Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1993 - 27

[The chorus dancers] resr gracefully on a large wand, on
rhe rop of which is a glass globe, similar ro rhose swinging
from rhe roof. Suddenly rhe rear end of rhe palace sinks
slowly down, disclosing rhe earrh in rhe form of a huge
globe, wirh Excelsior, a beauriful young girl, sirring in rriumph ar rhe Norrh Pole. Ar rhis momenr rhe globes
above and in rhe wands of rhe coryphees bursr inro a
blaze, and rhe whole beauriful scene is illuminared by rhe
elecrric lighr.
Two weeks larer, rhe Third Avenue Thearre became New York's
flrsr rhearre ro be lighred rhroughour wirh elecrriciry. Acrormanager McKee Rankin had renovared rhe house wirh a horseshoe arch similar ro rhar of rhe Bijou, bur he had rerained rhe
foorlighrs ro make a chord for rhe arch. Nym Crinkle, rhe World
reviewer, reporred (4 Seprember 1883: 5) on rhe Third Avenue's
opening fearuring Joseph Jefferson in a revival of Rip Van
Winkle, proclaiming: "The effecrive sweerness and lighr were
furnished by rhe house and nor by rhe srar. Moorish decorarions
and elecrriciry have come ro rhe aid of rhe rhearre while Rip was
sleeping... " Alrhough rhe elecrric lighring received generally
favorable reviews, rhe criric for rhe Dmlllatic lVlirror (8
Seprember 1883: 2) nored:
Some lirrle difflculry was mer wirh i\londay evening in
regularing rhe lighr on rhe srage. In a nighr scene ir was
allowed ro blaze wirh rhe inrensiry of a midday sun. This
may have been rhe resulr of rhe confusion incidenral ro
an occasion of rhis kind; rhe faulr possibly of rhe elecrrician and nor of rhe elecrrici ry.

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Perhaps rhe mosr inreresring aspecr of rhe inrroducrion of elecrriciry mro ew York rhearres was rhe relarively minor coverage
rhe evenr received in rhe daily newspapers. While a press preview was held Augusr 31, rhe close scruriny of rhe elecrrical
rechnology which had been common ar rhe new insrallarions in
Paris, London, and Bosron were replaced in ew York by offhand observarions abour lasr-minure wiring projecrs. Tvpifying
rhe general indifference of rhe daily newspapers was rhe "lew
York Tillles, which, afrer devoring much of a long arricle ro rhe
Savoy lighring insrallarion in 1882, made only a casual reference
ro rhe Third Avenue serup in 1883 (4 Seprember 1883: 4):
"The Rankins have, by rhe way, pur rhe elecrric lighr inro rheir
rhearre, and rhis was used wirh much success." Only rhe
Evening Telegmlll (I Seprember 1883: 2) discussed (albeir
briefly) any derails of rhe newl}' insralled sysrem, reporring:
A novelf)' on rhe srage, and one rhar will serve ro insril
[sic] confidence inro rhe breasrs of rhe audience is rhe
sysrem of lighring rhar has been adopred. There is nor a
gas jer in rhe house. The borders, foorlighrs, bunch
lighrs, and lighring of rhe fronr of rhe house consisr
enrirel}' of elecrric lighrs. The rhearre has a four hours'
srore of elecrricif)' in case rhe circuir should be broken, so
rhere never need be any fear of being lefr in darkness.
The general lack of inreresr in elecrric rhearre lighring in New
York may have been due, ar leasr in parr, ro rhe local popula.
rion's familiariry wirh Edison's mal1\' rechnical achievemenrs.
1 ew York, afrer all, had been furnished wirh one of rhe world's
flrsr cenrral power srarions-builr on Pearl Srreer in 1881
specifically ro encourage rhe use of Edison lamps in public
buildings.
Some addirional confusion abour rhe advenr of elecrric rhearre lighring in New York srems from Harry Miner's boasr, as

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TD&T

1993 SPRING

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1993