T wont to the Russian ballet at Covent Garden yesterday to see the new "Cinderella," first.produced this week. Although it was a very hot afternoon the great theatre was full throughout, as well it might be. beautiful ud finished an entertain~ ment T have rarely seen, © alike in dancing, dressing, scenery, music, and the charm of the stories of the three Eallets given. The intellectuals plump Gf one may use so vulgar a word of them) for "Les Cent Balsers" which is on the strictest classical lines. "Too much acting and not enough dancing, in Cinderella" they say, and dis the third piece, "Scuola di Halle,' engaging trifle. To each his taste. Cinderella," written on new lines, with a train of attendants accom: panying the fairy Godmother to dress [Cindereita, is such a feast, of level colour and exquisite miming that 1 think one might see it three or four times to appreciate all its beauty. "Scuola di Halle" with Boccherin's music (how eternally fresh these old Mahan classics are) is a delicious piece of fooling, comedy. in its most charming vein. What a dancer Mme Kasovska, the bad pupil, must be to give such a wonderful display of clumsy dancing, wrong at every point, yet never overacted.
Apart from the super-excellence of the principals, Miles Baranova and Riabouchinska' (the last-named a fairy-like creature, all silk and elas~ tic, sri admirable Cinderella) and Mit. Petroff and Lichine, one was struck by the fineness of the whole corps and the perfection of every detail, The arrival of the Prince's messenger bringing the invitation to the fall is a little masterpiece. Only see these dancers walk across the stage is a pleasure, movement {is vital yet restrained. One wonders how many ages of hard work in the fageregate have gone to make such perfection possible.
It is an added interest that the Jcomposer of the music of "Cinderella" fand "Les Cent Baisers" is avery stick [cessful English banker, Baron Frederic Erlanger, who gives all his spare ime to music. Why not? Lubbock, Janother great banker, not only invented bank holidays' but discovered Jmore about bees than any.one before him. And 1 knew a high financier who could have taken a first in any Jexamination on the Elizabethan poets. There is much in the saying that extremes meet,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.