New York Clipper (Jul 1923)

12 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER July 11, 1923 WILLIAM SEABURY AND CO. TheMtn—HamUton. StyU—Revue. Time— Twenty-Ave minules. SttOas—Full stage ispeciil). The second edition of the "Frivolics," which Seabury is now doing in vaude- ville, is about the best big act he has as yet dcHie in that fidd. Seabury has five arts with him, Ina Akova. Generieve Baniett Marion Hart. Billy Beck and Estelle Mason, and a prettier looldnK quintette, wonld be difficult to find. Max Dolin, viofinist, who was formerly with Tm Eyck and Weilly, is in the pit for Seahtiry, The openics scene of Seabury's offer- ing is somewhat suggestive of the bit done by George White several years ago in vandeville, the place being a doctoPs office with the girb coming in to find'out what's wrong with their dandng. In all the numbers, none of the girls wear stockings, and it may not be out of place to say here that a more shapelier set of limfos couldn't be found in the "Follies" or the "Scandals." In the opening scene Seabury does a dance bit with each of the girls. A solo by Seabury follows this, and the next scene is ap- parently laid in Montmartre, three of the girls being used for atmosphere, while another sings the number done by Mar- garet Irving (Mrs. Seabury), in the two act which she and her husband did a short while ago. The girl has a fair voice, thouf^ inclined to flat occasionally. An eccentric toe dance, in keeping with the scene, is done by Ina Alcova, with Seabury supporting. Miss Alcova, by the way, is one of the girls who appeared in Dave Schooler's act some time ago, and since then has improved wonderfully. She was always a very good dancer, and that's saying a great deaL A "tane^ Apache" is done with the prima donna. A solo number by one of the girls, at- tired in rompers, is very well done and .is followed bjr a costume parade, the girls being attired in differoit "bird" costumes. Perhaps the best bit in the act, and one of the most elTective, is the "slow- motion" dance scene, done behind a scrim by four of the girls, attired in tights and toner \vigs, a la Lady Godiva. The spot- light is revolved, leaving the stage alter- nately light and dark every other second, and giving a wonderful slow-motion ef- fect to the dancing. Scabniy's famous "cane-dance" routine follows Ulis, and then the fdrls appear as a jaz band, all playing different in- struments. The instruments appear to be real bnt are played as one plays a "kazoo," by humming the tune into it. The costnmes in this scene are veo' pretty. The finale foUoivs. In closing the show here, the act stopped things from going on and Sea- bury had to reappear for a speech and poll the girls out again. G. J. H. FRAZER AND BUNCE TbeMtn—State. Style— Comedy: singing. Tiiae— Fifteen minutes. Settiog— In one. The "boys who took alike but are not brothers," have a much better routine than when we last caught the act at one of the Keith time houses. While some of the old material has been retained, that which has been added makes for more comedy and variety. The opening song and some of the business early in the act is about the same as before, incloding the mistaken identity stuff about each other's friends and other gags. The subsequent bits are a song by one of the team white the other interrupts by walking across the stage as an old man. tragedian, etc. Later a song was done by botti. one sing- ing a comiter melody which harmonized welL Some comedy talk preceded the closing song about various billboard ad- —Ttisements which was clever and fi-nny. M. H. S. NEW ACTS AND REAPPEARANCES ETHEL PARKER & AL ALLEN Theatre—Proc**)*^^ S6th Street. Styla — Song and dance revue. Tin*— Fifteen minutes. Setting—Special. Paiker and Allen have one of the snappiest acts it has been our good for- tune to glimpse this season. Ethel is the essence of personality, while Al is also a likeable cliap. Both have youth and vivacity as well as a remarkable talent for dancing. In closing spot on this bill they were a "clean-up." They can easily qualify as show stoppers in any of the medium houses and can also hold their own with any dancing act on the big time. Unless we miss our guess the bigger bills will have them before long. A colorful "eye" contributes a pic- turesque background for the dancers, while Joe Mann "tickles the ivories" for their songs and dances. A duet, "Dear- est" brings them on. A snappy dance takes them off. Allen returns for "Chinese Bines," working in a clever character bit as a "hop head" and going into a violent eccentric. .Miss Parker countered with a comedy eccentric a la Sis Hopkins that brought a loud hand and departed in favor of Joe Mann, who contributed an instrumental while the team were making another costume change. Both returned for a snappy jazz acrobatic for a finish, which brought prolonged applause and sent them off for a big hit. E. J. B. ADAMS AND LILYAN Theatre—Proffor'j 23rd Street. Style— Songs. Time— Fifteen minutes.