The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-16
Million Dollar Theatre In Paris is
Held to be the Finest Thing
Of its Kind
YET.
rs DISTINCTLY AMERICAN
Vanderbilt, Morgan, stIIlman and
Others Have Contributed to
the Erection of the
Building.
by William Philip Sims. Paris cor

respondent of the United Press.l
PARIS, March 15.--Under the pat
ronage of ]. Pierpont Morgan, Mrs.
William X. Vanderbilt, James Still
man, Otto H. Kahn and other multi
millionaires, the model playhouse OF
the world will open here April 2.
The new theatre known as the
Theatre des Champs Elysees'' will
cost nearly million dollars when
completed and is situated in the heart
lcf the fashionable Champs Elysees
quarter 1t is believed here that Nor
gan advanced the greater part of the
necessary capital, Mrs. Vanderbilt
and others owning stocks
M. Gabriel Astruc, Paris representa-
tive of the Metropolitan Opera, of
New York, is the founder and director
of the model playhouse, and though
he has not made known the source of
his financial aid in particular he adj
mits that 1t came largely from Amer
lea. He also declares that his archi-
tects not only studied American thea
tres, and copied the best points pos
sessed by them, but his scheme of
| financing and building the worlds
model show shop was entirely Ameri-
can. This fact, he says, enabled him
to build for million dollars a larg.
err and more practical theatre than the
French government was able to con-
struct for nearly two million. And
whereas the Theatre des Champs
Elysees was but two years in building,
the Opera-comique, the state play
playhouse, required seven years.
Other patrons of the theatre are the
queen of Belgium, the grand duchess
Vladimir, the duchess of Genoa, the
prince of Monaco, the crown prince of
Roumania; the Infanta Eulalia. Prince
Ferdinand of Bavaria. the Princess
Murat, the duchess of Portland, the
duchess of Rutland, Lady Ripon, the
Marquise de Ganay, Countess Jean de
Castellane, Countess Grefflilhe, Bar
cness Henri de Rothchild, Sir Ernest
Cassell Due de Camantra, and other
people, socially and financially prom
inent in Europe and America.
There are three distinct parts to the
model playhouse The main auditor
ium, seating 1000 people; a smaller
theatre, absolutely Independent, and
situated directly above the first, seat
ing coo spectators, and an exhibition
hall, for art displays, ETC., at the top.
The structure is of stone, steel and
iron.
Six huge elevators carry the audi
ence TO and from the three balconies
Notwithstanding greater stairway
capacity than in any other theatre In
Paris. The smaller theatre has sep
arate stairs and large elevator In
dependent of the others.
The stage machinery, comprising
the best features found in the most
modern theatres of America, Ger
many, England and Russia, makes it
possible for twenty stage hands to
perform with ease the work of eighty.
Most of the work of scene shifting is
done automatically.
Special passage ways for fremen
are built in the walls, making it pos
sible for firemen to get to any part OF
the house without being seen by the
spectators.
.'Banjo-work'' is entirely eliminated
from the interior to lessen the danger
from germ-6lled dust. Decorations in
oil supplant the usual carvings.
Each spectator will be supplied
with locker for his or her belongings,
thus doing away with the check-room
squabbes and delays, the lockers
bearing numbers corresponding to the
seats.
Every seat will be front seat"
since there is not an obstrcting col
umn in the house.
The orchestra section, seating 500.
has five aisles. The average Paris
playhouse has but one.
Each seat has two arm-rests to pre-
vent polite scrimmages between spec
tators for elbow room on the usual,
solitary one.
There are no stage boxes where talk