Page 188 - 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. 188
opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama
The show starts with two pageboys in red and white opening the
curtain and Guszti Pártos, the master of ceremonies announce
the performers. [...] After the introduction [...] the company left the
stage to make space for the English girls, wearing white capes and
white caps perform a nice English song. Suddenly the cape is gone
and the English girls are [...] standing there in a fantastic Hungar
ian dress. [...] Here, after a short intermezzo, a revue drill starts
moving (just like the Moulin Rouge) and the audience applauds
for the double act of Teri Fejes and Tibor Halmai. [...] The stage be
comes dark and 60 heads appear above each other in four rows,
illum inated with mystical lights. Rows appear and disappear ac
cording to the rhythm. [...] Irén Biller appears in a red wig on the
side of Haskell’s wicked English dancer, Albert Wyne and 12 girls.
[...] A short sketch follows with Gergő Mály and Aladár Sarkadi. In
the meantime they build the haystack, while the bon vivant of the
theatre Tolnai performs a song and the haystack is filled with black
haired girls in red skirts. [...] A short sketch in front of the curtain.
[...] Erzsi Péchy’s beautiful song with the rococo lamp, Tibor Hal
mai and the Indian [oriental] scene [...] the Niagara Falls, which
bursts down the huge rocks of the stage [...]. [after the break] Next
is the artistic Indian [native American] scene [...]. Two charming
English girls with a banjo, then a hit song: Rózsabokorban terem
a nő ... the prehistoric fun, the wonderful Hawaii-scene with Bill
er ... Mály, Sarkadi and the Hungarian speaking English girl ... fol
lowed by Biller and Halmay with the hit Katóka, légy a babám [...]
a great Békeffi monologue then the Chinese scene with living vas
es and E rzsi Péchy, and finally the top of Mr. Haskell’s training sci
ence, the ladder scene with its flowing enchanting beauty.29
Three types of scenes followed each other in a particular order. Ma-
jor chorus scenes (lebenden Bilder; tableaux vivants) with the complete en-
semble appeared in key positions, at the opening and end of acts; small-
er dance scenes and comic sketches on the forestage were placed carefully
to provide time for the 20 quick changes in the show and maintain a flow-
ing experience for the audience. Overall, it was a strategic mix of both cos-
mopolitan and Hungarian themes. The opening resembled a classic circus
29 Anon., “Mi történik a Halló, Amerikában?” [What is in Halló, Amerika?], Színházi
Élet XV, no. 7 (15–21 February 1925): 16–21, https://epa.oszk.hu/02300/02343/00549/
pdf/.
186
The show starts with two pageboys in red and white opening the
curtain and Guszti Pártos, the master of ceremonies announce
the performers. [...] After the introduction [...] the company left the
stage to make space for the English girls, wearing white capes and
white caps perform a nice English song. Suddenly the cape is gone
and the English girls are [...] standing there in a fantastic Hungar
ian dress. [...] Here, after a short intermezzo, a revue drill starts
moving (just like the Moulin Rouge) and the audience applauds
for the double act of Teri Fejes and Tibor Halmai. [...] The stage be
comes dark and 60 heads appear above each other in four rows,
illum inated with mystical lights. Rows appear and disappear ac
cording to the rhythm. [...] Irén Biller appears in a red wig on the
side of Haskell’s wicked English dancer, Albert Wyne and 12 girls.
[...] A short sketch follows with Gergő Mály and Aladár Sarkadi. In
the meantime they build the haystack, while the bon vivant of the
theatre Tolnai performs a song and the haystack is filled with black
haired girls in red skirts. [...] A short sketch in front of the curtain.
[...] Erzsi Péchy’s beautiful song with the rococo lamp, Tibor Hal
mai and the Indian [oriental] scene [...] the Niagara Falls, which
bursts down the huge rocks of the stage [...]. [after the break] Next
is the artistic Indian [native American] scene [...]. Two charming
English girls with a banjo, then a hit song: Rózsabokorban terem
a nő ... the prehistoric fun, the wonderful Hawaii-scene with Bill
er ... Mály, Sarkadi and the Hungarian speaking English girl ... fol
lowed by Biller and Halmay with the hit Katóka, légy a babám [...]
a great Békeffi monologue then the Chinese scene with living vas
es and E rzsi Péchy, and finally the top of Mr. Haskell’s training sci
ence, the ladder scene with its flowing enchanting beauty.29
Three types of scenes followed each other in a particular order. Ma-
jor chorus scenes (lebenden Bilder; tableaux vivants) with the complete en-
semble appeared in key positions, at the opening and end of acts; small-
er dance scenes and comic sketches on the forestage were placed carefully
to provide time for the 20 quick changes in the show and maintain a flow-
ing experience for the audience. Overall, it was a strategic mix of both cos-
mopolitan and Hungarian themes. The opening resembled a classic circus
29 Anon., “Mi történik a Halló, Amerikában?” [What is in Halló, Amerika?], Színházi
Élet XV, no. 7 (15–21 February 1925): 16–21, https://epa.oszk.hu/02300/02343/00549/
pdf/.
186
