Variety (April 1909)

16 VARIETY FIFTH AVENUE. r In the weekly shift about of the pro- gram which almost invariably occurs in a Keith-Proctor Theatre after the Monday •hows, Odette Valery, a holdover and one of the advertised features, found herself "No. 3." Julius Steger is the headline. Twenty-four hours or more of rain from Monday until Tuesday night had its due effect upon the Fifth Avenue attendance. 'The Musical Elephants," a pretty large act in weight, numbers and salary, opened the bill, giving the best performance yet gone through by Alfredo Rossi, the ani- mals' trainer. Perhaps the elephants are becoming acclimated or outgrowing their dislike for either New York or vaudeville. With the animals working properly, "The ' Musical Elephants" is a good novelty num- . bar. The Mirza Golem Troupe, a large i acrobatic act, closed the bill, giving some- thing worth seeing at both ends. Mr. Steger, with his new sketch, "The Way to the Heart/' was the hit of the bill. There will be many widely divergent opinions regarding this piece, written by Ruth Comfort Mitchell. It is long and talky without action. There is a song running through the piece which just es- capes being a masterpiece of melody. The dialog runs in duologs. It is eight min- utes from the opening before the star appears. There are discourses on Capital vs. Labor a couple of times, and tome reminiscences at others. Mr. Steger is un- doubtedly doing the best work of his career. He is ably and capably supported by Mr. Hollingsworth in no sinecure of a role. Mr. Hearn has an elderly character, well played, and there are a couple of women in the piece. The audience ex- pressed undeniable approval. Claire Romaine captured the house with «I Haven* Told My Mother Up To Now," substituting "chicken" for "rabbit" in the "hit" chorus of that first-season song of hers. Another former one, "I Only Wanted to Whisper in Your Ear," gave the period to Miss Romaine's act. Che sang five songs in all, doing better than Miss Ro- maine has been previously heard or re- ported in any New York house this season. But when Claire returns from London (for which town she sails next week) all thought of "song plugging" should be left behind her. It doesn't go; it doesn't help her act or reputation, and it isn't artistic, though well done, by Miss Romaine or any- one else. Valery consumed but twelve minutes Tuesday, a gain of three over last week, some comfort and hope for the future. There is no change, either in the act, Valery, the snake or the audience. Daphne Pollard and "Kris Kringle's Dream" are ' under New Acts. Fred Watson and The Morrisey Sisters were on "No. 2" with little difference, at least in the dressing, from the previous appearance of the trio at this house. 8ime. The agents wore wildly excited this week over the reported abdication of the Sultan of Turkey. Two or three assured man- agers they had cabled asking what he wanted to appear at the head of a "girl act" using an octet of his wives. Jack Levy is said to have beseeched Willie Ham- merstein to have the Sultan open in New York May 3. "He couldn't open by then," Willie replied. "Yes he can," said Jack. "It's all right, Willie. I just had him on long distance." AMERICAN. The published announcement that Jas. J. Jeffries was going to issue his den to Jack Johnson, despite a disagreeable eve- ning that held down the audiences every- where else in town, packed the American to the doors. The demonstration that fol- lowed Jeffries' announcement that he would re-enter the prize ring exceeded in volume any that has been heard in a New York vaudeville theatre. Jeffs speech was as simple and direct as it possibly could be. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "after seven weeks of work, I am satisfied that I can get into as good con- dition as ever, and so I will fight Jack Johnson." Then the storm broke. It was up to Fred Fischer and Maurice Burkhardt, following Jeffries, to start the show all over again. That they were able to pick up the attention of the audience almost at the outset and hold it without a slip to the finish speaks volumes for the merit of their offering. They are working more smoothly than at their opening in the Lincoln Square a week ago. Fischer particularly shows an improvement. The singing and piano playing runs along in a well varied routine, enlivened by several costume changes by Burkhardt for his character numbers. The intervals to per- mit the changes are filled in by Mr. Fischer with solos and a catchy medley of his own composition. Altogether the show was quite to the tastes of the American crowd. Lillian Wright and her "Dancing Boys" (New Acts) started things off nicely. Minna iiurst, the ever blooming "ill. song" singer, followed. This week she has a better lot of slides and two new songs. Burrows-Travis Co. (New Acts) drew down a fair amount of laughs with an unnecessarily rough comedy sketch. The Five Juggling Jordans have a strik- ing routine of club juggling and a young- ster that for "cuteness" has not been beaten since Birdie Millman, of the Mill- man Trio. The youngster is a tiny chap with a round, chubby, smiling face, and his curious little bobbing bow is warranted to captivate every woman in the house. He does some real juggling, too. The quin- tet were careless Tuesday evening. Scarce- ly any of their more complicated team formations went through without two or three slips. This should be corrected by practice. They keep up a high speed, but lose out through unevenness of execution. Shean and Warren were a big laughing number with their "Quo Vadis Upside Down," and Charles J. Ross followed with a second comedy hit in "Chuckles." His "dope fiend" bit compares with the best line of exaggerated slang that has been heard. The Four Luby Sisters (New Acts) were not strong enough to hold up the pace, but Blake's Comedy Circus, after the opening work with the ponies, started the proceedings again. Rinaldo accomplished the almost unbe- lievable feat of practically stopping the show in the place next preceding Jeffries H looked for a minute as though the audi- ence would force him to make a speech. Certainly the eccentric violinist is a find for Morris. Les Jundts, equilibrists and hand balan- cers, held the crowd in, closing after 11 o'clock. Their brightly dressed turn has a quantity of novelty in