New-York tribune., 1922-02-06

tslief and the engaging eSiies OF the
"Chauve -Souris'; Of Morris Gcst.
whose exotic, hospltable arms afford
them sanctuary in New York, and Of
tie azur. audience which on last Fri
lay night regarded them with raptures
at tire Forty ninth Street Thcatcr.
Er. Gest, OF whom it may not be said
that he is routine or impccunious in
his enterprises, was revealed on that
occasion II one of hts most bizarre and
extravagant moments. Addicted as
1e Is to the odd, he was never before
20 outre Esthetic minstrcls, wander
irT from obscure though diverting
.duscovite cellars, are not, customarilv,
deemed vendible as entertainment in
New York. But Mr.. Gest, his eyes in
an admirable frenzy rolling. imports
them urselfshly hither, hoping that no
may share with US his own ecstatic re-
actions.
And craciously dill he do so on
last Friday night. We were, no doubt,
rs distinguished an audience as ever
appreciated the Supreme in art as
the program called it. The unparalleled
Chsliapin was there, laughing like
boy 81 the comic nterludes and seem
ing to brood a little over the mourn
ful rustling of remembered native
scenes and melodies. He arose from
his chair once and shook Baletf by the
hand in congratulation. Jeritza was
present, and Miss Clare Eames,
Messrs Mencken, Nathan and John
Peter Tuohy; the Kaufmanns, S. Jay
and George; Willy Poganny, and the
Life" set, including the Oliver Her
fords, the Bob Benchlevs and the Marc
Connellys; the Samuel Hopkins
Adamses were at hand, as were Miss
Neysa McMein, the John Alden Car
penters, the p. Hammonds, the Leo
Marshes, the Louis V. DeFoes, the H.
z. Krehbiels and the Stephen Rath-
buLs.
X y r.
A successful audience, if ever there
was one. 1t loved the ingenious i'm
portunities of the Russian actors, and
rs it departed from the thcater it ex-
pressed itself in enthusiastic doxolo-
Yies. "Adorable?" said Miss Clare
Eames to her escort as he helped her
into her coat; and her escort answered
Yes very. very adorable" Not par
ticularly qualified to judge of such en-
tertainments, defer to the taste of the
lady who sits next to me and to most
Of the others who were present on Fri
day night. I report, therefore. the oc-
casion is an exhiarating novelty and
one to be attended.
NJ Balief is a sententious and
pleasantly Indifferent entrepreneur;
who feels no apprehension in appear
ing before a New York audience. He is
the Redpath of the Muscovite
chautauquas, assembling as he does,
wholesome lyccum performers in
wholesome lyceum performances to
music by Glinka snd others. Be-
tween numbers NJ Balieff appears
and is jocular In q solemn, naive. Slavic
fashion. For instance, referring to
Shakespeare. he speaks of Bacon and
of bacon and eggs and we laugh. That,
think, is the only joke in the enter
tainment that contains a suggestion of
sex.
The program of the Bat Theater is
otherwise beguiing, because of it's
simpleness, if not its simplicity. There
10 really wonderful parade of toy SOL
dicrs, each one of them so wooden and
automatic rs TO be uncanny. Another
thing you will like is the Russian
songs and the singing of them in rep
resentation of cafe life in the Moscow
Of 1910. ! counted in my momentary
enthusiasm at least three gorgeous
Russian women in that peasant chorus
who out-acted and out-looked Anglin
or Duse in their most eloquent portray
sls OF imagined emotions. Next on re
program" says NJ. BalieF, els re dess
Of ze horse, or re greatness of re Rus
sian soul" There follows ribaId carl
cature of 3 Russian eiopement, wherein
Two romantic absconders are estopped
in their flight by the death of the ami
NAL which draws their cab
Chaliapin was happy. Jeritza was
likewise; others less noteworthy almost
swooned from sheer pleasure at the
exquisiteness of the performance. In an
experience Of twenty-five years of pro-
fessional theater going | have never
seen an audience so thoroughly in the
spirit of a show. Mr.. Gest, a stormy
petrol of the theater, may, it is said,
alight with folded, restful wings upon
the crag afforded him by The Bat" from
Moscow; and if that is true, the
ChauveSourls is benefaction. At
any rate, it is an honest, simple and
daring gesture-Mr. Gest's salute from
Moscow, via Paris, to New York.
A museum piece, the Chauve- Souris;
and one which. it is hoped. will be as
profitable to the exhibitor as to those
who merely look upon it.
rT. c 0 Ca III