Evening star., 1931-12-07

scenes is concentration and silence. The
actors in the play will not seek ap-
| plause.
The curtain rises at pm. The audi
ence will extend from the Atlantic to
the Pacific and from Canada's snow
capped mountains to the sunny Gulf
| of Mexico. 1t will be even greater than
| that, because the play will also be
| heard by millions across the Atlantic
and beyond the Pacific.
The Battle of One Thousand and
One Hands" is written in 20 acts and
| $50 scenes. The act represents a ses-
sion of play The scene is a symbol
for rubber bridge.
In these statistics, am not adding
the private scenes which may from
time to time occur between the mem-
bers of the all-star cast or interested
kibitzers. You all know about bridge
games.
Difficult for Lady Luck.
The battle of one thousand and one
hands has this in common with ancient
Greek tragedy. In the background
hover the fates, but lady luck after all
cannot survive the long siege of $50
rubbers Of bridge. Scientists tell us that
the chances that one side or the other
will hold even Sd per cent. of the aces
and kings is extremely remote. The
outcome of the drama then, will not
rest upon these insignificant stage
properties, but the use the actors make
of them.
Each session or each act, to carry
out the simile, will last at least five
hours. Thus the drama of one thou
sand and one hands is modelled after
the Chinese theater, where the presen-
tation OF play covers several weeks.
The scene shifters will include re-
porters, special correspondents from
American and European newspapers,
bell boys, telegraph operators, Army
officials, porters, maitre d'hotel, ste
nographers, social and executive secre-
taries, editors, book publishers, presi-
dents and magazine publishers, all
contributing their part to making the
play a success.
The unseen audience of countless
millions will include many whose
knowledge of bridge is no more than
the ability to name it.
Wires Are Installed.
In order that this audience NAV re-
ceive complete and accurate informa-
tion as to the developments of this
bridge drama, telegraph wires have
been installed on the stage, manned
with Morse operators who also know
the peculiar terminology used In
bridge and have at their fingers ends
thorough understanding Of bridge
idioms
The an-star cast of the play includes:
Ely Culbertson writer, publisher,
lover and student, since childhood, of
cards in all their ramifcations. Born
in 1891 of an American father (n1ining
engineer), Russian mother daughter of
a Cossack chieftan), in the oil fields of
Roumania. Son of the American Revo-
luton. Early education in the Caucasus,
Russia. Later In European universities
preparing for sociological and philo-
sophical sciences-to discover eventually
that there is no such thing. Thanks to
the Bolsheviks and their appropriation
procliv1ties, returned to his native coun-
try equipped with nothing except a
broken accent Taught French, plotted
with Russian monarchists in Harlem.
managed (unsuccessfully) his brother
Sasha Culbertson. a well-known violin
ist, played auction at Frank Marshalls
Club in Greenwich Village (one-tenth
OF one cent per point, still studied
Spinoza.
Came bridge-as movie scenarists