The New York Clipper (January 1918)

January 16, 1918 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 19 MARY MARBLE AND CO. Theatre— Eighty-first St. Style— Musical play. Time— Twenty-five minutes. Setting—Special full and two drop*. Seldom has vaudeville seen an act so spectacularly presented, so well cast and so beautifully staged as is this one by John h. Golden, entitled "The Sky Bird." Mary Marble, who is starred, is exceed- ingly at home in the part she plays, that of a Chinese princess. The others in the cast are good actors and well suited to their roles. The real star, however, is not Miss Marble, but Phil Dwyer, in the role of a tiger. He will be remembered as the lion in "Androcles and the Lion," and in this play is quite as funny as in the for- mer similar part He supplies all the fun in the play, whicn^without him, might be rather dull. The plot deals with the Princess who must marry a man she hates unless a cer- tain miracle happens, to wit, the descent of a "green-eyed sky-bird" from the heavens. This difficulty is solved by an American lover, who is an aviator. The first scene represents the palace, and the last is a panorama, showing the aeroplane flying through the sky with the Princess and the American in it. The music is pretty, having a melodious quality seldom found in acts of this sort, and the lyrics are cleverly written and neatly pointed. The costumes must have cost much. In the cast. Ward de Wolfe, who is the American, is quite the type, but does not know how to dance, and, therefore, shouldn't try. In one place be attempts an eccentric acrobatic bit which deserves mention as the worst dancing we have ever seen. The act is a big-time headliner with- out question. It should keep Miss Marble going for a long while to come. P. K. NEW ACTS (Continued from page 91 "ONE SUMMER'S DAY" Theatre— Harlem Opera Route. Style— Novelty acrobatic Time— Twelve minute*. Setting— Special fuU ttage. This team consists of a man and woman who deserve credit for the orig- inality of their method of presentation, but little for what they do. The setting represents a rose garden with an arbor in the centre. A swing is attached to the latter. The man enters, sits in the swing and starts reading. The girl enters with a croquet mallet. The man takes this and an- other and balances on them, finishing by balancing on one hand with one mallet. The girl then gets in the swing and the man gets up on the arbor and lifts the swing with his teeth. The girl then does a dance. For a finish he puts her in a large flower basket and carries her off stage, raised high above his head on one arm. They do very few stunts, spending most of their time in preparation or stalling. The girl's dance is bad, and .should be cut. The act needs a lot of speed be- fore it will go. P. K. FOLLIS SISTERS AND LEROY Theatre— Proctor** 23rd St. Style— Dancing. Time— Fifteen minute*. Setting— Full ttage. This is a prettily costumed and splen- didly staged turn, presented by three people who know how to dance, sing and get their stuff over. They open with a modernized fox-trot done by all three, followed by dialogue between the man and one girl, which is well done and extremely fanny. The man then does an acrobatic dance, fol- lowed by one girl, who wears a striking costume and executes some difficult steps. They finish with a trio dance, speedy and graceful. The girls wear unusual costumes, changing for every number. Their re- pertoire has variety and originality and the whole act runs along with a smooth- ness and ease which sets it apart from the average. P. K. ERNEST RACKETT Theatre— Proctor'* 23rd St. Style— Single. Time-— Ten minutes. Setting— In one. Ernest Rackett works in evening clothes and silk hat, which, whether through comedy intention or simply bad luck, do not fit. He opens with a song in which the names of various news- papers are used in punning fashion, and then tells some stories, which the billing says are his own. If they are, he is older than he looks, as many of them hark back to the days when sugar was five cents a pound. Another song about canned music and canned food follows, the point of which fails to get over. All of his songs are new, but poor. If he writes them him- self, as the billing says, that seems to be his principal mistake. He should get some one more competent to do it. P. K. "OVER HERE" Theatre— Harlem Opera House. Style— Playlet. Time— Twenty-five minute*. Setting— In three. This playlet was written by Samuel Shipman Z.Z.