Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-11
TELL EXPERIENCES
IN TROPICAL ZONE

Arthur Conrad, comedian and stage
manager; Louis J. Morton, the direc-
tor and Fred S. Lorraine, manager OF
the Orpheum Theatre Musical Com
edv Stock Company, had the unique
experience last fall of being members
of the first theatrical company to play
musical comedies in the islands Of and
in countries bordering on the Carri-
bean Sea.
The company was the Morton Opera
| Company and numbered forty per
| sons. very few of whom, with the ex-
| ception Of Mr.. Lorraine, had ever been
| in the tropics before. The company
| started from New York early in Sep
| TENDER last and did not see good ella
| Broadway again until eight months
| later In that time they visited and
| played in Panama, Colon, Port Of
Spain, Trinidad, Cartagena Colon
bia), Caracas (Venezuela), British and
! Dutch Guinea, Dutch Barbados,
French West Indies and Bermuda.
The trip was full Of odd and anus
| ing happenings for the troupers, but
| was a thoroughly enjoyable one. Ow-
| ing to the great distance between
stops, stands Of two weeks each were
| PLAYED in all the towns visited, and in
| every instance the American come
dies were received with great acclaim
| by the people.
The audiences. as a rule, and espe-
| cially in Jamaica and Port of Spain,
! Trinidad, were the best dressed and
most critical I have ever seem said
| Mr.. Lorraine, in discussing the trip
| last night. The idea that the North
ern people have that the inhabitants
/ of the islands and countries of the
| Caribbean Sea are half-civi.lzed Is ell
| tirely wrong. Il was surprising to
see how well dressed and intelligent
| the majority Of them We're.
"Of course. the native West In
| dams, the black people, are as a rule,
an illiterate class, but the Spaniards,
| English and persons of other nation
| alitiee are of the very highest type
What sort of theatres did you and
in the towns you Played he was
asked
Some were as fine, or finer, than
any in the United States, while
others, of course were very old and
crude. Probably the strangest
theatre we struck was Princes build
| ing in Port of Spain, Trinidad This
was built away back about 1860, at a
| time when the late King Edward,
then Prince OF Wales, was expected
| To make a visit to the island. The
hall was built as a testimonial TO him,
| but he never saw it.
ut is a great big rambling struc-
ture. something on the type of later
day exposition buildings. II has 80
stage or scenery in it, but that did
not bother Us any, a. We carried all
| the scenery for our productions with
Us. We had scenery enough to fill
seven cars had we travelled by rail
instead of by boat.
THE auditorium Of the Princes
building is really big ballroom. the
! floor being nat. The chairs for the
audience were placed in a semi circle
in front of the impromptu stage and
scenery We had rugged up. and al
though we had seats for 1000 persons.
the chairs did not come within one
third of using up the immense floor
space.
after the first nights performance
when the populace discovered that
the American shows were f1lled with
tuneful and sprightly dance music,
many people. especially the younger
cnes. would not remain in their seats
while the musical numbers were be-
| ing sung. Instead they would go to
the vacant part of the floor and dance
10 the music.
1.-THE first time this happened il
| broke up the show for few minutes,
as Mr.. Conrad. and the chorus who
were on the stage atthe time, stopped
| singing in amazement as they saw
couple after couple leave their seats
and start dancing On the vacant floor
| space. The company soon got used
to 1t as It got to be a regular thing"
Yes, and | remember how We used
TO envy those people" said Mr.. Con-
rad. who was standing by as Mr..
Lorraine was weaving his yarn. There
we were up there on the stage work
ing our heads off to please the people
aud about half of them out on the
floor dancing. But they never missed
any part of the songs, for the people
down there are the best dancers in
the world. and are absolutely noise
less when they dance"
What did they dance, the dances
Of the natives2' asked the inter
viewer, who had q vision Of the weird,
passionate fandansoes and other
dances generally attributed TO tropl-
cal countries.
Not on your ilfs.e sad Mr. Con
4 rad, They danced the tango and
maxixe and all the other latest crazes,
and, believe me, lots of those couples,
/ that ! saw dancing in old Princes
/ building in Port Of Spain could earn
| big salaries on the American stage
today if they were here. The people
/ OF those Caribbean Sea Islands arc
absolutely the most graceful dancers
! l ever saw in the world. Where they
| get their training from I do not know,
| but they are surely wonders
| A cue took Mr.. Conrad on the stage
| at this moment, and Mr.. Lorraine
/ continued the story. we struck a
! stage in Colon, the Caribbean end of
! the Panama canal. thar taxed us to
/ the utmost. Our scenery was all big
/ stuff and this stage was only 18 feet
! deep and IA feet wide.
I'VE managed to get our scenery
/ fitted on the stage somehow, but ii
/ looked like the settings of a stage
fitted on a miniature thea tire. How
ever. the audience, and particularly
! the Americans at work on the canal,
did not mind that.
They were so pleased a seeing an
American musical company and hear
ing American music again that they
would not have cared If we played
without any scenery. Musicians who
could play the American melodies
were hard to find in the different
countries and islands We visited, and,
! believe me. our musical director
earned his salary on that trip.
I'VE played musical comedies and
the light opera on the trip, some Of
them being Three Twins Madame
sherry THE Man Who Owns Broad
! wav.' bohemian Girl 'Mikado,
/ 'r;iraf1o- Giraf IA THE Time. the Place
and the Girl The Red Mill The
/ Girl from Nowhere and others"
DUKE WELLINGTON,