In 1978 the Martha Graham Dance Company was invited to play at the Metropolitan Opera House. The company was honored to play such a prestigious venue in its home city. I was very excited to be the stage manager and to be a part of this exciting adventure. We all wanted to be the best we could be. The dancers rehearsed in the beautiful Graham studio as if they were going for an Olympic gold medal; their feet hardly touching the ground.
We were told that all the music would be live using the Met’s orchestra in the pit with our conductor Stanley Sussman. We were given rehearsal space at the Met. The schedule for that week was set with Linda Hodes as rehearsal director, and we knew the list of dances to be performed. We had two featured performers, Nureyev to perform in Appalachian Spring and Clytemnestra and Liza Minelli in The Owl and the Pussycat. The lighting designer was Glibert V. Helmsley III.
However, as in many best- laid plans there are always bumps in the road. The first one was that with the rehearsal space at the Met I was told that we could not have props, capes or any costume pieces. So, I told to the company manager for the Met that Martha cannot use the rehearsal space at the Met. “Why ?” I was asked. I said, “We have Noguchi, Ming Cho Lee and Marisol scenery and large capes and materials that are an integral part of the choreography.” Without those items, the rehearsal time would not be valuable, other than the fact that the space in the rehearsal hall would be as large as the stage.
The only piece in the Graham repertory without any props was Diversion of Angels. The other works were Judith, Frescoes, O’ Thou Desire, Who Art About to Sing , Errand in the Maze, Lamentation, Appalachian Spring, Flute of Pan, Clytemnestra and The Owl and the Pussycat. The solution was to have two stagehands to move props and elements in compliance with the union rules.
Bump two: I had carefully worked out dressing room assignments and had just finished when in the hallway was the infamous General Manager of Martha Graham Company Ron Protas with the dressing signs in his hands. I said, “What are you doing”? Protas said, ”There is no dressing room for Halston.” Now Halston was a famous couturier and advised Martha on costumes and personal gowns. I said to Ron “ Please give me the signs. I will find a room for Halston.” I knew that Halston would be out front or in Martha’s dressing room, it wasn’t worth the argument with Protas.
Other bumps involving Protas, not knowing or recognizing the famous Met’s famous conductor James Levine. During a lunch break. Protas told him to get off the stage! Oh my god! I couldn’t believe that he didn’t know who Levine was.
In the same vein, a violinist was sitting in the audience during a break and once again Protas was questioning who he was. You just had to keep your tabs on this man and these unfortunate deeds: after all, we were guests in this house.
Meanwhile our conductor was in a state because two female violinists were holding up the dress rehearsal because they felt their lights or music stands weren’t correct. I think the real issue was they didn’t like the music. I sent a stagehand down to the pit twice to deal with the malcontents. On the third time, finally, the dress rehearsal continued. Later, I asked the stagehand what he had said to them. He told the violinists that he would stick the bows up their ass if they didn’t get on with! Good to have friends in high places.
The Met stage staff couldn’t believe that we kept to the schedule. There was some altercation with an under staffer who questioned the schedule. I said we were keeping to the written schedule, sending him away shaking his head in disbelief.
Another interesting bit: Marisol who was an artist sculptress who was asked to do the set for Equatorial which looked like a large leaf. Set designer Ming Cho Lee had done the shop drawings. When the set got to the stage the side that the audience didn’t see was unfinished. Marisol was upset, I asked one of the carpenters to please finish the side we couldn’t see to please a rather charming and beautiful artist in distress.
At last the week was up and running. However, out of the blue, Lincoln Kirsten, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins wanted to present flowers to Martha. I had to tell Martha that this plan was afoot. Knowing history I had been told that these very men kept Martha from having space at the State Theater, long ago when Lincoln Center State Theater was only occupied by Balanchine. They essentially froze the Martha Graham company from having a home and a performance venue. Martha refused the flowers during her talk in her Moon chair in front of the curtain which introduced the evening’s program. She did let on that she should have been asked by the Met to perform when she could still dance.
A few more bumps: during a performance of The Owl the Pussycat, Liza’s microphone failed. I stood behind one of the wings to stage whisper that she would have to belt out the poem of Edward Lear, on the set of designer Ming Cho Lee’s beautiful pea green boat.
During the bows of Clytemnestra, of which there were many, I was about to open the front curtain again when I realized the electrician had the house lights up and the work lights on stage. He had left his post! Nureyev, being the professional that he was, ushered the entire cast in front of the curtain. Luckily there were Curtain Warmers up and with no color. When asked by management what had happened. I refused to let on what had transpired.
We went in with a relatively small but effective staff to confront the Met’s large staff and the many rules and I think we came out OK. What was inspiring was the fabulous dancers and Martha’s great art. Wow!
As the fates would have we performed again at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1980, despite all the transgressions.
