Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-08-03
Il BONG All SUES VOICE.

1t Dropped to n Easso Profundo and to
Two Thousand Dollars Fer Year.
Bong All Sue has lost his voice, and
Chinatown is stricken with dismay,
says the San Francisco Examiner. He
las been the greatest soubrcttc on the
Chinese stage for fifteen years, and was
brought to this city ten years ago at
great expense and on :, contract guar
antccing him six thousand dollars q
year.
If 4 man were Edwin Booth or Sarah
Bcrnhardt on the Chinese stage he
could only command small sala-.y in
his own country, but just as T2!lc7no
or Scalchi might work for 4 pit5cIIco il
their native Italy and receive u prince, y
income in New York SO woIlI IA: "a
voritc but starving actor in Canton or
Foochow receive fortune in San Iran
cisco.
The tragcdian of the jackson Street
thcatcr receives eight Thousand dollars
year, even in these dull times, and
the leading lady gets seven thousand
five hundred dollars, although she is
only 4 man with Il falsetto voice.
But while these stars appeal to the
staid and ancient merchants of Jackson
and Washington streets, the great
soubrcttc, Bong All Sue, is beloved of
the masses.
To be sure Bong All Sue has played in
the roles of chambcrmaid and walking
lady and iratc cook, etc, but then he
was the Lolita, and Mimic Palmer, the
Fay Tcaplctou, the Flora Walsh, TIL,
May Irwin and 1aany others of tho
Chinese stage. When Bong All Sue
stepped on tho stage of the Jack On
Street thcatcr, with his soft, woman.y
6crecch, there WIS always tempest IF
delight, laughter and applause.
With his large SALARY Bong All Sue
was iavinciblc with the ladies. lie
simply had to glance toward the upper
boxes, sacred precincts of the great
mercantile families, and he would win
dozen eyes frauyht with admiration.
He is also Il great stage manager, and
rs such is rs Invaluable rs the late Dion
Boucicault or tho later Lawrence Bar.
ret in staging q mclodrama or manag-
ing Il difficult tragedy.
His salary enabled him to dress rs
gorscously in his way as Billy Emerson
or Maurice barrymore. but now he
has had to lend his diamonds to n
greedy broker in order to maintain his
clcd watch with an uncle on his cousins
side to preserve his prestige with China
town society.
Bong All Sue lost his voice as sudden
ly as did the famous Italian tenor Ron
conf, who split his vocal chords in
twain at G alt. 1t was only last Mon
day that this dramatic tragedy hap
pcncd. The role was difficult and re-
quircd q succession of monologucs from
the soubrcttc that would tax the efforts
of the greatest artists.
Suddenly, in the middle of the third
net, Bong All Sues delicate falsctto
went stale. With Il hitcous grating it
fell to Il coarse basso profundo.
The audience shouted with glec ut
first and thought it simply merry jest.
With II grimacc Of pain Bong All Sue
strovc to throw his register back To
placc-but only u dreadful Shrek came
out. Then tho people knew that their
idol was fallen, they ceased their ap-
plausc and let tho play drag itself to its
mournful end.
Bong All Sue floundcrcd manfully
through low notes and high notes to tho
end, and walked off the stage to his
rooms broken man.
His salary falls from six thousand Il
two thousand q year, and to live he vii
have to cschcw the world, the flesh ant
tho devil, and settle down to the grin
necessities of minor roles.