&. Clara Lippman and haa merits far above those of the usual vaudeville sketch. It is acted by »• competent a cast as one could find any- where. The man who plays the doctor is very good. The scene is the office of the exemp- tion board. A little Irishman who has been turned down for physical disability comes to start a fight because he wasn't accepted. It develops that his girl turned him down when she heard the sad news. She is now going with Jim, a slacker, who got his exemption by making himself sick before examination. Dan tells the board that Jim ia per- fect physically. Jim and the girl then come in and the doctor tells the girl that Dan is the better man and Jim is a slacker. He reads off the list of ail- ments which Jim professed to have, dis- gusting the girl. At the finish, both are accepted, and the girl tells them that at the end of the war she will marry the best man. The act is full of good comedy and snappy lines and has some splendid dramatic situations. It is timely, orig- inal and clever, and will go with any audience. P. K. SULLIVAN AND MASON Theatre— Proctor'* 23rd St. Style— Singing and talking. Time— Twelve minutes. Setting— In one. This team of two men, one in a frock coat and the other in Eton jacket, have some fast dialogue, a good routine and a splendid dosing idea. Their voices are good. A refinement usually lacking in acts of the sort sets them a bit apart, and makes them eligible for the better class houses. They open with a song, "Berry Picking Time" and follow with dialogues. The shorter man works comedy and the other straight. The straight sings a ballad and they close with an imitation of the "girl and man act," in which the comedian puts on an evening dress. Their burlesque is perfect, and gets them over to a good hand. P. K. JULIE KING AND CO. Theatre—Proctor's 23rd St. Style— Sketch. Time— Fifteen minute*. Setting— Special drop in one. Miss Ring is assisted by James Norval, and the two present a rather clever skit called "Divorced," which is well worked out and has a good surprise finish. The drop represents the waiting room of the Pennsylvania station, and the two meet there by chance. They were di- vorced some years ago. Talkv ensues, in which they first quarrel. Then she sees a picture in his watch, and both talk about the loved one they lost. This sob stuff brings them together again, and they decide to remarry. For a finish the picture of the loved one is shown, and it represents a huge and ugly dog. The acting is admirable, and the lines are all good. The act con- tains much clever business. It should get good booking. P. K. ADLON AND CO. Theatre—Proctor's 5&th St. Style— Comedy juggling. Time— Fifteen minute*. Setting— In three. Adlon is dressed as a tramp and car- ries one assistant in bellhop uniform. He does little real juggling, spending most of his time stalling with his props. He opens by dragging out a junk-cart, in which are numerous articles. He starts to work and is constantly in- terrupted by noises off stage, etc. He works for a time with three balls, and every time he does a supposedly good thing he rings a little bell, which 1b old stuff. Some work with hats follows. He lights a cigar, which vanishes. A tramp, painted on a special wing he car- ries, is seen to have the cigar, and then the assistant falls through a chair from back stage. The act is made np of discarded ma- terial for the most part. P. K. BOWERS, WALTERS &. CO. Theatre— Proctor'* 23rd St. Style)— Comedy dancing. Time— Sixteen minute*. Setting— Full ttage. This trio presents one of the funniest acts that vaudeville baa seen in some time and they do it on the sheer strength of personality. Their material isn't un- usually amusing, being simply acrobatic dances and contortions. Bnt they can't move without getting a laugh. They are dressed as three rubes, all wearing goatees. They open with an eccentric dance, and follow with hand- springs, walking on their hands, etc Then a trapeze is dropped and they try to climb on it, falling down and getting generally injured. -For a finish they come out with horns and make horrible noises. At, the showing, they were en- cored time and again, and in one of these encores they added a novelty, in which they held a conversation by means of clogging. One would rap out a sentence with his feet, and the other would answer. The three men present an act which will hold any position in any house. For genuine fun they are very good. P. K. ALFREDO CAMAROTA CO. Theatre— Eighty-first. Style— Ballet. Time— Twenty minute*. Setting—Soeeiol