- Setting—/n ofie and three. Two girls, harmony singers, with fairly good voices, offer a routine of numbers that seem peculiarly adapted to their voices and manage to pack an entertainment wallop in everything they attempt. They come on in one for an explana- tory number, utilizing pot-pouri of fa- miliar melodies threaded together with an improvised lyric The act goes to three, displaying a piano and one of the girls accompanies the other for a solo 'Wonder If He's Lonely Too." Both follow with "The Sunrise Reminds Me Of You." Another solo and a duet, "Sleepy Hills of Tennessee" concludes the act The girls did well here in an early spot and can undoubtedly get over equally well- in any of the medium houses. E. J. B. DOLLY WILSON AND CO. Theatre—//mniVfon. Style— Singing. Time— Twelve minutes. Setting— In one (special). Dolly Wilson was apparently handr~ capped by a cold when wc caught her, but despite it proved to be a very en- tertaining-single offering. She is assist- ed by a pianist, who in addition to ac- companying her. docs two solos to good results. Mi.<» Wilson is billed as The Nell Brinklcy Girl," and when it comes to ciuly ringlets, of golden color, and sparUnng eyes, in aijdition to a very pretty face, might easily serve, for a model for any one of Miss Brinkley'i pictures. Miss Wilson's cycle consists of published numbers, inostly of the syn- copated variety, and includes one ballad which she does very effectively. She has a good delivery of all her other num- bers and puts them over to big results. G. J. H. FRED LINDSAY & CO. Theatre— Style—Novelty. Tim*— Twelve minutes. SetUng—FuIl stage (special). According to the act's announcer it is its first appearance in this country since 1914. since which time they were in England and other countries. The of- fering is an exhibition of skillful whip- snapping-Australian craft, and is fairly entertaining. Similar stuff has been done, however, by some of our own actors who combine it with lariat throwing and other Western feats. This act is out of the usual run due to the ballyhoo done by an elderly gentleman in full dress who in all sincerity hands out a dignified line of stuff before the act starts and names each of the different snaps of the whip done by Lindsay and the difficult parts of it. Lindsay is very serious also for the most part and stands at attention while his announcer names the next stunt, then hopping .to it as though it were a burlesque. The act opens with a camp-fire scene In the background and panorama drop, with lighting effects as good as any we've seen in vaudeville. Impressive music gradually ushers in the dawn ajid chang- mg lights. Two girls in high laced shoes and short skirts, are discovered by the fire and remain there until the ballyhoo is delivered. Later the girh take part in Lindsay's stunts. The whips used by Lindsay are from eight to twelve feet long and crack like the report of a rifle. As mentioned by the speaker in the act, great musculai power is needed to manipulate the whips and certainly much practice must be gone through before one is proficient at it. Included in Lindsay's stunts were tying a knot around a girl's neck, making the whip snap at the same time, etc., tying a laiot around her arm, snapping the lietitcd end of a cigarette, cutting pieces of paper. At one time a man assisted with a trick as well as the girls. A bit of comedy is also in the act when the girl stalls in holding a lighted match and waiting for Lindsay to snap the light out The girls are blindfolded when the sub- ject of some of Lindsay's skill. After his performance Lindsay made a short speech in which he told of his being glad to get back to this, country, and praised the "charity of spirit" of the .American people. M. H. S. HALL AND OAKS Theatre—Prof»or"j 58/A Street. Style— Songs. Tim*— Fifteett minutes. Setting— Piano, in one. Hal