Wang Vu-ching Chang Wen-sta Wang Yo Tar Directors and Stage Managers 7 adapted and' prodscda in Ghinese at This very excellent play was
the Victoria Theatre in Haining Road on Sunday night, from Sir' James Barrie's "Dear Brutus." Two years ago, the same organization, the Shanghai Chinese Amateur Stage Society very successfully _produced "Lady Windermere's Fat in Chinese, and this year it has again to be congratulated on another most artistic staging.
The acting, on the whole, was extremely good and was of a very high standard for Chinese amateur actors acting parts which originally were intended for a foreign play. There was complete uniformity to be noticed and everyone acted respective parts well and in unison, Seldom does one see a performance by Chinese amateurs quite as finished and as polished as the tone we saw last night. Indeed, the piece was nearly perfect and ranked well above its predecessor, "Lady Windermere's Fan." There was complete submersion of the identity of the player in the character assumed. Voices were wel] modulated and tones of the players carried with excellent effect. Now and then there were faults, but is this not to be noticed in ' most amateur plays? Whatever mistakes were more than balanced by other good qualities.
It is impossible to give a more detailed appreciation in the space posal but we would like ince more the desirability lof Chinese players adhering to Chinese styles. There was a tendency of some players to discard the erful playing of old times and to act in modern, western cinema fashion. This westernizing does not help inthe least: on the contrary, it does infinite harm. How much it would have been to have this play the old theatrical costumes, with historical set for which the Chinese stage is 30 famous, than a semi-foreign type Both the actors and the Shanghai! Chinese Amateur Stage Society are te be congratulated and one hopes that there will be more plays of this kind in future,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.