The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-02-17
The Gate-Post
By FRANK .BAER

Another theater record has
been shattered
Advance sales have come and
gone, but the line extending from
the box office of the National
Theater from Tin the morning
until 8 at night never once dur
ing the day permitted it's end to
get within the bounds of the
lobby.
All dav long this human tape
with umbrellas and turned-up
overcoat collars thrown in-main.
tanned a patient existence.
One box-office ticket -juggler
stood duty for nine hours, and
at 6 o'clock last night, Harry
Rapley, owner of the National
betook himself to a waiting bank
accompanied by two armed
guards-with the greatest cash
on-Fand in advance of -production-
opening in the history Of the
theater.
This inflow of money at the
National by eager Ziegfeld and
Friml fans, happened to be for
tickets to see The Three Mus
keteers," the new Dennis King
starring operetta by Mcguire,
Wodehouse. Grey and Friml. The
production has its world premiere
here on Tuesday. February 81.
with a supporting cast that in
c1udes Lester Allen. Vivienne
Segal. Reginald Owen, Vivienne
Osborne. Yvonne D'Arle and the
famous Alhertina Rasch ballet.
Mr.. Rapley, in commenting
upon the new advance.sale money
record, stated that the previous
record had been held by The
Merry Wives of Windsor" the
George Tyler revival In all-star
cast terms.
Incidentally, the Ziegfeld operetta
will jump 10 Palm Beach for a.
single performance, following the
Washington premiere week. The
proceeds will go to the Good Sa-
maritan Hospital the institution
for which Ziegfeld gave Palm
Beach Nights" production benefit
two years ago.
TO get the company to Palm
Beach and back to New York will
cost $4,000 in rail fares, and five
days will be consumed in making
the Jump J. Leonard Replogle,
Edward F. Hutton, John @. King
and A. j. Drexel Biddle, jr.. all of
the big dough clan" are arrang-
ing the matter with Ziegfeld in
New York this week.
The company of 200 people ar
rives here on Sunday afternoon
for several dress rehearsals in adj
vance of the premiere, and two of
the authors, Mcclure and Rudolph
icrh
OF Ziegfeld. / am convinced of
this. He is the most aStute and
genuinely intelligent producer in
America. A man who has studied
the construction and production of
musical plays for 20 years, bring
ing to his every creation and re-
search an inherent skill compar-
able to that Of no other impresarlo
in the length and breadth Of the
land.
No other fellow in the mana
gerial field understands the fixa-
ton of beauty for pictorial mag
nificence quite so well. No other
fellow goes into the open marts
of talent. dress, background and
melody with as discerning an
eye and ear.
He explains, in interview, moth
ing. / once talked with him in
stuffy little office for several
hours. We were alone; he was
casual, friendly, retrospective. He
pretends to nothing save a great
natural love Of beauty-eVery
conceivable kind. He admits he
isn't an oracle, and he does big
musical plays on Babylonic
scale because he Just can't heir
himself" He added: 1--WE got tc
do it; it's in my blood; / pro
duce as madly in love with my
subject as Edison is with kilo
watts"
A big fellow? Decidedly, but
something Of an enigma at that