Variety (May 1909)

10 VARIETY London, April 20. B. Obermayer has returned to London after a three weeks' trip on the Continent. Hill and Whitaker are back in London playing a few of the JStoll houses in town* Harry Kraton, the hoop-roller, will open in London next week, playing the Hack- ney Empire. Probst, the whistler, is over here and will probably have a showing in the halls soon. Arthur Buckner is arranging it. Tim OXJonjior is a dancing "kid" and ought to get along in the business. He is working at the Bedford this week. Nipper Lupino Lane at the Coliseum is showing that he is one of the best eooen- tric and acrobatic dancer in these parts. A report from Brussels says that 'The Bain Dears" were a big success at their opening at the Alhambca, in that eity. this week. The Tossing Austins will leave the last of this month for the States, where they have about three months' time in the parks booked. The Martin Brothers have returned from an eight months' trip on the eon* tinent. They expect to sail for the States in a few George Barclay, whose condition two weeks back was very serious, is reported as recovering, and it is expected he. will be about very soon. Keen and Waller, two tumblers st the Coliseum, were the big scream all week. They certainly do some real new ones on and off the table. Frank C. Bostock itated the other day be had no interest in the American Wild West Exhibition which will open in a few weeks at Earl's Court. Fred Lindsley has just received con- tracts thst will send him over the Or- pheum Circuit. The booking wss done through the (Paul Schultz Agency. Blake and Amber have completed most of their time over here, and have stopped signing contracts until after they pre- sent iheir new act. now under way. Jack and Evelyn, at the Bedford this week, created the usual big scream. Jack is one of, the best of comedians when it comes to getting the local stuff over. Albert Bees gives imitations of musical instruments. This week at the Coliseum he is singing "Home, Sweet Home," in Chirgwin's voice, and is getting away with it. Another Lupino is shown st the Stand- ard this week. Wallace Lupino, the youngest of the family on the stage, is getting away nicely with a series of dances. Hal Godfrey and Co. will fill in an open week at the Grand, Hanley, next LONDON NOTES VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE. sis man), w. o. (Mall for Americans and Eoropeaaa In Enrol* If addrt-uet] rare VARIBTY, as aboTe, will ha promptly forwarded.) week. Paul Hurray, who is handling Mr. Godfrey exclusively now, fixed the en* gagement. The New Kilburn • Empire opened this week, playing to capacity business. The house has a seating capacity of a little over 3,000, and is the latest addition to the Gibbons Circuit. The Frank L. Gregory Troupe have been booked at the Empire for May 10. Paul Murray did the booking. Hitter and Fos- ter have left London for a three months* tour of the provinces. Gallager and Bannon, who opened so big at the Empress, Brixton, in "The Bat- tle of Too Soon," were immediately en- gaged for an indefinite run at the Palace, London, where they open April 20. Mia Madeleine, the Coliseum dream dancer, is in her second week, and it pleases everyone to know that this is her last. It was reported that all sister acts had been put out of business some time ago. But evidently the Lavender Sisters were overlooked. This pair, who wear only lavender costumes, are working the Bed- ford this week. W. H. McCarthy, secretary of the Vaudeville Club, is up and doing after a long siege of sickness. Tom Case, mana- ger of the club, is attending to his duties as usual, after being down with in flu- "The Bower of Melody," B. A. Rolfe's new act, has been booked for three months in England. The act appeared at the Coliseum a few weeks ago, With no time booked ahead. The Paul Schultz agency is handling it. Fred Maxwell has another dramatic sketch at the Bedford. Maxwell is ordi- narily a fair actor, but in this case, as the boy orator, boosting for the British workingman, he is not. "Dick Dare, M. P.," is the sketch. Wilkie Bard is back in London playing the Tivoli, Oxford and Paragon this week. He is handing out a new tongue twister. It is called "The Leith Police Dismisseth Us." Bard gets a whole lot out of this number with the aid of an assistant who doe* a lisping souse. Last week at the Tottenham Palace Percy Henri played on sharing terms. The arrangement was made after the management wanted to be let down on the contract. Percy claims that his regu- lar salary was doubled. Paul Murray, the manager of the Mor- ris London office, has received word from the executive offices in New York, accord- ing to report, that he will not be released to join the combination. Mr. Murray's intentions have not been divulged. For a big musical act the Elliott Sa- vonas, playing the Coliseum, have a lot on most of the others. Their stage set- ting is a big part of the offering. The selections played are much too long. As the act stands now, the audience becomes pretty weary during the longer selections. It will interest some of the Yanks that know the German Club here to learn that "Willie," the former manager of the