The Monticellonian., 1916-12-07

| postcards or fans with pictures of his
or her favorite actors, While in the
| typically native theaters there Is
regular bazaar or series of shops and
stalls where gewgaws of every kind
can be bought. Usually it is in the
| topmost gallery. Smoking is allowed
all over the theater by men and wom-
en- alike in the fairly spacious and
numerous boxes which have no tit
tings except mats. a smoking pot with
smoldering ashes and an occasional
| cushion, generally brought by the Visi-
tors, who leave their shoes at the door
and recover them as they 90 out, their
! hats canes, parasols, or umbrellas be-
| Ing checked without charge and re-
turned after the penultimate act by
courteous attendants with marvellous
eXactness and with no apparent rec
ord
The spectators squat on their
launches or recline at their comfort,
| but are enthusiastic enough when
their attention is aroused by the dis
comtiture of the villain or the frequent
murders which take place. none being
too bloody for the Sanguinary loving
| japanese plebeian, who will cry with
apparently greater facility than we
can laugh. and applaud as vigorously as
an Italian opera enthusiast. But he
must be kept interested all the time. or
he will relapse into reading his paper,
bring a novel. conjurer-like, from the
! folds of his spacious sleeves, begin an
| intelligent, if to Il stranger unintelli-
gible, conversation with his neighbor
or drop off into peaceful slumber I'M
| Ill something happens.
Tickets for the typical Japanese the
alter are usu' lily bought ut an adjacent
tea house and often bargained for, the
| theatrical manager 80 boX-ofiice Specu-
| lator getting as much as he cana
practice which might or might not
recommend itself to American impre-
| sarios. On the occasion of one of my
visits, the price asked was more than
! knew to be customary, So taking off
the slippers provided, put on my own
shoes and prepared to make my exit.
Immediately the price was reduced to
one-half and by the time | had got to
the door TO one-third, when | returned
and took the chair offered me at the
back of the orchestra, the house b ing
crowded But this was not practieed
at the Imperial theater.
Behind the Scenes.
Coming out between the acts at the
! Kabukiza. | WAS fortunate in being
able to find among the little crowd that
followed me one who spoke few
words of English, and, making my way
to the managers office on the first
floor, paid my compliments and re-
quested the privileges of going behind
the scenes as a visiting manager. He
agreed with alacrity. Down through
a dingy corridor running alongside and
underneath the audience we emerged
in the stuffy bowels of the theater,
where the electric light was generated
and the revolving stage creaked its
weary way. Up a grimy wooden stair
case l found myself among a medley
lot of actors and scene shutters, many
of whom were nude, and | had look
round the dressing rooms
The japanese actors squatted on the
floor, there being of course no chairs
or tables, and made up with their APP
purtenances around them and the cleo
trio light overhead. All looked very
| philosophical and weighted with
sense of their own responsibilities
like our own-but greeted me with
CHEEKY smile and their customary gra-
cous bow. Going on the stage, the
naked scene shutters made for cover,
and | was introduced to the genial
orchestra, in a Gagged Enclosure like
wild beasts and making similar noise.