One Female and One Male Figure.
This tableau represents a mother and child kneeling at the foot of a
cross, amid the drifting snows and icy winds of the Alpine Mountains.
Having lost their way, and being unable to travel any farther, the
mother kneels in prayer at the foot of one of the crosses which are
placed as landmarks along the road, to guide the traveller on his
journey. The floor of the stage should be made uneven by placing boxes
of various sizes at irregular distances, and covering them with white
cotton flannel. A number of spruce trees can be arranged at the sides
and at the background, all of which should be covered with small
particles of cotton wool; small bags, stuffed with hay, and covered in
the same manner, must be placed around the foot of the cross and at
various parts of the stage, to represent snow banks. A few handfuls of
lint thrown into the air just as the curtain rises, will float about
and appear like falling snow. Make the cross of wood, and cover it
with brown paper. It should be five feet long and two feet wide;
thickness of frame, six inches. It must be placed in the centre of the
stage, and sprinkled with the imitation snow. The lady who represents
the mother should be of good figure and features, and costumed in a
dark plaid dress, a white fur cape fastened about the neck, a velvet
cloak worn over the shoulders, and a plaid scarf tied about the head,
the ends hanging down on the shoulders. Position is, at the foot of
the cross, so that a side view is had of the body; the head thrown
back, eyes cast upward, hands clasped and raised in front of the face.
The boy is dressed in a dark suit, and reclines on the snow by the
side of the mother; his head rests on her dress, arms stretched out
towards her waist; his eyes closed in that cold and dreamy sleep which
ends in death. The light for this piece must be quite dim, and come
from the side of the stage that will reflect on the mother's face.
Music, of a low and mournful style, representing the moaning of the
winds.