The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-07
I'm A Spanish THEATRE.
Customs that Seem Odd to
the Foreigner.
Observation-Disclosures
Winter Is the Open Coughing Season
And Actors Have to Scream Above
the Voices Of the Storm-Tho
Vaudeville HOuses--"La Machi-
cha" I'm Madrid.

Theatre going in Spain is attended
In the winter season by slight physi-
cal discomforts. The result Is strain
on both audience and actors.
The habit of going mufiled to the
eyes as soon as the winter months
come on, even II the weather is not
at all cold, has bad effect on the
none too strong lungs of the Spanish
people. The result is that they all
cough great deal. The theatres are
not heated, and once inside the audi
ence begins a coughing chorus, says
the New York Times.
The theatre buildings, as rule,
are barnlike, bleak places, the sole
exceptions being the homes of ltal-
ian opera, such as the Teatro Real in
Madrid. Shows begin late and wind
up late, too. For instance, in the
Teatro de San Fernando in Seville,
the best Of the show houses of the
place, the show begins little after
8 o'clock.
They gave piece one night they
called Marie Antoinette." 1t started
out at the customary hour. At IL
o'clock the fourth act of six had been
finished, and the two to come were
longer than any of the others.
Tickets are sold on the sidewalk
from a window In the front wall, the
prospective audience gathering out
there. No line is formed. 1t Is case
of first to the window first served.
Spectators are there, too, but just
why is not clear. They sell tickets
Just as cheap as the theatre, but like
their American bretheren they man
age to get the best in the house.
Seville is not 80 large place that
1t gets the best shows, but the COM
pany that did Marie Antoinette" was
a very fair stock company from Mad
rid. The worst feature was young
women who took the part of the
Dauphin She was so ungraceful In
knee skirts and had SO homely a
face that the audience laughed even
| In the saddest parts when she swung
| around suddenly on them.
In passing 1t may be mentioned
that butaca or orchestra circle seat
| In Seville costs something like two
pesetas seventy-hye centimos, OF fifty
cents, more or less, American. That
includes the tax, which has to be
paid everywhere. The Government
/ gets ten centimos.
The vaudeville houses in Madrid are
many and the shows are very good
and very cheap. A hard worked
comic opera company gives playlets
OF one act, filled with dancing and
singing speclalties.
There are matinees starting some
times at four o'clock in the after
noon; sometimes at o'clock. They
last an hour.
The same company starts In at
9:15 In the evening rustomarily and
gives three one hour pieces. That Is,
they are designed to last that long,
but with encores they ordinarily 20
fifteen minutes longer. That brtnss
1t well up to 1880 in the morning
when the theatre gets out.
Tickets for good seats are very
cheap. A butaca in the Teatro de
Price, one of the best in Madrid
costs 1 pesata for single section
less than 20 cents. The first show
attracts very few, the house being
almost empty, There is therefore
very little coughing done.
Some persons buy tickets for the
three sections at once. Between the
acts the ushers take tickets for the
next show.
For the first two sections, the play
let and the inevitable cinematograpl
are the attractions. The star featur,
is kept for the final section, because
Madrid is a late to bed town and thu
final instalment is always played Il
a crowded house.
The calm rudeness of staring on
another out of countenance differ
from the American variety in tina
the men crowd into the aisles ant
get short range views by opera glas
of those near by.
The custom Of standing up betweel
acts is general in Spain. Tn
theatregoers stay with their backs t
the stage until the curtain is fairl
up. Then there is crowding. dis
comfort and confusion.
The Spanish theatre ticket is
queer slip of flimsy paper One en-
has a check for entering the theatre
the other end one that is to be take
of when one gets to his seat. Tn
rest is the property of the holder.
The original ticket is sometime
eight inches long. Even in the Roya
Theatre the tickets are like that.
The inevitable vender OF lotter
tickets parades the aisles betwee
the acts crying his wares, New
papers are hawked In the theatre
too, as we'll as magazines and car
dies.
The theatres hmostly have no ga
leries. There are many seats on tn
floor. Then there is horseshC
ring a few feet above these. on III