The New York Clipper (February 1917)

February 7, 1917 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 17 EIGHTY-FIRST STREET (Last Half) The class of bills being offered at this house seems to get better with each suc- ceeding week. The last three of them have been particularly good and have gone over with a bang. For the last half, last week, the Three Arleya opened. This tarn is of a sensa- tional nature and got a big hand for the early place. George Halperin, who does a piano single, followed. His act will be reviewed under New Acts. ■ "Twenty Odd Tears," a comedy playlet, presented by Harry Beresford and Com- pany, is very cleverly written and is far off the beaten path. Two young lovers plan on elopement. Twenty yean before, their fathers quarreled and the rancor has never died. The girl's father has no use for the young fellow and orders him away from the home innumerable times. The boy is egotistical and tells the old "gent" that youth will bury old age and that the old men either stand still or go back. There is a rapid fire line of talk between the two which is witty and satiri- cal. The father then meets the elopers as they are leaving and the girl is given the choice of the two, and turns to her father. Her father then decides that twenty years is long enough to hold a grudge and buries the hatchet with his old rival. This playlet is well acted throughout. Beresford is especially good. The setting is that of a little cottage ,with its front yard and is very realistic. Kenneth Davenport and Helen Raftery made a big hit with their offering, "Along the Bridal Path. This is an act that will bear watching for it is clever. The newlyweds, also newly acquainted, are on their way to a hotel and open in one, seated on a trunk. Most of their gags are new and sure-fire and during the routine both sing and play the piano, after the set- ting is changed to a hotel suite. This turn l.as been cleverly put together. The woman should be more careful of her dic- tion, especially in the poem. A blackface turn that is at all good is almost sure to get a good reception, but Comfort and King fairly stopped the show. The straight is a lawyer and a client comes in who is anxious to break over the matrimonial traces. The big words that the lawyer hands out to his client are too much for tbe latter and his attempts to fathom them are ludicrous. The client goes out, while the straight is putting over a song medley, and returns rigged up as tbe female victim of the- divorce suit. At the close the lawyer fiirts with her and they parade off stage. It seems doubtful whether the straight gains by appearing in blackface, as he makes no attempt at dialect. His singing is excellent. Dan Burke & Co. in "The Old Master" closed. Burke is an old master of the stage and visions of his early days arise, the while dancers appearing. The scene is in his dingy room and in the background can be heen Drury Lane Theatre. Little attempt at plot has been made in this sketch, but the dancing throughout is very good, Burke, .especially, scoring a big hit. SHOW REVIEWS (Continued from page 9) AUDUBON (Last Half) Mile. Ellia and Company opened rhe show Thursday evening to a capacity hi ise and won approval with their acrobatic and balancing feats. The second spot was occupied by Mar- garet Youngblood. Her work proved that she deserved the feature spot in view of the fact that she all but stopped the show. She is primarily a singer of character songs. While she sings a "want-to-go-back-homr" song and a "flirt" number in an acceptable manner, this style of number did not ge: over with the same success as her Italian, Yiddish and "flivver" numbers. The Yiddish song was particularly well suns. Her rendition of it would have made even its composers smile with satisfaction. Miss Youngblood gives the audience some- thing every second of her turn; that is, she wastes no time in ad lib foolishness between song verses, nor does she leave the Stage for lengthy and unneeded changes of costume. "Everyman's P.ster' is a playlet that calls a spade a spade, and its theme is likely to shock a neighborhood audience. However, the lines of the playlets are nat- ural, as are also the situations, and the lesson that it so forcibly teaches is more than a sufficient excuse for.the suggest! ve- ness of the theme. It is well acted. Bernard and Lloyd—a Jew and a straight—get a lot of fun out of an old street car transfer, after which they en- tertain with several song numbers. The Jew is very clever and puts over his songs effectively, but the straight should not at- tempt to sing ballads. Bancroft and Broskie, in Edgar Allan Woolfs "The Highwayman," will be re- viewed under New Acts. BUOU (Last Half) The Three Marimba Maniacs opened the show and entertained upon xylophone, which they played to a very appreciative audience. Rhea Hess and Nettie Hyde followed and put several songs over in a snappy way. Roberts, Stuart and Roberta followed with an ambitious offering that was well received. They will be reviewed under New Acts. Mack and Vincent took first honors on the bill. The man does the most of the singing, while the girl accompanies him on the piano. Mack knows how to put over a song, some faults that do appear be- ing due to carelessness. Helen Page and Company presented a playlet which is called "The Understudy." The theme of the piece is rather original, and the acting is far above the ordinary found in Loew time playlets. Miss Page is very convincing in the leading role, bnt has to share honors with her leading man, who does some very fine work. The show was closed by Polly Prim, who, as a vaudeville chef, served some very dainty