The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-09
NEWS ABOUT THE STAGE.
A yoVEL CHINESE Plat THAT Is
TO BE SEEN NEXT SEASON.

the View Worun Nu.b 1ANN uoSb NSatSa
nseentiy-sir Heavy IFviBg ca Peter the
Grent-Ssteu OF the Foreign PiaJS ard Actors
David Belnsco has gone to san Francisco and
ono Of the objects OF his visit Is TO see thorc The
First Born" which he and Charles Frohrlan
viii produce here as well as in London during
the coming season Few plays 30 modsstly pre-
,ented have been 90 much discussed. 1t was
acted hrst at one OF the stock theatres In San
Francisco and was played for many weeks there
5sfnre any reports Of lts merits reached he
East. The novelty OF the piece appears to have
attracted atten sion in the trst place. No other
play every dealt seriously with the Chinaman
IN the Cnlted States. He has been a comic dg-
urs In steady use since tho first Of the Western
mining dramas, and he got on the American
stage through them. OF recent years he has
not been held in any great favor. But Francis
Powers. the young author Of The First born"
nw possibilities Of dealing with life among the
Chinese In the West as seriously rs with other
nstionalities on the stage. 9e found . manager
courageous enough to share his opinion and to
put The play on the stage. Now. an episode in
tho San Francisco Chinatown Is to be seen here.
and it will be one Of the American plays taken
to London to satisfy the fierce appetite for our
dramas that is believed to exist there. In or
der to satisfy expectation. 1t will have to be an
unusually interesting work. The advance dis
custom Of the piece has led persons to await
an extraordinary example of dramatic work One
Of the Disadvantages Of so much preliminary
praise u the danger that 1t may seem too great
for any merit the piece has. But the triumph
for Mr.. Powers will be so much the greater II
The First Born" be really as fine as San Fran
cisco thinks. Fortunately, it is in the hands
OF David Belasco, and the best that there is in
the play will be brought out.
The piece Is in two acts. An the characters
are Chinese. A mei chant who has gro Hn tired
OF his wife sells her INTO slavery and steals the
womRn's husband devotes himself to the care
Of his only child, the first born" His wife
whom she left her husband. but occasionally
she returns to San Francisco. On one Of these
visits abe succeeds in stealing her child Its
father learns that she has concealed It in q
certain house. Furious with grief and anger,
he PUSHES after the woman with q knife; In
the struggle between them the child Is killed
Bringing Its body out Of the house, the father
swsars to avense its death This situation
s seens S sss ess' s aSs' da aa tsa ' SisS Of th sSe: m rs :
chant and the man who has by him been robbed
and bess that he viii take her back to China
Her talk Of the merchants conduct increases
the hatred which the deserted father and hus-
night. SEEKING u Ratchet, the enrage6. victim
r raS1sT and Kills iii HIM him. He d ia. 't the body " into into,
an alley while the woman stands watching the
ssG.as Again IF 70 s ,so iE,m the F Pips a shi 9nf Is nes
~. w. fk~ $1,000 '-
~ tsthar 80 duieT Tb. - a SenssahsS .
scters in the play. and the author appears a.
the father whose life Is bound up in his infant
son. me metnoIs ~ wnicn me aSLion o.. me
from the ordinary rules Of stagecraft. and the
whole play is novel in every particular. The
- "sIe, Oh ~ antnan . ne re re
producing a truthful atmosphere OF Chinese
life.
Tho frat nm NJ the annro,ch;nr theatrical
.ensou was nred last week in washington
where the Naroui.e of Nicbi1a," a farce bv
Glen McDonourh and T.. ". Townsend vas acted
nth the iJsa Al ..s,iny i,s v,hus for fpr,bsr
: - -. a-ahes,. q. = - 80. -.
use WINCH seeHs pfoooSie Ii VIC" u ue SUI
cess gained. But the expert observers agree
that the niece needs important alterations be.
- rL.1NSI.Ss 4..-sI-H-"s ~
tore oe,hs suoiniteeo 70 "th'er aualehees' Inc
H,rrnrd vrots for THE SrS untitled NJ
N.sson,. wiu" Th. Az, =, thn 49,. a...
passes in the law Office OF u young adopted
daughter of a wealthy clergyman who died a
captive 70 sicily orisands, presumably without
q WILL As his real daughters are not friendly
to the girl, abe decides to study law. She goes
a., ,.-+ro-sh;n uj,b . rar trsrJ .,5 ,b.v
INTO par1nership "hh MAN ifieh"' ana they
open an ONCE. which Is made to conform to q
Nh. dscor..ions run nrinc,naI1y 10 ,of, n;IIovs
s..,. Sst sA 10 sss S eIIsnt. At who saI nspsr come 90 &c s sep
NJ ~ LAc CLAN JAW IN e NSLA- Aov "
aver. to discover What a charming place has
e'e' 0No'e. W." - p"~e ~
been prepared for them The Surrogate Is
about 70 divide the fortune left to the heirs By
,hs cI.rvvman when his travelling comnanion.
NJ - 80 - = -.~--
Q lover or the girl lawyer, returns With q story
that there really was a will left by the brigand s
nrtson.r II i, n curious viii. bur it leaves a
p 80
large sum 10 the sti VINO was 70 get nothlnS.
and she Is remembered, indeed, to the extent Of
0,oo Oo, Nh tba dT,b rib oF The man wbo UNA
$1,000 on = uNn -, 10 ~ "ao
with her roster rather. Inc WILL Is painted on
his back, according to the story be tells, and
q, IN. dora Tiara in two coIors nv the cI.r-.
man rust before ms death, When the nrigands
had refused MIN q pen and INK 70 "-lte down
Ms last Wishes. 100
t9gats : SoTT5a n :, tb hsr sma 80 T harn -
a iRht over the estate. and the living viii Is
plainly very uncomfortable over his position
he mas 70 Gont s. oa MI q !" Tba dncsS snnt SEdy
tno weak 70: paint his wishes when rhe paint
and brushes were handed to him. There was
nobody else In me amp 2 40 To-. inc 700 except
tLS naoJ Gu -sr1sas - AZ ~ ar X - -