Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-29
CHEAP RUSSIA N0PERA.
Performances Open to the People at
21a Cents Each.

From the Buffalo Express.
Opera can be heard i'm st. Petersburg
all the year round for 81. cents a time.
No other city in the world can boast
such a thing This is due to the in
genuity of Count Witte. who persuaded
the car, some years back, to build and
subsidize the Narodny Dom, or People s
Palace to counterfeit the influence of the
vodke shops when these were taken over
by the government.
The palace consists of huge theater,
where the majority of the seats are
free: large hail used as a coffee room,
where meals can be taken UP to mid
night and no stronger liquor than beer
is sold; and a park full Of sideshows.
The refreshment hall has a stone floor
and ample gallery and large refresh
anywhere else in the city, and the food
is decently served by mattresses dressed
in red uniforms and white caps and
aprons. Here dances are organized in
the winter. in which people can take
part by paying another 2la cents.
The theater has a large stage and an
excellent orchestra. All the Russian and
Italian operas are given and the princi-
pal parts are generally taken by the
best singers in the country. Sometimes
dramas replace the opera, and from time
to time the ballet which in st. Petersburg
is the best to be had anywhere takes ur
the whole of the program. All the stars
like the Narodny Dom, because the audi
spend their last cent on flowers. which
they throw at their favorites when the,
come before the curtain, while the walls
shake with their applause They are
so worked up that they dance, sing and
act far better than they do in the fash.
| ionable houses. across the Neya and give
encores which they refuse to other audi
snces.
Here" said one dancer of worldwide
renown. Mile. Brobrazenska, Il feel quite
in touch with the people.
They are not my patrons, but my
friends When l see the eager faces Of
these soldiers. workmen and students
the people who have worked all day
and must get up at dawn tomorrow, and
hear their shouts of joy. | feel | could
dance all night for them. That is WHY
people say that / and my colleagues dc
our work far better here than anywhere
else The public here acts like cham
pagne-only.'' she added with a smile
there is no headache next morning.
In the summer there are many attrac-
tons in the fresh air. On large stage
IN the middle of the garden a variety
entertainment goes ON from O'Clock un-
til midnight. Acrobats, dancers. ventrilo.
gusts and strong men are the chief at
fractions. Another hall, with roof. but
no walls, IS set apart for dancing and
is always well filed A train that PUSHES
round the park takes people free OF
charge. fountain plays the whole even.
ing, its waters changing from red tc
blue. purple and green Under the trees
suppers are served, and various booths
with sideshows are open during the even.
ing. And all this for the price of a
small bottle of vodka:
The. place is generally crowded and
though the people enjoy themselves
! thoroughly. there is never any rowdy-
ism. What other public, of that class, in
the world enjoys opera and criticises i,
IN the same intelligent way? Foreigners
who visit st. Petersburg are scarcely
ever taken there. Those who go are as.
tonished at this phase Of Russian life