The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-01-14

at two tulI meals at each DIV
ting!
Conrad Veidt, now one Of the
leading film stars Of Europe
(outside Of Germany, made his
debut under my direction dur
ing the war in q topical play,
"The Sea Battle" which dealt
with submarine warfare. The
cast comprised only five men
Veidt, Werner Kraus, Herman
Timing, Paul Wegener and
AdOlph Won WinterStein. Be-
cause Of its pacifistic theories
the play was barred to the pub
lie and was given privately, curl
Ously enough, only to the mem
bers Of the Reichstag. 1t was
more Of a political, rather than
theatrical, debut for Veidt.
Veidt subsequently won consid-
cradle fame in a play by the then
little-known Franz Werfel. That
was the beginning Of my friend
ship with the great Austrian play
wright whose The Eternal Road
I am now preparing for its world
premiere in the Manhattan Opera
House in New York.
Herman Timing, Of the ia
nous Timing family, is, / think,
one Of the worlds most flexible
comedians. Yet when he played
with his sister, Helene, in the
HOftheater in Meiningen at the'
beginning Of his career, the
manager, Max Gruber, q leading
theatrical figure, frequently
complained: ct is amazing that
Timing hasn't the slightest
trace of q sense Of humOr. He
should be q business man." Cru
Der lived to see the critics Of
Europe and America acclaim
Timing for his uprOariOuS role
in "The Servant Of Two Mas
terS."
The Salzburg FeStSpielhaus
Community was founded in 1917
for the erection of a theatrical
center where plays would be pro
duced without regard to box
office possibilities. On the .coun-
Gil board besides myself were
Hugo Won Hofmannsthal, Aus,
tria'S most distinguished poet;
Richard Strauss, the composer;
Franz Schalk and Alfred Roller.
With the production of Every
man" in 1920 the annual Salz.
burg Festival was born. Since
then it has transcribed the
purely theatrical and is also pre-.
senting elaborate music festivals.
1t was gratifying to see the
crowds Of culture-loving theater
enthusiasts who came each year
to attend the festivals. Amer
leans were prominent in the
audiences and I recall the Swift
and Hartman families as among
the most devoted. Royalty and
nobility seemed ever present.
Once at a gala given at my
SchloSs at the conclusion of the
festival the brilliant gathering
read like a roll-call Of the AL
manac de Gotha.
London, 1913, saw the world
premiere Of The Miracle" with
Charles COchrane as producer.
Maria Carmi, wife of the au-
thor Of the play, Karl VOIlmOeI-
Ter, and who was to become
later the wife Of Prince Mat
chabelli, played the Madonna.
Lady Diana Manners took. that
role in the Berlin production
and later both appeared in
the New York production in
1924.
When London heard that Olym
pia Hall, dedicated solely to auto
mobile shows and exhibition pur
poses, was to house the great re
ligious play, Cochrane and were
both branded as insane. But il
London was upset by the new and
revolutionary aspects of the
presentation of THE Miracle" is
was calm in comparison to the
tumult that surrounded Morris
GeSt when he came to Salzberg to
arrange for the production OF
'"The Miracle" in New York.
I remember his arrival wildly.
Thanked by a retinue of secre-
tarieS, photographers, newspaper
men and others with some
vague connection with the pro-
ductiOn, he literally burst into
Salzburg. The quiet town and
still quieter SchlOSS were turned
overnight into a SkyScraper Of
activity. Someone calculated
that GeSt made more long dis
lance calls and sent more
cables in one day than the en-
tire community in a year.
My friend, DR.. Rudolph Kom
mer, who was instrumental in
bringing the play to New York
recommended as scenic designer
a young man who was little
known. Skeptical, 1 interviewed
him and spent several days ex
planning the meaning of the play
A few months later he came to
see me in Salzburg-with cases
full Of drawings and still not q