A Dramatic Confrontation at the Concert Hall: The Virtues of a Displeased Gentleman

One must observe, with a certain melancholic amusement, that the modern stage has become a place where the performer demands not only applause, but the absolute submission of the spectator's facial expressions. Such is the case with Miss Nastasya Samburskaya, a lady of diverse talents, who found herself quite vexed by a member of her audience during a recent musical engagement.

It appears that a gentleman, having been dragged to the performance by a companion—no doubt a charming young lady—committed the grave sin of maintaining a countenance of profound boredom. To the delicate sensibilities of the artist, such a face is an affront almost as great as a misplaced bonnet at a royal garden party.

With the swiftness of a duelist, Miss Samburskaya addressed the offender from her pedestal, reminding him that should he ever accompany his lady to a concert of a more contemporary, perhaps more cacophonous nature, he should be encouraged to maintain the same expression of misery. "I have marked you, sir," she declared, with the finality of a judge, suggesting that the gentleman's entrance be barred in the future.

Such is the fashion of our era: the artist no longer seeks to win the heart of the skeptic, but prefers to chastise the philistine. One cannot help but smile at the sheer absurdity of it all; it is a scene straight from the most whimsical of drawing-room comedies.

Indeed, this is not the first instance of the lady's spirited temperament. It has reached our ears through the most reliable gossip that she recently dismissed a devoted admirer with a most unladylike phrase, simply because the greeting card accompanying a bouquet of flowers failed to meet her exacting standards. Truly, the pursuit of perfection in the arts is a perilous journey for those unfortunate enough to cross the path of a temperamental diva.