The New York herald., 1922-07-03
SECRET NOT KEPT LONG
Methods of Stage Setting
Unique and Actors Also
Are Too Damn Fast
BUT PLAY KEEPS GOING ON
Freedom and Ease Mark Life
in an Oriental Theater as
Seen at Close Range.

The Chinese Consolidated Benev-
olent Association has leased Sam Ku-
tinsky's Chatham Square Theater in
the Bowery, above Mott street. The
association inaugurated a season OF
Chinese drama yesterday with Chin
Yok Sins "a Guest From Long Dis
tance; or, The Young Man Who Found
That He had Deferred Visiting His
Boyhood Sweetheart Too Long"
A large, nonchalant audience at
tended the opening. In fact, a num-
ber of audiences attended. The play
began at . and was still going at 5,
at which hour the thirty eighth scene
was being arranged by Yung Kee Fat,
the stage manager. despite the fact
that the artists had not quite finished
the thirty
Yung Kee Fat wore a cotton under
shirt. a pair Of sateen pants and q
pair Of straw slippers during the first
seventeen scenes. During the eish-
teenth, while showing chairs around
for the nineteenth, he shed his shirt.
The twenty first scene shifting caused
Yung to shuck the slippers
Yungs system insures the actors
against finding things not ready for the
coming scene. In the middle OF one
scene he takes the center of the stage
pushes dying heroes. protesting mothers
and pleading fancees aside and places
the chairs and tables for the coming
setting.
"A Guest From Long Distance, or"
ct cetera, was attended by an audience
or audiences composed of Chinese from
this city. Newark. Paterson, Trenton,
Jersey City and even Albany. An audi
ence would enter the theater, deploy
itself however 1t chose (sitting In The
chairs or on the stage or under the
stsge) and plunge into an argument.
When tired 1t dribblad out and another
audience woulo shufie in.
Auditors All In on secret.
Nobody appeared to devote much at
tention 10 the drama because. as Sang
Foo Sal. the orchestra leader explained
to THE New YORK HERALD reporter who
sat beside him, everybody knew exactly
what was supposed to happen and took
l; for granted that It would happen.
On the stage during the entire play
we're the complete cast, the orchestra.
fung Kee Fat and his two assistants,
six or seven OF the audience the head
usher and Moe Minisch, the bouncer.
Others went no on the stage whenever
they felt inclined. the pop vender. the
man who sold bananas and friends of
the cast and orchestra But the Others
were on the stage all the time inces-
sanity getting into one another's way
and not taking Il seriously.
With the assistance OF Sang Foo Sal
and Lawrence Chu--the latter being sec
retary OF the association-the play was
made quite transparent for THE New
YoRK HERALD reporter.
1t seems that Leon, a dapper youth
from Shanghai went to school with Cho.
young woman with a purpose. Leon
and Cho became engaged in school and
we're graduated together. Leon lived in
Shanghai and Cho In Canton. which is
a good deal like New York boy having
a girl In Chicago during a perpetual
railroad strike. Ten years after Leon
and Cho parted at school--well that's
where the play begins.
Leon appears to lain his bride. He
r. all dressed UP for il. Cho tells him
shes very sorry. but she had about given
him up and only that very day she had
accepted Wing. the first deputy suitor.
or Leops alternate. At this early point
Sang Foo Sal. who doesn't wave baton,
but directs by beating a box, decided TO
render a little triumphal music. Leon
Screamed his protests and Yung Kee Fat
began pushing the chairs around for the
second scene. However, there was no
confusion.
When Leon stops crying. his valet,
Chang, takes to censurIng Ming. Cho's
maid. and Leon hurries home to tell his
mother. Leon's mother. Raj, tries TO
explain to Cho that her son has been
spending the last ten years paying his
respects TO his departed ancestors. but
wing takes a hand IN the altercatiof
and snatches Rci's rice away from her.
II was all very clear nasmuch as
each actor or actress before plunging
into the piece, would trot down 10 the
footlights and explain in loud voice
Just what he or she intended doing.
Wing, Il seems. was broker of some
sort-a shifty biro with no love I'm his
heart for Leon. Through Fu Kou Sat
he had purchased the pair OF magic
pants desired by SIN Fang. the grocer
Sip Fang, being a friend Of Leon might
have fixed things up had not WING
Been a triflle treacherous, but rto re-
fused to listen TO Rat
Musicians Indulge In Pop,