The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-04-10
The PLAY IN CHINA
It Is a Curious Mixture Of Noise,
Costume and Strut.
DIN FROM START TO FINISH.

It Begins When the Curtain Risss and
Continues Until the Last Scene Ends
the Asony-The Property Man q
Mighty Important Parsonage.
was all tired and knocked out
when reached China, SO 1 thought to
myself, "I'll just go to Chinese the
alter and spend quiet evening. won't
understand anything, 30 can doze or
when | want to and come out as re-
freshed as sprig Of celery"
What time does the play begin?''
asked as the guide led the way to the
gallery, for In Chinese theater the
farther away you are the more arts
tocratic. No Chinese of caste would
be caught in orchestra A.
1t have begin," he answered.
How could that bef" demanded,
for 1t was still a few minutes of 8.
1T begin yesterday It run two
piece days. 1t No. play"
And SO found out The better the
play the longer 1t lasts. A Chinaman
doesn't think he is getting his moneys
worth unless the play lasts couple
of days. Some Of them continue a
week. They consider play that lasts
only night curtain raiser and tag 1t
on to real play just to try it out.
The Chinese believe In noise Al the
alter isn't a theater to them unless It
has ladies' annex TO boiler factorv
just Off stage. The hammering begins
when the curtain goes up and contin-
ues until 1t falls. / soon found out
that | erred seriously In coming to q
Chinese theater to sleep. A person
might drop of for few minutes In
car shop, but he could never get
near the knitting up of the raveied
sleeve in Chinese theater.
Chinese acting consists OF the actors
coming on again In another outfit OF
clothes. They come on, whirl a baton
couple Of times and exeunt. While
they are Off another delegation Of &C.
tors arrive with another collection Of
clothes. They whirl their clubs a few
times and file out Indian STYLE as an
other lodge arrives. There Is no mOpe
expression on the face OF a Chinese
actor than on punching bag.
When they want 70 show that the IN
trepid hero with handful OF men n
trying to take foRttfcation against
q vastly overwhelming enemy the prop-
erty man hurries around in front OF the
hero with black cloth stretched over
frame. This ia the fertilization.
even though you can see his fingers
gripping the breastworks. Tie daunt
less hero marches across the stage,
stops before the impregnable barrier,
casts his eagle eye over st, draws his
long sword and rips it asunder with
one fell blow. the property man hold-
ing the swaying corner, while the haro
marches through to victory. The In
trepid hero stops 20 explain to his sub
ordinates how he was able to accom-
plish the feat, while the property man
drags the ramparts into the wings and
begins pinning them up for the attack
in the next act
In Chinese play there are ne GIRLS.
their parts being taken by boys, speak
ing In a high, quavering voice as II
something were too tight When an
actor wants to show that be is old be
ties on beard that comes to his waist
The beard works on to one corner and
hangs grimly BY one string, but the
audience doesn't worry about that
They know that be Is an old man be-
cause be has beard.
I was constantly alert to figure out
what kind Of show it was. When Il
first got there and saw the constant
change Of costume thought that it.
must be musical comedy, but aftar
studying 1t more closely saw that it
was farce When they began to kill
people came TO the conclusion that it !.
was an opePetta. Later, when the hero
found his wife In another mans arms, /
decided that it was problem play.
The most Important person in Chi
nese show Is the property man. Along
side him the lead sinks into insignifi-
canoe. He has charge Of the show.
The show opens when he says and
closes when he wants to go out to
tea house. He keeps his properties
where they are handy down stage BY
the proscenium arch-right out where
the audience can lean over and almost
touch them. To know what Is coming
next all the audience has to do is to
look over and see what the property
man Is getting ready.
Hour after hour the play continued
without an intermission. Midnight |
came, and the actors seemed to be just |
getting into the spirit OF the play. |
When remembered that the play had |
been running for two days felt sure
that the next dve minutes would see |
the last costume, but the show still |
continued.
chung desperately on, determined to |
be In at the finish when the last hot,
feyerish kiss was pressed on the up
turned lips, but it didn't end that way. |
It ended when the leading man came
rushing out with q cheese cutter and |
killed twelve men in breathless sue
cession, the manned and wounded
thoughtfully crawling to the wings to
die. thus giving the leading man the
center Of the stage until the envious
man came up and spitefully
yanked the curtains to.-Homer Croy
In Leslie's.
His Term.