The Miracle

Reinhardt, Max; Gest, Morris; Vollmoeller, Karl; Bel Geddes, Norman

Published by Morris Gest, [New York]; [San Francisco], 1926

About this Item

[40 pp]. Illus. with b/w & color portraits and reproductions. 4to. Souvenir of the 4th season of American productions, which began 4 Oct. 1926 at the Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia. "F. Ray Comstock and Morris Gest present for the first time in America the stupendous spectacular pantomime The Miracle." The Theatre International souvenir for the 4th (1926-1927) season. Includes season schedule, biographical sketches, colorful illustrations. Stamped on last leaf: Offset lithographed by Sackett & Wilhelms Corporation New York. Morris Gest (1881-1942) was one of Broadway's most successful theatrical producers during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Born Mishka Gershonovitch near Vilnius, Lithuania, he came to America and went on to work with Oscar Hammerstein and then F. Ray Comstock, producing extravaganzas, and importing Russian works for the New York stage. The Miracle was the most costly of his productions. A pantomime first produced in 1911, it was revised by Friedrich Schirmer, had a score by Engelbert Humperdinck, was designed by Norman Bel Geddes, and directed by the famed Max Reinhardt. The production costs were unheard of at the time, running nearly $600,000 in 1924. The play grossed over $2,000,000 in New York, performing to sold-out houses at the Century theater, which had been converted into a cathedral for the production. The starring role went to Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Cooper, Vicountess Norwich (née Lady Diana Manners, 1892-1986) a famously glamorous social figure in London and Paris. As a young woman she moved in a celebrated group of intellectuals known as the Coterie, most of whom were killed in the first World War. She married one of the survivors, Duff Cooper, who was later the British Ambassador to France. She produced three volumes of memoirs about upper-class life in the first half of the 20th century. Wrappers worn and torn along edges, splitting along spine, minor soiling to contents. but still very good.

Seller Inventory # 45948

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Miracle
• Publisher: Morris Gest, [New York]; [San Francisco]
• Publication Date: 1926
• Binding: Stapled paper wrappers