Variety (February 1909)

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VARIETY 11 PARIS NOTDS BY EDWARD 0. KEHDSSW. Paris, Feb. 1. It will not astonish those who read be- Jween the lines to hfiax. that theQasino dc Paris has been sequestered, and al- though it is open up to the time of writ- ing, under the eyes of an official receiver, it is doubtful whether it will remain so very long. In December the lessee, M. Zittel, sold it for $17,370, and a few weeks after (in January) this was the cause of an attempt being made to declare the management insolvent, it having been stated that the sale was of a very sus- picious character. The purchasers, Reith & Co., announced as an American concern, protested, stating the bankruptcy court had no jurisdiction, and was on the point of gaining, when the owner of the build- ing joined in the petition for a receiver to be appointed. He invoked the plea that the rent for January, amounting to $2,316 (due monthly in advance) had not been paid. The court has just rendered a decision that it is incompetent to inter- fere on the subject of the sale, but names M. Lemarquis as sequestrator on behalf t>f the landlord, to assure the payment of the rent. L. Vidal now appears on the scene as the court's director. Richard Reith, the former lessee, told me that he remains at this music hall as adminis- trator. The present program is vaude- ville and a ballet pantomime. Pursy, the society chansonnier of Mont- martre, will take over the management of the Scala next September, and try to make this music hall the real temple of song, as it was years ago. The samples of disgusting and silly ditties lately served up at all the cafe*-concerts war- rant some change. Fursy's songs are oc- casionally near the knuckle, but they are political and often witty, so we can laugh without blushing. It is said that Fursy will indicate to each artist the songs to be sung. The French stage and the theatre of world, has lost a great actor, and the poor actor a great friend, in the death of Constant Coquelin, which occurred Jan. 27 at Pont-aux-Dames, the home for aged artists, which he had to a great extent created. Coquelin, aine (the elder), as he was familiarly called, was born at Bou- logne-sur-Mer in 1841, and was the son of a baker established in the Rue d'Ecu. He began to visit the cafe concerts of the town, and a little place called the Theatre Sandre, which was run by a pupil of the great Frederick. When his love for the stage was recognized he was sent to Paris, entered the Conservatoire, and in nine months liad won the first prize for comedy, which pernwtted'lrfm. tj» join the Comedie .Franchise as penaionnaire. It was Dec. 27, '07, that he created Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac," and at the time of his death was seeking a rest, amidst old comrades, previous to the final rehearsals of "Chan- tecler" by the same author, which patri- otic play he has been dreaming over for nine years—to die almost on the eve of its production. The deceased liked" to speak English, and always spoke to me in that language when I had the good chance to meet him. He was particularly kind to 'beginners, and had always a happy word for everyone. Thus has another gen- ius of the French stage passed away amid universal regret. The February program at the Olympia will consist of "one hour's laughter," the same ballet and the revue. The variety numbers forming the "hour's laughter" are Tank Wai Chinese Troup, jugglers; Re- bla, comic prestidigitator, Three Merrills, comedy bicycle; Charles Byron, burlesque menagerie, and Berzac's Ponies. The chorus at the Royal Opera House, Budapest, Hungary, recently struck for a higher rate of wage, and in consequence "Carmen" had to be played without a chorus. It is reported from Rouen (France) that the firm of V. Silvestre & Co., managing the Alhambra in that city, was declared bankrupt on Jan. 0. From Bale (Switzerland) comes the news that K. Kuchlin has taken a plot of land in the centre of the city on which he proposes to build a large modern music hall. This manager will continue to run the Cardinal. At the Jardin d'Acclimation, a zoologi- cal park in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, M. Gerson, the manager of the attractions, agreed with an impresario named Weiss to bring a troup of twenty-two dwarfs or pigmys. Marinelli's agency was entrusted with the engagement, to be from April 11 to Oct. 31, with a monthly payment of $3,088 and $1,544 for travelling expenses. It appears the contract was duly signed, but Mr. Weiss now states he is unable to secure the dwarfs. The attractions at the Etoile Palace in- clude Miss Annita, wire; Chung-Ling and