TTTK OMAHA SUNDAY HKK: SEPTKMRER 2fi. lf00.
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True Story of How "Paprika Schnitzel" Came to Be a Show
1 11
RFD P A F F K N R A T II
started It, and in a large
measure la more to blame
than anyone else con
nected with the whole af
fair. Of course, this may
seem like cowardly eva
sion of personal responsi
bility, yet the position is
assumed with due respect
for most llluBtrloua prece
dent. If you will go back
as far as the Garden of
NIB'S NECK.
Eden you will find that the paternal
parent of the human family evaded his
own share in the disaster In much the
same way. Adam laid It onto Eve be
cause she couldn't kick, and Paffenrath
Is so deep in the hole that we might as
will stick him for the whole Bhootlng
match and have it over with.
It all began in a little private dining
room one afternoon, when the snow lay
deep on the ground, and seven men
more or less interested in Ak-Sar-lien
met around a table on which there was
something to eat, and something to
smoke, and where a waiter could easily
get'in with something to drink. The
debate that followed around that board
would have been of immense value if It
only cni'Ul have been preserved to his
tory. Seven wen sat together at that
luncheon, and when it broke up it had
developed thi't there were seven irre
vocably fixed ideas as to what the next
show would do, and an outsider might
have thought that seven long friend
ships had been hopelessly sundered. At
least, some of the language used and
some of the threats made would have
warranted such a conclusion.
Paffenrath called the meeting because he was full of
the notion. Gould Dietz was called in because it was
desirable to stick the boa.d of governors for the price of
the lunch. Gus Renze was brought along for the reason
that some time during the game everybody has to see
Gus. "Dad" Weaver wad there, because no one knew at
that time he was going to jump the game and go to Kan
sas City. McCullough was there because Paffenrath and
Weaver thought they might hurt his feelings if they
didn't ask him to
come in, and George
West was there be
cause his long ex
perience has made
him sort of dean of
the guild. Each of
this sextette Is per
fectly gentle and
tractable, when he
has his own way,
but neither of them
was ever known to
agree with anyone
else as to anything.
Prof. Kratz was also
present, but he was
so thoroughly
abashed by the lan
guage he heard and
the demeanor as
sumed at one time
around the board
that his presence
'hardly counted. But
the seed was sown
and the Paffenrath Idea took root that day and flourished
even beyond the hopes of any of those present. This
was some time later, because n( further consultation
was held, and no general session of this august body has ,
ever been convened since. The next debate occurred in
most pretentious comic operas of today have anything to
excel the measures written for "Paprika Schnitzel,"
while not a few fall far below the standard set by Prof.
Kratz.
After the score had been fitted to the words, or the
words fitted to the score, came the real task, that of fit
ting players and singers. To give a grand opera at the
Den was the most ambitious project ever undertaken.
The Initiation had for several years been growing more
and more in the direction of a dia
matlc performance, but this was a
leap far In advance. It required
much Infusion of new blood Into the
woAing force. Ak-Sar-B?n already
had a splendid
organization of
willing workers,
many of whom
had developed
decided dramatic
ability, but none,
so far as known,
possessed any ca
pacity as singers.
But the Job had
been undertaken
and there waa
only one thing to
do, and that waa
to go through
with It, and here
is where Paffen
rath comes in
again.
One attempt
after another wa9
made to suit the
singers to the
part Intended,
and many re-
. hearsals with
JENNIE. THE PBOORAM GIRL, AND ,
HER PIRATE LOVER-NOTE THE miscast prlncl-
YKLLOW RIBBON AROUNU J.in- and unquali
fied chorus men
were had until it looked as though the affair waa to be
dne monumental failure. Then Paffenrath, full of the
zeal and confidence of a beginner, assumed the onerous
task of director and stage manager, and what he did to
' i " ,imtwf IPJ
,4
rAPRIKA AND CUPID.
the laugh.
from the very Jump-oft. Jack Alvord couldn't have put
his resonant baritone to better uses than be did this slim
mer, and as the agent for Captain Ktdd he has scored a
lasting hit. Several enthusiastic young persons were
given an opportunity to try out as the burgomaster, the
oldest inhabitant and the night watchman, but it was
not until practically time to raise the curtain thr.t Vance
was discovered to be the man wanted for the burgomas
ter and Hamilton disclosed that wonderful adaptability
that has made him the prefect proto
type of the oldest Inhabitant. This
pnlr so nearly realized the idea that
the parts might be said to have been
written for them. August Miller
took hold of tn night watchman job
so readily that
one might easily
imagine him to
be t tie reincarna
tion of some
mediaeval con
stable who went
abo'U the streets
after nightfall,
disturbing the
slumbers of the
peaceful burgh
ers and assuring
them that The
night was dark
and stormy, but
all was well
within the city.
Miller added the
little touches so
essential to fit
the 8 o'clock
condition to the
mediaeval situa
tion that his per
formance never
failed to bring
Bob Manley, Ben Cotton, Oscar Lleben,
Frank McShane, Alec Reed, John Lund and Charlie Kar
bach came along as after-thoughts, but each made good
- '-1
TWO OF THE IIUSTLINQ KIDS.
in the part assigned him, and
" ' ;'' 4:' r
MAN EATERS.
the whole affair
ia history now.
