formances, and recitals too numerous to calculate. Of the distinguished artists who will attract their regular crowded houses at Carnegie Hall and Aeolian Hall are, Mme. Schumann-Heink, Miss Alma Gluck, Mr. Mischa Elman, Mr. Efrem WALTER DAMROSCH Zimbalist, Mme. Marcella Sembrich, Miss Frieda Hempel, Mr. Josef Hofmann, Mme. Olga Samaroff, Mme. Louise Homer, Mr. Reinald Werrenrath, and Mr. Evan Williams. Mr. Werrenrath, the American baritone who toured last season with Miss Geraldine Farrar, has built up a large following during the last six years in New York, and he announces three recitals here next winter. Mischa Elman will make a coast to coast tour early in the season, appearing in San Francisco late in September. He has always been one of the most popular concert attractions since. coming to America in 1909, and he has played, in all, over seven hundred concerts in this country. His engagements next season number in the neighborhood of one hundred. The activities of Joseph Hofmann have always been of interest, for of the pianists he seems nearer to Amer ica than any other. His concerts will carry him as far south as San Antonio, Texas, in December, and in addition to a hundred and fifteen recitals through the East and Middle West, the great Polish artist will be the featured attraction at several symphony concerts in New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Chicago. There has been a great deal of interest in the coming of Miss Elena Gerhardt, the noted German lieder singer, whose previous tours two years ago earned her a warm place in our regard. Miss Gerhardt is an artist to her finger tips, and her interpretations of the classics set a standard in this country that has not yet been approached. She expects to reach this side of the water in November and will remain here until April. Two young American singers have been re-engaged by the Metropolitan Opera; Mabel Garrison, soprano, and Sophie Braslau, contralto. Both young artists have achieved no small fame on the concert stage, having made sensational appearances at several festivals this spring, notably in Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Richmond, Va.; Buffalo, and Evanston, Ill. Some of the more popular artists who will concertize through the coun(Continued on page 64) Plays and Players ANOTHER AMERICAN EDITOR'S NOTE: It is with pleasure that we submit to our readers the following interview with Joseph Urban, the celebrated Hungarian scene painter, who has come to this country to cast his lot, not only commercially, for he has already attained success, but as a citizen. Mr. Urban is at present painting the settings for Mr. Dillingham at the Century Theatre, which will open next season with special attractions. The interview is not only timely but it brings us into closer touch with the men whom we hear little about in the modern theatre, but whose handicraft we admire so much and without which the modern drama would be lost. J OSEPH URBAN, who our handsomest stage settings here in America, wants to renounce his nationality and become a citizen of the United States! He told me this in an interview the other day; and while, as a matter of fact, the announcement occurred just as I was taking up my hat to leave, I am setting it down. first of all, because it seems the most significant thing spoken during our talk. JOSEPH Mr. Urban is Hungarian by birth. He hails from Vienna in particular and Europe in general. He has discovered that America offers greater advantages to him, both as a citzen and as an artist, than either Vienna or Europe. "I give up, now," he said, in his broken yet wholly charming English, "all the lands of my past, and live on here in America. I live and die here." "But after the war you will continue to execute orders for the great opera houses of Berlin, Paris, London-" "No, no!" he interrupted quickly. "I hope not. Truly, I hope they do not ask it of me. I am not wishing to do so, but stay here and work here. I go back only now and then-just to travel a little, and to visit relatives. I work hereafter on this side, altogether. Such is my wish." Joseph Urban, whose latest achievements in the scene painting line were recently on view at the Criterion theatre, has risen very rapidly to the foremost ranks of stage artists. A few years ago it did not look as though Urban could possibly be lured away from Europe. The important capitals over there relied on him to equip their opera houses. He had as much as he could do. Then came the war, and one by one contracts were cancelled. Everything appeared to be going to smash. So wise Mr. Urban just slipped over to America, where there were tolerable assurances of a continued peace, and began painting scenery for us. It did not take us long to realize what a fine fellow we had captured. The artist's real and official headquarters is Boston, but New York is managing to monopolize his attention just now. As soon as the two sets done for James K. Hackett ( sets for "Macbeth" and "Merry Wives of Windsor") were out of the way, then Mr. Urban went right at the scenery which was used in the Shakespeare Tercentenary Masque written by Percy MacKaye. In his improvised studio on the tenth floor of the Knickerbocker hotel are to be viewed water color sketches of the more important scenes in the Masque, as also the most bewilderingly intricate blue print charts, which he will tell you represent the entire stadium, and which, for one thing, permit his figuring just where each and every spot and flood light must be stationed. However, while Mr. Urban was hard at work on the Masque scenery, it must not be thought that his energies were all occupied by this work. Oh, no. He was also miles and miles deep in designs for the scenery which has been placed on view at the New Amsterdam theatre, in the new "Ziegfeld Follies." "What," I cried, "you handled these two immense orders together?" "Oh, yes," he replied, smiling modestly over my amazement. "You see I worked on the Masque until I was tired, and then I did a scene for the 'Follies' by way of recreation. The change is a good thing. And yet," he added, "it is not that the scenery for the 'Follies' is easier to do. There is so much more to consider. For the Masque there is a book always to turn to, so one can know exactly what is needed. But in the 'Follies' there is no such simplicity of method. There are all choruses singing and dancing, spectacles to come and go. The scenery must be planned to fit a great variety of uses, and the process is very much more taxing." in the night, when I go out. I spend a couple of hours with recreation, and then return to my room about two for working till three. Then I go to bed. You see," he concluded, with a merry twinkle, "I do not waste any