The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-05
CHINESE THEATRICALS.
A.lan and his PIG.

A cruise into China town" was, and proba
bly, still is a well-recognized feature OF tn,
programme laid down for the entertainment
OF strangers arriving at Hong Kong by thu
pleasant fellows dwelling in that far East
"ern island dependency Of the British crown.
The cruise into Chinatown" came, then
as matter of course, in the round of militia.
tive festivities, and the central feature Of the
cruise was the visit to the Chinese theatre. II
stood a dozen rods or 80 back from Queens
road, near where that main thorougbfare
was crossed by Hollywood road, and was ap-
lproached through q narrow alleyway partly
rooted over with mats and hung with few
sdilapidated lanterns. A Chinaman, whose d.
lapidation rsin keeping with that Of the Ian
terms, stood at the receipt OF custom, and
Aooked unutterably dismal, as Cinnamon
generally do. The theatre was a huge
affair, seating fully 1000 people, but was little
more than wooden tent. The substructure
was reasonably solid, but all the upper work
was Of bamboo. the roof being bamboo stalks
thatched with palm leaves. The stage was
raised little, was lighted by swinging Ian
sterns, and was almost destitute OF scenery; In
sfshe matter Of properties the establishment
was still worse off-when, In the farce, 1t be-
scame necessary to introduce pig that gra-
scious animal was represented by block Of
wood that one of the actors drew along by q
iBtring The spectators were seated on wooden
Benches, rising in tiers, and more than out
did the gallery gods Of civilized lands in their
soxcited and sometimes exceedingly pointed
tc0nments upon the play and upon the indi-
vidual actors. The actors, by the way, were
tall men; but the female parts were 80 oleverly
made up that only the knowing ones could
stell the difference.
HAD been selected, an historical drama and a
5rollicking farce called "A-lan Selling His
Pig" The historical drama dealt with the
fortunes of worshipful Scholar, who
shourished in the latter days OF the house OF
sChau, b; Q. 24O; who was very poor, but very
wise; who, by the unanimous consent Of the
seix kings ruling six OF the then existing eeven
States into which China was divided, was
elected Prime Minister Of the Six Kingdoms;
who, In this high Office, brought peace and
prosperity to the land and crushed, for tho
lime being, the pushing ambition OF the UNI
sruly King OF Tsin: and who, finally, died In
the odor of sanctity To the foreigners this
play would have been stupid but for the
that it displayed; but It is great favorite
with the Chinese and Is admired for It's In
trinsic merits. The farce commended itself
to both divisions of the audience, native and
foreign. The hero, Allan, tS Rip Van Win
kleish sort of character; an exemplary Ds'er-
sdO-well, blessed Mechanically with terma-
giant wife--a favorite theme, be 1t observed, ia
Chinese plays The play opens with Allan
hands Of bis irascible dame for having lost
as he expresses it-gambled away, as she puts
1.-THE price Of pig that he has sold at the
1narket. He begs plteously for relief. and OBJ
tains It, finally upon his solemn promise that
that he take the family pig to
market, sell it and start afresh In life with
che proceeds. He departs for the market,
leading the pig-a block of wood by Etring,
his wife the while holding threateningly the
already are well acquainted.
The next act represents Allan at the mar
ket. OF course he falls In with sharpers. and
of course they manage to swindle him out Of
sketch OF the fate awaiting him at his home
when he. shall return pigless and moneyless.
One OF the sharpers processes to take pity On
him and offers to teach him thing or two 10
boxing, to the end that he may meet us vile
be done by weil-managed fists, the sharper
knocks him down in dozen ways, the
audience the while fairly. bowling with de-
light. Then he teaches Allan three separate
him how excellent these are, the sharper peg
sonates his injured wife, coming at him with
q fine affectation Of feminine seedlings and
endeavoring to cuff him as q reward Tor hay
Ing lost the pig. Allan Is highly successful in
his new art and the psued0 wife LIS HoOred
every time. In the third act A-lan presents
himself at home, without either pig or money,
but staggering and careless. His wife re-
verts Immediately to her bamboo argument
feints, but she knows them all, and q COED
deal more beside. He receives o sound drub-
bing and then is tied to the door-post, Aftpr
throwing over him, contemptuOusly, her
Jacket. his wife retires to her suppert promts-
fsh him. Allan is borne down Into the
depths Of woe In the fourth act the clouds
enoompassing this luckless Cinnamon life
little. A hunchback--a standard character
in Chinese farce comes along, and seeing the
queer object tied to the door-post asks wheth- I
er it is q man or demon. From under his
wife's jacket Allan asserts that he is q man, j
and, seeing chance to profit by the hunch- /,
backs ignorance, adds that this is his way Of
advertising his wares. In reply to tho ques-
zion as to what manner Of business Is suscep-
tible OF benehtting by such singular advcr-
tisement, he explains that his business Is the
cure OF deformties The hunchback is charm
ed at this announcement, and at once presents
himself as a patient He is warned that the
Zee will be heavy, but to this he willingly
agrees. Then, under instruction, he unties the
'ssdoctor," pays his fee and begins the treat
As TO be tied up to the door-post Once tied,
HIS clothes and remaining money. are taken
from him by the doctor" his head Is tied up
In Adams wifes jacket and he Is bid 70 await
the arrival Of fairy, who will complete Che
cure.
Allan advising the hunchback not to mind
if the fairy is q little rough with him, as any
present pain that he may suffer will tend TO
hasten his recovery--then hides himself with
the plumber, waiting to see the fun. Shortly
after these preliminaries have been arranged
Adams wife appears upon the scene and ap-
piles the bamboo with q will to the form TN |
der the Jacket, To her horror, the supposed
Allan breaks looseand turns out to be huneh-
back She Is filled with remorse at the evil
which she believes her cruel treatment OF Fer
husband has wrought upon his person. The
hunchback, on his part, Is convinced that the
fairy has appeared-for the wife is comedy
body-and PUSHES at her open-armed. she
lilies from so repulsive an embrace, ana ls be- /,
ing chased around the stage by the late pa
tient,' when Allan comes forth from his hid !
ing place, in the character OF an injured |
husband, and with q long bamboo proceeds to /