The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-08-13
j. 8. MUSICIAN
APPLAUDED IN
BERLIN
operetta Composed by Hans
Lime, American, Is Popular
in German Capital.

BERLIN, Aug. 13.-Hans Lime
American citizen, has musical Berlin
by the ears. He has carried whole
shipload of Goals to Newcastle ana
beaten the Germans at their OWL
game.
For years and years Hans Linns
welded the baton in the orchestra
pits Of theaters from Boston 10 Los
Angeles, dreaming of a day when
some other conductor would be di
recting an orchestra playing his com
positions. That day has arrived, but
Lime had to come to Germany, the
birthplace of music, to have his
dream come true.
His operetta, "Die Schone Ri
valin" c'The Pretty Rivalry, written
and produced by him, is the sensa-
tional hit Of the theatrical season
here. Schubert and Strauss have
been forgotten end everywhere, on
the streets, in the restaurants, and
in the homes the haunting, lifting
strains of this American operetta,
the first ever to have a premier in
Germany, are heard.
Lime is an Austrian by birth, and
a naturalized American since 1896.
For ten years prior to last August
he lived in Los Angeles, and there
learned how TO make the eagle
scream in true California style.
When he was a young man, Hans
Lime conducted an orchestra in
Hamburg. Back in 1891, Gustave
Amberg, an American impressario,
took him to New York, where for
several months he conducted the or
chestra at the Irving Place Theater.
Later he conducted at the old Ter
race Garden, and then came the
worlds fair in Chicago. Lime had
his own orchestra at the fair grounds
and when the fair closed he gave
recitals in every town of importance
in the Middle West
One day Henry w. Savage offer
ed him a job as musical director Of
the first of the sensationally sue
cessful operettas, 1.-THE Merry
Widow" Then followed years Of
conducting long engagements in New
York, followed by longer months on
the road, and always Hans Lime
dreamed of the operetta that he him.
self would compose.
Led Los Angeles Orchestra.
In 1912 Lime found himself in
San Francisco and year later in
Los Angeles. There the guarantors
of the Peoples Symphony Orchestra
made him an offer, and he became
it's conductor. Then Sid Grammar,
the motion picture king of Los An
geles, placed him in charge of the
musical end of his theaters.
Z Lime remained with Grammar un-
til a year ago. Then he came direct
to Berlin. He had no plans. He was
just going to rest. Within two
months he had completed "Die
Schone Rivalin," and he thought so
well of it that he decided to produce
it himself. He wanted it clean and
he wanted it full of pep" woefully
lacking in musical offerings of the
lighter variety here. He was laugh
ed to scorn by everyone to whom he
talked.
Theaters last February were
scarcer in Berlin than in New York
or than the proverbial hens teeth.
Every one of the forty-odd was &C.
cupied. Finally he succeeded in
buying off the attraction that was
playing at the Nollendorf PIatz The
alter, a good-siZed house, but far
from the night life of the city. To
get the house, Lime had to sign a
six months lease and deposit the
rent for the last two months in a
bank.
1.-THE crazy American" they called
him, and even the actors made him
Fay in advance.
Made Girls Wear Stockings.
Possibly the biggest laugh of all
was raised when Lime insisted that
the ladies Of the chorus must wear
stockings. Such a proposition was
unheard of. The neither limbs of the
ladies of the chorus in all Berlin oper-
ettas appear exactly as God made
them. But, very well, they said
They would wear stockings, but they
would have to be provided by the
management and the management
would also have to provide some per-
son to put them or and remove them
after each performance. With a
chorus of twenty-four and seven prin-
cipals, the American producer was
compelled to provide a crew of eleven
'dressers," whose sole duties consist
of putting on and removing the
stockings of the chorus girls.
This was only one of scores of dis
couragements that Lime encoun-
tered before that memorable first
night last March, when ode Schone
RiValin" was given it's premier.
The premier was attended by every
one of Importance in Berlin. Most
came to scott. But before the first
act was over the success Of ode
Schone Rivalin" was assured. Usu-
ally, on first nights Of operettas in
Berlin, the audience, or rather the
greater part of it, leaves at the end
of the second act. But everyone re-
NAMED to see the finish Of this in
novation by 1.-The crazy American"
And the amazing part Of it all was
that they liked it,
Ever since the opening night die
Schone Rivalin" has played to ca
paclty, and there is every reason to
believe that it will continue to do so
until Linne's lease expires, the first
OF September. Meantime other COM
panies are being gotten ready to
tour the provinces, and when the
original company closes it's season
here 1t will be taken to Vienna.
where it expects to remain for an
other six months.
POLICE DRIVE OPENS ON