Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-26

up W tne auultof1um. separated from the stair
door slopes sliehtly toward the stage, which
reaches across the end Of the long, narrow
room. The seats are hard and uncomfortable.
but they are nearly always filed There are
two galleries. rising directly above zach other.
around the room, With . common fencc-board
kind Of railing around them.
THE INTERIOR
The room is dingy dark and disreputable
looking in the half light thrown through i, by
smoking candles and kerosene lamps. II costs
"two btts'' TO get inside, and that pays for the
play, piece Of pandemonium and various
stages OF absorbed opium drunks, for Of the
thousand or more present not one il without
cigarette soaked in opium, and these are all
burning The air is fetid and heavy with the
communicating fumes which roll up and around
the galleries to meet the upper current Of
smoke, and finding no outlet ali settles back on
the smokers. staining the clothing with Shiny
poison damp.
on THE STAGE.
The stranger on visit TO a Chinese theater
is honored with q seat on the stage. which 10
reached by devious paths through the back
way. Seated in one Of the great arm chairs of
ebony and silver, inlaid with priceless mother
of-pearl, part OF the stage paraphernalia, one
etares out over n sen of-hats, Small round
black hats, yet miles too big for the small brains
and smaller weasened oriental faces which peer
out from under them. Rows and rows and
rows OF hats rs calmly immovable as though
hung on dumb efiigies of men. Up the walls,
tier on tier, more hats and more small yellow
faces. All hats no bonnets. "For Men Only"
Is the sign that might be hung on Chinese thea
tiers. for women are never found there Some
times In the little cage-like boxes up near the
ceiling females are found, but they are not
called women. They got away from that title
long before they began to frequent Chinese
theaters.
Those who bemoan the tendency to pander to
the artistic sense in stage adornment and set
tings would be pleased with the Chinese stage.
1thas no drop curtains, no footlights, no wings;
no scenery. no call boy, no prompter; no any.
thing to relieve it's baroness. 1t is not very
deep and is well elevated. At either side in
the wall at the back of the stage are doors lead
ing into the subterranean passages of an opium
dive and the one small property room. There
are no dressing rooms.
THE CHINESE BAND.
In the center back of the stage the band Is
disposed. A Chinese band would strike terror
to the souls Of Satans imps. The eminent ar
tists who manipulate the various instruments
and maltreat melody in the name Of music
probably know the names Of the machines they
play upon, but the secret will die with them
There are two big brass affairs that look like
cylinder heads to mogul engine. They
the giant relation Of the civilized cymbals, and
Wuei pteu Dy III entTEetlC son OF COn1uCluS
sound like boiler factory in full blast. Then
there are cousins to American fddles and great
uncles OF American banjos, which are certainly
haunted by the cats whose internal organism is
supposed to give them voice. The unearthly
yowls produced on them resemble nothing SO
much as o tomcat concert. There are horns
whose elongated necks produce ten times more
noise to the square inch than diu Joshua's at
Jericho. There are drums with boom like
the thunder Of Niagara and drums with tones
like a tin pan. One performer plays a devils
tattoo with chopstick on the head Of q barrel
and another blows on something that must be
the mother to the instrument of torture known
as a kazoo. Against the playing Of one or all
of these instruments the actors have to talk
As long as the play is on the musicians perform
and their misappiied energy is worthy better
cause
THE ACTORS.
The "leading man. who always sings his
lines in most dolorous tones. is the "Sue Sang
of the Chinese drama. His salary is seldom
more than $1,000 year. The general utility
man, who plays the Fab Dahn" parts, is a
high-priced actor, getting 5000. The heavy
tragedian or 800 Moo" gets $4,000. The low
comedian or ''Chop Chi gets %. 400. The
"first old woman" (who is a man), or Lue Chow
Of the drama, gets $500. There are under
studies and substitutes just the same as in all
well-condncted play houses.
The imagination of the audience is not in the
least hampered in Chinese theater. The
actors change their costumes in full view Of the
audience. The heavy villain puts on his make
up before the people whom he purposes to
plumber OF put out of the way, and while one
set OF people discuss their plans those who are
expected to circumvent them stand around in
various attitudes calmly waiting their turns.
When Reginald falls on the edge of a mur-
derous broad sword in the two hands of his
hated rival he lies till his presence is no longer
: Al
to wait his turn to impersonate some other
character. Angelinas husband discovering
her in the arms Of her lover drops her head off
in practical rib steak way. Angelina ODE
diently succumbs to the decapitation and
tumbes promiscuously at somebody's feet.
When the heart rendering" scene is over she
picks herself up and retiring to a corner of the
stage proceeds to adjust her raiment and smoke
o cigarette.
THE wARDRoBEs OF CHINESE ACTORS
are magnificent beyond description. The
stiffest Of brocades, the richest Of silks, the
thickest Of satins, and all heavy with embroid-
cry OF gold and silver and incrusted with
jewels.
Chinese actors never attend stage rehearsais
They are trained in the conventional and me-
cnanical arts OF their profession from the era
die up. The words Of his part are only used
as q settling for his previous knowledge. The
Chinese have no gags" and no funny bust
ness. Chinese audiences never applaud. The
few funny sallies are received with quiet grins
or srunts of disapproval. No more, no less.
But a Chinese audience is extremely critical and
II the grunts Of disapproval grow at all
emphatic the actor who calls them forth is
fred remorselessly.
Unless the celestials decide to do things up in
Mclean" style, this Chinese play house viii be
an object lesson in primitive theatricals that
will not soon be forgotten.
ISABEL WoRRELL BALL.
FROM UPPER MARLBORO'.
Correspondence of The Evening star