Parro, electric musical; DeMaree's ani- mals; Cleires, gymnasts; Hermanos, acrobats; Wyndham and Kitty, wire; Pristons, cyclists; Omer-Sait Trio, tumb- lers, and Lady Jane, comedy act. Messrs. Gibbons & Barrasford send over for the February show at the Paris Al- hambra the following contingent: Maud and Gill, Ariel and Astarte, The Hectors, Bartisch, Nitta Jo, Lafaille Troupe, Prof. Canova, Balsamos, Marion and Lond, Perezof Troupe, The Ongars, Galetti and Kokin, and "Futurity Winner." At the Brussels Alhambra are the Kraggs Trio, 1a Freya, Four Canadians, Speedwell, Noblet, Danwartz Troupe, Three Rubys, Hovyns, Henrietta La Blonde, Ruth St. Denis, Menotti and the Imperial Troupe. Sam Goldie, a former manager for Weber & Rush, a well-known figure on Broadway, died last week at Lakewood, N. J., of tuberculosis. Amelia Bingham gave two recitations last Sunday instead of presenting her usual offering at the American. PARKS AND PAIRS St. Louis, Feb. 10.. Sol N. and Jacob Oppenheimer, man- agers of the American and the Suburban Garden, have announced they have taken over West End Heights from Louis Obert and associates, and this season the Op pen- heimers will give a variety program on the Weber and Fields line. There will be a permanent chorus of fifty, high-class vaudeville acts with an afterpiece. The Heights has in the past had a stock com- pany in legitimate repertoire. Jacob Op- penheimer is now en route to Europe to book acts. are planned, and a considerable number have already been effected. In the course of a few weeks 1 Mr. Gumpertz will issue a statement regarding "Dreamland" for the coming summer. Egan's Band, known as "The Blue Hen's Chicks" will tour this season, with John S. Egan at the head of it. The band de- rives its nom-de-plume from the State it comes from, Delaware, known as "The Blue Hen State." Frank Melville has taken offices in the Gaiety Theatre Building, New York, and will establish an agency business, book- ing parks and popular-priced vaudeville theatres. Melville formerly had a pros- perous park booking agency, but gave it up in favor of promoting open air sum- mer resorts. A venture in Bayonne left him with a large loss and another in South Jersey turned out unfortunately. "N6 more outside enterprises," says Mel- ville. Hereafter he will attend strictly to the booking of attractions. Holcombe, the western bandmaster, who gave up his vaudeville act through the laggardness of the bookings, is around Syracuse, N. Y., prospecting for an open- ing next summer in the park line. While Syracuse has been looked upon as a likely spot, the attempts so far in the Salt City have failed, either through mismanage- ment, location of the only resort within the city limits ("White City"), or that the transportation facilities are not inviting. Mr. Holcombe has faith that there is chance for the town, and may decide to try it out. Greer's Concert Band, a San Francisco organization, never east, will be handled by John S. Egan of the Atlas Booking Circuit this summer. The Philippine Constabulary Band of 60 pieces is also in this country, but has a limited number of engagements. It may be necessary for the band to return to Manila around Sept. 1. There will be over 20,000 electrics in '^Dreamland," Coney Island, this summer. It will be known as "The Greater Dream- land," and the formal opening will occur about May 15. Sam Gumpertz, who has a free hand this season in the manage- ment of the park, will place a Hippodrome above the Lagoon, and remove the dance hall to the space formerly taken up by a small vaudeville performance in the center of the enclosure. Many improvements The Atlas Booking Circuit is organizing a circuit of fourteen parks, which will have fourteen solid shows traveling over it in a rotary manner, the shows playing one week each in every park. The Atlas will hold an exclusive contract with the parks to place the entertaining features, and the park management pays no trans- portation. Most of the parks included upon this circuit have signed contracts with the Booking Circuit. Ethel Robinson, the agent with the Western Vaudeville Association, Chicago, will go abroad at the end of the present fair season for a pleasure trip. She has not had a vacation in three years. STAGE. ENTRANCE. Youngstown, O., Feb. 10. The Youngstown and Southern Electric Railway Company has an option on 30 acres of land about one mile east of Leetonia, O., for the purpose of construct- ing and operating an amusement park to cost about $200,000. iiUJj)ji!UJij)j})!irnii-i«'tt#iii Mildred Holland will continue at the head of the York ville Theatre Stock Com- pany for the remainder of the season. Mattie Keene and Co. are on the Mozart time.