Opera Comique, Inc.

Last year the French Opera Comique visited the U. S. and proved, for one thing, that light opera cannot support itself in Manhattan without special assistance.

One of the patrons of the French Opera Comique last season was Paul E. Poitras (brierwood importer). To him occurred the idea of building an apartment-hotel with 1,000 rooms, enough to yield an income for the support of light opera to be staged in the same building. The money for the enterprise must be raised among music patrons. While Mr. Poitras is in France, the work of incorporating and financing is handled in part by Erik Huneker, son of the late James Gibbons Huneker, famed music critic of the Sun, Times, World. To James Gibbons Huneker is attributed the remark "Nothing succeeds like insincerity." His influence is seen in the writing of such critics as George Jean Nathan who love to employ dynamite prose for blowing up anything at all just to see how it looks in little bits. "Steeplejack" Huneker, as he was known, liked to exasperate the uplifters of the late Victorian era by his disgraceful behavior. Many a stein of beer he quaffed in scandalous company. Many an adventure he enjoyed because no proper person would. Slyly he defended the social standing of young ladies with bodies like "white satin stoves." He exulted in his holy war on behalf of Chopin. He inspired the admiration, even the imitation, of the religiously individualistic H. L. Mencken.

Erik Huneker (now in his 30's) is of quieter disposition. He has been connected with the musical world mainly through publicity departments, at one time working for the Metropolitan Opera Company. No berserk lion, he will nevertheless have ample opportunity to struggle with a big task. It is the purpose of Opera Comique, Inc., so named in files of proposed corporations in Albany, to raise $6,800,000 by the sale of preferred and common stock. Special charter subscribers who take $4,000 worth of preferred will receive in perpetuity two seats to weekly performances. Charter subscribers who take $2,000 worth of stock will receive one seat in perpetuity. An option has already been taken on a site near Broadway in the 50's. When, in about two years, construction gets under way, it is hoped that this neighborhood will then be the heart of the theatre district.