drops. This company carries six girls and two principals. The settings are inartistic throughout, and in some casea out of place in such an act. The cycloramlc curtains filling the stage are of an ugly green color, resembling a pool table. The act opens with an Egyptian dance by the corps de ballet, in which they dis- play evidences of about two weeks' ballet training. Their arm work, spacing, team work are all bad. The dance contains several good figures, but it is ruined by the slipshod work of the girls. Camarota and Margaret Severn next ap- ' pear in one of the familiar stiff ballet duos, and execute it remarkably badly. The man, as a dancer, simply has no technique whatever, while the girl, though a little better, needs years of training be- fore she can even be mediocre. Their dance is prettily costumed, and, being of the flashy and difficult looking sort, made a fair impression on the house. The corps de ballet next gave a Nea- politan dance in native eoustumes, which was about the best thing in the act. It had spirit and power, and the lack of training was not so noticeable in it as In the straight ballet work. Miss Severn followed with a solo in which all her faults were splendidly emphasized, and the entire company concluded with a patriotic finale, in which the girls were dressed in the colors of the various allies, and Miss Severn represented the United States. Stage thunder and lightning ac- companied this and it was finished by Camarota coming out In chains, which were loosed by Severn. A drop showing the Statue of liberty was then dis- covered, and, of course, got a alight hand. With so many really good dancers appear- ing on big time, it is doubtful if this act has much chance, for, by comparison with even the passable ones, it falls way down. P.K. THREE O'GORMAN GIRLS Theatre— Harlem Opera Houte. Style— Muaioal. Time— Twelve minute*. Setting— Special drop in one. The Three O'Gorman Girls offer an ex- ceptionally neat act. Each one of the trio is attractive and makes a very fine appearance upon the stage. The turn opens with one of the girls, as a drummer, standing in the doorway of the drop. She introduces her sisters and then makes her exit. The sisters come on, one as a Bed Cross Nurse and the other as a bugler. They do a num- ber and bring on the third member of the Trio again who does a solo dance, fea- turing her high kicking. The next bit is a cornet solo, excep- tionally well done for a girl. A duet with trombones follows, accom- panied by a dance. For the finish, all three are upon the stage, one playing the cornet and the others the trombones. The only improvement that the act might make is the solo dance of the girls. It looks too home made at present. As the act looks, ft should be a winner over the better small time. L. R. G. WALTER PERCIVAL AND CO. Theatre—flortem Opera Houte. Style— Playlet. Time— Eighteen minute*. Setting— Full stage. Percival is assisted by a man and a woman, all very capable. Their vehicle has some surprises in it, and is better written than the usual melodramatic surprise sketch. Some novelty in the way of an ending is also inserted. Percival plays the role of a play- wright, at a loss to know bow to end bis play. He and his wife quarrel over the ending, and both fall asleep. Then follows a dream, although the house does not know this as yet. The wife's lover enters and a scene ensues in which much melodramatic thrill takes place. The wife is shot. A stage hand then enters, and asks bow the play is going to end. The playwright refuses to tell him, so the stage hand turns out all lights. When they are flashed on again the wife and husband are just waking up. They decide to go to the theatre and let the play go. There is a drop in Interest after the awakening, and this should be improved, as a better curtain ia needed. Other- wise the play Is exciting and interesting throughout. P. EL NELSON AND CASTLE Theatre— Proctor'* BSth St. Style— Talk, tongt. Time— Fourteen minute*. Setting— In one. Nelson and Castle present a turn that should go very well over its present time. The turn consists of a man and girl and opens with the latter coming on singing a number. The man follows. He has a number and pnts over a few gags with the girl, after which the latter goes into a solo. The next number by the man is very well executed. The song Itself is good and the man's portrayal of a henpeck Is exceptionally wen done. Some more gags follow, the immortal sugar gag being among them. They finish with a duet. U B. O.