He turned the
cast upside down
and the company
inside out. He
took over the In
complete libretto
and, with able
strokes of his
typ ewrlter,
knocked off the
rough corners,
smoothed out the
ragged gaps and
filled in with well
chosen words,
carefully selected
Jokes and witti
cisms of the rar
est sort, until he
produced a book
that was well
worth the money.
When he got
through he had
m a nuscrlpt
enough for two,
or perhaps three,
comic operas. Ap
parently he did
not know how
easy t was until
he got under
headway. Then he had to work overtime to get the
thing back to something like decent time limits. After
W FRED PAFl'ENRATH jS5rH V V 'h?
Ssr-r-tn LEE aVtRATZ 1
CO MPOSER
Gus' private of
If you have never
to get Into execu
Gus on the show
bly Imagine what
Gus is us full of
of fleas, and the
catch as the oth
times they are as
elusive. But th
all worked, toget
example, during
forenoon session,
the writer were
same time, the
rika Schnitzel,"
the torrent of
gant and expres
from Gus, and
It would not lnte
count the various
steps, but finally
zel" had beeu
and music. And
to stop right here
served tribute to
ago demonstrated
ttOUgS,
,
UjjJ
THE GUIDE.
the composer,
his ability as
but no one else knew that
could write music for an opera. The
primal object of the opera in this
case whs to de
lude trie unsus
liecting listener
find make hlra
think he was
about to hear or
fee something
that did not
transpire, and
the music pro
X ided by Prof.
Kratz was of
such quality as
Elost perfectly
accomplished the
object. His score,
from first to last,
is thoroughly
worthy of the
THE F1R.ST LigUeSt Pral8e'
MATE. Xery few of the
fice at the Den.
been privileged
tive session with
jou can't possl
you have missed,
ideas as a dog Is
one Is as hard to
, er, and some
futile as they are
ese consultations
her for good. For
the course of a
when Gus and
talking at the
expression, "Pap
was used amid
more or less ele
elve language
was seized upon,
rest anyone to re
prellmlnar y
"Paprika Schnit
evolved, words
it might be well
and pay a de
Prof. Kratz had long
writer of music for
he
he had done all
the real work of
era and players
him. But Patten
persuasive way
to cajole a prima
cessfully as ever
or Oscar Ham
how he does It
cret, but he sue
vlnclng each and
great aggregatl
stars that his or
one on which the
rested, and by
Interest organ!
crops that could
effect. He rehe
season and out
the play and aft
any triumph
come from the
Paffenrath. It
to figure out the
stunts that would
the question was
r
"t3 K. -
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BA'S'U BILL.
of this he began
getting the sing
to agree with
rath has a most
and knows how
donna as success
did Maurice Grau
mersteln. Just
he keeps a se
ceeded In con
every one of this
on of operatic
her part was the
whole fabric
exciting personal
ed an esprit de
only have one
arsed them In
of season, before
er the play, and
that may have
opera Is due to
was easy enough
situations and
look funny, but
to get somebody
-
VILLAGERS.
who could carry out the idea, and right here Is where
good luck came to the assistance of good management.
It was a matter
predestina
that Wap
should be
pirate king,
after that
selection of
cast was
largely guess
work. Clint Mil
ler's sweet tenor
voice foreor
dained him for
the position of
Cupid, and John
lirennan's unde
niable pliysical
charms, as well
as his ability to
reach high C,
made him an
Ideal Paprika
Paprika Schnitzel" was
niade a go. The
chorus was a
much easier
proposition, for
it turned out that
volunteers with
singing voices
were plentiful
enough. It Is
quite likely that
a large majority
of these did not
quite understand
wnat tney were
going against
or they probably
would have not
been so eager. It
was no snap to
go out there
, night after night,
giving up all
other pleasures
for the purpose
of rehearsing,
and yet these
young men did It
all summer long.
They had to re
hearse as faith
fully as any com
pany that ever
appeared before
the public, for It waa Just aa essential that they know
their lines, business and music cues as well as any throng
of "merry-merri
stood In line bef
er's office on pay
this the only
endured. A hott
stage at the Den
imagined, unless
dressing room,
young men rehe
long with a fidel
scarcely be appr
tainly cannot be
fenrath's arobitl
less and took the
ing some new fe
successive perfor
were interpolat
vised and every
c h a n g e was
great thing for
was something
performers. If
salary it Is certa
rath would have
of one strike a
but as the work
"for the joy of
M
Yj- '"4
r.:
" J of
f f' the
V' , the
V ' ' ' ' . ' the
-S'Kv,. -
BEDELIA.
