The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-07
SHAKESPEARE IN INDIA.

New York Mail and Express.

new 1OTk Mall ana EXPRESS.
Some day, perhaps, according to the
present trend Of things theatrical, we shall
see Shakspeare's plays as society dramas
or musical comedies. If the latter should
come TO pass New York managers could
with profit send representative TO India
to acquire expert knowledge, for the Bonn
bay theatergoers are treated to such adap-
tations of the Bard of Avon's plays as put
them in the category with IAN Emerald
Isle or "A Country Girl"
Let us observe one situation in The
Merchant of Venice" as presented at the
principal native theater in Bombay. 1t is
the elopement of Lorenzo and Jessica. The
view is not OF the canals and palaces or
Venice. but of the harbor of Bombay given
with very good moonlight effect-small
craft rocking on the waves beside the great
vessels of the Peninsular and Oriental line.
real steam launch approaches; from IL
steps an ofHcer, clad in the blue uniform
Of the British navy.
The dialogue is, of course, in Hindustani,
but he curses his crew heartily-in Eng
lish-then Jessica and her lover hurry
aboard the launch and 1t puffs away. Just
lock PUSHES in He cries in frenzy: MY
daughter, my ducats! My ducats. my
daughter" and then turns away and
breaks into a comic song
All Indian adaptations of English plays
have choruses. says Edmund Russell, an
American actor and author, who has re-
Gently returned from several years study
of the stage in the East. The members
of the chorus are all boys, from eight to
twelve years of age. These lads, who are
as we'll grown as boys three or four years
of the theater. who pays them each
trifiing sum in addition to their board and
clothing. Boys also take all the parts usu-
ally played by women. there being but three
actresses In Bombay.
These bright little fellows are in evidence
frequently in all the plays In Hamlet"
by Ophelia's ladies in waiting; then the
chorus retires from the stage while Ophelia
and the Prince of Denmark in CONVEX
sation. AT its close they run TO her, and
cry in chorus: What did he say? All,
what did he say?' The makeup and cos
tuning of these boys so completely change
their appearance, of course that they easily
deceive the English eye.
Twelfth Night is modernized in the
same way as 1.-THE Merchant Of Venice"
One of the principal scenes shows the Vic
train steams in with the usual assortment
of first, second and third-class cars An
English tourist or two step from the first
class carriage. They wear the usual plaid
coat and cap and the monocle of the typ
ical British traveller. The railway officials
bow low before them. The passengers in
the secondclass coach are Indian poten-
tates of greater or less degree. They come
in for a series of modified salaams from the
railroad employees. who then turn their at
tention to the pushing, scrambling mob
which alights from the third-class cars
The native magnates look calmly on while
their poorer brethren are being hustled and
dubbed about the railway station. Not so
the tourists. In very good English they re-
monstrate: "Oh, 1 say, now, haven't you
thumped those poor devils enough? Re-
member Lord Curzon and Lord Northcote
do not treat them sou The allusion to Lord
Curzon is greeted with vociferous cheers.
Then Viola and Sebastian rush into the
station-as the train moves out they are
thrust aboard, and get safely off.
The stage is then partially darkened and
a curtain Of real rain half obscures the
next scene, which shows a mountain gorge,
across which is a trestlework bridge for the
railroad Thunder reverberates among the
hills. the lightning flashes and then little
toy train is seen speeding down the side OF
the mountain. 1t turns to cross the bridge,
but just before reaching 1t the trestlework
is struck by lightning and falls to the bot
tom Of the ravine. The train plunges into
the wreck and the curtain falls This is the
modern Hindustani way of telling the
story of the shipwreck which parts Viola
and Sebastian. From this point the play
proceeds nearly as Shakespeare wrote it.
These interpolated scenes are called by
the Bombay managers new creations" In
that way they explain their method CT
treating Shakespeare, and the chorus. the
solos, the modern scenes and properties
all come under this one heading.