The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-12-28

. NAlANN NAAAHNNH AHANANA MsAAAN NNhANA
J convey your meaning to any young
ster brought up in the city. A. there
seemed 20 be no ushers, after the man
az the door had taken my ticket, /
started in the direction of what would
lead in any Of the America theaters
20 the orchestra chairs, but found my
way blocked by the man at the door,
who had left his post to tell me in
sign language that 1 could not 60 that
way. and pointed a determined looking
finger TO 4 narrow stairway which led
upward.
When I had purchased my ticket at
the funny little hole OF a box Office.
not being able TO speak :ne language,
and receiving no enlightenment from
the bunch of nieroglyphics on a red
I hthograph background. which was
tpasted over the window, had simply
put down my money, taken the ticket
and the change handed me. and walk
ed on, taking it for granted that the
Chinese ticket seller had learned enough
of American ways to sell me the most
expensive seat in the house. So, when
/ found my way blocked and was di.
rected to a queer little stairway lead
ing / knew not where, 1 was inclined
to stop and argue the matter.
\ However, l found this was useless,
so 1 gathered my skirts and made a
make-believe bold, brave dash up the
stairs. After two turns, 1 arrived, but
not at the orthodox Niger Heaven
| gallery which l had expected. Instead
| found a sort of Adamless Eden
that is, a small gallery in which only
\ women, girls, and small children were
allowed.
All the occupants stopped their chat.
ter to turn and stare at me and then
started to chatter again louder than
ever, but whether about me or the per-
formance l was unable to tell. l sat
down where / could see the stage and
waited for one of the actors to look
up and either quiet the women with a
look or give them calling down.
had once attended a performance when
Nat Goodwin had refused to go on with
his show until several noisy boys were
eJected from the theater and on another
occasion had seen Louis James step
from a Shakespearean character to
quietly call down a box full Of gig
Cling, chatting matinee girls. l hated
to be one of a gallery full of women
to be publicly called down, but ! con.
soled myself by thinking what novel.
ty it would be to see. how Chinese
actor would do it. But the actor who
occupied the center of the stage at
that moment seemed to pay no atten-
tion to us but calmly waved his fan
and / was startled most out of my wits
by the din which followed.
A Chinese actor certainly has novel
way of calling down n group of noisy
women. He simply makes a sign 10
! the orchestra and the musicians drown
, the women out with noise ten times
as loud and noisy as anything you could
imagine. 1t did not seem to bother
him one bit that the noise he had call
ed forth to drown out the women was
at the same time running his intensely
dramatic scene, for he continued to
strut and fan and act for all he was
~orth and no one could hear word
! be was saying.
While the actor was strutting to the
J Inferno music, looked over the gallery
, railing to get a view of the rest of
: the house and found that while the up
per part of the theater was very un-
American in putting the high-priced-
seat purchasers in the gallery, the low
er half was very much English for
found myself looking into regular pit
The pit was filed with a hundred or
more Cinnamon, most of whom were
smoking while some few were watch
: ing the performance with interested
faces, Just as though they could un-
derstand what that actor was ranting
about with all of that music playing
After the actor had decided that we
, had been punished enough he again
waved his fan and the musicians
stopped suddenly with the same kind
of a startling crash as they had start
ed with, only worse.
When the orchestra had quieted down
. / picked up enough courage to take q
good look at the stage and regretted
very deeply that ! could not have bor
rOwed the play-writing mantle of Geo
I, Ade for the occasion. / can think of moth
= ing more eOmical than an American
e comedy written and played la Chi
2 nese would be. just imagine attend
: ing a performance where there was nj
I curtain used and where there was nj
e scenery and just a few Of the absolute
:. ly essential props. Where the orches
= ira sat on the stage with the actors
| anu iht pfDptIiy man anu lnc stage
. hands walked out on the stage anC
stood or walked up and down as they
, pleased. Where all the female part
were played by men and where the or
cbestTa blared forth with brass bant
crashes night In the middle Of the dra
matte scenes and completely drowned
out the actors.
All ~ these things happened in th'
cbinefe drama. After the man who ha,
called " down had strutted around TO
ffN DOments the orchestra struck ul
what Ngs supposed 10 be pretty en-
ifaHes tune and iD iripped two Lowell.
Haldfns. Now these female impeTf0n
aiefs fan give cards and spades 10 som
~ fbf bret of the American imper
fDgaieTf aBG then win out with thei
Nggdefuliy elegef, tTuef0life feminin
lfFfgfes aA1 goiee tones. After ih
gins bad TAXED for about an hop
sn3 spyafenty eaid nothing except Z
pssf DE- ilWe " day, thsy took lhel
fagf ~ n,siiaR pIeiiy boss end band