"BALALAIKA"

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22516, 26 September 1938, Page 9

"BALALAIKA"

RUSSIAN MUSICAL PLAY i NOTABLE DANCING AND SINGING An impression of graceful dancing, pleasant singing, good comedy, and spectacular and well-designed costumes s and settings was left by "Balalaika,- ' which opened its Christchurch season \ to a full house at the Theatre Royal , on Saturday evening. Its dancing, of ; the older Russian ballet style, was '■ really outstanding. Its choruses and individual singers, heard mostly in songs of Russian type, contributed a major share to the success of the performance, and its costumes, well planned in colour as well as in general design, were a delight. "Balalaika" proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable musical comedy, and one that gave additional pleasure by many touches of originality in its Russian theme. There is something about musical comedy of the best type, with its singing, ballets, and colourful costumes, that far surpasses the appeal of anything the films can give. Behind it all is vitality—the living word and the real presence—together with what can only be called the allure of the stage and the theatre, which meant so much to theatregoers in the past, and still casts its spell in these days oi mechanical reproduction. A musical comedy is not a historical play, but an incidental of "Balalaika" is that it sketches something of what happened to the Russian officer class in the revolution, and explains the plight of those groups of Russian exiles which are common in Paris. Beginning with one of these groups, it suddenly switches back to 1914, to the famous Marinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. There the Imperial ballet is rehearsing, and the story takes a normal musical comedy course in introducing a troop of Cossack officers who fall in love with the girls. This provides the opportunity 'for romantic songs, and for excellent dancing. Then comes the war, and ultimately the revolution. The final scene comes back to the group of exiles in Paris. Such a bare outline gives ng, idea of the colour and movement of "Balalaika." and the many opportunities it gives for unusually interesting dancing and spectacular set- ■ tings. ' i Miss Diana Ducane, the leading lady, proved herself a singer with a voice of admirable quality, and in addition revealed a very charming presence as an actress. George Hancock, ; in the chief role as Count Peter Karagin, combined those talents as singer and actor which have deservedly won him success abroad. A comedienne of really -original ability, who "stole 'the show" whenever she appeared, was Miss Violet Carlson. "Balalaika" was worth seeing for her performance > alone. As foil to her the popular Don Nicol showed very wide versatility, and a talent for true clowning. Gaston -Mervale was finely autocratic as ■ Prince Karagin, and Dorothy Dunck- - ley was gracious yet commanding as t Madame Petrova, in command of the • ballet. Victor Baxter gave an exceli lent performance as Igor Seversky, as ■ did Sydney Wheeler as the expansive • gipsy restaurateur. The ballets were the most novel fea--1 ture of "Balalaika." The adoption of r the style of the Russian ballet was a ' pleasant relief from the usual run of t musical comedy ballets. Particularly i notable were the folk ballets given at J a Russian restaurant, in which Irene ■ McGregor was outstanding, and the , well contrived "Reflections," with the - sinister movement of dream figures. In - this ballet Gwen Brown and Harry Tavlor too* the chief parts. Among the host of other people of the play were many who gave splendid character presentations. The work of the ballet was outstanding, but the success of the play depended very . much also on the singing of the ' chorus, the orchestra, the desieners of the frock? and settings, and the producer. Mr Frederick Blackman.