offerings that were well received. PROCTOR'S FIFTY-EIGHTH STREET ■ (Last Half) A bill of exceptional merit was offered the Proctorites at this bouse last week. Leon and Adeline Sisters, comedy jugglers, got the matinee Thursday off to a good start. This trio offer a big variety in their line, but their attempts to get laughs by smashing dishes get monotonous. McAuliffe and Pearson, comedy dancers, were in number two spot. (See New Acts.) Farrell, James and Company, two women and a man, put over a playlet en- titled "Going Home" nicely. At the close an old man takes his daughter "back home" from the city, but the exposition as to just what wrong she has done is not clear. This part could be remedied to advantage. Wayne, Marshall and Candie came along in the fourth position with their variety turn, called "The Intruder." They got a big hand. A little too much stage argot is used in their routine, however. Larry Reilly and his Irish players are pleasing performers, showing the proper reserve throughout in a sketch that could be easily overacted. The two young lovers and tbe older lady of the six in the com- pany are particularly good. Cleve and O'Connor, who open aa Scotch golfers, are versatile and held down next to dosing satisfactorily. The three Webber girls closed the excel-, lent bill. They are neat in appearance end add a refined touch to their acrobatic work. HAMILTON (Last Half) With the motion picture "War Brides" as the feature of the week's bill, it was necessary to eliminate one of the vaudeville acts from tbe program, as tbe picture ran close to two hours. The show opened with the La Belle Car- men Trio, a novelty wire walking and boomerang throwing act. Many difficult feats are performed very cleverly. Atwell, Baker and North, who were in the second spot, are three delineators of tbe black face type, one of them being a female impersonator. He is very adept at this and possesses a rather unusual fal- setto soprano voice whicb makes detection impossible until tbe end of the turn, when be discards his wig. Kelso and Leighton presented their com- edy skit, "Here and There In Vaudeville." The laughing jag bit made an instantaneous hit' with the audience, overcoming the pre- vious endeavors of the team to obtain ap- probation for their work with thread worn material that did not seem to impress. Nevins and Gordon in the next to closing spot, pleased, even though following a com- edy act, with their patter, songs and dances. The "straw man" bit done by the girl is probably one of the best of its kind seen since tbe days of Montgomery and Stone in the "Wfcard of Ox." The show closed with the Three Chinese Musical Entertainers, who presented a unique musical novelty. HARLEM OPERA HOUSE (Last Half) The opening turn was Theo and. her Dandies, an excellent attraction. , Eddie and Birdie Conrad were in the second spot and with their singing, dancing and patter easily captured the audience aad were compelled to do several encores. The girl is quaint and cute, overflowing with personality and charm. ■ Robert Armstrong & Co. presented a dra- matic sketch, "Be a Man." There are live people in this act and they handle their roles in a very capable manner. It is a turn that will find plenty of time avail *ble on the.neighborhood theatre circuits. The fourth installment of "The Great Secret" was shown. The audiences seen to be much Interested in this picture. Ash & Shaw, in a comedy skit, "The Mosquito Trust," have a very novel offer- ing. The "dope" and "Hebrew" characters portrayed by the men are not overdone, and the material is handled with finesse. There is one suggestive bit that could well he eliminated, however. Sol Levoy, in illustrated songs, followed this turn, the position being a new one for him on the bill. Chas. Kenna, with bis monologue, "Tbe Street Fakir," offered a turn which was new to Harlem and greatly enjoyed. His offering is a genuine burlesque on the medi- cine man and street fakir, who offers stories, jokes and songs as an inducement for the sale of his wares. His props, con- sisting of a suit case and an acetylene gas jet fixed on a flour barrel, drew much laughter upon his entrance. Tbe turn is one bound to please most any audience and would be a novelty in the two-a-day houses. Travers & Douglas in their sketch, "The Mortgage," offered a pleasing turn. The story is one with unusual heart interest and from tbe rise of the curtain to tbe finish held the attention of the audience. The closing act was a musical cocktail, entitled "The Oriental Follies." This girl act is out of tbe ordinary. The story is not hackneyed and the girls can sing. The act i* nicely costumed and staged and there is sufficient opportunity for the female con- tingent of the turn to demonstrate their versatility. The principal women and both men are far above the average of those heading girl acta. CHARLES HUSTED IN VAUDE. Charles Hnsted, who staged stock pro- ductions of the Aldne Players during their summer stock season, has entered vaude- ville in his comedy dramatic sketch, "Don't Lie to Your Wife." Tbe cast is composed of four people, and the act headlined at tbe Orpbeum Theatre, Grand Rapids, Mich., last week. Mr. Husted is playing the light comedy lead, and Mercedes Lake is winning honors as tbe dainty little wife, playing opposite him. Macklyn Allyn and Charlotte Winas complete the cast JACK WHITE VERY ILL Jack White, of the vaudeville team of Howard and White, is in the Bayonne Hos- pital, Bayonne, N. J., suffering from an in- fection of the right knee. His condition la said to be critical. The act was compelled to cancel six weeks time on the U. B. O. as a result of White's mishap.