Page 199 - 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
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288 metres of velvet, 16 pairs of shoes, 12 yellow top hats, 5 bathtubs ...
ence attending opening night sorted by the colour of their gowns.75 Among
them and their company we find aristocrats (from the Sacelláry, Borne-
missza, Kohner families), members of the Budapest art scene (Béla Zerko-
vitz, the operetta composer; an unidentified relative of the late Viktor Jac-
obi; the poet Simon Kemény; Nagy Bella, the second wife of the late writer
Mór Jókai; the actress Lili Darvas, who a year later married the famous
playwright, Ferenc Molnár; the Gombaszögi sisters, Frida and Irén; Rózsi
Ilosvay, both actresses) and several members of the economic elite. Count
Gyula Csekonics supposedly saw the show 65 times,76 and certain aristocrat
clubs also bought tickets for multiple evenings.77 Since the show did not de-
pend primarily on language, it was suitable for foreigners too: during their
stay in Budapest, the Czech football team78 and the foreign and provincial
visitors of the Budapest International Fair also saw the show. 79 Many visi-
tors came from the Hungarian provinces, who if they spent a night in town
attempted to get a ticket for the spectacle.80 The management calculated
that 150 full houses would be necessary just to recoup their investment, but
only the first 30 performances were full.81 On 3 March, new rehearsals were
launched to insert 10 new scenes82 to refresh the show (as was originally
planned after the 50th performance). Plans were made to stage a new show,
Halló, Budapest! a “completely Budapest revue” consisting of the newly re-
hearsed scenes (directed by Ernő Szabolcs with songs by Béla Zerkovitz),83
but Ben Blumenthal stopped the production. After the 75th performance (16
April) the show ran only with 60–70 % houses84 and reached its 100th per-
formance.85 Ticket sales went down, so much so that for the last four perfor-
mances prices were reduced and even a fashion show was incorporated to
75 Madelaine, “Kik voltak ott a Halló, Amerika! premierjén?” [Who attended the open-
ing night of Halló, Amerika!?], Színházi Élet XV, no. 6 (8–14 February 1925): 18–9,
https://epa.oszk.hu/02300/02343/00548/pdf/.
76 Színházi Élet XV, no. 21 (24–30 May 1925): 32, https://epa.oszk.hu/02300/02343/00563/
pdf/.
77 A Nép, February 15, 1925.
78 Nemzeti Sport, April 11, 1925.
79 Budapesti Hírlap, April 21, 1925.
80 “The auditorium of Halló, Amerika! looks these days as if there was a smallholder
gathering in the world of velvet seats. Every smallholder who came to the city for the
livestock-market watches the show [...].” Esti Kurír, March 24, 1925.
81 Esti Kurír, April 12, 1925.
82 Esti Kurír, March 24, 1925.
83 Magyarország, May 1, 1925.
84 Imre Roboz’s letter to Jack Haskell, April 22, 1925. OSZT SzT Irattár 374.
85 Budapesti Hírlap, May 9, 1925.
197
ence attending opening night sorted by the colour of their gowns.75 Among
them and their company we find aristocrats (from the Sacelláry, Borne-
missza, Kohner families), members of the Budapest art scene (Béla Zerko-
vitz, the operetta composer; an unidentified relative of the late Viktor Jac-
obi; the poet Simon Kemény; Nagy Bella, the second wife of the late writer
Mór Jókai; the actress Lili Darvas, who a year later married the famous
playwright, Ferenc Molnár; the Gombaszögi sisters, Frida and Irén; Rózsi
Ilosvay, both actresses) and several members of the economic elite. Count
Gyula Csekonics supposedly saw the show 65 times,76 and certain aristocrat
clubs also bought tickets for multiple evenings.77 Since the show did not de-
pend primarily on language, it was suitable for foreigners too: during their
stay in Budapest, the Czech football team78 and the foreign and provincial
visitors of the Budapest International Fair also saw the show. 79 Many visi-
tors came from the Hungarian provinces, who if they spent a night in town
attempted to get a ticket for the spectacle.80 The management calculated
that 150 full houses would be necessary just to recoup their investment, but
only the first 30 performances were full.81 On 3 March, new rehearsals were
launched to insert 10 new scenes82 to refresh the show (as was originally
planned after the 50th performance). Plans were made to stage a new show,
Halló, Budapest! a “completely Budapest revue” consisting of the newly re-
hearsed scenes (directed by Ernő Szabolcs with songs by Béla Zerkovitz),83
but Ben Blumenthal stopped the production. After the 75th performance (16
April) the show ran only with 60–70 % houses84 and reached its 100th per-
formance.85 Ticket sales went down, so much so that for the last four perfor-
mances prices were reduced and even a fashion show was incorporated to
75 Madelaine, “Kik voltak ott a Halló, Amerika! premierjén?” [Who attended the open-
ing night of Halló, Amerika!?], Színházi Élet XV, no. 6 (8–14 February 1925): 18–9,
https://epa.oszk.hu/02300/02343/00548/pdf/.
76 Színházi Élet XV, no. 21 (24–30 May 1925): 32, https://epa.oszk.hu/02300/02343/00563/
pdf/.
77 A Nép, February 15, 1925.
78 Nemzeti Sport, April 11, 1925.
79 Budapesti Hírlap, April 21, 1925.
80 “The auditorium of Halló, Amerika! looks these days as if there was a smallholder
gathering in the world of velvet seats. Every smallholder who came to the city for the
livestock-market watches the show [...].” Esti Kurír, March 24, 1925.
81 Esti Kurír, April 12, 1925.
82 Esti Kurír, March 24, 1925.
83 Magyarország, May 1, 1925.
84 Imre Roboz’s letter to Jack Haskell, April 22, 1925. OSZT SzT Irattár 374.
85 Budapesti Hírlap, May 9, 1925.
197