it. Rush. HAMMERSTEHT& A good average bill holds forth this week at the Big Corner, minus Rajah, the long distance hold-over of 1009. The middle of the show is well supported with standard vaudeville names, the early items fill in nicely and Pauline T in the closing place held the audience with the uncanny exhi- bition. Frank Morrell (New Acts) with his single blackface specialty was wel- comed "home" and drew down the un- doubted hit of the entertainment. It makes no difference how much you know about the stage mechanism of "hyp- notic" acts, the exhibition of Pauline? is bound to make an impression. Even the sophisticated "regulars" of the house find the act interesting. "It it's a fake, it's a mighty good one," was the common way of expressing estimates of the act back of the orchestra rail—and that's a god deal of a concession from the hardened habitues of the Victoria. While it is doubtless neces- sary to use some serious tests to etablish credulity in the mind of the audience and build up a background for the comedy at the finish, Pauline? might let that "blood test" alone. It is not at all pretty and has no place outside a medical clinic. The cataleptic demonstration is almost as grue- some? The force of the act is Pauline? He impresses his audience with his straightforward sincerity, and having won their faith, the rest is easy. Tyler and Ward (New Acts) opened the show, followed by the Arlington Four. A well arranged routine of singing and dancing, uninterrupted by talk would make a vehicle for the boys. That part of their offering is entertaining. Their humor, however, is juvenile. The comedian in blackface does extremely well with an ec- centric loose dance and two of the others supplement his efforts with capital step- ping. The Hebrew comedian seems to be a newcomer to the organization. He did well enough with his character number. His talk went the way of the rest. Rice and Prevost, playing Hammerstein's for the —th time (write your own ticket) were a big laugh all the way. Howard Prevost is there with that beautiful "lay- out" somersault, a feat that he handles better than any other straight ground tumbler coming to mind. Jos. E. Howard and Anna Laughlin were "No. 4" and played to a mild reception. Some of their early talk has no place in the entertainment of experienced artists such as they, but the singing and the by- play toward the finish were amusing. The singing was, of course, the usual success. Wilfred Clarke and Co., in "What Will Happen Next," came over with a pro- nounced hit, not the easiest of things to accomplish at Hammerstein's. There is not an instant's pause in.the complications of the farce, and the odd mannerisms of Mr. Clarke kept the laughter a-bubble. William Gould and Valeska Suratt were there with a partly revised offering, that is, revised as to two songs and Miss Sur- att's frocks. The building of those gowns is a constant mystery. Their purpose is to startle and they do all of that. One of the new lot is a draped affair of white, lined with cerise satin. Cerise shoes and stockings go with it and an odd illusion of "sheath" effect is obtained by an occasional glimpse of the colored facings. Another creation of block jet over a pin< slip was odd to the point of bizarrcric. Rush. issTH STREET. A light bill and a light house made Monday night rather wearisome at the 126th Street house. There weren't enough people in to make a real noise if they wanted to. The program was shifted up- side down after the matinee, which left the batting order in k very sad state. Alcide Capitaine, programed to open the show, apeared "No. 2," and was re- ceived with more warmth than any other number on the bill. "The Perfect Gym- nast" (that's the billing—and it goes) is a finished performer on the trapeze and her graceful figure is always a delight. It isn't all appearance, grace and finish, however, for the woman does the real work, also. Artie Hall, programmed "No. 2," ap- peared "No. 5." This is Miss Hall's first apearance in the varieties after a season in other fields. She has made a mistake in not digging up something new for her reappearance. The same familiar side re- marks and even the same numbers are there. The market is flooded with good singing material just now. The house didn't care for Miss Hall's dramatic reci- tation of a "coon" song. Marty Healy and Anna Lloyd billed for "No. 3," opened the show. They were up against the toughest kind of going. All of the few were not in when they began. Miss Lloyd is singing "Yip-I- Addy" with plenty of life. The act was forced to finish in "one." "Slivers" Oak- ley (New Acts) appeared "No. 6." Binns, Binns and Binns were on "7." The rough comedy of the trio is just about to the liking of the 126th Street crowd, ordin- arily. Monday was an off-day, though. The men do much that is really funny, but there are two or three bits that do not come under the heading of clean comedy. The music is of a first class brand and more could be given with better results. "Hotel Laughland" went from "6" to "4." There have been one or two changes in the cast since the piece was last seen, without noticeable improvement. Mark Hart is now the Hotel Proprietor. It isn't his fault if he doesn't get much out of the role. The Irish character doesn't belong in the piece at all. There is also one new girl amongst the six "broilers." She needs some rehearsing, upsetting things several times during the proceed- ings. Ben Grinnell is the real hit of the piece. He does a corking number which received more applause Monday night than any one thing on the entire bill. Mar- garet Haney is a lively likeable soubrette who makes capital out of a very good number, "Where the Big Bananas Grow." There is a tramp character also in the piece that should be cleaned up. Dirty tramp make-ups are quite out of vogue. Carson and Williard were "3," billed for "7." The German comedians didn't do as well as usual; in fact, they didn't do at all until they got down to the burlesque finish, which brought some re- ward. Mme. Theresa Renz closed the show, the only act playing in its original position. It is a very pretty "sight" offering, and drew its accustomed admiration. "That" Quartet will be the sponsors for a ball and entertainment to be given next Saturday night (May 3) at Amster- d«m Hall. 44th Street and Eighth Avenue, New York.