San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-30

NC lbldE luuN vans ANN ~--
captured the Goat that walks like Il
Paid Admission.
Russia has landed in the American
theater to an accompaniment OF wild
cheers. 1t is quite the fashion to rave
over any play that has the Made In
Moscow" label on the bacx.
A few years ago when you mentioned
Russian player to the average Ame.i-
can playgoer he thought of gaudilS
CARRIED person in red boots who danced
close 10 the floor and spun like u top
without getting dizzy enough to fall into
the cello players lap. The only Rus
sian note in the American theater was
dance note. And the Russians were
good dancers. They knew all the step
pes.
Twenty-Five years ago the only Rus
sian actors known to the American
theater fan were the Siberian blood
hounds in Uncle Thomas Cabin. Today
all the big write-ups are going TO
actors whose names have to be put
together like the pieces in an Erector
10y set. IL all dClOI NiSHa
syllables and ends in ski" he's got TO
be good. In fact, the ski" is the
limit.
Anything Russian in the American
theater today is like money in the bank
to the producer. Theatergoers crave it.
They cry for it. This is hard to ex-
plain. Many OF them don't know what
the Russian play is all about. But that
is no new experience. They have been
going TO American plays for years with
out knowing what they were all about.
It is more than likely big ma
jority of the playgoers who flock tC
a Russian performance by Russian
actors in the Russian language sit il
through under the impression they're
at a mystery play. And they're right
Mt that.
The coughing nuisance, bane Of
the theater, may offer some explana'
ton. You know when you go 10 II
play in English you will be annoyed
if there is any coughing. You know
when you go to a play in Russian
you will be annoyed if there isn't.
You get the feeling that you may
cough all you like during a perform
| ance in Russian. as the others in tho
audience will think it is the Russian
actors delivering their lines.
just why an actor should deliver
lines in Russian to an English
audience is particularly baffliri
when you consider they would be JUS
as ineligible if played on the kettle
drums.
"Spidusoskoof comski oiurm tzice
| askrim orozoff skodoyitch," say
Boris Nicolai 1pskippinskoff, the lead
ing man.
"Romanoffskovitch dadaivos kar
| neni dimintCzuff Oomph." return!
Dimitri Mstvelovitch. the juvenile.
"what did they say?" asks tn
Sweet Young Thing in F-6, Ores
Circle.
They pulled that old one whcr
the first Teller says, i saw you walk
ing down the street with a lady an
the other Teller says. That wasn't n
lady, that was my Wife, replies be
escort. r-
"Oh. amt these Russian player
wonderful" exclaims the Sweet Ioun
Thing.
Native American players are yer
much upset. Plain names likE 10
and Al seem. TO. have no further AZ
peal in the theaicr Eddie Foy is thinl
ing of billing himself as Yeddie Foy
kovitch with the fourteen Little Foy
kovitches." Although .Iolsonoff. W. /
Fieldscopoff. and Boris Barrymoreozoi
are other possibilities.
Morris Gest is responsible for tn
Russian invasion. Morris left Russi
when a boy. He regretted leaving i
and so is sending back for it in Sc,
tions. He will have it all over here
time.
Naturally other theatrical PR
moters are following his ideas. A.
Woods is talking of putting on be-
room farce with Lenin and Emn
:. Goldman in the star parts.
Copyright, 1928. ny the Associated
Ncwspapers.)