Variety (Jan 1906)

VARIETY. NEW ACTS OF THE WEEK t/ BiAUlNS FBALY. •^ROME^O AXD JULrlKT." PROCTOR'S Fltn'H AVENLB. It l8 impossible to imagine that the Immortal William Shakespeare had heard of vaudeville in his day, nor has vaudeville been greatly interested in his plays in its day. but Miss Kealy last Sunday evening at Proctor's Fifth Ave- nue Theatre "tried it on" by giving the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet" "straight." John J. Farrell was the love Imbued Romeo. Miss Fealy was a sweet looking Juliet, while the fervor of Romeo's love appeared only in Mr. Far- reirs movements, his enunciation being scarcely Intelligible. No criticism is re- q;ttired, however, for there were exten- itfitin^; circumstances for the produc- tion. The main point is: "Will vaude- ville stand Shakespeare?" And the answer is the reception received at Proctor's. The audience had manfully listened to 15 minutes of blank verse, and when Juliet dropi^ed her sash over the balcony for Romeo to kiss a general titter swept over the house. The little applause given was "manufactured." Miss Fealy and Mr. Farrell were disap- pointed perhaps at their reception, but Proctor's had been helped "out of a hole" by having the headliners appear. At the afternoon's performance Miss Pealy gave the sketch which she used at Springfield last week for her first ap< p€arance in vaudeville. The subject be- ing the labor question, Mr. Luescher considered it impolitic to risk a second hearing at the Fifth Avenue (perhaps for other reasons also) and the balcony scene was hastily agreed upon. It served Its purpose, and others may be warned from attempting anything of the kind except as shown in comedies of "Her Last Rehearsal" class. Sime. / J<>B WKLCH. HfimtBlV COltCBDIAlf. KAMMBRSTEIN'S. From vaudeville to "The Ped(fler" and back once more to the old stand is Joe Welch's record. There is no cause for regret over his long stay in the legit- imate, for he comes back into vaudeville with brand new ideas. Monday after- noon at Hammerstein's Welch appeared on the stage leading two East Side youngsters by the hands, and it made a hit. The "Yiddish" boys have a few lines to speak, and Welch will undoubt- edly develop the opening, allowing the "kids" to remain longer on the stage. It would also be iadvisable to have them come on again for the encore. His dia- lect Is as good, if not better, than ever, and he has acquired a greatly improved method of speech since he was last seen in the varieties. The talk is first class, although very slangy, the better part of It hinging on what his son said while under the Influence of opium. Not giv- ing a proper explanation at the com- menceitent, a number In the house do not get the full humor, but laugh, nev- ertheless, for it's funny anyway. Welch Is welconie hack. Anyone who can or- iginate should be anchored to the vaude- ville wheels. SifM, PATRICE. ♦•«LORlA.»» HYDE AXD UEI1MA:^*S. This is a sketch taken from one of the melodramas Patrice has appeared in during her "legitimate" days. There is not a great deal of action and consid- erable pathos. Chas.. Hutchison and William DeWolfe supported. Twenty- two minutes is the time required, and the piece should be cut four or five min- utes. It will then stand as a neat little dramatic playlet, which could be incor- porated in any bill needing that for bal- ance. Patrice gave a good performance, but Chas. Hutchison showed to the best advantage. Mr. DeWolfe was accept- able, without having the burden to bear. The audience seemed to like the sketch very much. Sime. :J THE W A SCOT MOTH. THE BrRMESE GOXG." II.LrSIO!VS. COLONIAL. Maskeleyne and Devant (it Is Maske- leyne and Cook no longer) will be get- ting themselves disliked if they do not awaken to a realization that Americans ro longer like to be fooled, in spite of what the late P. T. Barmim said. They sent us Paul Valadon, said to be "the best sleight of hand operator in Eng- land." and some of our early turn ma- gicians were found to be his equal. Now they have sent over Max Sterling and a shabby outfit of apparatus to show us the above named illusions. The gong trick was shown first, and the Mar- tlnkas and Doctor Saram R. Ellison, the amateur magical expert, kept one move ahead of the trick throughout. No new principle is used and the result did not particularly impress the audience. Three assistants are employed. One, a girl, Is produced from behind a small screen. A combination of a trunk, a cloaked as- sistant and the screen enables her to take her place without the least discom- fort. They could bring in a ton of coal the same way. She is placed In a trunk with a false back. On this Is placed, in turn, a raised platform with a six-Inch spare blocked out with cloth of the color of the baoVing. A man stands on top of this and lets fall a cloth held in his up- raised hands. The girl climbs up. takes the cloth from him and he drops to the trunk. The girl is then taken to a De Kolta "vanishing lady" chair and con- ceals herself In a staircase placed be- side the platform, the trick being given away by the extra effort required to back the staircase against the scenery where she effects her release. Mean- while one man has been placed in a cage at the opposite side of the stage and a curtain is dropped before him. There is a mirror at the side and he makes a sub- stitution with the other man. who In turn changes places with the girl. The inexhaustible bottle is shown in the form of a kettle as an interlude while the stage Is being changed, and then the Moth is produced. The girl Is mounted on an Astarte boom but Is disengaged In the centre of the stage. Two gauze wings are brought together over her head and a wire framework supports the fabric while the girl goes through the trap. Monday evening, when the fabric was jerked away, about five feet of