Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-08
WORDS BY GILBERT SWAN.
Sketches by George Clark.

T Is late in the morning.
Just outside in Broadway the lunch
crowd is beginning to Scurry about In
search of handy eating places.
- Within the venerable walls of the
Metropolitan Opera House the old-fashioned
glitter is lost in blackness After time 1t
seems to become a yawning giant, with the
famous diamond horseshoe" as the lower jaw.
Only the stage is lighted. There is work
aday barrenness about it. A few props have
taken the place of the usually elaborate stage
SETS The props do not match. Upon one small
section of the stage Is mountain cave and a
square which win one day become the well in
1.-THE Sunken Bell" Left stage is a Western
cabin, only partially built. 1t is a fragment
from THE Girl of the Golden West"
The whole scene is as completely stripped
of illusion as a chorus girl without her
makeup.
It is rehearsal time at the "Met"-that shrine
of musical tradition in America. The scatter
ing of sets is made necessary by the fact that
several operas are to be rehearSed before the
linnousines draw up; before the lights give
sparkling glamour to the curve of gilt boxes; be-
fore the hypnotics of costume, makeup and
costume casting their spell over vast
crowd which SwellS from the first row to the
topmost gallery.
But at rehearsal time all the suggestion of
crowds and romance are gone. The background
of the Met" is blotted out by great patches of
shadows.
THE orchestra pit seems, somehow, like
semi-circle of misty lights in a fog. Only
the director stands out. thanks to particularly
large flood" lamp which makes it possible
for the musicians to watch his baton in the
half light Of the surroundings.
Perched upon his box, the director-stripped
of his magic wand and his rapt expression
Nfrknt Aa H1Sr
course. He is wearing an ornately figured golf
sweater. A large handkerchief is In his left
hand and from time to time he stops to wipe
the perspiration from his face. Half the or
chestra has discarded coats and sits playing in
shirt sleeves and SuspenderS
This atmosphere of hard work jumps the or
chestra pit and floods over on the stage.
The hard-working tenor wears a double
breasted business suit. He is partly bald; his
hair fringes the barren spot in the shapesof the
golden horseshoe of the theater. For half an
hour he has been going patiently through the
same scene, buttoning and unbuttoning the
coat which fits tightly a bullying waist
line.
There is a general robustness about all the
performers, who cross and recroSs the barren
backstage. A tall slender man, who turns out
to be the stage director, walks silently along
gangplank which falls out into the audience.
Now and then he hurTiedly rushes onStage to
make suggestions. In his wake run a couple of
prop" boys carrying Grapes. Like picadors at
bull fight they wave their Grapes about ready
to drop them when the tenor falls to his knees
before robust lady in street suit
Backstage Jeritza walks past, with her kit
ten and two dolls She generally arrives at
rehearsals leading tiny kitten. Each year it's
a new one. Don't ask why
Backstage, too, stands Martinelli, with a
shock of hair such as is to be found nowhere
else land or sea.
Nine. Rethberg, who happens to be the
blonde lady in the street dress, finds little in
spiration at rehearsaIs. She needs the billow-