valuable time in sleeping!" No, this fact was very evident indeed. Mr. Urban's caller was quite overcome with the man's earnestness and especially with his tremendous capacity for work. Retiring at three and rising up again at eight-thirty smacks of stoicism almost to the last degree. But if you are really and truly absorbed in an art, how the hours skip by! Are there not enthusiasts who, if we could but discover them, would deny going to bed at all? "I am busy, busy working out my new ideas," he told me. "The new way of setting the stage of a theatre is quite different than the old way. There is greater reason in it-more sense. For instance, we find not the place on our stage for anything which is not really related to the action. You take this chair, say." (And he laid a hand upon one of the Knickerbocker species.) "We do not permit him on the stage unless there is a reason for him to be there. Someone must sit on him, or stand beside him — or break him" it sounded delightfully melodramatic! "We have no room for the superfluous. It is so also with the scenery itself. It must fit the action, exactly. In the old times, they would make the scenery one way and the I told Mr. Urban that this seemed action another. The play would go highly probable, and then I asked him on in front of the scenery, but would to tell me a little about his method of have nothing really to do with it. Toworking. day we are trying to remedy this. We "What, for instance," I inquired, make the scenery and play go togeth"are your hours?" er, always. Is it not so that it should be this way? Is it not reason? "I am called in the morning at halt past eight, and give one hour for bathing, dressing, and for eating my breakfast. Then I am directly at work on my plans and sketches. This follows all through the day, till twelve o'clock It certainly sounded like the soundest reason on earth. I felt I was rapidly acquiring a degree of intimacy with the Urban method and the Urban vision. This interesting trend in the talk prepared me for the artists's dissertation on bunching which followed. Mr. Urban had strolled over to the blue print representing the stadium in which the Masque was presented. This blue print, which I have already characterized as bewilderingly intricate, hangs on one of the walls of the improvised studio, and many and many an excursion of finger has passed over its surface, up and down and round. and round. "Now, you see," he began, "in this part we bring on the crowds which represent the different races of history. First there come the ancient Egyptians for playing an interlude. These hundreds of men and wonen were all dressed in gold. Not all one shade, though," he hastened to add. "All the shades of yellow. There is great variety, yet altogether they will strike the note of gold, which is what I call the Egyptian note. The Greeks were all in white, but in shades also, some of gray-white, some in pearl, and so on. Then the Romans-they were clothed in red, from faintest to the most red of all. I do not care anything about the make-up-the painting of the faces, you know. It does not make any difference how this one looks or how that one looks so only their costumes are shades of the same color. All moves in a mass, and the whole mass stands for the nation represented. "And I have worked out all the lighting, too. The lighting is very, very important. I indicate all shifts by the lights. Where the main interest of the audience should be at a certain time, there I focus the most light. When the audience may look at their programs," he expanded, naïvely, "then I turn the lights over their heads up a little, indicating this. I follow important scenes with the spot lights, and plunge groups which are no longer of leading interest into gloom. All must work smoothly, else the play will be much marred. You see there is very much more to think of than just to paint the scenery." My interview was limited in point of time. We had just covered the above chronicled ground when the telephone rang. Another visitor. "You must excuse me, please," said Mr. Urban. "I cannot help these things. There are those who are coming and coming. In Boston I find it much more peaceful, and better for the consecutive work. Here there are many distractions." "Yet you like it, for all that? You would really rather be in this noisy, hustling place than back in the Old World?" "It was then, as I was reluctantly making for the door, determining within myself that I would steal back another day if I could by hook or crook gain entry, that Mr. Urban told me the momentous news-the news that his first papers were already taken out! E. A. J. SELWYN STARTS SEASON LATE. A NEW SHOW BY MEGRUE It is with some misgiving that we all. It is the lateness of their start. make the announcement of Selwyn & Company's next season's program. Not that we are at all worried as to the calibre of the productions, not that at To think that we will have to wait until September fifteenth before a single Selwyn show will be put on the boards, and with such authors as Roi W. Blake," a new play by Roi Cooper Megrue and Irvin S. Cobb, a rare combination indeed. George Nash and Janet Beecher are to have the leads. It will show first in New York on September fifteenth. Avery Hopwood, the author of that famous marathon comedy "Fair and Warmer," has also prepared another sugar-plum in which Margaret Illington will star. Among the other members of the cast will be Walter Jones, C. Aubrey Smith, Effingham Pinto, Rae Selwyn and Robert Fisher. The name, as yet, has not been announced. This will reach New York about a month after "John W. Blake." At Thanksgiving time "Betty Behave," with a cast including Orme Caldara, Henry Stephenson, Helen Tracy, Clare Weldon, Frank Kemble Cooper, James M. Morrison, Perce Benton, and William Weston will be presented. Jane Cowl will have the leading role. This new play is by a new author, Ralph Renaud. Selwyn & Co. have always been most successful in bringing out new authors, and it is a thing to be encouraged. Often the play from the pen of a new man possesses a virility which is lacking in seasoned writers. Christmas time will bring to the New York public a new play by Edgar Selwyn, "The Double Cure." "Fair and Warmer" is having smooth sailing despite the hot, "untheatry" weather, and will continue to run as long as there is anybody left in New York that wants to laugh. It will move from the Eltinge Theatre to the Harris Theatre on August seventh. The Harris Theatre is now being renovated to receive it. Boston, too, will have its share of hits, for on September first "Hit the Trail Holliday" will open, to be followed by "The House of Glass," "The Great Lover," and "Fair and Warm The first production will be "John er." |