Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-03-14
MUCH ApvxRr,slMo or MAR.
sHALLrowN PLANNED FOR
THEATRICAL EVENT.
10 s,ooEsT PRODUCTION
EVER WITNESSED LOCALLY
Contracts Ar ciossd With kiaw 4
Erlanssr, After Agent Asesrtains
That odson 0taas Can % Rebuilt 70
Support Heavy Produetien-com.
msre;aI Phssa 70 Aesn Hur" Wssk.

Marshalltown IL to have Q ben Hur''
season. Lew Wallace's awe-inspiring
tale Of the Christ will be presented At
the Odeon thsater. April 3. and s.
Contracts to that effect were closed
last night with Manager A. ]. Busby by
Edward O.. Cooke. general agent for
Klaw & Erlanger, the owners and man
ayers OF this world-famous piece Of
stage property. Altho the dates men,
toned have been held for several weeks
for ben Hur" by Mr.. Busby no con-
tracts were closed. The Odeon stage
had to be inspected by Mr.. Cooke to
make positive that it was suitable for
a proper presentment Of wallace's great
work.
A Large Organization.
In speaking of the approaching at
traction today Mr.. Cooke said:
"rhe Interpreting organization num-
bers about 200 persons This includes
an orchestra Of twenty pieces, made up
OF men who usually handle the grand
opera performances at the Metropolitan
Opera House, New York City. and the
big Auditorium, Chicago. The ben
Hur" score. written by Edgar Stillman
Kelley, formerly professor Of music at
the Yale University, is difficult and I'm
pressive. and has lent dignity and
solemnity to the spectacle that has
aided much towards Its success. The
orchestra Is in charge Of Guenther
Kissewetter. for many years prominent
in musical circles in Berlin. Germany.
To transfer the costume, scenic and me-
chanical equipment from one city to
another. eight sixty-foot baggage cars
are required. while two Arms palace
stock cars are necessary for the horses
and camels used In this spectacle.
10 Massive Undertaking.
from every viewpoint Ben Hur 10
a massive undertaking and necessitates
the remodeling Of nearly every stage on
which 1t is shown. For Marshalltown
want to say a performance will be
given that will live forever in the me1h-
DRY Of those fortunate in witnessing It.
I don't know whether the public 10
aware but 1t 10 Q fact, nevertheless,
that the stage Of the Odeon IL very
good. On 1t performance will be Civ
en- that win equal in every respect the
presentations given on such stages as
the Brandeis theater. Omaha, Illinois
theater. Chicago. or the Willis Wood
theAter. Kansas City. z
Work on The otsss. n
1.-THE work necessarys;on the local
stage consists in increa sing the carry
ing capacity Of the rigging loft in
order to handle the great number Of
scene drops used in the settings Of the
spectacle. The width between the ny
floors will also be enlarged while adj
ditional depth to the stage will be
gained by removing the paint bridge
attached to the rear walls OF the thea
ter. A sub-stage will be built and ar.
ranged under the center Of the main
stage. On this will be set the heavy
treadmills and heavy electrical devices
for the thrilling chariot race scene. The
race itself IL also, run on the sub-stage.
This arrangement removes an enorm-
Gus weight Of scenery from tho stage
proper and permits a rapid handling
of most intricate scene. Patrons can
rest assured that Klaw q Erlanger will
take keen delight In putting forth a
performance that will moro than fulfil
Expectations no matter how high they
have been set.
Merchants to Have Safes.
TN order to make tho. visit Of Ben
Hur' to Marshalltown an event Of civic
Importance q movement has been
started among the principal merchants
to arragne attractive feature sales for
April 3. I ana as an extra incentive
to attract out-of-town patrons. Man
ager Busby IL arranging to advertise
the country about for q radius Of sew
enty-6ve miles. and there 10 no doubt
but hundreds OF strangers VIII come
here to enjoy the play