Variety (March 1909)

14 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation, Fint Appearance or Reappearance in or Around How York City. ( NEW fIGTS Or THE WPPK ) Barry and Pay, Hammerstein's. Saharet, American. Brothera De Wynn, American. Nance O'Neill (New Act), 125th Street. Conway and Barnes, Keeney's. Bert Danson, Bijou. Svengali, Columbia. Melroae and Kennedy, Columbia. Smith O'Brien, Columbia. Emily and Jessie Dodd, Columbia.' Burt Jordan, Columbia. Fielda and Lewis, Union Hill. Burgos and Clara, Bayonne. Braselly Sisters, New Brunswick. The Jagos, Perth Amboy. Harry Brown and Co. (New Act), Perth Amboy. James J. Jeffries. "Will Ton Fight Johnson"? 17 Mine.; Full Stage. Lincoln Square. There will be no argument as to who wrote Jim Jeffries'vaudeville offering. It waa thought out by an intensely interested sporting public. The legitimate has its problem plays, but it was up to the world's champion prize fighter to give vaudeville its first problem sketch. There never was a problem play written that held its audience more interested in the question involved than does "Will Tou Fight Johnson"? The house after clam- oring the title of the "piece" at the finish of the act had to be satisfied with Jeffries remarking, "Well, I guess I'll have to do it." The setting shows the interior of a rather scantily equipped gynasium. In order to make the champion's entrance a bit easy a newspaper man is introduced who comes to the gym to secure an inter- view with Jeffries. He mistakes Sam Berger for the real thing, and Berger puts him right by bringing out the goods. The ovation accorded Jeffries on Monday night lasted a full two minutes. The cheering in the upper portion of the house was stopped only by the sharp rap of the "spe- cial's" cane. Jeffries wastes no time, but gets right down to work, skipping rope, throwing th< medicine ball, using the chest weights and doing a minute or two of shadow boxing. As a finish he sparred three short rounds with Berger. The most impressive thing about Jeffries' work was his lightness and agility. It is really re- markable to see a man of his size and weight get around on his feet like the best of the lightweights. There is noth- ing heavy or clumsy about him and his presence impresses you with great physical strength.. What will be just as valuable to Jeff for vaudeville purposes aa his .strength and reputation is a Bill Taft smile that is a wonder, and after he gets into a little better shape so that he will have more chance to work it that smile will help a lot. There was a second ova- tion at the close of the act, ending with a huge bunch of flowers and three cheers for "the Champion" from the upper half of the house. "Will You Fight Johnson"? is a first-rate vaudeville vehicle for Jeff- ries. It has dramatic and athletic possi- bilities and the theme seems likely to hold the public interested for some time to come. Doth. "At the Waldorf." Musical Comedy. 45 Ulna.; Full Stage (Special Setting). Orphewn, Brooklyn. "At the \Valdorf" is a Jesse L. Lasky production. After seeing it that informa- tion is unnecessary, for Mr. Lasky's pro- ductions of late have not varied greatly in the general scheme. There are eighteen or nineteen people in the cast; six prin- cipals. There are eight musical numbers. Not one song received an encore on Tues- day evening. Not one song is worth an encore. They are all of the comic oper- etta kind, only worse, with little life to any in the lyrics or melody. The nearest approach was "How Ridiculous," with an oft-used bunch of "gags" for the song- story. Most of the numbers are known as "conversational." "Gay Paree," sung by Ida Lee Caston as a French maid, and Percy Chapman as a bell boy with an impossible part, scored just once with a dance of light calibre. The story is also light and farcical. It is of a diamond necklace stolen from a widow living at the Waldorf, New York. The lobby of the hotel on a very dull day is the setting. Beatrice McKenzie and Walter Shannon are featured in the billing. Knute Erick- son is the comedian, with a role permit- ting of some little comedy which might be effective were there anything else to the piece. Mr. Erickson has a leaning towards the "soubrette" brand of comical- ities. Mr. Shannon is saddled with a reci- tation of Kipling's "Vampire" near the finale. How it ever remained after the first performance is a mystery, for it doesn't belong at all. The piece is dead- ened sufficiently by that time, without having a dark stage and a creepy scene thrown at the audience to help along the gloom. There are six men and six girls in the chorus, worked into several "num- bers" with changes of attire, the men, who are as strong vocally .as the girls are weak, making the more . changes. The chorus is not overworked at any point. "At the Waldorf" is mentioned as Mr. Lasky's "extravagant production." It is not his most extravagant by far, from ap- pearances, and doesn't seem to touch his "Country Qub" for expenditure. The dressing is expensive and the setting looks nice; that's all. Perhaps the price of chorus men and women has gone up late- ly. The sketch is running 45 minutes, 28 minutes too long. After the 28 have been taken out, whatever music is left should be re-written. It needs a master hand to make anything out of the act as it is now. Sime. J Anita Bartling. Juggling. Palace, London. Anita is a cute little girl from the Con- tinent who juggles in the usual way, in- troducing a new one in bounding the balls. She uses a drum instead of a board, the effect with the band being very good. Other than this, she attempts nothing out of the ordinary, and made a very good early turn. Laurence Irving and Mabel Hackney. "The King and The Vagabond" (Drama). aa Mina.; Full