The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-02
WITH PAINT
AND POWDER
Some Rare Sights at a
Japanese Theater.
NEW YEAR PERFORMANCE
Nan Byxbee Peeps Behind the
Scenes and Tells all
About Il.

spring time-at least, that was my
conclusion from the great profusion OF
pink apple blossoms and green tree
trunks in the background. Said apple
blossoms grew on pink twigs and were
stuck into the presumable bark Of the
fiat wooden tree trunks in such a
manner as to be continually falling OFF,
and requiring to be picked up and re-
placed by an individual in fearful
and wonderful costume, who, / gather
ed, was the stage attendant. me
dramatis personae were ranged about
the stage in paralyzed attitudes, a
of twanging music, interspersed with
vocal efforts by the several male and
female musicians.
At the back of the stage an aper-
ture in the vista of apple blossoms
represented a window, in which sat
distressed individual with an abundant
supply OF white hair, a tremendous
sword and a. face painted in assorted
colors. He was evidently old and
weighted down with the cares OF
state
In front OF MIN, greatly affected by
the atmosphere Of tragedy, were three
persons, two women and a man, ges-
ticulating wildly and humping their
heads miserably upon the floor. From
the stage manager | learned that the
aged person was an heir to the throne
whose rights were about to be usuTp-
ed. The three in front were Sympa-
thizerS, and one a faYorlte hand
maiden Suddenly the music swelled
out with an alarm of tom-toms, a flash
of powder was set off in the middle
OF the stage by an attendant, and
with a noise from behind the scenes
that betokened impending tragedy, the
villain rushed upon the stage.
He wore tail headdress, and was
terrible in appearance. Ever and
anon a ferocious mustache shot out
wards on both sides, extending some
twelve inches On either side, and dis
appearing again beneath a monstrous
red nose. The demure little hand
alden clattered up the steps to the
window seat and tumbled, with a
great show Of trembling, behind the
aged party, for protection. This, he
accorded her, beating his breast and
fiingingr his arms about to the weird
strains of the stringed instruments.
But the villain was not to be foiled.
After a few preliminary swings of a
great tin sword ne whirled about three
times rapidly, emitting most direful
sound, and then bounced down upon
! the stage scenery, plucking the pink
apple blossom twigs rudely from the
quaking tree-trunks and rending q
calico portiere in twain. Then he
made terrifying rush up the steps,
tipped the old man rudely over. leav-
/ ing him to roll helplessly upon the
floor and dragged the shrieking hand
maiden across the stage. The curtain
rung down, or was rather pulled jerk
ly across, upon this alarming scene
and the half hours intermission be-
gan.
[ went behind the scenes, and ram
bled through the array Of stage set
tings to the dressing rooms, or rather
dressing room, for it was simply 4
long cleared space at the back of tbs
stage, with d row of mating to sill
on, and a little shelf running along
the wall On the shelf at intervals
of four or five feet, were ranged hand
3 us, pOWdCl, !OuSC, oAid IhC CSSSS
era of the makeup" Down upon the
mat the actors squatted, sitting upon
flexible feet turned under them, and
began their toilettes. There were
seven women and nineteen men. Thei,
changes OF costume were made I'M
concernedly and without embarrass-
met, each helping the other good
naturedly. Over in a corner were
three little brown babies asleep on the
floor, with shawls thrown over them
and the stage hands and 'supers'
were cautioned not to step on them.
Gorgeous robes hung about on nails
brave with Oriental pattern in gil,
braid, and costing, l was told, all the
way from fifty to two hundred dollars
each. False headdresses were piled
high upon the shelf, and promiscuous
selection was made from the heap By
each actor as his needs demanded.
The leading lady was making up
!, She knelt on the mat in front of {
: little square looking glass, her limbs
folded under, apparently homeless, anf
the brown soles of her little bare fee
crossed fatty. With rouge and pow
der in front of her, she took up ar
egg from the shelf, broke it into {
glass, stirred 1t up, and smeared 4
rapidly over her face. Then the pow
der and rouge were applied, without
stint. With touch OF green paint sht
completed an eyebrow, and with al
| upward touch at the corners of ths
mouth cheerful and chronic smile
was created. While she dabbed pow
J der generously over her fiat features
she chartered glibly to friends of boil
sexes who sat about, helping her t,
pull her costume into shape or addin;
poisoning hairpins to Der couture
The villain was busy divesting himsel
OF his appalling apparel, and replacin:
it with garments and oostuming ap
: paratus even more fearful.
In the side boxes adjoining the stag
: three little brown women tuned a
! their orchestral instruments, and on
| strummed over the monotonous al
for an underbreath rehearsal of on
of the actors. The masculine elemen
of the orchestra, stationed upstairs