The Washington herald., 1922-07-08
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A IMPRESSIONS By
E0MNeA9sEe.,
Ell1EIselTsa.l

NEW YORK, July 7.-Wht New
York calls "the Russian thing" IL
developing enormous hold. It Is
craze that apparently cannot be
laughed off.s The Moscow cellar
cabaret "Chauve-Souris" has moved
to the Century Roor and the shift TO
this haven of dead theatrical hopes
brought out the smartest audience
of the year-even smarter than the
Follies' first night.
When one considers that this mix
ture of vaudeville and burlesque is
done entirely in the Russian Ian
guase and bids fair to run two
years in town one-well, at least
one becomes thoughtful. 1t Is an
amusing entertainment but has
nothing to warrant the unusual
grip on the box Office. 4
The first night critics predicted
an artistic failure And "Chauve-
Sourls" continues to be the big
buy with the ticket agencies
Without Nikita Balien, a toad.like
little man with a leonine head, the
show would not last a week
Balieff is Russian Ed Wynn. He
comes out before each act and in a
mixture of Russian and bad English
tips off the character of the next
scene. 1t is buffoonery-horse play.
Yet society has made 1t the theatri-
cal Piping Rock.
The best explanation, of course.
seems to be that the thing is
novelty. New York was fed I'D on
mystery plays where the audience
tried to guess the bastard who did
the dirty deed. Musical comedies
for three years have had the same
Cinderella theme. The sameuess
palled.
And along came Morris Gest with
group of obscure performers and
captured the town. II has been the
history of the Riaito that to know
when to strike means fabulous
wealth. Everybody thought cafes
were dead after prohibition.
Instead the supper club idea took
mold and made its sponsors multi
mlllonaires. So it goes along
Broadway-the pauper today is the
pA'N'c VI loTnOTTO" ana vice versa
In McDougal alley. the Fifth ave-
nue. studios and the West Sixty
seventh street art centers a great
scandal has popped. 1t has shaken
the art world with the force OF a.
quake. The gossip was first Wills
pered and then became the topic of
open discussion everywhere. One
weekly publication, devoted to the
arts, had the story in type and
some influence thwa:ted its publica-
tlon. 1t concerns the wife of one
OF Americas richest men. She is
known here and abroad as a great
artist-a sculptress and painter.
She has her studio and her statues
have been unveiled with great eclat.
As the story goes she has not the
slightest artistic ability, For years
the work reputed to Be hers and
which mas won acclaim has been
done by others to whom she paid
fabulous prices.
No. 5S Irving place Is the house
where o. Henry wrote many of hi.
best stories. His "landlady" still
lives there. She occupies the room
on tn" second floor that the Amer
lean de Maupassant occupied. Near
by was o. Henry's rendezvous. Al
laire's 'Old Munich" about which
he wrote the story under the title
OF THE Halberdier of the Little
Rheinschloss." The "Old Munich"
last week passed into other hands
No. Is. the waiter. mentioned many
times by the writer. quit with the
change. In real life he was william
wagner and he is going back tc
Bavaria to live. "OId Munich" even
now is a show place. II is a copy of
an inn from the ancient German
towP. The biz hall. with its many
rafters. its rows of imported stems,
portrait of Goethe and verses
painted on the walls, still remains
II was at one of the tables in this
resort that Little old Bagdad on the
Subway" and THE City of Chame-
leon Changes" wp-e Inspired