club, has retired. The little club is now under the msnsgement of F. Siegerist, better known as the "Master." The "Master" was manager before Willie took charge, about two years ago. Henrietta T>e Serris is at the Palace with her art studies and shows one of the best acts in this line. Carlton is do- ing his single act at the Palace this week and gets a lot of fun out of a few card tricks. Carlton has a good bunch of talk that goes with his tricks, although it seems as though this is delivered a bit too swiftly for his audience. Lola Lee, the Indian snake dancer, has departed somewhat from the beaten track. She is doing a ballet dance in one while they are getting the snakes ready for her. The dance does not amount to much, but it serves its purpose. As for the snake dance, Lola has been working steadily, so that's the answer. She is playing the Standard Music Hall this It looks as though the Coliseum were in for a bunch of trouble that will ba settled only in the courts. A music hall license specifies a limited number of talk- ing parts and a limited time that sketches shall run. The Coliseum and Hippodrome have evidently violated this law, for sum- monses have been issued against both. There is a cry over here now for one license to cover both music hall and le- gitimate theatres. The officials of the London County Council in making up the free band con- certs in the public parks, have indicated their disapproval of American "cake walk" or "rag time" music. Among the songs and melodies specifically banned arc "Suwanee River," "Georgia Gamp Meeting," " 'Way Down in Tennessee," "In Ole Ken- tucky," "Happy Days in Dixie" and a score of others of the same sort. In their' place the programs will include the music of Chopin, Beethoven, Wagner, Schumann and even Tschaikowsky. Maud Allan has encountered many dif- ficulties on her tour of the provinces. The Finance Committee at Liverpool refused to permit the use of St. George's Hall for the exhibition of her "Salome" dance on May 11 and 12, and protest was made at a meeting of clergymen at Preston Guild- hall against a demonstration of the bare- foot dance there. A representative of the dancer informed the Mayor that Miss Al- lan Would not give lior "Salome" number without his permission. It is understood that she will appear, but in some danc other than that of "Salome." HOLBORN EMPIRE. London, April 20. A very slow and uninteresting bill at the Empire, in Holborn, last week. Primavesi, juggler, has nothing new in juggling, but perhaps a little comedy worse than the usual. Talberto and Douglas do a knock-about comedy number that would be among the best if it were not spoiled by an attempt to make the affair a patter act. The falls and some of the tricks are good to watch, but the 'pair insist on talking. Carney and Armstrong are a couple of real clever patter comedians. Their open- ing is funny enough to pull them through. One makes apologies to the audience for the other's non-appearance on that eve- ning, and goes off to make a change when the "non-appearing" fellow walks on. The talk that follows is fast, and the boys were a real hit. Hal Forde has brightened up his ma- terial a little and is developing into a very funny fellow. Albert Rees is still singing "Home, Sweet Home," with the falsetto, and getting away with it. Four good dancers are doing an act called the "Six White Boys." The four can use their feet finely. The Pender Troupe went big at the finish. The first part is a "rough house" that doesn't help the act any. Evelyn Taylor sings, dresses in boy's clothes and takes herself seriously. The Rawsons are a couple of "kid" won- ders whom the house liked, but it would be a tough job to discover why. Frank Seeley sings one comic song. He is really not so bad as that, though. Fred Edwards and Bertha Northam in "Kleptomaniacs" were the customary laughing hit. This pair are the real clever sketch team over here, and Miss Northam is not a very small part of the act. Lew Lake and Co. always have things their own way. The big numbers that Lake puts on appeals to patrons of halls of this kind. Lake is a very good comedian and every one seems to know it. The 12 "Jolly Dutch Girls" were there. JOHNSON TIED UP? London, April 17. There is likely to be a contest over the engagement of Jack Johnson for the athletic carnival to be put on at the Aldwych Theatre. Seymour Hicks has declared that he has secured Johnson for the occasion at a salary of $1,600 a week. Nevertheless the Gibbons Circuit has the fighter under contract and if he attempts to play the Hicks engagement there is every prospect of a controversy. Emilia Rose and the Mangen Troupe open at the New York Hippodrome May 10, playing for the remaining three weeks of the season there. A statement issued by the Berlin Win- tergarten giving the amount of commis- sions received by the different agencies booking for the house has the Marinelli office at the head with sixteen thousand marks ($4,000) received during the Win- tcrgartcn's fiscal year. The second high agent received seven thousand marks. Reggie De Veulle, the "Apache" or twisting dancer of "The Moulin Rouge" hsa placed himself for vaudeville with Jack Levy,