New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-07
ITALIAN MAR|ONE:TTES
AT Little Theatre on 112th Street
( They Use Life-Size Dolls.


night, called it a discovery and passed on
the information to selected coterle VINO
liked this form Of amusement. on the
whole the discoveries and their friends
acted rather badly about revealing the ad-
dress of their find" They imagined there
was more fun in It If they kept the whole
thing TO themselves. II was not pro-
eressive spirit. Suppose Columbus hau
acted that way about America
Long before the we'll guarded secret had
s,read from the few to the many the little
,b.stre vanished and no one seemed TO
Irov when nor whittier. Now II has re-
ornAared again and that is the point OF
this story. e.,d
On 112th street, Just east Of SECOND
avenue. on the north side Of the street
stands a small red brick building that mas
an outline and a general appearance rem
tniscent of a church. over the portals
hang couple Of moderately blazing Nsp's
and several decidedly blazing posters
showing gorgeous heroes and unOeaIaol0
villains in action. The lady at the oooli'
(which serves as a box ONCE is the VIA.
of Salvatore 10 Cascio. the proprietor o'
the only marionette theatre IN Ne" 1"A'
She tells you when you ask her tnaI 'Ne
entrance fee is 'quindici'
Sounds of ioy from within beckon you
through the small doors and once lhsIue' a.
sthe end OF the narrow auditorium you Sc
q rojnIature stage brilliantly footlishteo
iar6 with ponderous awe-nspirlng maI'o"
cites as big as yourself stalking across
A. heavy booted and loud voiced.
your three nickels have bought you scat
down front, where you can get the lu'.
values Of color sound and action, all Oh
which are there in profusion. Inc %.
chestra. for instance, is not far away no
sits at his upright plano playing "ha'eve'
and whenever he pleases. II ne plays tle
nonular music Of this land or any Oh 'he
music of the home land across seas elIiei
the street music or airs from the operas
+ba audience falls TO singing But there
neither singing nor playing going on our
ing the dark moments OF the plot because
marionette plays are as serious KIM vi
drama as any other, and receive the most
deliberate and careful attention from ooth
Guidance and performers. When Charlie
magne plunges into battle with the III AS
y1yarv one leans forward with crossed arms
Apn the back Of the seat in 'front.' "h!Ie ''te
children run down 10 climb on the oencH
placed Immediately in front OF lhe stage
for that purpose. Perched up on that IN
row they can just peer over the tooIish's
.apd almost touch the heroes Of another
age as they are Joined in mortal COMBAT
The marionettes have fully as great
number of plays in their repertory as a
German theatre company. Every evening
there is a performance, and every evening
in the week a different play. The Voices
90 not read their parts, either; they kno"
them.
all De nj
Over the rail of platform above the back
dron lean the athletes who manipulate the
terrible beings laundering across the stage
mellow For these marionettes weigh from
100 TO 80 pounds, according to the heavi-
ness Of their armor and accoutrements,
and it takes a rare combination Of strength
and skill to make them walk with dignity,
bow to their general or to the Pope, or
fight with shield and sword in hand TO
hand conflict.
And talking about the personal combats
between those monster marionettes, any
one who has a craving for the reckless and
cjsregardful should see two Of them racing
toward each other The crash when they
meet can be heard around the block and
the whole auditorium trembles with the
reverberations. There is nowhere else per-
.haps in the world where such grand hghting
can be had as at the little theatre in llZtn
street One summer, several years ago.
down at Brighton Beach, special day
was set aside when a real train collision
was announced. Two genuine high power
locomotives and two real trains Of cars
were sacrificed for the event When the
crowd, thousands strong, was assembled
the trains, with no one in them, were set
al
the throttles thrown open. The two great
masses raced toward each other while thou
sands of pairs Of eyes cleaned with horri-
fed delight and thousands OF hearts stood
stiu with 10Y. The trains rammed each
other with the most tremendous crash that
has ever been seen or heard this side OF
chaos, and the great masses OF iron ana
steel were ripped into rags and spNnters. II
was glorious The sigh Of satisfaction that
swept through the happy crowd must have
been heard in heaven. The event merely
showed that there is a great pubic Tor
such things, and II that be the case there
should be considerable pleasure 10 be had
ut the marionette theatre when a battle
comes on For the great armor clad oooies
are lifted in the air and hurled toward each
other with a beautiful thrilling swing that
Is sure to end in a magnificent crash. IN
the battle between Charlemagne's army
and the Turks the dead are finally piled
so high in the front of the stage that the
excited audience can hardly see over the
bodies 10 follow the fight at the rear
Upstairs over the theatre there Is WORK
shop. where new actors are being constant
" made And they are made regardless OF
expense and trouble. Their faces are paint
Cd with nice eye for soul and feeling
tbeir garments are embroidered with gold
thread. and their brass armor is hand
beaten There are one hundred and hfty
ladies and gentlemen in the mariohet'e
COMPANY now. They live Immediately be-
hind the scenes. hanging in quiet rows
three deep, on iron bars. More are being
carved hammered and sewed into shape
In the training school for actors upstairs.
Most Of the plays in the theatres roper
tory are the classic drama of Italian his
tory so that nearly all the personages
hanging on bars behind the scenes are cad
An the elaborate regalia Of the various
periods antedating the garb OF to-day. Inc
historical plays are more popular than
modern ones, as they seem 10 the audi
ences of Little Italy 10 speak more OF
romance than anything that belongs to the
present. No doubt, too, the remote themes
are more suitable TO the histrionic powers
., marionettes than Ibsen would be, or
Broadhurst. .,
One thing is sure-that all the unrealIles
of a marionette theatre when comDlheu