The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-02-10
Thsatrical Performance In siam.

After dinner We Had theatrical enter.
tainment, or lacon," as il Is called III
Siam. The 'sceneswhich presented itself
a. We passed youtf the house was novel
and elective. A large court at the back
was used for the display, and here at one
end q small stage was erected with some
painted canvas behind, representing the
front of q house, through the doors of
which the performers appeared and disap.
peared. On the stage woman, gorgeous
" dressed in tight lifting costume, glis.
tening with gold and silver beads and
scales, and huge, comical head dress,
likewise gilt, was squatting. In front of
the stage were two rows Of male and fe-
male performers, dressed in a similar
style, squatting on the ground. Behind
these again was the band, and on the left
of the performers were number of WON.
en- and girls, armed with sticks, which
they bring together with a clash, keeping
time to the music from beginning to end
of the performance. Imagine the result
Of this Changing, kept up for five or elk
hours without ceasing. On the right hand
side clear space with chairs was re-
served for the Governor and party, and
the background was a living mass of
faces the whole lit up with lurid red
glare by torches set on stands, in rows, on
each side of the stage and performers.
cannot give you very vivid account of
the performance for the simple reason
that there was nothing to describe A
more dismally-mOnotonous affair I never
witnessed; all talking and going through
extraordinary contortions with hands,
arms, fingers and nails, turning them up
and down and round and inside out. The
principal female actors have nails to the
fingers of one hand three or four inches
long-a disgusting sight, but, believe, q
sign OF high breeding, showing that work
is beneath their dignity. Tie siamese
audience sat it out very stolidly, with i'm
passive faces and open mouths, doubtless
enjoying themselves immensely in quiet
way. The most amusing part OF the affair
70 us) was the Governors young boy, a
little dot hardly three years old, who
smoked the whole time, although hardly
high enough to reach the cigarettes off the
table. The only drawback to this anus
ing phase OF childish precocity was the
ingenious way in which he burnt holes in
unsupported parts Of our wedding gar
ments with the lighted end of his cigar.
Another source Of parental pride must
have been the playful way in which he
"OOAA pAuuSC HIS uSI lutO Tic Dlt Oh our
stomachs, the joke OF which we did not
quite enter into, though, of course, one
had to smile pleasantly. Altogether he
was rather Z nuisance. After sitting pa
tiently for three hours, we became rather
anxious whether there was going to be an
end, for we had heard of Siamese dramas
continuing over century-a terrible pros.
pect. think the Governor must have no.
ticed our tagging spirit, for many were
nodding in their chairs, and he brought
the performance to close. The prompfer,
contrary to our custom, sat we'll in the
center and called out the parts in a loud
and clear tone, heard everywhere. But
then it would be rather too great an effort
OF memory to commit to it q play lasting
century or so.-Leisure Hours.