A mericat Pinsk Perla&Cal Carter
CLIPTON AVILNVI - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO
5
'II I E DETR OIT .1 EW IS II l'llItONICLF. an (ITHE LEGAL. CII 120 NI C I. E
"The
most
A
LIVING
SACRIFICE
TO THE
IDOL
MOLOCH:
Amid the frenzied bacch-
analia of a pagan dance,
a virgin is dragged to the
fiery jaws of the idol
Moloch, as the high priest
of Moloch prepares to re.
ceive the sacrifice.
This is only one of a
great many similarly
thrilling and impressive
scenes which mark the
g reat pageant "The Ro
mance of a People,"
opening here at the Olym.
pi• on Monday evening,
April 16.
Artistic Phases of the Pageant "The Romance of a People "
.
By MEYER W. WEISGAL, General Director
A truly democratic theater I epochs. Tile individual actors in
such a production, while of int-
GOOD WILL IS ACHIEVED THROUGH
"THE ROMANCE OF A PEOPLE"
I
eess achieved in Chicago, the spec-
tacle was brought to New York,
where it was presented under the
sponsorship of the New York Daily
News, the largest newspaper in
The histor y of an ancient people, i came a national identity. What
nterpreted t hrough those tragic transpired in those centuries is America, which felt it an honor
teal is definitely aleolisheel and in portance, become merely a unit interpreted
n t ed with s° hist"rie and
tent inomonts of es- part of tht• history of all mankinel to it i he
tt i,f_t:,1,,,, attilighUt.,Ild.(:rithaekint ro. htithh. ettt
,:,t,t,i, n's"ei
on
,,f ,,, tw,h,,,,,, 17,04,,,,,.„,.,,,,,.,,,,I,,,,t,h. The Itlrigiesf
masses dominate the of a large ensemble. A stage had and
which the
eermit
to p of such mass Ii n
" People„ "-n" shown in the lac -
I
il i ' s '
i the musical
age and the auditorium will re- t ton.
f
stag
i i le." their religion.: adrili'ctril'i 'esc lo(feni the " t'est
structure in the nietromilis.
"'rho . movement and a, a consequence tacle, "The. Itomance of a Peol
rho i.hoos of folk songs that heritage of millions of people who lo re than -100,000 people saw the
suit from the. productions Of
do not now profess their faith. That
'
of a People" at Olym- now lighting and amplifi cation have lived threeugh the centuries,
It
1"4""'
" 7' nA rr ee"rd
h an never
of theatrical
gives uniye r ' a l eh atnetee 1.:"; ri "r1,7
Before the ri , fir, of legends that have given i' i what
Problems were created:
I impressiveness
hfiete:r'; in that hit tn i l te
! : 'rod
t hie:,tite., , ,etititettl et'ettittuiihiti tgre:e tei„ cr eituttfitt l tetss alit
'bee .
1 lletwh''' spectacle.
I'"" on A l' Ill In '
f
4
,
of
our
realized
the
scope
In New York, too, the Koehn.-
y
w . w e i sga l, wt• fully
So thinks Meyer
pageant has extileirilinaeY Appeal.
-
rusitth,i;gittt,"rts
executive director "I'. the musical Production we were confronted slides that have created pride in
Through musk, dance. and dra- hi:',tit,,,tit,-a;:ntid'esii.iiiie(i,,it
ov e r
it a r,,..iger,:,, , i
, ;;7 g
a ,,,,,r7,,,,ntiii.,,,u(.,,,_
ii teqteet tet'hxIi
with the task of producing
proluced in this country. Burns
,1:,-.
ii:) ,1, ),:ig1
;,7
1
;i
i„r
na
and drionatic spectacle, W110 eon-
i.,t,,i1.t".,::',,','.:,1,Ttit
ill the annals11?1,0111i1I.:Er
nod i ,.■ . 1 I i:11 ,1,1,1 111,,l :ti.ttI li tilhilitietegtittI v.t
11 ,li ,n , in
I
N
,lhi
i
1
.
American
that
has
no
parallel
the
which
for
art
tfri om its lerith in primeval chaos
ceived the idea of the huge pro- ' 11 "w
. etilkane irain'i..7.
'
duction which created a world's theater Presented no P recedent s" 'Pfee 'll's"ifi'l'it I It IhTsi t eri i ''X'' ' 'of f '
'i ()1 " -antnwrg " l'ussi "" l ' hi >-
h..
"The Romance of a People" is nitte'rn't'::..+.n;1111.1ilundt!'sri,tletirr.ni'i•ITenht(!ialif. I , w
puteet itthe t , r e e 0(1,1,1 tthhi e, majesty at fif el.lif o
"Tht• larger an audience, the
artifieT
and
mooch'of
a
PeoPlee”
rigidIY
avoid-
.
record for attendance andfor size
r
and
histry,
t th
tueit ittt er,„
eetite.t. t :imnhaiitt'he, rtysivt:tit Il l 'ttti. 1.1tut.itite : ie.11 destiny.
ihnahread sitt.y,.r,Th f• tit, tie: : ii hritg, IttI tt.thel
of cast at the Century of Progress more difficult becomes the task of
Developing Community Spirit.
,t,.t. more than
Exposition at Chicago. and then the elireetor. Mr. Isaac Van Grove, dart
general director of 'The Romance lesions, musicians and scenarists, ish people in its mast character-
•" I •
"Thi• Romance lIf a Peo flea
spontaneous
re-
',tie
attitudes.
