The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-06
RUSSIAN BALLET
GIVES CLEOPATRA"
New Production Not Seen BE.
fore in This City Marks
Matinee.
4 STRIKING DANCE WORK

The Russian Ballet gave Its first
matinee performance at the Metropoli-
tar opera House yesterday afternoon
and with u a novelty In the repertory.
This was Cleopatra" a ballet Of action
founded on the familiar story Of Theo.
phlie Gautier. Why this was not made
g feature Of the arst nights Offering II
would he impossible to conjecture. The
arrangement Of the programmes OF the
Ballet Russo Ia q source OF continual
wonder TO The observer OF the days
do.nss. On Monday evening two pieces.
each ~ which rested on classic bale,
dancing and in both Of which the pr!n.
opal dancer was Miss Lopokova, clad In
white and executing many Of the same
steps. were given. while CLEOPATRA"
cne OF the most brilliant spectaeles and
Characteristic creations yet presented BY
ibs company. was reserved for q
Wednesday matinee.
However. h novelty IL now before
us II is one OF Fokine's designs in
Ch1 geography. while the striking scenery
and costumes come from the fertile
fancy Of Leon Hakst. Music was gath.
e'ed from several sources. The prelude
was taken from the works OF Taniev.
the entrance OF Cleopatra from those
Of Rimsky-korsakOv and the body Of
the ballet from compositions Of Arensky.
But even in this were injections OF
Glinka and Glazunov. A ga sticcio in
music was generally well suited TO the
development OF the story.
story 10 . Masterpiece.
Mos, lovers Of literature know that
"Cne Mutt de Cleopatra" Ii one of Gau-
tiers masterpieces. A thrilling story
IS that Of the slave who saw Cleopatra
at the bath and went mad with love so
mat he shot q message to her palace
terrace with his bow. She was inter.
ested enough to send for the slave and
hndlg his ~infatuation gave promise
OF a new. IL passing. aest in her life Of
safety. entertained him til the dawn
" a new day and then slew him.
In the ballet version We see the mar
r.ase OF Amour. the slave, to Tabor, Also
Save. from whose very arms the
glance OF C~ieopatrd's eye tears him.
There is dancing and ther. ls reveIrv
while the serpent OF the Nile caresses
the slave: but II il all mild.
There Is nothing In II to bring the
olusn OF shame to the cheek OF mod.
tsty. Transports which ravished the
fancy OF Paris have been modified 10
meet the requirements Of that superior
''vilisation which infests Broadway. The
lolice win have nothing to do with this
ballet. There will be no repetition OF
,ae plain clothes c%ensorins OF the COR
Fsun.
Hare L.egged, hat Decorous.
Unless. of course. some very chas,e
soul is offended by the bare legs. For
: is n bare legged show and there lie
also much bare back. But all 10 deco
rous. Austere propriety spreads her
august mantle over the entire thing. II
has harharic splendor and there Is much
f4n ahie acting. Mile. Revalles is a
genuine creation in her Cleopatra cos
tune and makeup and her coidly SEN
suai face, baSilisk eyes. and Egyptian
roses are studies In the finest
or graphic stage art.
Mr.. Bolm depicts the madness OF the
save With an inexhaustfble variety OF
pantomime and facial expression. Lydia
Sokolova AS the unfortunate girl who
'oses her lover acted with much abil
~ The general pictures and move
-nent were OF the we'll planned and skill
July executed kind now familiar to
Visitors at the performances of this com
pany. But the general results in Cleo
patra' are better than in most OF the
other productions, This is one OF the
7ost successful things the Ballet Russo
mas done.
lie Spectre de Ia Rose 'Soleil de
Mutt" and "Carnaval" were the other
selections OF the afternoon. In the eve
Ing the ballets were "L'Oiseau de Feu,''
'f| Sylphides" and "Scheherazade."
'C!eopatra" will be repeated his eve
rns together with "Petrouchka." This
VII place on one programme two OF the
'ompany's most artistic and interesting
p oductIons.