The New York herald., 1922-02-26
Nikita BaIief
Tells of Start
of 'Chaupe-SouriS' s.
ImpresariO of Bat Theater of
Moscow Recalls Early
Beginnings.
- RDINARILY one man is suffi-
cient for an interview, espe-
cially when he happens to be

a dozen seemed necessary before the
talk was finished at the Forty-ninth
Street Theater. 1t was a synthetic
Interview. AS it dealt with a Russian
enterprise, though its participants
were far from being Bolsheviks. they
seemed to apply the Soviet system to
conversation and gave a communal
discourse.
First came Nikita Balieff, founder
and generalissimo of the Chauvs
Souris, or Bat Theater, OF Moscow
which was to form the topic of dis
cussion for this little serious group.
Plump and affable is M. Balieff, dark
of eyes and hair, but aside from this
showing little of the tragic in his ap-
pearance-the Slavonic tragic that
every one feels ought by rights to ex-
ist in a Russian. He seems much
preoccupied with affairs Of the world,
and instead Of being the producer of
the distinct artistic novelty of the
present season. one could readily mis-
take him for a substantial banker
ckeerfully casting UP the weeks ac-
counts.
In addition there was in his dressing
room his secretary. pleasant faced
young man who was q Scotchman
brought up in Russia and who seemed
quite composed about It. Nor must one
forget Morris Gest and his famous vel
vet hat. It was Gest who, as he says,
let his Russian blood get reused and
brought the "Chauve Souris' to this
country, and now he's glad Of 1t. Like
wise there was Mr.. Mendelkern. who
interpreted when everyone else was out
of breath. And from time to time va
rious men connected with the company
filtered into the room until at the end
of the composite colloquy there was
barely room for the interviewer to bow
himself out of the presence.
Moreover, a book on the Russian
theater was suddenly whisked into the
room to complicate matters. while the
singing Of various Muscovite artists
making up In their dressing rooms out
side contributed further to the distrac-
ton Of the interviewer as to what ON
earth he was going to ask this inter-
esting mortal next. But 1t all seemed
very simple at the start, for the re-
porter merely inquired Of the impre-
sario IL this was his first appearance
in this country, and M. Balieff got that
easily.
Work for the Interpreters.
"Yes," lie replied quite intelligibly.
As this hadn't seemed to entangle mat
Sers the interviewer asked M. Balieff II
he'd ever been In England, and got In
deeper. All the interpreters immedi-
ately set to work explaining this to M.
Balieff with hands, feet and eyebrows.
Finally. as result of this symposium.
M. Balieffs secretary said: -Four
months"
but I did not learn English there"
said M. Balieaf, breaking out himself In
his quaint English, which has all the
effect of champagne on patrons of his
show. IT forget 1t. I ave no time. I
learn English in school in Russia-yes.
When 1 am boy. But I forget it easily
am not using 1t after. In England
! have not the time to remember it,
HE means that with morning re-
hearsals and afternoon and evening per-
formances he had no time to study 1t
again." said his ambassador extraordi-
nary, Mr.. Gest, always willing to oblige
and explain things with his cigarette
holder. A question as to how the per-
formance originated brought forth a
stack of Russian which was heaped on
M. Balieff from all sides. After he had
struggled out of this 1t developed that
more than ten years ago he had become
Identified with the troupe in Moscow,
and that II developed in sort of Slavic
"honky tonk" in a cellar, even as Jazz
over here.
You see,' said Mr.. Gest "the artists
of the Moscow Art Theater-and Of the
big theater and the little theater for
that matter-would get together in his
cellar after performance at night, ard
have drinks and do some impromptu
performances. which was their way of
having good time after having per-
formed for pay upstairs When they
hired the cellar they found the figure
of a bat on the door. so they called It
the Bat Theater and -et 1t go at that
Presently the fame Of their PERFORM
ances spread, the best people began
coming to see them, and then the place
grew SO crowded that finally prospec-
tive patron had to get three of the
artists to vouch for him and pay 25
rubles performance-real, solid
rubles.'
Started by Artists.
Artists started it. hen," said the in
terviewer, and when this met with an
proval as IL mot jnste the reporter felt
he was getting on famously-sort Of
reaching right down into the roots of
mysterious Russian art. So he tried an
other question on the psychology bias.
Ee asked IL the Ru slams in general
liked tragedy or comedy with their reyo-
lutions.
Before the war;" said M. Ba,ieff "is
all tragedy. People like Shakespeare.
Strindberg. Ibsen. Ha3ptmann. Bernard
Shaw--ver' serious. Sut since tie war.
is all comedy, people want laugh-hat
l pr-r-r-roduce ver' serious plays there
too. See 70 BY an act OF legerdenaln a
book, Oliver Sayler'e THE Russian
Theater in the Revolution" was evolved
out of TIE cluster of Russian talsnt now
congesting the room. NJ. Balieff flicked
the pages and pointed to picture with
an appreciative thum5
Us me-" he said, and sure encugn n
was. Il come to America and find N.Y.
self in book" He thumbed more pa ges
and showed an illustration of Maxim
Gorky's play, Mother" with a striking
somber background ard every one SEEM
ingly la the throes of something or
other.
Il did these" said NJ. Balieff. "WilI
40 YER serious plays here, same ting as
IN Russia. Later. The porcelain scene
ana 'katinka'--I have done thees years
ago In Russia. When / am playing in
Russia, try hard to make the pairfor-r-
-mance intnational in style in thees