The New York Clipper (December 1916)

December 20, 1916 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 61 FRANK BERTRAND Mr. Bertrand is from England. His career in this country during the past fifteen years has been spent in musical comedy. A product of the San Francisco musical comedy managers, his activities show him to have worked in over 60 royalty musical comedies during thiB time. His experience makes him equally at home producing aa playing a character role. This season he produced "The Bed Widow," "My Best Girl," "The Broken Idol," and five other musical comedies for March's Musical Merrymakers, and is now doing the char- acter comedy roles with this company, playing week stands through the Eastern States. Some Choice Territory Still for STATE RIGHTS SALE ON Idle Wives STATE Rights Buyers who want to "get in" on a winner have atill an opportunity to buy choice State Rights on "IDLE WIVES." the big produc- tion that packed the Maxine Elliott Theatre in New York City. Elab- orate Advertising Campaign book and State Rights Buyers helps gives FREE. ;'IDLE WIVES" was written, directed and produced by Lois Weber AND Phillips Smalley —sufficient guarantee of its draw- ing power. The Smallcys arc producer* of "When Are If* Children?" "Hypocrites"—"Scandal" and other huge euccesses. Writs or wire for terms, territory, prices, etc., to the SUte Rights Dep't of the UNIVERSAL Film Manufacturing Co. CARL LAEMMLE, President 'The Largest Film Manufacturing Concern in the Universe" tOOO BROADWAY NEW YORK MERRY CHRISTMAS Al. G. Field. (Continued from page 68.) Chinese actors are almost exclusively na- tives of Pekin, and it follows that the language they speak is only intelligible in those parts of China where some form of the Mandarin dialect prevails. In many of the southern and southeastern provinces the audiences have to rely large- ly on their quick comprehension of gesture and facial expression. The historical plays, moreover, are performed in a lan- guage more concise and elevated in style than the common vernacular, and could not be easily followed but for the fact that every Chinese audience ia perfectly familiar with the outline at least of the stories enacted. A full Chinese theatrical company is made up of fifty-six persons. The various roles are classified and kept distinct, each actor being expected to play only one par- ticular class of character. The principal classes are: (1) Sheng, including the parts both of hero and walking gentlemen; (2) Ching, the bold and unscrupulous villain; (3) Tan, the female parts, respectable and otherwise; (4) Ch'ou, the low comedy man. Contrary to the usual belief, women took part in theatricals throughout the Mongol and Ming dynasties, and a stop wsb only put to the practice as late as the eighteenth century under the reign of the Emperor Ch'ien Lung, whose mother had herself been an actress. Of recent years the ban has been removed, and an increas- ing number of women are again perform- ing oh the public stage. Chinese actors are notoriously among the finest in the world, those who take female parts show- ing particular skill and likewise command- ing the highest salaries. Gorgeous dresses are worn, and the makeup, if not always realistic, is strikingly effective. The ac- tor's life is often wretched in the extreme. Bought or hired from poverty stricken parents at an early age, he is subjected to a very rigorous course of both his- trionic and acrobatic training. In addition he has to memorize between a hundred and two hundred parts, so as to be able to appear in them at a moment's notice, without rehearsal or prompter. In spite of his comparatively high intellectual standard be is nevertheless regarded aa a social outcast, and all his descendants to the third generation are debarred from competing in public examinations. Permanent theatres, in the proper sense of the word, are to be found only in Pekin and Canton and some of the larger treaty ports. Even in these the accommodation is very simple. There is a pit furnished with benches and a table in front of each, and a balcony divided into a number of separate boxes. The stage, which is built out into the auditorium so as to be com- manded on three sides, must on no ac- count face west, this being the inauspi- cious quarter controlled by the White Tiger. (It may be noted aa a reassuring circumstance that the stage of the Duke of York's Theatre faces east.) There is no scenery, no curtain and but few acces- sories. Two doors at the back serve, one for entrance, the other for exit. The the- atre, except where customs have been modified by foreign influence, is free to all, but it is understood that every visitor will pay for some refreshment. Open air performances, however, are the rule throughout the country at large. On the occasion of some rich man's birthday a troupe of players will be enfaxed. SOUSA AND HIS BAND En Rout* With N.Y. Hippo.roma Succoaa Hip-Hlp-Hooray" SE Office: 1 West 34th Street TELEPHONE 6128 GREELEY p-Mnnrjiionimuiniiiii ii ii ii ii i uaiimi miiiitiiaiimmuii J MERRY XMAS [ ALICE KAUSER 1402 Broadway, N. Y. Cable Address: LIN ADORE, N. Y. R.LGIFFEN,Mgr. Motion Picture Dep't. PLAYS For Production, Road, Tours and Stack Stars, Authors, sad Matsrial for MOTION ICTURES P Cuniuiminiiimuiiiuoiiiiiiiiiiiuiuiiuiuiinnini^ MERRY XMAS mraurainiiiiiiiraiiiiiiijiiiitniirarauGiimiiiiiinS ■'ilimiimumumumairaNi.'iMiiwKi'Himiuuoiiir [ MERRY XMAS I lumiXMWMfa Christmas Greetings FROM LEE BEGGS & CO. PRESENTING THE RURAL COMEDY DRAMA "THE OLD FOLKS AT HOME" A. W. Gerstner Co. 634 Eighth Ave. (At 41st St.) New York WE HAVE THE LARGEST STOCK OF Theatrical Stage Hardware and Tools IN NEW YORK CITY