Variety (March 1909)

14 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation, Firtt Appearand or Reappearance in or Around New York City. ( NEW AGTO OP THE WEEK ] Laurence Irving and Mabel Hackney, American. Ina Claire, American. Kalmer and Brown (New Act), Ham- merstein's. "Trimmed," Hammeretein'a. May Irwin and Co*, Colonial. Marie Dainton, QoloniaL "At the Waldorf, 1 * Orpheum. "Get the Hook," Third Avenue. Taylor and Fabian, Third Avenue. Bachl'a Arabs, Keeney's, Brooklyn. Virginia Sargent (New Act), Keeney's. Musical Parahley, New Brunawick. Wreen and Vanity, Kew Brunawick. Beatrice Vance, Perth Amboy. » Jack Lorimer. Scotch Comedian, aa Mima.; One and Two. Lincoln Square. Jack Lorimer, the Scotch tinging co- median, making hia reappearance on thia aide at the Lincoln Square thia week, opena with a rollicking number called •Three Scotchmen," dreeaing for it in tweed Jacket and kilta and working in a few dance atepa during the veraea. The aeeond number waa "I Got Married 1 * with humoroua lyrica. Tve Lost My Dog" in- troduced a "kid" character with just a auggeation of pathoe in the lyrica and handling. "The Banka of Bonnie Dune" waa a pretty ballad and for a flniah the scene ahifted to the full itage and a girl assistant joined the singer in a short, graceful dance for the finale. The Lincoln Square audience liked the Scotchman whole-heartedly and at the Tuesday even- ing performance the last two minutes of the running time was given over to ap- plause, although he had to appear after two hold-over sketches, either guaranteed to kill any vaudeville bill. Ruth. Percy Henri and Co. "Concordia." Oxford, London. Percy Henri, a concertina player and monologist, is showing his worth as a pro- ducer this week (Feb. 22) at the Oxford, where he presented his teens, called "Con- cordia" Monday. The act is a marvel, both in costumes and scenery, and it has the music halls guessing as to when it is going to end. The first scene shows Henri com- ing home; his wife meeting him. Then Percy does a dream by the fireside and seems to see his wife going away with a male friend. From here on it is one round of surprises. Scenes and costumes change rapidly, (dances are gone through by the chorus (whieh numbers about twenty) and Henri introduces a few selections on the concertina. The act really seems too big for a music hall, but after seeing it brings to mind how careless the producer of the average big act now playing the English halls is. Henri deserves a lot of credit for showing this style of act properly. No expense hss been spared in any detail. Whether or not Henri is successful in placing the act for any length of time, he surely has made a try and proves himself the equal if not the superior of the people on this side who have attempted big things in the vaudeville world. Fred Hallen and Mollis Fuller. "A Lesson at xi P. M." (Comedy), so Mine.; Full Stage. Greenpoint. Fred J. Beaman is responsible for "A Lesson at 11 P. M." He has not uncov- ered anything surprisingly new in ideas, but he baa turned out some very bright lines. Fred Hallen, aa a shiftless but harmless ne're-do-well, gets into a tight place with an unfriendly dog. In selecting a place of safety he steps into the base- ment of a private house. Immediately he ia forced to the upper portion of the house by another pet. Entering the drawing room, upon the arrival of the owners, husband and wife, he hides behind a screen. From this position he overhears a family jar in which the husband ac- cuses the wife of jealousy. The husband laughs scornfully at the idea of be- coming jealous of another man. The hus- > band leaves. Mollie Fuller (the wife) looking into the mirror discovers Hallen, who haa been making various remarks during the squabble. Explaining who he is, the couple enter into a pact to arouse the jealousy of the husband. She has lunch prepared, and aa Hallen digs into it, he makes love on the side. The husband, returning, finds them in this position, and starts to clean up. Obtaining an inkling of how things stand, the husband schemes with Hallen to fool the wife. They decide to fight a duel in the dark, firing revolvers at random. The lights »switched on catch them, giving the act its finish. Mr. Hallen does exceedingly well in a strange character for him. He keeps away from the tough, avoiding slang almost en- tirely. He brings out all there is in the lines and does some funny and new things while eating. Miss Fuller plays the wife to a nicety, looking stunning in a black sheath gown. The husband, a minor role, was fairly well handled by an unnamed. Doth. Jack Smith and Co. (a). "Western Sports." az Mina; Full Stage. Columbia. Jack Smith and Co. show rather an in- teresting review of western sporting past- times. Not the least interesting item is to find Jack Smith. There are two men and a trained bronco, the program says the only one in the world. Each figures as prominently as the other. It was merely guesswork to pick the distin- guished billed one. The work includes the regulation routine of lariat throwing, well done but not carried out as far as in other instances; a quantity of trick and straight revolver shooting which com- pares with any that has been seen, and a good exhibition of horse training. The animal in a small way does several of the tricks shown by the late "Princess Trixie." A hurrah is supplied with a flag finish. The orchestra plays the na- tional airs of several countries, and at each one the horse picks out the appropri- ate flag. The act opened the bill at the Columbia, probably the only place it would have fitted in. It is much better than the position. Dash. Al. Jolson. Monolog and Singing. Lew