The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-14
MARKING TIME INTOKIO:
A WAR DRAMA,
By Richard HARDING Davfs,
Golfers Special War Correspondent in Japan.
Reproduced in the Journal by Special Arrangement

copyright. 1904 by the Associated Press-l
YOKOHAMA, March 30.-When you have
journeyed this far to send home news of
battles. ii is hard To find that the nearest
you may come to being a war correspond
ent is TO write criticisms of war plays. For,
although the general staff has given each
of US a correspondents pass, it maintains
the attitude of the anxious mother:
"Oh. mother, may 1 go in TO swim?
Oh, yes, my darling daughter;
Hang your clothes hickory limb,
But don't go near the water
What made the war drama / saw the
other night interesting was that it 50
like the war drama as we have it at home.
IT pulled the same strings. it paused i'll
the same places fer the same applause,
and, except that il ranked love of coun-
try higher than love of humans il was an
old-fashoned Academy of Music melo-
drama in a Japanese uniform. In my ig
norance | had supposed the Japanese
theater would be as far removed from our
own as is the Chinese theater in China
town. 1t was not at all like that theater
The only great dissimilarity lay in front of
the curtain, especially in the orchestra
floor. The orchestra floor slanted down
toward the stage and was divided by rails
of polished wood raised foot from the
mating, into tiny squares. 1t looked like
mammoth cucumber frame without the
glass. Each square held four persons
seated cross-legged the mating, and
with them their tea things. trays of food
and pipe boxes. The usherS who brought
the tea and food ran and leaped with the
agility OF tight-rope performers along these
polished rails. The musicians occupied the
lower stage box. The chorus sat in the
one opposite. 1t was "A Greek chorus,
not "ShOw girl chorus. The alSleS, or
what in our theaters would be aiSleS, were
long, narrow platforms. When with us the
prestidgitator comes down among the spec
tators to borrow watches and take rabbits
from high hat he walks on just such a
platform. In Japan they form a part OF
the stage. Actors make their entrances and
exits upon them, appearing from the part
of the house that we call the lobby, but
which in Japanese theaters Is the dress
ing room To actor make his en-
trance, the spectators must twist ABOUT
and look behind them. Sometimes they are
too comfortably settled TO do this, and the
actor is forced to deliver his entrance
speech TO the backs of the audience. Some
of our stars would not approve or
Japanese theater.
Except that it is furnished in dark wood
and lighted by only a few gas jets, the
auditorium resembles one of our own. The
Japanese, like ourselves have nickname
for the highest gallery. They call 1t the
deaf mans gallery. AT first, when the
actors ran up ana DOWN the IL
was confusing but one soon became ac-
customed to it; and when, during an act
which took place at sea, the platform was
solemnly spread with a strip of canvas
three feet wide, painted to represent storm
tossed waves, which rolled over the heads
of the spectators, one accepted 1t as an
inlet of the ocean.
The stage of the theater in Toxic is twice
as wide as one of the ordinary size at
home, but the flies hang only half as high.
This is in keeping with the tiny proportions
To- htar nTn
MUM arch as lofty as with us four-fifths of
| the scenery would consist of blue sky. This
smallneSs of the Japanese dwelling and the
great breadth of the stage make 1t possible
| i'm one scene to show several houses of
| actual size. separated by streets and gar
| dens, in which people pass in rickshaws
or trim the flowers The construction OF
! the Japanese house gives the stage man
| ager another advantage; for. as the Jan
anese work, eat and receive visitors in
houses one side of which is open TO the air.
it is possible to show what is going on at
| the same moment both inside and outside
of the same dwelling.
But other features of the Toxic theater
| did not lean toward realism. The prompter
sat~on the stage in view of the audience,
! and the fact that he was dressed in skin
| tight suit of black, with a black hood, like
| a chimney sweep or a goblin, and that he
| kept his face always from the spectators,
| was supposed to render him invisible. An
other black imp remained on the scene TO
] act as dresser and stage manager. 1t was
| his duty to assist actor in making any
| alteration in his costume and to carry away
| any prop that had been used--a letter, fan
| or tea tray. If he thought an actors sash
| was not properly fastened he would creep
| up behind him, even though the actor were
| speaking, and tie it properly. We were not
| supposed 10 see him do this. AS a matter
/ of fact il was curious how soon one failed
to note his presence.
/ The war drama was preceded by a classic
| play. The same actors appeared in both,
| but their methods in each were entirely
| different In the war drama they were
| conventional, natural people; in the classic
| play they followed the traditions of the
| old days and of the old players, and moved
| by jerks with long strides, speaking in
shrill, falSetto tones, or remaining for
| many moments like mute, immovable idols.
| Originally, what is now the classic drama
was played by marionettes, and when real
| people were substituted for them, it is
| said the actors. instead of initiating their
| fellOw-men as they saw them around them
| copied the dolls. This theory is offered TO
explain the jerky gestures from knee and
elbow. the fashion of standing with legs
| far apart, bent at the knee. with the toes
| turned out The strident tones are sup
| posed 10 be an imitation of the false voices
l used by the man who talked for the diff
6 PTA Y ROUTNE