MAESTRO
hi:rr HAM-MEUSTE1N-IS'ITMI
'N
I.
es who ever
ore the manag
day. Nor was
.hardship they
er place than the
could scracely be
It should be the
And yet these
arsed all summer
It.v that can
eclated, and cer
overpralsed. Paf
on was bound
form of intradur
al re at each'
mance. Songs
ed, dances de
concelvabl e
made. It was a
the show, but it
awful for the
they had been on
In that Paftcn
had an average
week to settle,
was being done
the working" the
stage director's pleasant way. of getting around people
waa sufficiently potent to keep up the team work from,
the beginning to the end. After the
opera was under headway came the
further task of fitting In, what it
known In the
technique of the
Den as the
stunts. This
phase of the per
form; nee re
quired that the
chords m e n
should do double
duty, which they
performed Willi
com men dabln
ileal and a rtl
naciiy that mu.-t
have suited all
who fell under
their tender min
istrations. It was
here that Wap-
.plch shone as he never had before, whih Cotton, Man
ley, Liebcn, Lund, Reed and others formed a galaxy of
scintillating stars whose radiance nightly Illumined tlu
path of n siiuiul of befogged wanderers to the bri';hte;t
realms of light. If tlit original notion of the stunts
lacked anything the fertile inventiveness of these )4iii
tlemen was sufficient to supply the things, and no one
was heard to complain, after the curtain went down, that
he ha in't gctten all that war coming to him.
When the opera had taken torin Miles Greeiileaf got
Into the game and contributed some special songs and
speeches that added greatly to the general affect of the
whole. Ills well known lenhant for humorous expres
sion was never better exhibited ('.'an In his contribution
to the book of the play.
Here also conies In the nuislcaners.
: ( " .1 Pimmick the faithful and Ms bunch of
fiddlers Bnd drummers and horn blow
ers become so well accustomed lo the
doings at the Den that It is second na
ture to them, but tills season they really
had something to do. The old-time tune
of "Turkey in the Straw" was abolished
and In its stead was set down the sweet
harmonies written by Prof. Kratz for
the embellishment of the "opera." These
were performed in masterly style and
the careful watching of the leader ena
bled the singers always to have' at least
the right music cue, so that any possible
hitch in the performance might not be
chargeable to the orchestra. Oscar
Lleben not only took part in the play,
but attended to the costuming, and
nightly gave Instructions to a large class
in the gentle but necessary art of "mak
ing up" for appearance before the foot
lights. The wonderful crop of beards
and scars and other things that Oscar
produced on the faces of some of
Omaha's most popular young men were
real triumphs.
If any added tribute were needed to attest the spirit
of Ak-Sur-Ben it Is furnished by the fidelity of the men
who give over their time during the summer to make the
show a success. The "working crew," as it is known,
has grown from season to season along with the aspira
tions of the organization, and the Importance of the
"show" at the Den, but each season haa seen a new addi
tion of volunteers as eager and as willing as any of the
veterans. Of these latter many have stood by the ship
for so many yeara
that it would be an
occasion for wonder
if they were to be
missed. Some have
been there from the
very beginning,
while the service of
others dates . back
ten or a dozen years.
But the newest man
in the lot enters
into the game Just
as earnestly and
does his part Just as
faithfully as does
the oldest. It is not
all for fun with,
them, for the spirit
of Ak-Sar-Ben is not
all fun. It has a
serious aspect, and
the working crew
grasps this fact,
also, and does its
part to make the
happenings at the Ien impressive as well as pleasant
Night after night these men rehearse and drill, early and
late, that they may each become proficient In the part as
signed, and that the whole may go with the snap and
dash necessary to success. Sometimes the work Is really
i-v - :
WEDDING GUESTS.
CAP. KTDD.
arduous and It is
before the doors
Monday night to
knights and their
hers of the work
busy. Costumes
must be donned;
night this last
new part had to
committed, some
hearsed, new
learned and old
the changes made
the play. All this
work. But the
went through
by the greatest
made the "opera"
Ben one of the
of all the king's
the "Wo r k I n g
a bunch of enthu
credit to the lm
an author, a com
tor.
never light. Long
are opened on
admit the
guests the mem
lng crew are
and m a k e-u p
almost every
season some
be conned and
new stunt re
cues and business
ones adapted to
In the process of
means hard
working crew
with It all, and
of team work
season at Ak-Sar-most
successful
annals. Here's to
Crew," as gallant
siasts as ever did
perfect work of
poser or a d tree-
clear back to
- a-
- -I
' A 4. :. ;1 H,
. A
- . "
rifnaoMASTER,
PIRATE CHEF.
PIRATE CHIEF.
rom Barney on the front door.
Louie and Billy at the back end of the hall, the whole
bunch is 8 fine lot of tireless hustlers
They are courteous and careful, and
work with the single-hearted
purpose of mak
ing the "show"
one grand suc
cess and giving
to each knight
or his guest such
treatment thut no
complaint will
ever be heard.
It is such men a
these as give to
Ak-Sar-Ben his
vogue and who
have during the
long years of the
reign of the king
placed the name
t the gracious
ru!tr of Quivera
at the very pinna
cle of fame. McC.
lit -ft .m
. I'
PLAIN PIRATE.
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