The Theatre STAGE AND SCREEN
Ballet
Tun vogue of Ballet continues unabated, in default of real competition from the " legitimate " stage ; for even a poor ballet, given one or two good dancers,,is better entertainment than a bad play. In the company headed by Miss Markova and Mr. Dolin, which is now appearing at the Duke of York's Theatre, there are these two good dancers and Miss Wendy Toye, besides a number of others who vary in standard from what is called " promising " 'downwards. It seems to be de rigueur that newly formed ballet companies shall perform Fokine's Carnaval, just as in the old days debutant violinists always played MendelssOhn's Concerto. A worse choice could hardly be made. Carnaval is not excessively difficult from the technical point of view, but it demands that exactness in what 'we may call " loose " ensemble, which is far more difficult to attain than the strict ensemble of Le Lac des Cygnes or Les Sylphides. It is only when discipline is perfect that individuals can know how far they can digress from symmetry without reducing the final movement of Carnaval to the chaos that was exhibited at the Duke of York's Theatre on Monday night.
More than that, the interpretation of Carnaval is a matter far more of spirit than of technique. Here fortunately there is to hand a splendid example of how the thing should be done in the Eusebius of Mr. Dolin, who catches more of the romantic glamour. that is the true subject of this ballet than any other dancer of recent years. But how pitifully he shows up the miming of his colleagues—the Pierrot who cannot communi- cate his heart-break though he goes through the correct motions, the Harlequin not of quicksilver but of lead, and the Columbine without charm ! This is the last part that Miss Markova should undertake, since temperamentally she is as ill-equipped for it as Melba would have been for the part of Despina. If this seems harsh criticism—it is really erypto- complimentary—let me say that, as a dancer, Miss Markova approaches nearer to the thistledown lightness of Pavlova than any other I have seen. She does not quite achieve that appearance of magic detachment from the earth which made you wonder by what effort of will Pavlova forced her toe to touch the boards at all. But her exquisite performance in Les Sylphides was a good approximation to that ethereal defiance of the laws of gravity.
There was one new piece in the programme I saw, called llungaria. This may be described as a folk-romp, decorated in brilliant colours by Mr. Hedley Briggs and " Sandor," and accompanied by garish music said to be Hungarian folk-tunes, most of which seemed to be in fact of the Zigeuner type popu- larised by Liszt and Brahms. This sort of dancing, calling for vitality rather than precision, is more within the powers of the company, who enjoyed themselves immensely and succeeded in communicating their enjoyment to the audience. There is real pleasure to be had from the masculine vigour of Mr. Frederic Franklyn and the charm of Miss Wendy Toye's mime and dancing. It is unfortunate that, as with so many ballets, the musical side of the performances is below the level of what would be tolerated in any other circumstances: Were I to say what I think of the orchestral playing of Carnaval, the printer would probably refuse to set my words up in type. But it is only fair to warn anyone with musical sensibilities that a visit to the Duke of York's Theatre is likely to be an excruciating experience.
That this need not be so is proved at Sadler's Wells, where
,there is now an eXcellent . orchestra. Which accompanies the Ballet admirably under Mi. Constant Lambert's direction. The latest addition to the repertory there, Stravinsky's Raiser de la Fee, is a severe test of the orchestra. 'The music is a disembodiment of Tchaikovsky, thin wisp's of fandliar melody from which all richness and passion have been wrung. The billet itself is a remarkably successful piece of work on the part of Mr. Frederick Ashton, who has caught'the spirit of Petipa and invented some delightful embroideries. Miss Pearl Argyle is the cold _and sinister fairy to perfection, and Miss Margot Fonteyn,,whose,dancing of Odile. in Lae des Cygnes is also worth seeing, proye.s her claim to a future, place among the great dancers. Both are admirably partnered by Mr. HelPinitm.
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