Dockstader'a Minstrels. Al. Jolson would be welcome to vaude- ville in the specialty which he ia using aa a feature of Lew Dockstader's Minstrels. Dressing neatly in evening clothea of faultless cut and of the new color called "taupe," Jolaon offers a quiet quarter of an hour of smooth entertainment. Aa a singer of "coon" songs Jolson haa a method of his own by which lyrics and melody are given their full value. Hia talk moves along nicely and is kept within proper proportion to the rest of the act. Throughout the talk Jolson in- troduces little tricks of speech and for a finish has an odd, eccentric vocal per- formance in which he sings with a pe- culiar buzzing note. Of course, it's flagrant trick work, but it brings him back for a sure fire encore. For this purpose he has a whistling solo thatf brings another recall. Jolson makes an announcement for his second encore. He could well spare this. The comic ballad he sings can stand alone. The comedy announcement thing has been worked to death, and it brings him nothing. As it stands now Jolson's offering is capable of holding down a place in any vaudeville show. He is now in the next to closing position in the olio of Dockstader's Min- strels, following Lew Dockstader and Neil O'Brien among others, and Jolson is mak- ing good a mile. Ruth. Ethel Fuller and Co. (3). "A Question of Type." 16 Mine.; Full Stage (Interior). Columbia. Ethel Fuller, a Brooklyn stock favorite, ia showing a sketch which amounts to nothing more than Ethel Fuller in a scene from "Antony and Cleopatra." There is a sketch structure that gives a reason for the scene, but no matter what the reason or no matter who the player is, it is doubtful if vaudeville will ever stand for the Cleopatra thing outside of the way Rajah does it. There is no action and no comedy. One-half of the time is occupied in leading up to the scene and the other half is consumed with it. There are three concerned besides Miss Fuller. All are adequate. The piece is nicely put on. There is no fault in anything but the sketch itself. Miss Fuller is easily capable, and with the proper vehicle should find a place. Dash. Sam Morris. Talk. 14 Mine.; One. Columbia. While Sam Morris can hardly be called a copy of Cliff Gordon, the fact remains that he is trying along identical lines. He has a good idea of what he is trying to do, although nervous and uncertain of himself. His German accent is also fairly good and will probably improve as he gains assurance. The talk for the most part is not new, but it struck the Colum- bians as being funny and went very well. Dash. Will H. Ward and Co. "When the Devil Comes to Town" (Dra- matic). S3 Mine.; Four (13); Two (6); Four (4). "Tiger Lilies." "When the Devil Gomes to Town" must be a surprise to the burlesque audiences before which it is playing aa the feature act with the "Tiger Lilies." Will H. Ward wrote the playlet, and he is the German comedian with the show, taking the prin- cipal part also in the sketch. It is dra- matic. The burlesque goers think not of drama, but when awakened to a realizing sense of the piece, display rapt attention and interest in it. There is quite a bit of true sentiment in the story, improbable, of course, since "The Devil" is brought into it, but well written and nicely told. A tailor living with his wife and daugh- ter is something of a chemist, needing but one ingredient for an ^'Ambition Pow- der" which he believes will make his for- tune. The tailor wants wealth for his family's sake to remove them from the squalor of the tailor shop. The wife and daughter are content, but bewail the father's mania for experiment. Leaving him to attend a ball after some conversa- tion bringing out the plot, the tsilor falls asleep, dreaming he is visited by The Devil, who, for the consideration that the tailor shall give his wife and daughter the first two ambition powders mado by him, supplies the name of the missing drug. The scene changes. The family is in affluence. The wife and daughter have an ambition to raise themselves. Both want jewelry, clothes and travel. They tell each other of their ambitions while the father is secreted behind a screen. The daughter speaks of a flirtation the mother has held with a young man. She admits it. The tailor rails at himself for having listened to The Devil. Another change, and the tailor shop again comes into view* The women returning from the ball awaken the father who, in his surprised pleasure at finding he has seen only visions, promises he will forsake chem- istry forever, but remarks for the finale as he stands at tfie mantlepiece, alone in the room, "That was a hell of a dream though." It makes a nice comedy break for the sketch. The main defects at pres- ent are in the female support. Pearl Brandon as the wife neither looks the part nor in her attempt at dialect dis- tinguishes between the Hebrew and the German. Mae Scullen as the daughter was a trifle better, but both would have to be replaced for vaudeville. Hugh Bern- hard made The Devil strong, and read his lines well. Mr. Ward's German is mellow, and most likable. Sime. Mile. Vanity. Dances. 6 Mins.; Full Stage. American. Coming direct from "The American Idea," Mile. Vanity is at the American this week. The dancer is only putting in six minutes, but it is a very busy six. "Acrobatic toe dancer" would probably best describe her. She also does a little contortion work. All of the dancing is finished. Mile. Vanity makes a pleasing vaudeville number alone, but she would appear to much better advantage at the head of a big act or with a couple of boys to assist her. Appearing "No. 2," a very trying position at the American, she did extremely well. Dash.