Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-03-05
MANAGER CHI FONG.

n to contend with was illustrated in one play produced recently whercin the hero, who was supposed to be very poor, and who probably was, was called upon to ascend a mountain and become wood chopper
 The mountain was n tall wooden chair. It was spliced in somo of its parts with string. Tho stage manager held the mountain because it was shaky while the actor was on its dizzy heights. The hero felled a trco or two by pounding with a hatchCt held in one hand on a piece of bamboo in tho other.
 The auditors themselves do not extend helping hands to the players. There is no claque to the Chinese thcatcr and no ap- plause of any sort. There is often appre- ciative attention, excitement and some times even laughterl While applause is an unknown quantity, expressions of dis satisfaction arc not absent. Should an actor betray n lack of care or education by imperfect rendition of the lines in a well known play he is delicatCly reminded of his lapse by means of an apple or an orange thrown swiftly and with precision. The audience holds the player directly respOn- sible. Subsequently an erring one may bo taken to task by the manager or star as well.
 Can Chinese actors act? Undoubtedly some of them can. Henry Irving has been quoted as saying so after attcntivoly studying somo of their performances in San Francisco. Especially did he praise certain female impersunatOrs.
 The finest Chinese actors imporsOnate women That is because thcrc arc no Chinese actresses. In addition, therefore, to portraying character and emotions fhaSo oh nl n hfa faithful dclineators of feminine foibles and traits and must appear and walk as Chinese women do. This last necessity, imperative in many roles, Is one that even an ingenious Yankee would be apt to shrink from in despair.
 The star at tho Doycrs street house is Wong Kai Manager Gnu Fong expressed his opinion of his leading lady by say ing: Nobody can say ho a man. If ho not a woman, he small footed anyhow" Tho foot of an aristocratic Chinese woman is about two inches long on tho sole. In some of his roles Wong Kai appears wear ing a pair of shoes of these dimensions. How ho does it is his secret Gnu FOng does not know. lIo knows that Wong kai as pretty Chinese belle has never failed of pleasing tho audience that wears n com mon stock smile when kai is on tho boards, and Gnu Fung regards the con tract that secured Wong kai at $l, 900 a year as q lucky one for the house. Wong Kai s wardrobe Is worth several thousands of dollars. Single costumes run | into the hundreds. An inspection of his silks, satins, emhroideries, fans. bracelets and hairpns leaves tho GU ious invcstiga | tor no doubt as to that.
 l Chinese literature and China's drama I contain a character that is uniformly n hard case-the strpmOthcr. Bad there, | same as here: had all round the world, l guess, sagely explained Manager Gnu. For this role of the stepmothcr An Gung is usually cast. He has rather sharp | features metallic voice, and we'll DOT trays the angular, disagreeable woman. The comedy of the company is mostly | furnished by Lee Shong. If Chinamen wore buttons on their blouscs, they would possibly burst them of when Shong gets his funny business under way.
 The tragedian is Foy Chung. He takes | high and mighty parts, such as that of 0 victorious general His makeup as gen. eral CYin Shoi) is most imposing. Gong Giu Mayu is a young man less l than 80. His greatest act and most ire | quent is tho imporsOnation of man 500 years old. Tho makenp If this Chinese
 Methuselah includes a wavy, fine white
 beard tbat comes below his waist. Such
 whiskers would be long time growing on | Chinaman.
 An important member of the company
 Is So Kiung, who takes the part of a wom- an of middle age. Besides Wong Kali An
 Gung and So kiung there are six other impersonators of women in the company.
 They are Wong Wah, Hok She Bin, Kung
 Yung Horn, By Gah Wung, An Chung and An Lin.
 Juveniles are Tam Hong and Chiu | Shong Gnu. There are others who take | minor roles, and supers are sometimes
 selected from Mott street to enlist in Mon
 golian, Tartar or Chinese armies.
 It would be unfair to Hok Liung, the
 leader of tho orchestra, to ignore him and
 his important branch of tho drama. Hok
 wields no baton, hut marks time with two slender sticks with which ho beats drum, gongs, gourds and other curious instru'
 ments. Tho inharmonious sounds, ac'
 cording to American ears, of Hok Liung's
 accompaniment to the action of the piece
 emanate from eight outlandish instru-
 ments. whoL Wong Kai, tho star. takes
 tho stage, he advent is gloriously herald
 ed by a flourish from the full band. These
 flourishes set Americans teeth on edge,
 and stray CUTS outside in Doycrs strcct
 have bcen heard to howl at the sound. All tho plays produced at the Doycrs
 street theater are historical, and all aim
 to inculcato moral lessons. Tho studious
 and good arc rewarded with m eternal
 career, and the slothful and wicked end
 theirs herc and usually violently. ThC
 hero always respects his parents and help:
 the poor and serves "his good father," thu
 emperor. who eventually hears of him nnt
 gives him n button which Is equivalent tt
 knighthood in Eome Caucasian countries
 "- recent Sunday night "The Elgh