The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-10-18
Gotham Has
, TheaterS of
Many Races
Quaint Playhouses Offer
Dramas in All
Languages.
BY HELEN WORDEN
Times Special Writer


NEW YORK, Oct l3.-ManY of
the little theaters in New York
have the amateur charm Of small
town show houses, especially those
in the foreign quarters.
Take the San Jose at ll0th-st
and Fifh-ay. The Cuban players,
the roll Of the rhumba and the
clack-clack of Spanish tongues,
make you think you are in Havana
or McxIco-particularly when the
audience becomes enthusiastic about
a performance and losses flowers or
vegetables at the performers, &C
Cording TO its mood.
The San Jose is the hub of the
Latin-American section in New
York. Nothing but Spanish is
spoken in the over congested dis
tuct which extends from 110th-st
north TO l25th-st. east TO Lexington
av and west 10 Eighth-av
The diIapidated little theater at
106 MuIbcrry-st, patronized by local
Ncapolitans, is owned by Agrippino
Manteo, the village plumber, whose
hobby is puppets.
He has put his entire family to
work making them wife, laughter
and sons, 10 help him in the pro-
duction Of puppet plays All Of the
profits from the plumbing business
90 into the theatcr.
Sarg Discovers Shop
Tony Sarg first discovered the
tiny place The performance is con-
tinuous. running from to 10 each
night The plays are taken from
old Italian stories and date back
two or three centuries. Puppet
shows always have been a form of
Italian entertainment A single play
may extend over period of six
months. The audiences are so inter
estcd that they buy tickets for the
season, and come night after night
TO follow the tale. One of their
favoritos is Orlando Furioso"
The puppets themselves weigh
$50 pounds They are costumed by
Mrs Manteo. The faces are painted
by the daughter, and the COM
pletod puppets manipulated by the
sons who WELD great iron hooks
from an elevated platform. Mr.
Manteo reads the script
Quite as much fun as the per-
Torrance is the audience On Sun
day evenings mothers bring their
| children. A little boy with a long
sStick is employed to keep the babies
from crawling up the aisle. AS soon
as one strays out from his particu-
lar cubby-hole. the stick gently taps
him back in place.
Ghetto Has Theater
Tell Mr. Manteo that YOU have
heard Of Tony SarP, ard the house
is yours Tony Sargee" the Man
teo5 call him.
The Secondary Theater at IS Sec
ond av is the playhouse Of the
Ghetto. The performances are in
Yiddish. Actors plays, audience
and surroundings have IN Oriental
look to them
Also Oriental is the Chinese The
alter OH Grand-st near Third-av.
Thei! performances, however, are
botermittent. 1t is safer to call the
Chinese Benevolent Association at
l6 Mott-st before going.
Foreign countries are represented
veil in the moving picture houses.
The Soviet Russian films are shown
at the Acme, 14th-st and Union
Square. The audience, strongly
CommuniStic in sentiment often is
more interesting than the movie.
French pictures are featured at
Cinema de Paris on the lower west
side of Fifth-av between 18th and
/13th lists.
1t is fun to include these foreign
playhouses and movie theaters in
an "abroad-at- home" tour of New
York
Write me care of The Indianapo-
lis Times for more details of An
Around the World journey on
Manhattan Island.