and Oaks offer the routine "piano act" prefaced with a melodramatic intro- duction in which they run on to the ac- companiment of police whistles and pis- tol shots, tricked up to set atmosphere for their opening number, "The Thief," which is a musical expose attempting to wise us up to where the melody men get their tunes for their popular hits. According to the song, opera has fur- nished the themes of some of our best sellers. The boys counter with another duet, a comedy number, '"In Our Home Town," which is followed by "Hi X^c, Hi Low." A medley number is next attempted and for a finish the boys grab ukuleles and duet a Spanish comedy number with "blue" kick lines that send them off to a good hand. The boys work well together and have appearance. Their routine has been os- tensibly framed for the medium time and it goes without saying that the boys have assembled the sort of act they will want in these houses. E. J. B. GLEN ANDERS AND CO. TbtaUe—Regent. Stylo_5-Arrtc/i. Time— Twenty minutes. Setting— /h one. Lewis and Gordon present Glen An- ders and three other players in this ex- cellent little vaudeville sketch which is botmd to amuse. Anders plays imder- standingly the role of a much-moneyed youth who is positive that he "knows women." The scene is a reception room off the ball room in a house at which a wedding has -just taken place, and An- ders, clad in evening clothes, is telling his male companions Uiat the bride merely married the groom for his money. He goes on to make comment about other girls present, one in particular, wdio comes in imexpectedly, drawing his fire. He remembers having met her be- fore, cannot recall where, but itnagines that it was under very peculiar circum- stances, circumstances of which she is ashamed. He raves about one girl, a Miss Collins, a role played effectively by Elizabeth Hopkins, who, be claims, is the essence of everything that is sweet and pure and good. She comes in and faints in his arms, and, whqi left alone with her, he proposes, telling her he is a very unusual man. He mSces all arrange- ments fbr a dinner at Pierre's as she goes, to get her wraps. His inale companion enters laughing uproariously and, after some by-play, tells Anders that the girl he thought was so sweet has just been arrested by the detective set to watch the presents as "Fainting Annie," the girl crook. An- ders does not tell his friend he has pro- posed to her and is saved embarrassment by the detective coming in just then with the girl. Anders gives the detective some money to take the handcuffs off the girl and gets his wallet back which the girl had stolen when she fainted in his arms. The dick in turn receives his wallet from the girl, and takes her out. .Anders then cancels his order for dinner over the phone. The other girl, the one h>: takes to be a gold-digger, comes in. and in trying to recall where he has met her, he practically insults her. She re- plies by telling him a story of a Red Cross nurse and a young officer in the first line trenches in France and he takes up the story in the middle. He claims to know that he has always loved her and proposes to her immediately, rattling off the same speech he made to Miss Collins. She accepts and he orders an- other dinner over the phone. There are one or two improbable mo- ments, but the sketch is finely played. .Anders acting his role faithfully and Miss Hopkins making a fine transition from the fainting ingenue to the world- wise lady crook. The other girl gives a fine representation of a society girl who has learned to be independent through the necessities of war, and the other two men play their small parts effec- tively. The act is sure to go over. At times it becomes a bit talky and a little cutting in these spots would not harm the action, but as a whole it is a headline attraction for anv bill. C. C. MILDRED PARKER TbtaUe—Franklin. Style—yioliniste. Time— Eleven minutes. Setting—/n one. Miss Parker's greatest asset in her violin single, outside of her ability, is the pep and vim with which she plays all of her numbers. Her repertoire con- ' sists of both popular and classical, the latter being taken care of for the most part by a Hungarian number of length. Her ability is really nothing remarkable, but the life which she injects into her delivery of all her selections make up for the lack of extraordinary ability. She'll do nicely in the better small time houses. G. J. H.