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Show MEET THE MET! THE FAMOUS Metropolitan Opera has a new head man, Rudoli Bing, and he has opened his administration ad-ministration with a bang. He is for a complete change of policy, and this doesn't mean merely having hav-ing a woman instead of a man stand upside down in the lobby. Mr. Bingo (beg pardon, thp "O" Is our mistake) has moved in and taken over with Wagnerian sound effects. There haven't been so many repercussions reper-cussions since the time the commercial com-mercial broadcasters took over Grand Central terminal. The Barnum and Bailey circus has often come in more quietly. He announced he had signed Kirsten Flagstad, invited Walter Winchell to shoot at him instead of the lady, ignored an ultimatum from Lauritz Melchior, changed the ticket system and adopted a longer season. This treatment of Melchior shook radio and television to its depths. Nothing softened the blow except the lack of an announcement an-nouncement that he would use Milton Berle in Lohengrin. Mr. Bing says he Is determined de-termined to bring grand opera within the reach of more people in the lower income groups. He thinks people who come to the Met for the music instead of the press notices, photographic rodeo and a possible try-out for a place on the Arthur Godfrey program should be encouraged. Opening night, for example, will not be entirely limited to subscribers. sub-scribers. You can get in without being registered as an amateur acrobat or female pipe smoker. We .had the following imaginary interview with Rudolf: Q. Mr. Bing, you are aware, are you not, that Flagstad returned to Norway and was there under the Nazi occupation? A. An artist is an artist, and it is the voice that counts not her politics. Besides, look at the advertising ad-vertising the adverse comment will get us. It may bring us people who hitherto never thought of sleeping by subscription. Q. What about Melchior? Didn't you admire his singing? A. Yes, but I wished he would either concentrate on it in grand opera or make his radio authors turn out better scripts. Q. Have you seen Traubel7 A (singing) . Nobody knows the Traubel I've seen. Q. Have you had any suggestions sugges-tions from Billy Rose? A. No, but I expect to as soon as he settles the problem of whether wheth-er to keep "The Great Jewel Robbery" Rob-bery" in New York or take it on the road. Q. What do you think of the suggestion grand opera should be sung in languages all the customers can understand? A. The day may come when it will be done in language even all the opera singers can understand. Q. Are you satisfied with the costumes and scenery? A There is some question whether new sets and wardrobes are not needed for the intermission vaudeville shows. Q. In Wagnerian opera do you favor putting the armor on over the head, or feet first? A. I have trouble enough without with-out taking that up my first season. Q. Have you any particular novelty in mind for the coming opera season? A. I am thinking of putting on "South Pacific" instead of Der Rosenkavalier. Q. Could that be done? A. Possibly, but it would violate an old Met custom of not making big money. Q. Have you ever thought of keeping all grand opera singers quiet, distributing free ' beer, and letting the customers do the singing? sing-ing? A. Only when "Sweet Adeline" creeps into Tannhauser by a typographical typo-graphical error. ... YE GOTHAM BUGLE & BANNER Rossellini is passing out Dr. Lind-strom's Lind-strom's cigars . ... If you saw it in pictures you would say Roberto wasn't the type .... How about a musical on Sen. Brien McMahon and the H-bomb H-bomb speech? . . . To be titled "Arms and the McMahon" .... Billy Rose's butler made a brave try but was nosed out in the headlines by Ingrid, the Big Mo and the Paight trial. Man-made rain seems to be a fairly sure thing and this will be one field where the poor will get as much as the rich. When man-made rain gets into quantity production we suppose the advertising specialists will announce an-nounce the streamlined, fully packed, nonirritating raindrop in the large economy-sized shower, especially designed to meet the demands of the discriminating umbrella um-brella carrier. |
