Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-01-28
CASE OF "SALOME''
Conried is Defiant and Will
 Fight to Give the Show.

NEW YORK, Jan. 2S.-The wealthy men who own the Metropolitan Opera House have put their ban on "Salome,' Oscar Wilde's play transformed into opera by the famous Richard Strauss They have notified Herr Director Con ried that they consider the opera ob Jectionable and detrimental to the best interests of the opera house and have protested against its further presenta tion, which means that the second per, formance of the opera scheduled fol next Thursday may never be given.
 Director Conried. who for several weeks has been i'll at his home here received this communication from Frank N. Dodd, secretary of the com. pany:
 'The directors of the Metropolitan Opera and Real Estate company con. sider that the performance of 'SaIome' is objectionable and detrimental to the best interests of the Metropolitan Op- era House. They therefore protest against any repetition of this opera"
 While comments on the daring char. acter of the Strauss-Wilde opera have been general and as to some parts of the production. notably the Dance of the Seven Veils' and the kissing of the head, unfayorable, such action by the real packers of opera in this city was hardly expected, and there were many theories as to it's origin.
 It is understood that this action on the part of the directors was directly due to daughter of J. Pierpont Nor gan. Mr. Morgan is director in the company, and his daughter witnessed the first performance of "Salome' on Tuesday night from her fathers box.
 Since that time she has been persist ent in urging him to try to get the opera house directors to take such ac- tion as would result in having it taken off the stage. Mir. Morgan yielded. and, calling the directors together, they authorized the sending of the letter to MT Conried, although 1t was said that at first Mir. Morgan had some difficulty in getting majority of the directors to agree with him.
 Mir. Conried and his followers, it is said, are indignant over the episode and show no inclination to surrender. They take the stand that it was prac. tically essential to produce the reign ing musical sensation in this city and that the objections are in line of straight laced purtanism. which New York should have outgrown. They put the situation in this way:
 'Mr. Conried will not play John the Baptist to suit the whims of the real estate folks. He objects to having his own head served on charger just be cause foolish persons wish it. He will fight, and he will win. He has enter ed into contract with Mir. Strauss for ten performances of 'Salome' at large expense. and he sees no reason why he should not give them."
 ''Salome," the music drama. was first produced in Dresden Dec. 9, 1905, and was tremendous success. The music is Strauss. but the book is Oscar Wilde's notorious play somewhat re- duced.
 The actual expense of production. so far as costumes, scenery and like ex- penditures are concerned, amounts to about $20,00O. The first performance netted Mir. Conried, for whose benefit it was given, about S22,000.
 The drama concerns itself with the Biblical story of John the Baptist and Salome, the daughter of Herodias, as Wilde conceived it. Three features in the drama have presented them- selves as objectionable to many. First, the so called Dance of the Seven Veils," which is sort of sublimated danse du ventre. almost entirely con- posed of themes from the opera woven together to express Salome's feelings: second, the kissing of the severed head of John the Baptist. which has been described as the most repulsive scene ever put on the stage; third. the use of Biblical subject on the stage.
 The dance and the kissing of the head were both given in the most real istic manner at the Metropolitan. MT Burrian. who took part in the Dresden performances. says that they were moi softened at all there either-that the, were quite as realistic in disgusting detail.