The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-18
1T WILL BE A CRUSH
At the Performance of the
"Mandarin' Saturday Night.
More Musical Than SsThe Wiz
ard of the Nile,''
And More Gorgeous in Scenery and
Appoin Reginald DeKoven
Himself the Leading Comic
Opera Writer Of the World
Expected to Be With
the Troupe

There has been a steady sale of seats
for THE Mandarin since the chart
opened at o'clock this morning, and
every seat on both the first floor and
the balcony will be taken by the time
the curtain rises on the opera Saturday
evening This latest creation of Regin-
aid DeKoven and Harry B. Smith, (who
writes the words,) will be one of the best
attractions that has visited Topeka this
season, and it deserves to be greeted
by the crowded house it will have.
In The Mandarin Topeka theater-
goers Will see one of this seasons sue
cesses in the comic opera line Usual
Iy Topeka and other western cities are
compelled to take really good attrac-
lions second hand, after they have run
Tor one season in the east, but last Sep
TEMPER saw the initial performance of
me Mandarin" at the Herald Square
Theater, New York. The opera is mag
nlhcently staged and coStunled a critic
OF one of ChicagO's leading papers de-
scriblng the three acts of the piece as
"a succession of scenic triumphs''
The, The story Of the opera is interesting.
me scene is laid in China. A Mandarin
who IS the newly appointed governor
OF Foo Chow, is very susceptible to fem
mime loVliness. and is ever seeking a
kindred soul. He comes to a certain
quarter of his city for the purpose of
seeing JessO a beauty, who is the wife
Of a Y@gabond named F'an-Tan. The
Mandarin learning that he closely re
sembles Fan-Tan, and that the latter
is away from home, obtains the dress
of a workman and appears before Jesse
as her husband. She is deceived, and
the Mandarin is rejoicing at the success
of his ruse, when the officers of the law
appear and arrest the supposed Fan
Tan for miSdemeanOr committed by the
real Fan-Tan.
The Mandarin fears to say that he is
not Fan-Tan-if he does he viii lose Jesse
so he allows himself to be led to Jail,
thinking that he can obtain his release
BY word at any time. The real Fan
Tan then appears and q scene of mutual
miSunde rstanding and Derplexity enSueS
with Jesse. Emissaries from the pal
ace enter. The Mandarin has been mis-
Sed from court, and a search is being
made for him. The Mandarin's valet
has given to Fan-Tan tie clothes taken
off by the Mandarin when he disguised
himself as a workman Fan-Tan has
put on these clothes and his resemblance
to the Mandarin is perfect Fan-Tan,
therefore, is taken to the palace az the
Mandarin despite the felnOnStrance of
Jesse and the prOteStatiOnS of the real
Mandarin, who, from a window of the
jail vainly tries to attract attention
and prove his identity his double is
borne away in triumph. Fan-Tan is
brought to the palace, where he finds
himself the pOsSeSsOr of a number of
wives and a large family of small chill
dren. The real Mandarin's favorite
Sing, actor of the imperial theater,
and these are trying to induce Manda-
rim to release Ting-Ling so that she
may marry Hop-Sing. A fundamental
law of the empire Ordains that no sub
ject shall have as many wives as the
emperor
The Mandarin at present comes within
one of having the imperial nmber. Jes-
so appears looking for Fan-Tan. Hop
Sing meets her, and she claims to be the
wife OF the person now in the Office of
Mandarin CFan-TanD HOp-Sing hits
upon the idea of presenting Jesse IS the
fatal extra wife and notify the emperor.
FTan-Tan finds himself in trouble with
the emperor, who demands to see his
wives The numerous helpmeets Of the
Mandarin enter The emperor counts
them. They lack just one of being the
reasonable number, and the emperor is
about to depart satisfied when Hop-Sing
brings forward Jesse.
She joyfully greets her husband. The
emperor regards her as the fatal extra
wife, and Fan-Tan is led away to exc
cution, despite his denials that he is the
real Mandarin. Jesse has been driven
from the palace and returns to her
home. She sees the real Mandarin.
who has been in Jail all this time. She
takes him for the Mandarin whom she
has seen led away to Jail. She brides
the jailer and releases the Mandarin,
thinking that she is releasing her hus-
band. She hides him in their house. It
appears that the Emperor has ordered
Fan-Tan to be confined in a cage, which
is brought on with Fan-Tan in it, The
emperor comes in search of Jesse, of
whom he is enamored. He makes love
to her while Fan-Tan in the cage is
compelled to see his wife wooed by an
other Jesse screams for help, and the
Mandarin, rushing from the house
where ne has been concealed, not recOg-
nizing the emperor. knocks him down.
The latter is much astonished, as, APP
parently he has just seen his assail-
ant put into a cage and carried into the
jail The turnkey is questioned, and
states that the prisoner is still in the
cage The emperor commands that he
be released, and the doubles confront
each other Both are now to be execu-
ted, one for having as many wives as
the emperor, and the other for assault
ing that potenate. Both are finally par