Variety (Jan 1906)

VARIETY. ALHAMBRA. An audience which packed the Alham- bra to the back wall applauded R. A. Roberts to the echo at the Alhambra ou New Year's night. Regardless of the lightning changes, the quickest of which is made In two seconds, the play itself is so vivid that one leaves the theatre wishing a full drama on that subject could be given when the characters would meet. Chicot in Variety has already com- mented on the character of the hag dis- gustingly expectorating, besides the » odious act of blowing the nose on the same handkerchief which is used to clean a mug. Hal Davis and Inez Macauley with a company of two are giving "Pals." It is well known, and remark need only be made on the excellent comedy of Will- iam F. Powell in the character part of the stable boy. Lawrence Finan, who plays the part of the discarded lover, lacks conviction, while Mr. Davis' breezy way grows tiresome. Miss Ma- cauley makes a sweet picture on the stage, and the wrecking finale brings what applause is meted out to the play- let. Trovollo in a "new" ventriloquial act was an appreciated number on the bill. The "new" means exactly that. Tro- vollo is a ventriloquist without question. His dummies are not within easy reach- ing distance, one, a girl, being removed almost seven feet. The setting is orig- inal and well worked, and the mechan- ical end of the act places it away up on the list. The Walkowsky troupe of Russian singers and dancers seem to give more attention to singing than the dancing, which is not participated in by all in that whirlwind fashion expected. This troupe, originally with the Ringling Cir- cus, has lost two of its women recently, who returned home. They have been re- placed by a couple of East Side young women. Lee Harrison leaves vaudeville at the end of this engagement, so mention of why his stories are not good would be futile. It may be said, however, that should Mr. Harrison decide to return at any time, a more careful selection of stories will be highly beneficial if the present ones haven't ruined his value as a single entertainer. The only redeem- ing feature is the song. Leo Nino, with a violin, makes a fair bid for approval through trick playing and imitations. The trick of holding the bow between the lower limbs and playing the violin upon it there snould be dropped, quickly and immediately. "Colonel" Gaston Bordeverry. Leonie De I^usanne and the assistants in the shooting act, duly appeared. Miss De I^usanne has a new hlack costume for the disrobing part, the targets on which ' are so plainly marked that they may be seen from any distance. The whole act is a Joke when analyzed. Carlisle's animals caused much won- der, partclularly the "educated" pony. Potter and Hartwell in equilibristics, opened the show and the pictures. "The Night Before Christmas," closed It. HYDE AND BEHMAN'8. Highly pleased audiences are leav- ing this theatre daily this week after seeing the show given there. It abounds in comedy, and there is nothing heavy to cause squirms. One sketch served to bring out sharply the improvement time and playing gives. It is "Aunt Louisa's Advice," played by Mr. and Mrs. How- ard Truesdell and a company of two. Some time aga this playlet had a "try out" at Pastor's one afternoon at five o'clock. No especial merit attached it- self strongly enough then to render it of large value, but was considered good enough for a Western booking. Now, upon its return, the points then lacking may be easily seen, and everything goes with a swing, the house liking it im- mensely. No author's name Is given. Mr. Truesdell is entitled to more than ordinary credit for "making good" while wearing a full beard. Mrs. Truesdell was given a special round of applause for her excellent work, and Robert Gemp, as the outraged husband, looked fierce enough to frighten the ushers. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Murphy in "The Coal Strike" made a two-strike with the Irish songs, mostly sung by Mrs. Mur- phy, who is rapidly becoming, if not al- r-rsdy, the female Andrew Mack of vau- deville. Mark Murphy, with that stop cock in his voice, manages to secure a laugh out of each line, and has a couple of stories in reserve for an encore, which are fair samples of the common sense displayed throughout the offering. Charles Kenna, "the street fakir," has a first-class monologue when heard for the first time. For a country boy, the second, third or fourth time Isn't too often, but all of us in the Metropolitan District were not born amid green fields and mud. To hear Kenna start off with "Watch the little ball—the old army game, you can't win where you can't lose," brings back the recollections with a rush. But Kenna has made no change at all, and he should. The character could be kept up just the same, and with new material he would be often in demand. Artie Hall, "the girl with the white arms," removes her gloves after hearing an imaginary doubt expressed by an auditor. This is considered such a good stunfln the Hall family that all of the female members are doing it, which is not such a joke as it sounds. The Three Madcaps opened the show and made a big hit. about the largest one for that placement that has boon heard in a long while. Max Waldron imper- sonated different types of females, mak- ing the quickest change in thirty-two seconds, and the slowest in forty-five. His features will prevent the adjective "great" ever being afllxed. Press Eldridge has suffered a loss re- cently that comes only once in every man's life, but gave his u^ual monologue to the customary reception, and Rae and Benedetta on the revolving ladder have nothing to commend themselves. Nev.'oll and Niblo left this week for a visit to Mr. Newell's parents