1ZB INTERVIEWS BALLET BACKSTAGE

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 35, 10 February 1939, Page 5

1ZB INTERVIEWS BALLET BACKSTAGE

Will "Beautiful But Dumb" Again Be Verdict Of Ballerinas ? TIMELIEST broadcasts of last week for Auckland balletomanes were the short nightly relays from backstage of His Majesty’s Theatre, while the Covent Garden Russian Ballet was in the throes of getting ready before curtain-rise. The broadcasts were more than just "stunts," and gave a great deal of interest, especially for country listeners unable to "get up" for the ballet.

HE interviews were handled by John Gordon (the man with the beard) in his usual inimitable manner, with the asSistance of ‘ ‘The Dancing

Lady’’-Chiquita Carville to e ‘passport authorities, and "The jancing Lady" of the Children’s " Magazine to young 1ZB listeners. Stars of the ballet brought before the microphone included Anton Dolin-principal male dancer, and an Englishman in spite of his name, who spoke even better English than Mr. Gordon; Irina Baranova, prima ballerina, who was charming in spite of her eviGently greater familiarity with some language other than English; and Tatiana Riabouchinska, who was also charming about Auckland, in spite of the fact that she had experienced a stormy Tasman, and saw Auckland first in the rain. Tamara Grigorieva-was_ delightful and her accent was refreshing, although her English was so broken that anybody could have picked it up. David Lichine was a_ little bit shy, | which might have been due to some trouble with grease paint, a trouble which sometimes becomes very acute on a hot night backstage at His Majesty’s.

A ballerina of the last Russian ballet to tour New Zealand-Monte Carlo, not Covent Garden-was alleged to have observed in Sydney that New Zealand was beautiful but dumb. Subsequently she elaborated and contradicted slightly, but the accusation seemed to stick, and in Auckiand, at any rate, it is still remembered, What the present company will say about the Dominion remains to be seen, and perhaps we should be on our mettle to prove to them that besides being beautiful we are at least a little articulate,