The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-08-23
CUTTING A PLAY.

Mark Twain's Funny Speech to q New
York Audience-How He and Bret Harte
Manufactured "Ah SIM"
The Twain-Harte play of "Ah Sin"
was produced for the first time before
a New York audience, at Fifth Avenue
Theatre Tuesday night. In response
to a call before the curtain, Mark
Twain got of the following:
Ladies and gentlemen: In view of
this admirable success, it is meet that
I try to express to you our hearty thanks
for the large share which your encour-
aging applause has had in producing
this success. This office 1 take upon
me with great pleasure. This is a very
remarkable play. You may not have
noticed it, but / assure you it is so.
The construction of this play was a
work of great labor and research, also
of genius and invention-and plagiar-
ism. When the authors Of this play
began their work, they were resolved
that it should not be lacking in blood
curdling disasters, accidents and calam-
ities-but these things always help out
a play. But we wanted them to be
new ones, brilliant, unhackneyed. In
fucky moment we hit upon the break
q e6nwn of a stage coach as something
perfectly fresh and appalling. 1t seemed
a stroke of genius-an inspiration.
We were charmed with it, so we natur-
ally overdid 1t a little. Consequently
when the play was first completed, we
found we had the stage to break down
seven tines in the first act. We saw
that this would not do-the piece was
going to be too STACEY II didn't notice
that-it is very good). Yuldes, the
critics and everybody would say this
sort of thing argued novelty Of inven-
: tion. And (confdentially) it did re-
semble that. So, of course, we set to
work and pat some limitations upon
that accident, and we threw a little
variety into the general style of it, too.
Originally the stage coach always came
eut every seven minutes and broke
at the footlights and split the
engers down among the musicians.
we fixed all that. At present the
ach only breaks down once, a
carriage breaks down once and
IS Of another carriage run away
could have left out one or
DC, but then we had the horses
es on our hands, and couldn't
brow them away on a mere
1 am making this explanation
hope that it will reconcile you to
petition Of that accident.
0Ahis play is more didactic than other
wise. For the instruction Of the young
we have introduced a game Of poker in
the first act. The game of poker is all
too little understood in the higher circles
Of this country. Here and there you
find an ambassador who has some idea
Of the game, but you take the general
average of the nation and our ignor-
nee ought to make us blush. Why, 1
have even known a ~clergyman-a liberal,
estimable, pure-hearted man and most
husband and father-who
lue an ace full above two pair
Such ignorance as this is
Whoever sees Mr.. Par
ece sees rs good and nat
nsistent 4 Chinaman as he
San Francisco. l think
- of the character reaches
perfd The whole purpose
of the piece is to afford an opportunity
for the illustration of this character.
The Cinnamon is going to become a very
frequent spectacle all over America by
and by, and a difficult political prob
lem, too. Therefore it seems we'll
enough to let the public study him a
little on the stage beforehand. The
actors, the management and the authors
have done their best to begin this course
of public instruction this evening.
! will say only one more word about this
remarkable play. 1t is this: When
this play was originally completed il
was so long and so wide and so deer
lin places) and so comprehensive that
it would have taken two weeks to play
/. it. And / thought this was a good
FEATURE. : I supposed We could have q
sign on the curtain, ITO be continued, y
add it would be all right; but the
manager said no, that wouldn't do; to
yiay play two weeks long would be
= sure to get us into trouble with the
government, because the constitution
OF the United States says you shan't
infict crtel and unusual punishments.
So he set to work to cut it down and
car. the refuse to the paper mill. Now
thanaEes1Rood thing. 1 never saw a
lay improve as THIS n did. The more
sde cut out of it the better it got. He