The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-02-09
A BOXER
PLAY ON
High Times on the
Local Chinese
Stage.

| A huge and wonderful thing is "Tht
Boxer" drama which is now belnl
played in the Chinese theatre on Hote
street and one which will probably bt
given, after the Chinese New Yea,
celebrations are over, for one night IL
the Orpheum. The chief feature o
| the show is an enormous dragon, q
| thing with threatening head and tai
| but in reality made up of many color.
ed papers, cloths, frames, and Other
| innocent fabrics and having real live
Cinnamon in its inside to operate it
During the play the theatre was crowd
ed with Chinese. There were hundreds
of them closely packed into the house
and they We're all smoking, at least all
the men. but a little band or Chinese
wahines occupied one section and these
did not smoke.
The play opened with scene show
ing the Empress Dowager's Palace.
There was some sort of pilkia, in which
war was Matched by the old time
society of Boxers. Threats and count
er threats, murders and assassinations
galore came along and as fast as a
man was killed he would step to one
side of the stage. light a cigarette, ana
join the crowd Of loafers there. The
stage manager walked around among
the actors on one leg, it being stated
that during a rehearsal of the play an
actor had chopped out a big segment
of the other one. The manager also
carried small child in his arms.
After the scene at the palace
dragon appeared. There was much
shouting and beating of drums, ket-
ties, tin pans, and other noise produc-
Ing implements. Then the dragon
swayed from side to side administer
ing his good wishes to the rebel Box
ers. For the soldiers of the Empress
Dowager he emitted sulphurous fumes
1t was supposed that these fumes would
paralyze the enemy and thus win the
contest for the rebels
In the following acts We're shown the
Boxers preparing for great deeds.
There was all sorts of fighting. Old
time Chinese war implements We're
shown and handled by muscular,
gaudily dressed men who just missed
their victims each time by the frac-
ton of a hair. There was tumbling,
sparring. and shouting. One man with
u ioiS poit N'ioNHo' oNNi VIC Vi tiit
stage lamps. Bits of broken glass were
scattered about the stage. An army
Of theatre attendants swept this way
and carried out the dowsed light.
A fire was only narrowly averted.
Then the play was resumed 1t was
noticed that many of the Boxers were
Chinese who had their hair cut short
denoting that in real life they are re-
formers
The last act contained a mimic bat
tie. Real war implements We're used |
and the affray lasted for sometime.
Then the Boxers We're declared to be
victorious but nothing was explained |
as to what became of the Empress
Dowager
Among the Chinese in the audience
here was much excitement. They |
watched with keen interest the vary
ng fortunes of the men who went
through the fights.
The evenings entertainment closed
With an old Chinese comedy. There
we're roars of laughter during the hour
hat this lasted. 1t seemed, according
o the story, that a gambler had sold
he cloth that his wife wove. He
sambled the proceeds of the sale away
IN his return home there was a scene
With his wife. He then asked her If
lie might sell their pig. This was
lnally agreed upon. Now the gambler
vas unable to count as high as one
housand so when a man came along
md offered him a thousand dollars for
he pig he refused the offer. A partner
f the bidder offered eight hundred dol
ars, and, as the Chnaman could count
hat much money, he accepted. There
vas some sort of pilil<ia as to who
hould pay the eight hundred dollars
nut in the end the owner of the pig was
windled out of it. 1t tickled the Chi
ese nightly.
willie" Crawford, the Hawaiian
Who poses as a Chinaman, managed
he show and is reported to be grow
ng wealthy from this and similar
entures.