The
birth
of
mono.
li,l'Ill ililiV 11
frienin-
ill NeW York.
of the dos.- 'ices its 1unique signiticami;
of a People,' recognized the theat- ort.ation of historical fact, owing theism, the formulation
neitional
the
e
tart
(hut
h
it
is
an
enterprise.
de-
t,
tii trines of the vi stotnoarl of
„ sixtycan-
sr .t
Weisgal believes that "'f he Ro-
at
u .ii nel iiwttetr
ri beauty
f
rival axiom- a t theater in time can tortes of ..struggle. disaster
.:
ie to- ;let,
I
.
t
u
'
i
tIfiitri
n
tTiisutrk°
retee!esegrits
t
i
ht!'"ii
ers'e'e‘it'aII
arc il iiilt ie lt
brute
brute mtter—thes art'
1 1811Ce of a People.,prod
1
productionpresent a Play with but two per- umph upon which no dramatist events which are given breathless each city.
For the spectacle is
will have a revolutionary influence,
In4'"'"e' to the Jewish ealendar and imagined ive form in t he yid- built upon a local cast, recruited
According
sonat• driu»atis in the clutches of :null
Ro-
from
among
those
who are t a lented
o
The
on the contemporary American '
mprise "
'.
some inner conflict which ex- reckoning,
sonic six thousand years 'riles which c
and who have the desire to aid a
ed age, Presses itself in subtle dialogue have passed since the Ilelervw•s he- mam'e of a People,"
undertaking,
, worthy uommunal
Origin of the Spectacle.
"Our pageant realizes the dent- and meaningful silences. An open
..,
People " is the
ocratic mass (heater which Ito- air theater surrounded by tens of (vets. These problems are merely, t, When plans were made for the "The Romance of a
'
\thtit
ttt iriutt' h ot Progress Exposition, first major project which succeeds
.
.. ,,
main Rolland dreamed about when th
.
,r eager intellectually emphasized to undt•rline the many ;
N
.lases
In uniting all elements of a coIll Intl-
he wrote his cycle of French
'
eeiitril U'V;.e i ' "tilie wI t' ilit-
a irate and variegated production diflicul- they Might
port rayal of one hundred nity—both in its sponsorship and
`:lei,::.
i
irl
.
,:,'
plays—plays
which
,
i
le
R eVO Illt i111111rY
'l i l e the luxury if del
ties of so huge a production. The "" tt"
its prialuction organization.
1.1::l1Iii,. of American progress. Asa in
no producer brought to the stage tow+ , nor can it ntior' d t( o ' rel axlts
e resu
e_
we achieved at Chicago, ' re sult there
was conceived and Pro- M'orking under outstanding figures
kt unabridged form."
, the tempo of its show for even It and later in New York, and the Iluced "The Romanir of a People, in the musical, dramatic and dime-
"At one time Max Reinhardt fraction of a moment. It must call response of the audience con- which was presented ton Jewish ing world, the huge casts, linkol
planned to give a season of Rol- on all the auxiliaries of modern winced me that the American thea-
by their sympathy for the cause
t i li"eleY i1! etti'll'e.I''sl'-'1•Pi 'irrit Ifn„nr. ererniele 'gellnagy ta"
land's plays in Berlin at the huge dramatic art, music, dancing, mass ter-goer has outgrown the vege- greater number of people than had which benefits from the production,
Cirrus Busch, but financial prob- pantomime, and the latest devices ' tarian dishes of the small sophis- before or had in visited the Ex- are welded into groups likely to
o ught
endure for a long time after the
lems made it impossible," in of lighting to keep up an intense ticatt•l playhouse. catering to a Position. Soldier's Field Dr
t , g.other I35,11(10 people on a single
blase minority.
plained Mr. Weisgal, discussing , pac• of continuous action.
night. At the conclusion of that projec t has been completed. From
movement in which the star sys- .
•
■
The Guild production of the ineniorable pe•rformance, the vast that point of view, "The Romano.
We were faced, for instance,
aWel• t by of a People" is a distinct contrileu-
with the problem of intermission. O'Neill plays, designed as regards audience remained silent,I
tlhatet magnificence of the conception lion to civic-mindedness as well as
production. The sho w was re-
"In Chkago, at Soldier Field. It was found impractical, the risk the element Of time on a generous a
we threw overboard all theatrical . being too great to destroy in the scone, would have gained tremen- pealed for a second night under the t" artistic , nok ( • • •
In Chiego, 3,000 young men and
'
dourly if they could have had the sponsorship of the Chicago Tribune
.
t r aditions as to dimt•tisions and' Intel ruption the 1110041 of the
more visited
i
Sold- women portrayed the incident. of
setting of a huge open-air theatri- ttni1,65(1,1.1111
spec-=rain
car-
In a (l
technical limitations.
tees le will, brought there by the
It cal arena. It would be able to
the pageant. In New York, 6,200
l so laboriously built up.
unprecedented praise of laymen
lain sense we were compelled to ,
.
do to because our scenario depicts
, also brought up the problem of project the true grandeur of and particularly of critics who were actors, dancers and singers were
greatest east the
history, not through the tribula- 'change of scenery which, in the O'Neill's vision and liberate his unanimous in proclaiming "The Ito- re..ruited into the
e a i l,,,,, , . '1'i,`;',T,I,e; ( ' ht. e.. . rn .(s
- t wort I has ote r , e. en. The massive-
t
lions of individuals, but paints on 1 absence of intermissions, have to dramatic creation from the all too mans
it - mess of the Production requires
'
' '
a regulation messed in the 7 city.
a huge canvass the life of nations ' he 111 8,11. during the performance narrow confines ed.
(Turn to page 291
I
Spurred on by the unique sue-
and the significance of historical I with the help of skillful light of-; size stage.
the di tectot i al aspects of "The
Romance of a People."
•
4