Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-10-29
Mew York
Letter


Broadway as a choice Of Manhat-
tan Fairgrounds are welcome 70 It
III still take Second Avenuei
For, after q number OF years OF
rambling about this town, this main
stem OF the East Side seems less
spoiled by changing times. On, yes
1t has changed. Attempts have been
made 10 make 1t look like Broad
way. But the nations OF the earth
that have settled on the fringe OF
this th%oroughfare keep alive the
gypsy fiddlers; the charming chants
OF the Yiddish ballad singers; the
lullabies OF black-eyed Russian
girls; the soft, hollow intonations
OF the zymbalom; the dissonanceS
and sentimental heartbreaks IN the
folk songs as played by the Hun
garian bands.
Yes, you can drop in on Broad
way places where Gypsy Marakoff
plays and sings or where Tamara
strum 50 guitar and sings glamor-
Gus love ~songS-but the background
OF Broadway Is therel
Second Avenue, 10 be sure, has
made a few concessions in the di-
rection OF Broadway. The Russian
Arts has a dance floor and a
canopy over the streets and a
lighted marquee. And college boys
and girls do romp about Of Satur-
day nights. But on ar evening
earlier in the week, the atmosphere
here, as elsewhere In Second Ave
nue., agrees more amiably with its
geography.
Or round the corner at the
Kretchmai.. OF in Moscowitz' ...or
in any one OF a dozen Yiddish,
Austrian and Hungarian eating
places. The coffee houses where
groups gather in the best Euro
pean fashion to talk and talk and
talk way into the nights. tn"
types and the sights and the sounds
These are all far, far from
Broadway and one may pretend
he is travelling abroad in his own
town. And make himself believe
this before morning.
II was just the other evening at
the Kretchma -. witch candles
flickering on dozens Of tables.
two dancers appeared SIS part Of
the evenings entertainment.
DO you know who they are?" a
friend whispered. / shook my head.
"Swoboda and Jurieva-l... or
course you wouldn't know tsem.
You hang around Broadway too
muchl"
My friend fumed Indignantly at
my ignorance.
For two years Swoboda was
ballet maestro for the Chicago
Opera. When the Chauve-Souri
made such a hit, he went abroad
with 1t. And Jurieva wa5 the bal
lerina for PavloTal Ugh-but you
should know that who watches only
hooters Of the theater!
There are stories down here In
Second Avenue, my friend! Here
you are: two Of the worlds great
dance artists in a quaint spot in
Fourteenth Street! Where is your
Broadway"
I interrupted a this point. It
isn't my" Broadway! AS far as !
am concerned the other fellow can
have railways could. for that
matterI Certain requirements Of
my job take me there a bit more
often than elsewhere, 1 explained.
There is little place for the
great ballet people now" my friend
went on. the ballet has never
played a great part in the Metro
politan Opera productions. Ballots
will come back soon-and then
you will see. From abroad you read
that Roxy Is getting many people
for the new theaters that will rise
in Radio City. There viii be great
ballets and great dancers. There
are many. many to be found about
New York. Up town at the Russian
Village you will see none other than
Gavrilov, once star of Diaghileff's
balletl I could tell you of more"
But I wandered On to the smaller
places to watch the plump East
Siders sitting about their tables,
eating heartily and listening to
their folk songs.