New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-17
THE GARDEN OF ALLAH
Manager Tyler Tells of the Prep.
arations at Century Theatre.

fury Theatre I'm presenting The Garden
Of Allah is the promise Of its new lessee
and director. George c. Tyler.
The celebrated building that was the New
| Theatre has come into the hands Of man
who sees great possibilities in IT. who plans
, different way of making use OF its much
| talked about resources and who anticipates
success with all confidence.
| This theatre" he said yesterday as he
| sat at ease in the great office where so
| much formality used to prevail rs the
| most wonderful theatre in the world with
| out doubt You know, did not first lease
the building and then afterward plan TO
| produce The Garden Of Allah here ]
had the play all decided upon, have been
working hard at 1t for two years by the
way, and was casting about for a place in
! which such a marvellous thing as wanted
! II to be could be produced.
Then, fortunately for me, this theatre
became available, and / knew there could
be no better place for the play. For the
first time in the history Of this house the
entire stage is going to be used to make
one scene; in fact, there will be two scenes
that will use its full depth of seventy-eisht
feet One OF them will te the Garden Of
Allah itself and the other the desert"
What are the novelties in the scenery"
Simply to do without scenery in the
usual meaning of the word. So far as
is possible TO stagecraft and ingenuity we
are going to have these scenes look real
and not like stage scenery at all We are
using real objects as much as we can;
real trees for instance, and real sand in
the desert scene. And as for the sand
storm in the desert II will be the most
extraordinary bit OF realism that has ever
been put on the stage.
I'm the scene which shows the monastery
on its height above the white city Of
Tunis we will have doves, twenty-five OF
them. i want a sense of peace to prevail
there, and the cooling Of doves will help
very much to gain that effect. We have
them here now getting them accustomed
to the place OF course. we will have
camel train. One hundred Moroccans, TOO,
are on their way here now. They have
already reached Cadiz and will sail for
New York from there Sic Hassan Ben
All will attend to quartering them in New
York I do not know where he will put
them up, but I am relieved TO have the
responsibility Of them off my hands. They
have come from the midst OF the Moroc-
can disturbances and | don't know how
tame they are, but | fancy not very"
a us the famous dance hall scene OF the
novel to be reproduced"
Yes, indeed. And | have a real desert
dancer for that What want 20 do in
this production is TO preserve the atmos-
phere OF romance, the real desert feeling
which proved so attractive I'm the book
! iG m 10
any representation Of the desert or desert
life as wonderful as the desert itself really is
The feel Of the place. its peculiar magic
n the marvel OF its colorings and its never
4, falling picturesqueness are all things that
Q simply go beyond any human power to de-
scribe. The spell of the desert is real
But far as IL lies within the posi-
bilities We are going to make the audience
y feel that curious spell. The desert music
/. We will have. We are not going TO have Il
{ in the orchestra you understand. We are
not going TO have any orchestra at all, ex-
=. cept few pieces out in the lobby TO play
during the intermlssions. No, we are going
TO have the desert music on the stage
played by the desert people now and again
= in many OF the different scenes. The little
l. flute that played of love in the Garden OF
q Allan we VIII nave anu lue slHSliS VI 'Ho
e man out in the desert who calls to prayer.
i The stage is so large and deep that the
effect Of distance will be surprising. And
we have device to reproduce the sound OF
X drums and music far off in the desert
Another detail, and one that pleases me
very much We will have no lights thrown
on the stage from the front, or even. in the
usual way from the wings. Lights Will oe
on the stage or under IL or above ii, and
will not look like stage lights. | dislike
: extremely seeing bar Of light crossing
the theatre over the heads OF the audience
" and then landing on the stage in the actors
eyes. Even the setting sun I'm one OF the
scenes will lie complete novelty. II VIII
not. as usual, be a spot or light on the
: back drop. II will be a separate sun, win
\ it's own light, apart from the back drop
: Has the theatre been changed in the
!, auditorium"
Yes, the boxes have been changed
y They are all downstairs again The space
where they were the grand tier is now
\ part OF the balcony. The acoustics are
much improved ~ this and by the removai
o OF some hangings and wall paddings.
Il feel as though the house is In shape
TO make a wonderful name for itself. It's
, seating capacity makes II possible 10 40
. some things which are dear to my heart
but which | have never had an opportunity
to do before, because the usual house is too
small to make them pay / am going 10
4 give a series Of special matinees here dur
ing the season OF classic drama and other
. give them | will draw them from Broad
- things Of peculiar interest, and | am goins
I 10 have the best actors on the stage 10
3 way and from all over the country-evee
from England. For instance. Margar~
Angln will give the 'Anugone' OF SophS
cles the 'Medea OF Euripides and MaetS
lincks Death OF Tintaseles.' Lewis War
Ter will give Henry v at hve matinees'
land Mary Mannering and Gertrude Elliott
will appear together i'm something that VIII
be decided upon later on. No house OF
usual size could afford to pay several stars
of this kind for one performance, but the
receipts al this house FOR instance, were
s23 coo a week last year during the produc-
ton OF The Blue Bird and at that rate
can afford 10 have these special matinees'
Even at that / ann not doing il for
money making thing but simply because !
am very anxious to do it for the love "
the plays themselves We'll performed
can YOU not break yoar silence aboW
Mary AndcrSons connection with ~
decentralization OF The Garden OF AilaA'
Mr. Tyler" asked his interviewer.
II can tell YOU that our WondeHu
Mary looks hardly any older to-day ~
hfty-two years of age than she. did wnen
she left the American stage. | can 'e''
YOU that she hasn't gray hair In her he~"
hi