Nikita Balieff
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nikita Balieff (1876/1877 - September 3, 1936), was an Armenian vaudevillian, stage performer, writer, impresario, and director best known as the master of ceremonies and creator of the Chauve-Souris theater group.
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[edit] Theatrical career begins in Moscow
Born in Erzerum in 1876 or 1877,[1][2] Balieff left Armenia for Moscow in 1906 and took a job at the Moscow Art Theater under Konstantin Stanislavski. After years of only non-speaking roles, and with a desire to perform comedy rather than drama, Balieff created his own theater group in a basement near the Moscow Art Theater. He named the troupe "Chauve-Souris" (French for "bat") after a bat flew up out of the basement door and landed on his hat.
Chauve-Souris enjoyed much success and popularity in Moscow until the Russian Revolution in 1917. Balieff then went into exile in Paris and began presenting vaudeville shows there with other Russian émigrés. He was noticed by the British theatrical producer Charles B. Cochran, who brought the troupe to London.
[edit] Success in the United States
In 1922 Chauve-Souris made its first tour to America through an arrangement with the producer Morris Gest. Balieff and his company toured from Washington, D.C. to California for 65 consecutive weeks.
Between 1922 and 1929, Balieff returned to America to tour six times, appearing on Broadway in 1922, 1923, 1925, 1927, and 1929 with one final show billed as New Chauve-Souris in 1931. His shows consisted of songs, dances, and sketches, most of which had been originally performed in Russia.
One of his most popular acts, The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, referenced a story regarding Tsar Paul I. The legend claims the Tsar left his parade grounds without issuing a "halt" order to the marching soldiers. Without one, the soldiers marched to Siberia before being remembered and ordered back. The Balieff vaudeville version with its popular tune was a mainstay in Chauve-Souris and later became part of the Rockettes repertoire as well. Wooden Soldiers was filmed in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, and premiered on April 15, 1923 at the Rivoli Theater in New York City, along with 18 other short films made by DeForest. This short film is now in the Maurice Zouary collection at the Library of Congress.
Balieff was known for his feigned lack of English on stage. His monologues and introductions were delivered in a mix of Russian, French, and English language and slang coupled with much gesticulation. However, in private his English was better than that of his stage persona.
Balieff's company toured Europe and South Africa appearing in major capital cities. He was married to Helena Komisarjevska, a member of one of his theatrical companies. In 1927 he was featured on the cover of Time magazine.
In 1934 Balieff created a new Chauve-Souris production, which proved to be his last theatrical venture. The fall of that year marked his final stage appearance: Continental Varieties, a revue at the Helen Hayes Theatre that featured Lucienne Boyer. He appeared in the Ben Hecht - Charles MacArthur film Once in a Blue Moon (1935) with Jimmy Savo.
[edit] Death and funeral
Balieff died of a kidney ailment on September 3, 1936, aged 59, at the Park West Hospital on West 76th Street in Manhattan.[3] He had been ill for several months.
His funeral was held at the Russian Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior on Madison Avenue.[4] Members of the Russian Opera Company sang the funeral mass and nearly 1,000 people attended the service, including members of the Russian nobility. Balieff is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Maspeth, Queens.
Balieff's caricature was drawn by Russian émigré Alex Gard for the wall of Sardi's restaurant. The signed drawing is now housed in the Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
[edit] References
- ^ Time Magazine, "New Plays in Manhattan" Monday, October 17, 1927
- ^ Internet Movie Database lists Balieff's place of birth as Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
- ^ The New York Times, "Nikita Balieff, 59, Stage Figure Dies" September 4, 1936.
- ^ The New York Times, "1,000 Attend Services for Nikita Balieff" September 8, 1936.
[edit] Sources
- The New York Times, "The Last Laugh Out of Russia", January 15, 1922
- Time Magazine, "New Revue in Manhattan", August 23, 1943
