The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-26

General Wallace, the author of the
story of Ben Hur," to permit the
dramatization of his work. First he
strenuously objected to the imperson-
alton of the Nazarene on the stage. He
also could not see how the mechanical
| difficulty of presenting the chariot race,
| a feature necessary to the integrity Ct
the story. could be overcome. Klaw &
| Erlanger, and their associate, Joseph
| Brooks, made a scenario of the story
! which included all the dramatic Incl
dents, emitting only such parts as
would, if presented on the stage, tend
to offend Christian people: merely sug-
| costing the presence of the NaZarene
| in three situations with markedly evil
| dent reticence and respect. General
| Wallace, when this scenario was sub
| mitted to him, at once became intensely
| interested. He Immediately saw the
| wonderful dramatic strength of his
story and the possibility of it being pre-
scented in such a way as to attract the
attention and sympathy, not only of
| church people, but also of the habi.ual
| theater patron. FH
J General Wallace being satisfied with
| the scenario the next proposition was,
How can the chariot race be actually
| done on the stage?" For several months
| Klaw & Erlanger had had this under
consideration and had solved it to the
eral Wallace. The model was shown
him and it's intricate working thor
oughly explained. He saw that every
| difficulty that had heretofore occurred
to him had been overcome to his entire
satisfaction, and in few days an
| agreement had been arrived at and
| entered into to cover a long term of
years. The selection of the dramatist
| William Young, was made with
| great care, and, after much consider
alton. Professor Edgar Stilman Kelly,
| student of ancient and oriental music.
was retained to compose the Incidental
| and entracte music: the former, in
several instances, being deeply relig-
ious, maintaining the theme of the
dramatic story. Ernest Alber was en-
| gagged to paint the scenes of Jerusalem,
and Ernest eros those pertaining to
| Antioch Costumers, designers OF
, dresses, electricians and mechanics, as
| we'll, We're soon at work: and, since the
first of last April, preparations for this
production have been going forward
with the determination to achieve a
success that will become world famous.
Mr.. Young. the dramatist, has pre-
pared the story of ben Hur' for the
stage in 10 wonderfully realistic tao
leaux. 1t opens with the meeting OF
the wise men in the desert, guided by
the Star of Bethlehem to the city of
David, where the Nazarene is to be
born. General Wallace wrote a very
| graphic description of this wonderful
| stellar apparition in his book, and in
this feature Klaw & Erlanger will pre-
sent the most remarkable single cleo
trical effect ever seen upon the stage.
| 1t will first appear as an ordinary cleo
trical star, gradually increasing to
great intensity, surrounded by lambert
flame and shooting bars of fire. To at
tain this complete effect, experiments
covering four months were required.
The first tableau or prelude, is pre-
sented in pantomime, the wise men APP
pearing on live camels trained ex-
pressly for their appearance in this
drama. A they depart across the d Is
ert, guided by the star created by the
| Divine hand, the scene changes to the
roof of the terrace of the palace of
Ithamar, the dead prince of Hur, the
home of Ben Hur his mother and sis
| ter, Tirzah. This scene commands a
| AT this time it should be stated that
Ernest Alder, the painter of the
scenes in Jerusalem, met with great
| difficultyin securing authentic material,
as no scenes of Jerusalem in the time
of the Nazarene had ever been painted
in this country, and none abroad, ex-
cept for The Passion Play" 1t re-
required many weeks to develop the
model of these scenes in sufficient his
| torical correctness to defy the criticism
! of the archaeologist.
The dramatic action really begins
with the tableau showing the roof ter
race of the palace of the Hurs. Ben
| Hur, tainted by Messiah, the Roman
| youth, once his friend, but whom he
| now despises. has determined to be-
| come a soldier He would learn of
| Rome the science of war to aid him to
bring about her downfall. Ben Hur
and Tirzah are on the palace roof
watching the procession pass in the
street below. through which Nalerius
Gratus, the new procurator of Judea,
is making his way into the city. Ben
| Hur leans over the terrace wall and
accidently dislodges tile which falls
on the head of the powerful Roman.
| Guided by Messiah, who is an officer
of Gratus, the palace of Hur is at
tackled. Ben Hur and his mother and
sister are arrested, the former to be
condemned to the galleys for life, and
the latter incarcerated in a leprosy in
fected dungeon, where all trace of them
is lost for years.
| Rem H,1r is next seen as slave al