post was shown which some one had forgot- ten to withdraw. The act may please when it is better worked out, but the apparatus is In a shockingly bad state, suggesting a hard tour through the Eng- lish provinces without subsequent reno- vation, and Sterling Is no comedian, though he thinks he Is, and spoils the effect with his talk. The mirror In the cage shows a reflection for some eight inches where the glass has been un- evenly cut, and there is a similar want of detail through the entire act. Its fu- ture depends entirely upon the Improve- ment made. Chicot. / FIVE ROMANOS. DANCERS. COLONIAL. This is a small but decidedly showy dancing turn with a foreign accent. The best work Is offered by a toe dancer, who seems to be less than the Gerry age and whose work appears more effec- tive from that cause. No child of six- teen could do some of the work she ac- complishes, however, and the Gerryltes need not worry. Several real drop splits are accomplished in rapid succession and the toe work Is excellent. The others form a sort of chorus and work as a quartet, performing all of the regu- lation tricks with fair finish. The act Is dressed well, is well laid out and makes a better Impression than would a mor** Important turn with Inferior showman- ship. Chicot. CHERIHAH SIMP^tON. *«CITY GIRLS.** ALHAMRRA. V "The City Girls." from the "Prince of Pilsen," now appearing in vaudeville un- der the management of M. S. Bentham, have had a new leader since Monday last, when Cheridah Simpson replaced Truly Shattuck in the role of "The Widow." The change has been for the better. Miss Simpson has a far better stage presence than Miss Shattuck. who, while appearing In the act, gave more thought to her vocal efforts in the solo than the welfare of the performance. Miss Simpson works with the girls, and the girls are doing much better and \\Ith more vim as a result. Wednesday night four encores were demanded of Blanche Burnham as "Miss New York." Carolyn Lilja, Beatrice LaMour and Bessie Reno, representing San Fran- cisco, New Orleans and St. Louis re- spectively, threw dash into their dances. May York is handicanped through hav- ing; to represent Philadelphia. Her looks suggests liveliness, and she should be tried out under a live city. Sime. i SISTERS CELESSE. \. ■■ .' JUGGLING. \ / PROCTOR'S T\%'ENTY-THIRD STUEBT. A trifle out of the ordinary lu^^dea. If not in accomplishments, the Sisters Ce- lesse, "Parisian Lady Jugglers," made a fair hit in the early half of the pro- gram. One of them dresses as a boy In blue velvet; th6 other wears a rather Khabby girl's dress of the sort appro- priate to a child of six. She makes her entrance trundling a doll's perambula- tor, but forgets her part when she gets down to work. She is the real worker of the duo, the other contenting herself with handing the objects to her sister. The work Is Qf the old-fashioned sort. oranges, plates, bottles and parasols. It Is not good enough to command better than second or third place on any bill. It would be Improved somewhat by better dressing and style. Chicot. MARRIOTT TIVINS. CYCLK SPINNERS. PASTOR**.--- .- ■ .^^ ,-- Somewhat disappclnting In their big tricks, the Marriott twins offer some capital work as cycle spinners. They handle safeties, tandems and ordinaries In really clever style, keeping them In motion much after the fashion of gun Jugglers. They have a number of com- binations to lend variety and until they tackle heavier work do nicely. The cy- cles are trimmed of their pedals and most of the spokes to reduce weight and the handle bars are run parallel to the saddle, otherwise they appear to be or- dinary machines. They also twirl a runabout and automobile; the latter the most unconvincing thing ever shown on' the stage. They would do better to cut It out. The runabout Is stripped of Its fifth wheel and other running gear, but Is less faky though very light. This is made to revolve several times, the auto Is turned only three twists before It is dropped. With the auto out It would make a good act for a small place. • Chicot. V HA RLE REYNOLDS. ICE SKATER. ST. NICHOLAS RINK. "Novelty" has been such a prevalent cry In vaudeville that It is surprising that Mr. Reynolds, with his original Idea of Ice skating on the stage, has not been grabbed up by some enterprising man- ager or agent. Reynolds has an oblong box eight feet wide by sUteen long and eight inches high. It ruhs on ball-bear- ings. Apparatus Is carried which freezes Ice m the box level with Its sur- face. Mr. Reynolds, assisted by Belle Butler, skates upon this surface." show- ing all the figures known to fancy skat- ing, besides toe dancing and "spinning" on skates, which would carry the act to success by Itself. Reynolds does not de- pend upon the skating alone for success, however, it Is the novelty of skating on ice upon a stage. With a mirror ar- rangement no movements will be lost to those In the front rows of the orchestra through the height of the box, and the light effects give the impression that the skater is on air, although the fiash of steel and the "slish" of the skates will remove any doubt of the "mystic," which Is not depended upon. Mr. Rey- nolds has won the world's championship for fancy dancing In competition several times. There is small doubt of the suc- cess of this act in vaudeville tiime. HARTLETT AND SfTLLIVAN ^ SKETCH, **DEAD GAME.** GOTHAM, RROOKLYN. The first of a series of weekly pro- fessional try-outs to be given at this house on Friday nights. The principals are newcomers to the continuous, hav- ing been identified heretofore with the legltlfni^te. May Bartlett was with Charles Hawtrey in "The Message from Mars." and before that In the Ixjndon production of "l>ord and Lady Algy." James F. Sullivan formerly played leads with the Pacific Coast Stock Company. The methods of both show the effects of