The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-13
REAL JAPANESE IN This PLAY.
GORGEOUS SCENES AND COSTCBE't
ut BELtSCO'S =HEATER.

Aristoeratic ladies wouldn't Appear VIVA
the Getshas and Americans TOOK
Latter'a Plaee--loGinE for ChnFlp
Scenes From the stolen Prince
Tho Japanese residents OF New York, In
Guiding the aristocratic ladies Of the otcia
families. gave New York a sample OF me
japanese stage az II really Is, in the Belasoo
Theater yesterday afternoon. For the bene-
NJ Of the widows and orphans Of the Oriental
war they presented a series Of scenes from
Mrs Hugh Frazsr's novel, THE Stolen
Prince which deals with an incident OF
feudal days In Japan. The tableaux were
pretty and thoroughly japanese, barring
few white faces in the cast
Class prejudice accounted for the
white faces, tho press agent declared after
tho show. MB. Uchida. wife OF tbs Consul
General, Mrs Imanishi and Mrs. lwahara
were asked TO take part and TO show some OF
their gorgeous japanese costumes. 1hey
consented. Then the six or seven other
female parts we're given 10 women OF lower
rank. It IL straining oonvendonalities for an
aristocratic woman 10 appear on the pubic
stage at all, and arlstocratic prejudice
couldn't stand for any more, Either the
geishas or tho ladies Of rank had TO go.
The q ishas went, and American women,
whose straight attitudes contrnsted oddly
with the howerlike poses OF the Japanese
ladies, took their places. The male actors
were all Jopaneso.
The people Of Nippon we're all there
officials in the orchestra and boxes mer-
chants in the balcony, students and Wallets
In the gallery. 50 were enough Americans
TO fiji the house The promoters ot the
affair had done a good deal Of hustling IN
their artless Japanese way, and worked
up an imposing list Of society patronesses.
The house was distinctly fashionable and
profits will be large.
Mrs. Frazer used upSthe first half hour
telling the plot Of her novel. It deals with
a plot against the Princess Jito and her
infant son, the Prince Shijo. They are
abducted by KGshima. the villain, who
loves the Princess secretly and who carries
them to his castle. There he tries TO poison
the baby. but is foled. Sudzu, a serving
maid, carries him away and gives him to
d wood cutters wife. She Is found with the
child's garments In her hands, is accused OF
his murder and dice rather than betray
the Princess. Finally Kite. a maid Of the
Princess, kills the villain, His retainerV
captures the Princess, binds her to a stake
and is about to set her atire whsn she II
rescued by her own retainers. There ia &
lot more to il. but this will serve.
The curtain was drawn on a court scene
the coming OF Ksshina, the villain, TO pay
homage. II was all az different from the
japanese scenes Of Tho Mikado' and
The Geisha' IA a Japantse print Is diff
ferent from cartoon. The background
was the soft panels OF japanese house;
the central group was In the pastel tints
which the japanese artists love and had
been posed to make composition by A.
Hlydshi, an artist Of the colony. Picture
followed picture, set Of japanese prints
through twenty-one scenes
Mrs. lwahara, In a robe Of old rose color
which fell in petal shape about her feet
made the hit Of the afternoon in a series
Of three tablesuX with Mr. s. Takata who
played the villain. Very pretty. too. was
the scene where NrS. Imanishi portrayed
Kita the lady Of honor, who. having killed
the villain, stops for a moment half faint
ing. against a screen. She wore in this
scene pink kimono and obi which made
the American women In the audience gasp
with admiration. The press agent, who
kept right on after the show through force
Of habit, says that a mHgnate in the audi
ence was so overcome by this scene that (
he wrote q 500 check with fountain pen
on the spot and sent it to the widows and
orphans by the usher.
Costumes; scenery, the grouping Of the
scenes everything but the American
women IN the cast-sWere the real Japanese
thing The rich members Of their colony
lent their finest silk robes and ornaments
and their most gorgeous armor. The
lacquer acoouterments Of the army were
worth fortune. The attitudes and ges-
lures were peculiar 20 Occidental eyes,
for the nyentionalities OF the Japanese
stuRe are not those Of the European theateT.
When Haru spurned Kash ma. she did 1t
bv leaning far over 10 the side and throwing
out the hand away from him, palm down,
a. Chuck Connors and Chlmmie Fadden
DO when they say -Wot tell!- So, too,
when Suzdu was torn from her lover, the
lover sprawled out In a contortion which
looked like a movement in jiu-iitsu. Had
Americans done these things, they would
have appeared ridiculous, Done by the
japanese, they added 10 the rrint effect.