CHAPTER XI. THE DRAMA IN TANGIER. So exceedingly primitive was the general aspect of the town and people, and the mode of life, public and private, in Tangier, making it difficult to the mind to realise the fact that we were living in a country almost within a stone's throw of Europe, in the nineteenth century, and not in the times of the Arabian Nights' Entertainment; that I was scarcely prepared for the discovery that there was a theatre, conducted upon modern principles, in the town. No sooner, however, was I aware of such being the case, and having ascertained that the building was situated within a very easy distance of the United National Hotel, than I resolved to attend the performance that was to take place that evening. I sent Selam to secure me a place; but when he returned with my ticket of admission, he also brought the information that I must take a chair with me if I wished to sit down, as no seats were provided. Complying with this regulation I started at eight o'clock, Selam walking in front of me with a chair and a lantern, like a Guy Fawkes out for a holiday. After much slipping and stumbling, and bumping against walls, in the endeavour to peregrinate through the narrow ill-paved streets by the sole light of Selam's lantern, by no means a brilliant illumination itself; we arrived at the temple of Thespis just as the orchestra had struck up. The actors were a troupe of strolling Spanish players, and the following is a verbatim copy of the playbill. Teatro. Gran funcion pa el Jueves 3 de Febrero de 187—. Dn José Castro y Dã Maria Caceres. 1° Sinfonia por la orquesta de esta Ciudad. 2° El magnifico y sorprendente drama en tres actos titulado MERINO EL REGICIDA. 3° La chistosa pieza titulado LA FAMILIA IMPROVISADA. Dando fin con la comedia en un acto del genero gitano Los CELOS DEL FIO MACACO. A las 8. Precios-Palcos primeros 6 rvn Lunetas 4 rvn id 2 3 rvn. Entrada á la Cazuela 2 rvn. The theatre was constructed out of an ordinary Moorish dwelling-house, over the patio of which a ceiling had been formed, and from the centre of this ceiling hung a chandelier with six candles. Twelve more candles were fixed round the galleries. The audience was composed of members of the European diplomatic circle who occupied the palcos primeros, and a full house of Moors, Jews, and Spaniards. No Moorish women of course were present, but there was a fair proportion of the lovely daughters of Israel (many of the Tangierine Jewesses are truly beautiful women) among the audience, whose bright coloured and picturesque costumes made the assemblage look quite gay. The "sinfonia," which consisted of the lively Spanish tune Las Malaguenas, was performed indifferently well by the orchestra, composed of three fiddles and a guitar. The acting was by no means bad, but there were a few drawbacks to the complete success of the pieces represented. The prompter, for instance, would have performed his duty more to the advantage of the actors and the play, though less probably to the amusement of the audience, had he concentrated his attention on the business usually appertaining to his office, instead of bestowing so much of it on the management of a large green umbrella, under which he was seated, and which he apparently imagined concealed the fact of his presence from the onlookers. He occasionally dropped his book too, or turned over the leaves at random, which created considerable and rather puzzling irregularity in the sequence of the conversations proceeding on the stage. In addition to this, he was sometimes forced to leave his place of imaginary retirement in order to assist in sceneshifting, or to remove the stage properties, consisting of a small round table and a ricketty windsor chair, which articles served in the first piece as the furniture of a royal palace. On these occasions the actors had to manage as best they could without his assistance, upon which, it then became apparent, that they depended a good deal. Smoking was permitted in all parts of the house, and the licence was fully availed of. Dogs, too, were admitted to the pit, until the barking and howling of the few who gave their attention to the performance, and the snarling and yelping of the many who availed themselves of the occasion to adjust their mutual differences, became so embarrassing to the actors, that it was respectfully submitted to the owners of the animals that they should be ejected—a suggestion which was at once acceded to, though not effected without some difficulty and confusion. During the intervals between the pieces, coffee was carried round, and much good-humoured "chaff" took place between the occupants of the various parts of the house. The actors did not object when called upon, to perform any very thrilling or amusing incident two or three times over for the gratification of the audience, which was certainly a most appreciative one. The reception accorded to them in Morocco must have been highly flattering to those poor strollers, who, I heard, were pelted with potatoes in the theatre at Gibral tar. At the conclusion of the performance the lights were blown out, and the audience had to find their way into the streets by means of the lanterns which all had brought with them. Getting out of a crowded theatre, is at all times attended with more or less of "scroodging; " but every one being armed with a chair and a lantern, added a considerable element of novelty to the "scroodging" getting out of the theatre in Tangier. M |