New-York tribune., 1921-11-25
Singapore Tleater
is Queer If 1t Isn't
Very Entertaining
Orchestra Plays Loud, but
Audience Talks Louder,
and Actors Have Trouble
Making Themselves Heard

LONDON, Oct. (By MaiD.--A
theatre at Singapore is very queer
place, according to writer in ",The
, London Daily Mail"
"At $3.50 the play was In full swing
and we were greeted with blaze Of
! light and the crash Of the orchestra
drowning the voices of the singers"
says the observer. "But these were
almost as nothing compared with the
conversation Of the audience, who, in
their turn. often overtopped orchestra
and singers alike.
"The stage was large and hung with
banners--as was also the hall---em-
broidered in dark blue and white, green,
gold and black, scarlet and orange, or
yellow, green and gold. And here and
there hung long strips of Chinese writ
ing, black painted on req, or sewn on
pale blue velvet.
"Both actors and orchestra were won
derful to behold---one for rich apparel,
the other for poor.
"At our entrance, on the stage was an
ancient hag with face much powdered,
clad in a black robe with metal feath-
ers around her neck.
with her were two girls in en-
broidery-edged Jumpers. Their hair
was bound with metal fllet from
which protruded enormous artificial
flowers and glittering metal ornaments.
THE hero was comedian of the
thin, melancholy type, and the villain
also comic character-a gorgeous
fellow, very fat, with gold teeth. His
nose, instead Of being red, was whit
ened with pipeclay: His clothes were
thick with embroidery, and from his
tall hat dangled ornaments of rich col
ors.
"Not until his entrance did either
audience or orchestra pay any atten-
tion to the actors. The former talked
less audibly and the latter beat their
drums with less vehemence.
"The murder Of the hero--organized
by the jovial villain--consisted Of the
pushing of long poles at him by
four hired brigands, and. though he
was actually untouched, he collapsed,
only to revive after being sung over
Tor twenty-five minutes by the leading
lady and her attendant.
"These two damsels wore rich silks.
Their faces were painted quite white,
and pink was laid in smear up to the
temples. In one nand was held q fan,
in the other large green handker-
chief, behind which the heroine glanced
coyly at members Of the audience, and,
later, at the resuscitated hero.
"The orchestra, on the other hand,
was in rags-or even less. These five
musicians sat behind the actors, wear
ing dirty blue trousers and cotton
vest open at the neck. Sometimes they
even discarded the vest.
"At times the orchestra shared
drinks with the actors or strolled to
the side Of the stage to converse with
some OF the audience seated up there,
the children sometimes climbing to
their mothers in the gallery.
"a scene shifter, in the usual blue
trousers, shutfled to the front to have
look at us; and once, in the middle
Of funeral grafton, large petrol gas
lamp was lowered in the middle Of the
stage and received wholehearted at
tention.
"On another occasion some one in
the gallery was taken i'll. The audience
| all marched off to see what had hap
pened, while the orchestra stopped
playing and craned their necks. The
heroine, however, in spite of many
glances Of scarcely yelled interest.
| carried on her song in the high falsetto
she always adopted
"We stayed an hour. AT $3.50 the
| play had advanced-by an hour. Per
haps by 12 o'clock actors or audience
would be too weary for more.'