Page 190 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
P. 190
opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama
finale. Béla Zerkovitz, who was commissioned to compose music for the
next revue following Halló, Amerika! complained:
My job is difficult enough, because here are Irén Biller [the lead-
ing lady] and Tibor Halmay [the leading man] who hardly meet
on stage, but according to local taste, their duets shall dominate the
show.32
The show was split into two acts while Central European operettas
traditionally had three.33 Not delivering greeting cables during a perfor-
mance34 was a relatively harmless difference between the two theatre cul-
tures, but led to a confrontation behind the scenes on opening night. It
wasn’t the only one. The Hungarian actors protested against not repeat-
ing successful scenes and songs, which used to be a common practice. Ac-
cording to the American approach, repetition interferes with the tempo of
the spectacular; and if anyone wanted to see a particular scene again then
he should simply buy another ticket. The leading man, Tibor Halmay con-
fronted the management on opening night, because he was not allowed to
take extra bows, and, according to the reports, due to the intense debate
that ensued both Erzsi Péchy and Ernő Szabolcs both fainted.35
Regarding scenography, the staging had a major novelty for the Hun-
garian audience. Several scenes were organised using a vertical approach
(unlike traditional horizon-dominated sets), such as the Night Sky-scene36
or Giant Lady-scene:
The crinoline-scene starts with the little Polette Mészáros who en
ters, stands in the middle of the stage and – as Mr. Haskell instructs
32 Magyarország, April 8, 1925.
33 It was a transitional period: the 1928 Király Színház production of J’aime by Henri
Christine was restructured from three into two acts during its run. Magyarország,
June 5, 1928.
34 “The English custom is that relatives, friends and fans of the performers and even per
formers among themselves send their best wishes on opening night by cable. Imagine
the horror of the porter, who according to the old Hungarian custom, is not allowed
to deliver cables during the show, only if they’re done on stage. Here people send only
cables when something terrible happened and this custom is supposed to defend the
recipient, at least for the time while he’s on stage.” Anon., “Maga csak tudja” [You
just know], Színházi Élet XV, no. 6 (8–14 February 1925): 28–30, https://epa.oszk.
hu/02300/02343/00548/pdf/.
35 Magyarság, February 1, 1925.
36 “A black velvet curtain falls, and according to the beat, all of the Hungarian and Amer
ican girl heads appear [on the same vertical line].” Az Ujság, January 28, 1925.
188
finale. Béla Zerkovitz, who was commissioned to compose music for the
next revue following Halló, Amerika! complained:
My job is difficult enough, because here are Irén Biller [the lead-
ing lady] and Tibor Halmay [the leading man] who hardly meet
on stage, but according to local taste, their duets shall dominate the
show.32
The show was split into two acts while Central European operettas
traditionally had three.33 Not delivering greeting cables during a perfor-
mance34 was a relatively harmless difference between the two theatre cul-
tures, but led to a confrontation behind the scenes on opening night. It
wasn’t the only one. The Hungarian actors protested against not repeat-
ing successful scenes and songs, which used to be a common practice. Ac-
cording to the American approach, repetition interferes with the tempo of
the spectacular; and if anyone wanted to see a particular scene again then
he should simply buy another ticket. The leading man, Tibor Halmay con-
fronted the management on opening night, because he was not allowed to
take extra bows, and, according to the reports, due to the intense debate
that ensued both Erzsi Péchy and Ernő Szabolcs both fainted.35
Regarding scenography, the staging had a major novelty for the Hun-
garian audience. Several scenes were organised using a vertical approach
(unlike traditional horizon-dominated sets), such as the Night Sky-scene36
or Giant Lady-scene:
The crinoline-scene starts with the little Polette Mészáros who en
ters, stands in the middle of the stage and – as Mr. Haskell instructs
32 Magyarország, April 8, 1925.
33 It was a transitional period: the 1928 Király Színház production of J’aime by Henri
Christine was restructured from three into two acts during its run. Magyarország,
June 5, 1928.
34 “The English custom is that relatives, friends and fans of the performers and even per
formers among themselves send their best wishes on opening night by cable. Imagine
the horror of the porter, who according to the old Hungarian custom, is not allowed
to deliver cables during the show, only if they’re done on stage. Here people send only
cables when something terrible happened and this custom is supposed to defend the
recipient, at least for the time while he’s on stage.” Anon., “Maga csak tudja” [You
just know], Színházi Élet XV, no. 6 (8–14 February 1925): 28–30, https://epa.oszk.
hu/02300/02343/00548/pdf/.
35 Magyarság, February 1, 1925.
36 “A black velvet curtain falls, and according to the beat, all of the Hungarian and Amer
ican girl heads appear [on the same vertical line].” Az Ujság, January 28, 1925.
188
