Variety (June 1911)

VARIETY A STAIR & HAVLIN ROUTE. "The Winning Widow," which Max Spiegl 1b going to send over to the Stair & Havlin "pop" circuit next sea J son, is to start in rehearsal the latter part of August. During the early part of this week Mr. Spiegl received the route for the show from the S. & H. offices. Ac- cording to this schedule the show is to open at Trenton, N. J., for three days on Sept. 14. The following week the show is to play in Phllly with a tour of the Jake Wells time to follow. The closing date of the season at present is April 8 in Toronto. Although the company will remain out from September until April, there will be practically no eastern time played by the organization. According to a manager who is in- terested in the production of several new offerings which are scheduled to And their way over the Stair and Hav- lin circuit of popular price houses next season, Billy Van and the Beaumont Sisters and John and Emma Ray are to return next season to their earlier love. * . Van is to be seen in a production which he is to stand sponsor for personally and the Rays are to revive one of their former musical pieces for the S. & H. houses. Chicago, June 7. Next season Stair & Havlin will pre- sent melodrama in four Chicago houses Alhambra, Palace Opera House, Cri- terion and the Bijou (latter owned by Kohl & Castle). The Alhambra which has been a spoke on the Eastern Burlesque Wheel for the past two years was recently leased by Roche, Marvin & Kettering for five years. This house will open July 17 with "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway." Following the Cohan-Har- ris piece a melodramatic show will be the attraction. The Palace opens Sept. 8 with the Bijou following a week later. Wm. Roche will manage the Bijou for Kohl & Castle and at the same time direct the business end of the Haymarket for the same firm. LOOKING OUT IN GERMANY. Berlin, May 30. James C. Duff is negotiating with Herr Max Reinhardt, the German man- ager, for some American product'cns. He may secure the musical comedy, "Polnische Wirtschaft" ("A Polish Mess"), now nearing its 300th con- secutive performance in Germany. George Marion, scouting for Charles Dillingham, has been getting costumes, scenery and "business" for the new Dillingham play, which will have a German atmosphere. MRS. FISKE'S RETURN. Chicago, June 7. Mrs. Fiske will be seen at the Grand Opera House here for a run of eight weeks, opening Oct. 2. She will appear in Gertrude Atherton's play, "Julia France." EDWARD HARRIGAN MOURNED. In the midst of the series of revivals by "old timers," Edward Harrlgan, "the Charles Dickens of the American stage," died at his home 249 West 102d street. The end came Tuesday last, after an illness of over two years. Heart failure is given as the cause. The deceased was 65 years old. He is sur- vived by a wife and six children. Harrigan's most successful piece was "The Mulligan Guards Ball," produced at the Comique in 1879. He followed it in quick succession with "The Mulli- gan Guards Chowder," "The Mulligan Guards Christmas," "The Mulligan Guards Surprise, "Mulligan's Silver Wedding" and numerous others with "Mulligan" as the central character. CHICAGO'S FOLIES. Chicago, June 7. Henry B. Harris announced yester- day that he had about completed ar- rangements for a new theatre to be erected here within "The Loop" and which, when built, will be operated as New York's Folies Bergere is run. The name of the new house will be the Folies Bergere and will contain a thea- tre, music hall and cafe. Mr. Harris has made arrangement with B. H. Harris, the architect who designed the plans for the Blackstone theatre, to furnish him with plans for the new house. Before leaving for New York, however, Mr. Harris stated that he would make known the location within a week. COOPKK SIGNS WITH WOODS. Harry Cooper has been signed by A. H. Woods to appear in "Modest Suzanne," which opens in Chicago late in August. VICTORIA PALACE The now house of the Varieties Theatre Controlling Co., situated opposite the Victoria Station of the District (Underground) Rail- way, London, Eng. It Is being built on the site of the old Standard Music Hall. FINNIGAN REPLACES KETTERING. Chicago, June 7. Richard Finnigan will direct the publicity of the Mort Singer produc- tions, replacing Ralph Kettering in that position. Mr. Kettering ig at pres- ent publicity director at White City Park. ROSENBERG SETTLES WITH K •% E. The almost celebrated case of Wal- ter