average mnn is. Toll " vou something about. theni7 Well, now." lot Mr. .Simmons do that. He is the elec l trician of the house, and can give vou all intormation. Yes. I'll bo back iu , .a few minutes. 'Oh. Min, what are vou doing with those drag togs on? You i never did look good in them. Chase away and put, on those bine rags; they heighten your color.' I'll bo there in j a row minutes. Talk to Simmons." ,. ', So you want, to know about the i lights? - asked Mr. Simmons. "Well. this switch board has fifty-seven I switches, twenty-four of them arc dim-; dim-; men?, one for each circuit. It. would j take two hours to heat Ihe steel sur-, sur-, rounding this board before a fuse would I mini out. Board alone cost $i!nnf). I Now there are seven arc lights on Ihe stage; there are :2r sixteen-candle power lights (white), and 100 foot lights ( while) on the stage. Mcidos, there are 500 colored lights, viz: red, id no, green, yellow, etc.. nnd seven toon drcssuii: rooms, with an average of five lights in each. No. the auditorium is not on this switch board. Those lights and the proscenium, lights number ."520. I hev are worked from the box office. .No diflercnce what might happen, there ; is always light for the audience. No, never any danger from fire from electricity elec-tricity here. Of course, the. building could burn down others have. But yon --von are an' American. Yon never need fear fire. Good place awaits vou in the iwcct-by-:ind-byc-. Yes. Salt Lake theater equipment 'is superb none .Mm . "? I'tf,'c'-' the stage mannger. " l hat s it. Simmons. There you are! Ihats good! Oh never mind; 'the man in the 1110011.' He curs no ice. He s not in it with the belle of bald- . head rrtw. Who's that duck ih.BS 1 Why, that's (!lickauf..the nc'ing mnJK : gcr. Yes. ho'fi a neressarv .kIIuIHj once a week. Docs t he ' ghost-act' nIBV' 'not like Hamlet; 110 soliloquy nhriHltfr I him no 'alas, poor Yoriel:.' Rut whiVj. ho docs the ghost-not walks with u.H& I dough well, he's better than broilHtP , lobster. But when he doles out thrdKr- and you get il in your own pnlrn. rlR7: : good-bvo Glickaiu, you're im, in-'jHw swim for seven days more See! JB'Sr! i "But, couiifouiul those dolUe riSMtM' I they're always tangled up. That knBv1. of ours always gets mixed. RccaKi5 he's got n til lo he thinks he's the mH cheese, but he ain't. Watch nui 'HBV' there, Mac. don't bother the chor3R& girls. 'Let. (ho telephone alone, tIiatiB'V j (lection over there is only Anna ' YB-iv 1 she's gol the Scotch .Mac to her iiamB'i bill, she never saw tho Scottish lirathB'' She conies from the .lersey nicadoJaWiil 'Yes. Rory-Bory Alice has a cinch. SHfilj stands in with the sandman. BodhBi has no use for vou. neither has .Tg9S of Hearts so there! The king acdBC all right iu front, but it don't no hr,.KiK When ".Jack of Hcarts'haa finisbJBk her "lullaby,' and Bonnie her tJIm'i I "How-Was I to Know," anIeamenfflMJ J ing behind the scones, the nudienflBSj ; wanted to hear both again, henco thB -I hearty applause to which they responiBli' I ed once and again, and then thJB'' , cimo behind tho scenes exhausted AilB't i plause is all right. People on the s&aMP. appreciate it. Yet (hese people aSH-fi human. They get tired .iusl; like volB!! and I, and the lifo behind the tin&K1 and tawdry of the footlights is iulW j like othor lines. There arc honrtne!iegBf 1 there are triumphs; there is ioy; thfjB1 j is sorrow It is tho plain 'hiim-drniB' life of people who work. All ig nJBji 1 gold that glitters! No one knows iKmft better than those who upon llic .lneKir strive to amuse those who arc inos: acting in their demands ihe puhlie, 'B-' It is slurping time now. The quaihlB1 kingdom iu "The Land of Nod," Y,tlifcil' its castle of cards, with its peppermiujp river, which is inhabited by tMEi. . grotesque creatures of sluuiberland; tbB-I tbB-I sandman's palaco of dreams, with ibjEM I fantastic creatures; with the CindoreillKk I girls, with its little devils, 'with ilK magic mirror, with the big dragon, )mvH,: I gone. The dream has faded away. WB are back from "Tho Land of Nod''b"F back from the slumbcrland; ng.iln 'inEl the day. Lights out Mr. ElcetricianKS 1 the extravaganza has ended .rl |
