The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-10-11
Men, haupe Souris'
Delights Audience
at Century Roof
Nikita Balieffs Company Pre-
sents Striking and Anus
ing Entertainment.

Ni<ita Balieff had the audience shout
| ing bravo and 'hooray" before the
third edition OF the "Chauvs Souris'
was more than half finished at the Cen
fury roof last night. and doing it with
will every time he gave the signal
True. he encouraged them-in fact, he
exhorted them TO do II every time he
ran out of breath while reading aloud a
poem which was supposed TO be in Eng
| lish. II ne had not beckoned to them
at the proper moments, no one would
have known when to shout, for none but
the urbane Russian impresario with the
equatorial smile knew what he was
perusing.
But even without his stimulus the
brilliant audience would have quite for
gotten their composure and assumed the
vivacity of a large family party. For
the latest Muscovite melange which
Morris Gest has sponsored atop Broad
way Is by far the best, most ingratiating.
the most kaleidoscopica1ly variegated OF
the series, and the nearest substitute for
vodka extant. Frequent delighted ap-
plause broke from spectators who ordi-
narily are wont TO hold their hands
The enchanted appreciation seemed
largely a tribute TO the daring. the re-
freshing sang froid of band of human
beings who could indulge an instinct for
gorgeously barbaric effects for naive
pastimes, open and unashamed. If they
disport themselves like children, they
are emblazoned with the conviction that
they are very exceptional children. And
they sell that conviction gaily to the au-
dience.
That intensity and absorption in their
settings by Remisoff and Soudeikine that
for all their striking mingling of colors
are obviously of the papier mache va
riety, was never more acutely exempli-
fed than in the eunuch of Mariesvky in
the opening number The Fountain of
Bakochie+Sarai,' which concerned a
Tartar harem scandal When the
eunuch, in his face paint that was a
lesson OF startlingly vivid Makeup
cross between a comic strip and Gus
tave Dore-sept on his post. he seemed
truly to sleep. And when Mr.. Wavitch
as the Khan burst into anger after
jealous wife stabbed a rival, he seemed
in his magnificent wrath likely to burst
over the stage.
In the beautifully costumed and light
ed "Serenade of the DECEIVED, Pierrot"
Nine Brse, trilling like a nightingale,
pedestal and defied gravity on her pre-
carious perch. Every moment they were
acting-the commander of the wooden
soldiers acted up to the hilt of his
wooden sword. For while all previous
numbers had been discarded, Balieff had
roguishly combined into a new and glee
full romance "Katinka" and "The Parade
of the Wooden Soldiers" and the COM
posite was so popular 1t was distin-
guished by the only encore of the eve
| ming
Balieff's intermission chats again
were welcome He singled out Mary
Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in the
| audience for share of the applause,
since there was so much 10 go around
His ability perhaps was best indicated
| by turning a love serenade of cats into
a real work of art. Unaccountably the
women have grown handsomer, and in
| their riotous costumes and uproarious
dances-with kochetovsky doing two
numbers with Incompatible abandon
they did their part to make the "Chauve
| Sourfs' live forever-until the next
alluring bill comes along
There was a distinguished audience
including Mrs. NJ. Orme Wilson. Mr.. and
| Mrs. r. T. Wilson. Mr. and Mrs Robert
Goelet. DIR. and Mrs. Preston p. Satter.
white. Mr.. and Mrs. Ebert II. Gary. Mr.
and Mrs. Charles Dana Gibson, Mr.. and
Mrs. Henry r. Winthrop. Mr. and Mrs
Otto II. Kahn, Miss Margaret Kahn, Mr.
George G. Haven, Mrs. Edward NJ
House, Mrs. Gordon Auchincloss, MT
Clarence II. Mackay Miss Ellin Mac.
kay. Miss Virginia Ryan. Mr.. John c.
Clark, Mr.. Percy r. Pyne, Jr.. Mrs
Frederick G. Havemeyer. Mr.. and Mrs
William r. Hearst, Mrs. Joseph b. Blake
Mr. George G. Haven, Jr, Mr.. and Mrs
Arthur Brisbane. Mrs. Lydig Hoyt. Nine
Alma Gluck. Messrs Jascha Heifetz
Frank w. Crowinshield, Leslie Cotton
Robert T. Mckee, Frederic Cruger, and
| Harry fpdaharo