in Chicago, frora where they will leave to start their tour over the Interstate Circuit. •y^ THE CIRCLE. Lavishness isn't prominent in, about and through Theiss' "Wine, Women and Song," which is playing here this week. H The U3uai number of girls are carried, but they are not real live, active young ladies. Rather a load of automatons. Something should be done to inject some ginger into their movements, either by paying their salaries in advance or, bet- ter still, oce that they have euflUcient food. Tuesday afternoon every girl in the company, excepting Jessie Burns and Nettie Clayton, made a **play" for a "supper date" with a box party of four which looked likely. - If you are accustomed to burlesque, don't miss this show if you want a good laugh. In the opening number called "A Day at Niagara Falls," the girls first appear dressed in sailors' costumes, mak- ing a change after a few minutes, and coming on in the finale in the same costumes they first appeared in. The opening number is written by Sam S. Howe, of Howe and Scott. It really has some merit, and brings the show out of the rut. Howe and Scott dominate everything. As a Hebrew comedian Howe approaches closer to the standard set by Dave Warfield in actions and dialect than any of the many who aim for that honor. Bonita is the leader of the women, ad- hering strictly to a cream-colored ap.- pearance in the burlesque, blacking up in the olio, and decollete in the after- piece. Miss Bonita calmly announces "I will now try to give an imitation of Fay Templeton." Isn't that the acme of naivette, because Miss Bonita does only "try." In the attempt to copy Williams, of Williams and WalKcer, she doesn't even get that far. There are four numbers in the olio, which allows of an intermission at both ends, and again betokens the expenses saving spirit. It is better to have a few though, and enjoy those, than be bored by a surplus. Frederick Brothers and Burns give thoir musical act, and the music is well liked, but the comedian of the trio is a sad wag. With Howe so close, something better should be procured. Jessie Burns either wears someone else's tights or has shrunk within her own, for they fit very loosely. Howe and Scott in their Hebrew spe- cialty smear the show in the only spot through their parodies, especially the one about "the river," and also the story of the "population." Such funnyisms are not appreciated, Raymond and Clayton had "Plain Facts." which indicated a conversation, but was missed. The afterpiece is named "Fun in the S'lbway," written by the same Howe, but not nearly as well as the first. About this time, anyway, you begin to tire of too much Hebrew, both straight and in Yiddish. Seven girls in the front row hive one line apiece to speak. After hearing them, you know why the sing- ing is so bad, without considering the Other seven. THE OFFICE BOY AND THE ARTISTS "Well, well, well," said the Office Boy as I dropped in the Agent's office, "rub- bering again, eh?" The Boy was told I wished to see the Agent for a moment, and he replied. "You'll have to wait a few minutes. The Boss is trying to make a big act believe he can book it around the world with- out losing a week. If they fall for it there's an agent up the street that will he short one good act." ■■■'■■■ "Now look at those people standing out there waiting to see him," the Boy continued. "They're all artists looking for a date for a week or a Sunday night. If they get it, all right; if they don't, all wrong. Just the same as if you give them a good notice, you're a good critic; if you give them a bed one^ you're rotten. ; "Artists are built awful funny anyway In their thinktanks, ain't they? Gee, but they are bad when it comes down to business. Every one thinks he's got the best act in the world, and if another acts a little better in the same line the poor one says the good one stole it from him while he was working it up in his mind. , "And their ideas about salary! They are worth so much, and if thev s^^* lebS they think they are not so good. Now, ain't it business if you can get work steadily to get a little less money than to miss a week often just to hold your price. Of course it is. but how many artists can see that? "Oh. I hear all the kicks and com- plaints they make while around here. There's another about the position they get on the bill. That's the most silly of all. What's the difference when they appear. If they're good, they'll make good. If they haven't got the goods, the audience will know it whether they are number one, two or six. "Most of them don't seem to know th a t a s long as a m anager agr ee s to pay them their salary he has a right to put them where he wants to. If he pays the salary he can keep them from working at all. if he feels like it. If their act is good they don't need the manager to help them get the audience. "These artists put me in mind a whole lot of a lot of people who are running loose and against each other all the time, letting everybody get in on them while they do it. If they thought more of each other and less of themselves and got together in a proper way, who do you suppose would be in control of this vaudeville business? "You can bet your sweet life there wouldn't be any cancellations at twenty- four hours' notice then from agents, and a manager wouldn't say 'cut or dust' cither. Contracts would have value. Say. am I getting mushy? Well, I wouldn't knock them any way, so I'll quit, but every time I think of the way vaudeville has come up in the past five years with the artists still standing still, it almost mak^\s me wrep. Come in again when I'm feeling better." M. S. Shea, of Buffalo, will build a dra- niatic hou.^o in Toronto, turning it over to the Independents.