The sun., 1903-12-13

pigh, in the heart of the italian district,
,rbere the police and the Secret Service
man are utilizing their spare moments in
,rvin- to root out the hated Malta. the
bome.ick Latin race finds solace forits real
,rm,bles in witnessing allopathic doses OF
,oy,nre, punishment, love and war. If
:, he lr,Ie that in the theatre we witness
and enjoy the passions that circumstance
and lethargy deny us, then the dramas
IN Elizabeth street more than fulfil their
mission.
The entrance to the theatre is not in
ri,inr. In fact, one usually approaches
it in a spirit of prejudice, for it is shock
IN the scnsibilities to zigzag through i'll
ANGLING slums and have tired interrogations
in regard to locality answered by the in
evitaule.
81 dona understand dona speaka
da English
one might as we'll be in the environs of
Naples as within fifteen minutes. ride Of
tho heart Of New York.
Persistent search and q little i'll temper
hrin, the seeker after a new stage sensation
NJ length to an evil looking. dark stairway,
which might end, so far as appearances go,
ripbt in the secret chamber Of the Malta
III, !
Theatre, which is one of the most interesting
unknown and typcally foreign productions
Of Manhattan.
One of a certain party. which had settled
upon the theatre for post-dinner enter
tainment had his inquiry at a certain
spaghetti inn uptown answered by:
"rne Marie Antoinette? Why. that is
near Si1ty-seventh street and Broadway
g r;o hat all oooI
American should have to ask the keeper
Of an Italian cafe such q question.
It IA not until one gets down in the
theatres own habitat that one runs 1t to
earth, for, like the prophet, 1t Is without
honor even among its own people. No
wonder that its fame has not wandered
far from home.
The stairway is not long and the initial
agony over, the party find themselves
In small, low -ceilinged room, thick with
smoke and with that unspeakable odor
of garlic which makes the whole world
kin and all Of them unkind-
There il only one bench in the whole
theatre vacant, and a small boy with clean
face and ferret like eyes leads the way
to 1t and then seats himself in the midst
to act as interpreter. The benches are
OF those on the back row are penously
near heaven.
The room Is filed with men, the feminine
element conspicuous by its absence; there
Is q woman who sells tickets at the door
1t costs 10 cents per head to get in and
nothing to get out; there Is another woman
In the wings who acts as prompter and,
as the darkness reveals hidden shapes to
accustomed eyes, perhaps two other women
may be discovered in the assembage
no more. Fifteen being the normal
italian family, 1t Is not difficult to guess
why the women do not spend much time
a. evening entertainments.
But the men make up In enthusiasm
for what the women lack In absence. Their
erss iveted on the stage, there Is not a
motion Of the queer marionettes. not tone
OF the voice thrilling from the wings, not
a not. from the well played violin forming
the orchestra which escapes them. Most
of them wear caps, all Of them coats, though
tn. atmosphere is sitting. The majority
Of them smoke pipes. but not sound Of
conversation, laughing or gesture Of
inattention. mars the scene. 1t would
b, impossible for an audience OF the same
class OF Anglo-Saxons to remain 30
quiescent.
The stage fronting the party is but few
feet vide, and from wing to wing is possibly
twelve feet across. withstanding It's
small dimensions. its perspective is well
arranged, and the marionettes gain in