"THE EASY LIFE."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 914, 6 September 1910, Page 6

"THE EASY LIFE."

PANTOMI MISTS/AT'TRAINING'' '-■'' /.'-'-WORK, -v/;■'.' ;T ,;/ ' : ';' (BY"Sylvius.).. "How' I would ' like, to go upon: the stage!", says' Miss /Twenty' who . doesn't' know'/'. . i'/ ;:.'.,;'/ . /'/ / / -.' "Why?", asks Mr.; Thirty, who does. . ' ."Oil,'she replies, "it is such-a pleasant ■ life—nothing to'; do all day,. and then put,on nice/clothes and look pretty for a couple .of/ hours of'an evening!" :' '-~-; ;,' "So.thafs your idea'of stage life?" says he with a-grurit "lean only say, itPs a, wrong., 'one." ■..,'■' '.:-.-'-- -.'; ■/•.■■.• ';'•■■ '■■■ Yet how many • young girls between 16 and!2l,■ or'eyeli older,- have 'yearned-'for. the glow/ of; the foot-lights on - the"ehtirely erroneous impression that stage-land is a veritable lotus land, full/of'pretty 'songs,' pretty dresses,- pretty .thoughts, 1 and a pretty, .good "time. :~But, if 'any of , theni: were' to approach- any. "of the; "Aladdin": girls they would get a pretty good idea that the work was / pretty .hard. Even people whijm'oiie would think would bring' their reasoning faculties to. bear on the 'question, have queer ideas'- of what constitutes stage-life/ apart from that time spent-before the public jo'n the other side of. the'band..-, ' '■'■. '■ ;'. ' .''

To reassure myself/and satisfy young, girls with ridiculous notions .that all,is: not .limelight,.and bon boiis, I. ventured, through, me.'stage/door" of ; the Opera House' at about'half-past ten /yesterday morning,^and,after -getting used to tho half-light/after. the:glare.of the brilliant sunshine.outside,';l- found that, even at that hour the somewhat drab, dusty stage, with -its bare brick walls .supporting' stacks,-of shabby-looking, scenery, was, .fairly.Well peopled.'' Eevost,'of the aorobatic; firm_of Price 'and. Kevbst, :u cleandapper vigorous /little man, was already at if on 'a;l6n'g> thick' mat stretched' across the stage.''■ Clad -; only in ~a singlet .and black tights,' kept- up iby:a: /' piece; of; string-tied round the waist, he Cather-ine-wheeled: across the, stage, with light-. ning/Tapidity and ended in a somersault.' I'Haye to keep practice every not you get slow und' lose.spaed,"-he explained in -.. Gernian-accentedy English. Again, he flipped and ■'. somersaulted in answer. Only three .or, four weeks, ago, in Auckland, Eevost succeeded in turning a.double somersault from the ground for.' .the first time.; It. is .one of the most difficult, featsi/in acrobatic-work, and/is only ■, attempted by three ,or four bf tho, best tumblers in the world.' Eor my: edification he/attempted, the feat : ycster : , day, and in two.: attempts all but ;suc : ceetled. ■: But what; a feat iiti is.!' Tho. acrobat takes, a.-short run, does three lightning ',handsprings, hurls' himself into the-air, turns-twice-and alights. At. the first attempt'he went a' little too far and, fell backwards aiid at; the second he iwas a little, short and. fell forward on alighting. To do the feat accurately the finest judgment-has to- bo'observed in the speed of the flip-flaps and the height of the final jump. ■ '.Eevost was not by any means the, only one at:work. Al! the demons were'flipflapping , and ;spmersa'ulting. all; over the stage.' -■'•/' -'-''-li /"Are" the children ready?",,lt was the voice of'. Mr.': AVhitfield, stage manager. : '

'Tes, they're waiting," :replied n.quietvoiced young lady; '~ '.'■'•'.'. , "All right,, bring them" down." .With that a dozen-tiny;: children, ages.rangingfrom G to .8 years, came . tripping out from tho gloom at the back of the stage. "Heady! Now— —"and off they went in two lines, twinkling through'their first dance in "Aladdin." ' "Nellie, look what you're doing; keep in line—tum-ti, tum-ti, tum-ti—that's better. Now, again, you're too far • up-strige, come , down—Heady, now!". And off they wont again.- Then followed a .rehearsal of the-., Billikens Ballet—all through exactly' as at night, except that the song was merely-hummed. "Do they, do this every mornirg?" :I askul the quiet-toned girl. "o,h, no—about onco a week. They're apt. to get a little careless, if they're not reheised now and "again.,. It's the same with-adults." "And do':they only rehearse once it week?'/ ■ ... •'■.,;. - "No,-, tlisy do their: acrobatlo work every morning. /.They must keep thatup if they Wish .to improve. It Keeps/the body..and limbs, supple—they will practise directly with the demons." - "There are no little boys 'among them ?" "No, all girls; boys are smart onough —until, they grow . up; then they're too smart.' Little girls learn' three times as quickly-and never' forget.'' Clad in their little jerseys, skirts, and bloomers, the children seemed to thoroughly enjoy the .whole iu'isine&s and nwaito'l their turns eagerly. ,Over in tho corner a clog-dancer rattled away rhythmetically. tho tumblers .tumbled in the middle, and there and there, woro groups of "flappers'' (girls from about, 15 to'l3 years of ago), ■and tho matured product, mostly clad merely in' bbomors and a btausc, skipping, dmoing, high-kicking, bending, and poking in/a variety of ijraeefu!. atliludes. Then silence was called for—a local voice was to be tried. She was timid and 'nervmis—hud a littlo sympathetic voice. One felt sorry .for the singerit was. such.an ordeal, 'though she' was given a respectful -hearing. And so and other part} of tho house—including the entrance .to the. stalls—s-ero -occupied until nearly one o'clock, when, a littlo tired, all hand's dressed, and adjourned for luncheon. When getting/ready for a new pantomimo the work goes) on all day, and frequently bite into tho night."Easy life, isn't it, Miss Twenty?" "Well, it's hardly what I expected. I think homcMl do!"