The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-06-24

S1CAI 1I6dS1OAls IL e pTOOuCUOIlS are llOI d
all extravagantly got up, but the dialogu.
seems to please an audience Of two OF
three hundred Spanish residents eact
night and the singing and dancing err
enjoyed by Spaniards, Americans anl
Filp.nos alike. The place is advertised
to open at $50 every night and the bill
generally composed Of three one-act oper
ettas. There is a change Of bill nightly
and a continuous performance. The lat
ter feature is made possible at present
by the assistance of a glee club com.
posed OF fifty Spanish soldiers, who oc
cupy the stage between the acts and sing
songs of their native land. To the Ameri.
cans this is one Of the big features OF
the entertainment. No accompaniment
Is used, the men all relying on the pitch
given by the leader at the start and his
baton movement throughout the selection
The CircO Filipino on the outside ap.
pears to be a tumble of sheds with cor.
rugated iron reefs, but within there is
a fair sized auditorium with a cement
floor. The butacas, or orchestra seats,
are wide mahogany a nm chairs with cane
bottoms and arranged with an aisle down
the center. At the sides, according to a
Manila letter in the New York Sun, are
couple of rows of chairs extending the
length Of the place, and directly above
these are the balcories where the box
parties SIT. Seat checks are procured at
little window outside the door and pre-.
fsented to one OF the ,;slrers, who finds the
seats indicated.
The members OF the audience smoke as
many cigars and cigarettes during the
performance as they choose Although
the place is, fairly we'll ventilated at the
sides the atmosphere sometimes give a
~ {n1a
ladon small theater stage, fitted with cur.
tains which do not roll up, but are sim.
ply gathered and whisked above by the
ropes which run pickering string fash
ion. Directly In the center Of the stage
at the front is the prompter's cage. The
proTipter stands three-quarters beneath
the stage libretto In hand, and the actors
depend on him to get through their lines.
He reads every line of the dialogue, indi.
eating the man who is to say It with his
finger, and keeping a neck ahead or MIN
all the time To an occupant of a front
seat the performance is made highly alb
surd. ...,s.-.... ...-s
The orchestra is an up-to-date organi-
cation Of Filipinos, directed by a wise
looking, gray-headed man who wears
glasses and smokes cheroots throughout
the performance. The bass VOL Is sta
toned directly behind the director, who
occupies the center, and the first and
second v1oqins are arranged on either
side. The reed instruments and horns I'LL
out the ends. The orchestra is composed
Of fifteen pieces and handles fairly diff
cult music with much grace. ..--
Eight thirty is a little early for regu-
lation Spanish diners to reach the theater.
so it is usually the case that the audi
enceg is not complete until near the end
OF the first act. A jangling bell gives
warming that the show is about to begin,
nj OF <1o n, -, 60
turned on and the orchestra plays UP
the curtain Perhaps the: operetta deals
with Spanish police in pursuit of villains
wearing the old style Spanish knicker-
bockers, sash and turban, and are coun-.
teGpats Of the average creation of tha
American cartoonet who wishes to carl
cature Spain. The women OF the play
wear Spanish shawfs and have their hair
arranged in dizzy towers on top of. their
heads. The comedian introduces himself
with glorious stage jag and has an
excellent opportunity to display his vocal
powers In song with greatly overdone
reels and etaggers. He sobers up in time
to crack some fine jokes, at which the
Spaniardss of the audience nearly split
their sides, but the American, as a rule,
has to content himself with enjoying the
amusement OF his neighbors who are ia
miliar with the language. During the
course Of the piece the rasping old father
OF the two buxom young women probably
decides to get drunk with the rest, and
then there Is trio and some glass
cllnking, and a little dance to liven it up
Then there Is more trouble with the
lady OF the house and an all around re-
conc1liat1on and down comes the curtain.
The Americans have perhaps unl1 erstood
bunch of words here and there and
have vague idea of the plot. They
OF course show their delight at each song
ho Y1<1SoI aHN0N{x ~.
it seems, is not widely popular with the
spanish people unless at the end Of the
acrs. The demonstrations Of the audience
are therefore divided between handicap
ping and Kissing. II some one ddst,1rbs
the play by loud laughing or conversation
ne Is doWned with volley Of loud
Kisses. sss's- -
AT the Filipino theaters Of Manila It Is
the! the custom to show appreciation by toss
ing coins on the stage in lieu Of bouquets.
The Spanish soldier chorus is a pleasing
innovation, and the members seem to en-
JOY their songs which are given with
gusto. Nearly. every man wears white
dr1il coat adorned with small knot In
Spanish colors. Some OF the men have
saved enough Of their pay to enable them
!. g 90, don white trousers, but the majority Of.
them appear in the blue madras affairs
IN which they probably fought against the
Americans six months ago. Gloria
iSapana' ts one Of the favorite songs Of
the Spanish soldiers, and the pesetaa gal.
leryis each night filed with Spanish pris-
oners out OF the walled city. by permits
sion, Who demand vociferously that the
glee club sing It Whether it IL considered
that the singing OF Gloria Espana' would
not be pleasing to the Americans under
the conditions that exist, or. not. Is not
known. but 1t IS notable fact that the
chorus invariably declines to sing It. The