The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31
BIRMINGHAM BOY WRITES
 OF GRAND OPERA IN BERLIN
Carlton Smith Tells of His Experiences As Supe Where He Gets To See All the Great Stars at
 Close Range
By CARLTON SMITH.

man ballet is wonderfully graceful. The last act of "Sardanapalus is in the tenn pie, where the King-so grieved over the loss of his army-gathers all the ricaes of the land together, and with his whole household perishes in the flames of the burning mass. This is considered the most beautiful and wonderful production of fire in the history of stage art. You cannot imagine haw gorgeously staged it is. The pantomime Is accomplished throughout by most exquisite music which consists in part of selections from sym- phonies and orchestrations. The produc- tion requires, besides wonderful scenery six or seven horses, dogs, sheep and their and costumes, several hundred people
 Americans are singing in other German opera houses as well. And 1t will be only short time now before Birmingham will claim an opera singer in Miss Nor ma Scholar, studying in Berlin and al ready noted in "Brunuhilde." When helped them out in Die Huguenotten," :" I was a soldier and I wore genuine old armor. This pleased me greatly, as I have always wondered how it felt In this opera l was on the stage in three acts, and you can imagine how I felt carrying that 40 or 50 pounds of iron around In "Lohengrln' I had the real joy of the season when Schumann-H -Heinlx and Joun took the leading parts. l was on the entire first and last acts and enjoyed the singing immensely. l ddn t get to meet her but I was near enough to hear her talking merrily with Gris- wold and smiling as she said, Oats all right" in good English. But as the first act began and all eyes, goggles as they look from the stage. were turned on her, she was right there with the goods, every movement being artistic. Joun sang Lohengrin and Fraulein Fabry Elsa.
 In the second act, in the scene with Lebramund, Schumann-TIeink displayed a beautiful tone throughout. She sang high notes clearly and evenly and the low notes were fine; her acting also was very good. In the finale of the last act when she declares that through her witchery the brother of Elsa was changed into the swan. and as you known Lohengrin kpeels and prays and the boy appears, in this she was very dramatic, screaming and falling fiat on the stage.
 notice that here in the opera every care is always paid to the remotest detail. They think nothing of having six or seven horses on the stage at once or perhaps number of very young children perform a seemingly difficult ballet. This was gala night and the Kaiser and Kafserin were pres ent in their private loge near the
  personages of note--the Kaiser's in vited guests-to see his gift to the people. I was captain of the Egyptian soldiers. The house was filled with beautifully gowned women. not to be compared, however, with the New York opera audiences. The Germans as a rule believe in eating more than in dressing. Standing near the royal loge nearly the whole of an act I had good look at Billy" from be- hind my disguise of "Egyptian stain . My next appearance, to my joy, was in "Nanon." by Massenet, with Geraldine Farrar and John in the leading roles John is the young American tenor who leaves soon to make his debut at the Metropolitan in New York. I have also appeared in "Mfgnon," Carmen" La Boheme," "Tannhouser." "The Hugenots," The Meistersingers,
 Aida 'and many others. In Carmen I was one of the soldiers and wore q eautiful uniform. In "Tannhauser' vas one of only three. and carried the boars in from the hunt in the sec ond act. In La Bohene" wore fine uniform and big high fur hat like that of the royal guards In England,