Rosenberg, frozen out of the New York roof, or the show presented by him there too warm to remain, reached a settlement out of court this week. Mr. Rosenberg had sued Klaw & Er- langer for some thousands of dollars for unlawful ejection or something of that sort. The settlement gave Mr. Rosenberg enough to pay his lawyers, anyway, and perhaps covered the cost of a new overcoat worn by him Mon- day evening. Whatever the arrangements were, they left Walter in a pleasant frame of mind, so much so, he requested that a public statement be made to Louis F. Werba John, the Barber, and the remainder of the motley crew he introduced to "Governor Hughes" at Atlantic City about a year ago, in- forming the bunch that "Governor Hughes" is now ill. (No relative of Judge Hughes.) Things are running for Rosenberg. It looks as though he would unload the Criterion, Asbury Park, upon Ar- thur Klein, playing the house with him over the summer on a percentage basis. It holds 600 people. Mr. Klein may soon be offering acts at a figure that will discount the prices for- merly made by Ben Harris for Atlantic City. . Besides the Criterion at Asbury, Mr. Rosenberg has the Savoy there—and an opinion of the inhabitants that causes most of them to go to church twice on Sundays to pray for him. When Joe Wood heard that Rosen- berg had landed Klein for the Crite- rion, Mr. Wood thought out a plan to "split the week" with the big bills, the second half taking in the Wood house at Long Branch. This sounded so good to Joe, he hunted up Arthur, prepared to take $1,000 for the sum- mer. Joe said he didn't care so much about the money, but he liked Klein and wanted to see him get along. MANAGER BARS A CRITIC. The New Brighton Theatre will not be visited this summer by C. F. Zittel, of the Evening Journal, if Manager Pavld Robinson can prevent it. Mr. Robinson has placed the ban on Mr. Zittel, who is the vaudeville critic of the New York Evening Journal. In- cluded by the bar is any representa- tive of Mr. Zittel, although the edict does not take in the newspaper, nor any others of its staff. The action by Mr. Robinson was decided upon almost the same day last week that Collier's Weekly "exposed" the methods of Mr. Zittel and the Evening Journal in the procuring of theatrical advertisements. The Journal for a few years has been giving the- atrical people, who advert'sed in It, large quantities of free advertising. In a series of articles upon the degen- eracy of the American newspaper, Will Irwin has been pointing out many facts, and Anally reached the Hearst papers dramatic department. One of the most prominent Broad- way managers, fully informed on the value of the Evening Journal to the- atricals, was asked Monday by a Varietv, representative what aid the paper had been to him. He replied: "At first there was some benefit, but the persistency of it defeated its own purpose." VERA MICHAELENA, "SENORITA." Joe and L. Lawrence Weber have selected Vera Michaelena to take the titular role in their production of "Senorita," to be produced at Weber's theatre dur'ng August. "DR. DE LUXE" CLOSING. Boston, June 7. The Colonial and "Dr. D e Luxe" clos? together for the season ths Satur- day. The Gaites show has been do- ing fairly, considering the weather. Valeska Suratt's "Red Rose" is the only production holding over here next week, other than the stock companies. Miss Suratt's show may go to New York shortly for a summer run. San Francisco, June 7. The Savoy theatre is closed for the summer. TOUGH LUCK IN IOWA. Iowa City, la., June 7. Coldren Opera House, the only legit- imate theatre in the city, has been sold to a local bank, and will be re- modeled into an office building. This .leaves Iowa City with a population of 12,000 without an opera house. MARGARET MUDGE In Vaudeville. FOY SHOW NAMED. Chicago, June 7. The now E:ldie Foy phow scheduled to open at the Olympic next season has been renamed "The Girl from tlie Fol- ies Bergere." The piece was first call- ed "The Sleeping Car Conductor." BIJOU, MEMPHIS, BURNS. Memphis, June 7. Fire completely destroyed the Bijou theatre at 5 o'clock Monday morning. The Bijou Amusement Co., of which Jake Wells is the president, controlled the Bijou. It is a heavy loser on the fire. The Bijou was the old Stair & Hav- 1 n house. It had been dark for sev- eral weeks. Arrangements had been made to install "pop" vaudeville at the Bijou, as the company controls the Jefferson (now the Lyric), where the attractions will play next season.