Stage (Special Set). American. Some people like Laurence Irving as an actor; some will like the sketch he is appearing in, and others may regard him highly aa the son of an illustrious father. There are few who cannot be found in either category of admirers. This in con- junction with the rather pleasant impres- sion left by Mabel Hackney aa the vag- rant poet in the piece adapted by Mr. Irving from the story of "Gringoire," be- gets an extremely flattering reception for the players and the play at each appear- ance at the American, their first New York vaudeville appearance. Both have previously appeared on this side in legit- imate productions. "The King and the Vagabond" describes the story of the play- let sufficiently. Mr. Irving is the King; Miss Hackney the Vagabond in the per- son of a young lovelorn composer of blank verse. Some might say the verse heard should be blanked a couple of times. As to the piece, it is nearly all dialog.. The matters material to real vaudeville are absent The principal points wanting are action, comedy and a finish. That's generally enough. Mr. Irving's performance as the vain regal personage who is told glib fibs by everyone until be meets Gringoire (Miss Hackney) seems strong, although there is such a **ak atmosphere surrounding all the proceed- ings it is apt to be deceptive. Monday afternoon and evening Mr. Irving re- sponded to the applause with a neat speech. At the Wednesday matinee, while the applause was intermittent after the drop of the curtain, it called for no re- marks. Sime. Martin Beck left for Chicago on Wednes- day. He will return Monday. May Irwin and Co. (4). "Mrs. Peckham's Carouse." 28 Mina.; Three (Special Interior Set). Colonial. If William Shakespeare, Esq., had been proprietor of a metropolitan vaudeville theatre he never would have asked "What's in a Name?" No one ever hears Percy G. Williams quote that line. That's because P. G. knows his business. There's enough in a name, in this instance, to give May Irwin a mountainous salary for playing a sketch in which her sister, Flo, gave a much better performance. May makes "Mrs. Peckham's Carouse" a highly entertaining bit of humor to those who have not seen her sister. Indeed, she has not appeared to such complete advantage since her old farce comedy, "coon" sing- ing days. But Flo gets more completely into the spirit of the matronly Mrs. Peck ham, who under Flo's skillful hands became an almost likeable elderly club- woman rather than a rabid reformer. May loses the charm of the character in her effort to emphasize the determined reformer. Both have something of the same quiet unctuous humor and both are delightful, but May would have done us a favor by leaving the sketch in the more capable keeping of her sister Flo. Ruth. Morgan Wallace and Co. (a). "Trimmer (Comedy), so Mian.; Two (Special Set). Hammeratein'a. From the reports received from Balti- more, where "Trimmed" waa tried at one performance and sentenced to rest for the week, the skit waa supposed to'be pretty warm, but those who expected to see a mixture of the "Moulin Rouge" and "The Girl from Rector's" were doomed to dis- appointment. There is but one line ob- jectionable. Even this % < a slang expres- sion that outside of HaJarnerstein's prob- ably not one, in ten wx>uld get. The scene is laid in a mantWre parlor. The story haa to do with a flippant young man who has just lost his position because he is too swift for his straight-laced boss. The flippant one tells his troubles to the manicure girl. She readily recognises the boss aa one of her customers, a mushy old man, trying to make a hit with her. The girl agrees to "fix it" for the young man. He is secreted behind a screen. When the boss comes in and grows mushy, he comes forth and literally blackmails that individual into rehiring him. The comedy is of the "soubret" brand that is becoming a nuisance. If Jack Hazzard knew what he was about to start when he wrote "Ain't It Awful, Mabel?" he probably would have spared us all this agony. Morgan Wallace is featured in the piece, but it is Madge Pierce, the mani- curist, who is the real reason. The char- acter does not differ in any way from the several "switchboard" girls around of late. It's all that 'Tm-a-perfect-lady-but" stuff. The talk is not aa bright and anappy ae it should be, and a good bit of it runs to punning, all more or less commonplace. Mr. Wallace is the "fly" youth. He does fairly with the light comedy role. It could be made more likeable. Lloyd Carl- ton, the old man, got through nicely. "Dustem Off," the check boy, was very well done by Albert Weston, who secured most of the legitimate laughs. Miss Pierce, another of the thousand and one who have attempted this style of work, does as well as the rest. Almost any parlor cut-up, male or female, can go on the stage if this is all that is required. The great supply will shortly kill the demand. In vaudeville, and perhaps everywhere else, when one sees somebody else suc- ceeding, he or she follows, crowding the field immediately. "Trimmed" and all other of this sort date far back, this sketch in particular to a manicure parlor setting in a legitimate comedy two or three seasons ago. "Trimmed" did only passably at Hammerstein's, where it should go at its best. What it will do at other houses is a question. Dash. Mayme Fulton. Character Songs, xx Mins.; One. Bijou. • Mayme Fulton is a young girl who does a "Dutch" and "Sis Hopkins." The pro- gram says "A Clever Brooklyn Girl." That describes Mayme perfectly. Sime. "The Night Owls," 'laying off" this week at Cincinnati through the Bijou, Atlanta, having closed, Charles Robimon "jumped" into New York to visit his wife and child, leaving to-day to meet hi* company at Birmingham.