Show World (October 1909)

October 30, 1909. THE SHOW WORLD 2fl CORT THEATER OPENS IN A BLAZE OF GLORY 'Chicago’s Newest Playhouse is a Thing of Beauty and Houses Pleasing Show—Other Attractions Reviewed ! Monday night, the doors of the new ■iCort theater were thrown open to the •tmiblic, and all of the public that could Squeeze into that compact and cozy rUStle playhouse was there in best bib /and tucker. All the inveterate first ’nlehters were there Including William A Pinkerton, the great detective, who also enjoys the distinction of being the .head of the “Schmoosers” of Chicago, 'George Lederer, the western represent¬ ative of Klaw and Erlanger; Robert i Campbell, of the Bill Posters of America; Charles T. Kindt, president of the West¬ ern Theatrical Managers association; .and chief tender of the ‘‘open door” in r‘he west; James Wingfield; W. E. Ful¬ ler and wife, manager of the Philhar- monic orchestra; Burton Holmes, the - travelogue man; Joseph and Eugene Betfeld; Stillson, the well known caterer and restaurant man; Wm. Anthony Mc- , Gulre, author of "The Heights”; Roy S. Sebree, of/"- “—*""" w.e Saratoga hotel; Fred¬ eric norm Shorey, Sunday editor of the Inter Ocean; Amy Leslie of the Chicago News, and her husband, Frank H. Buck, lot the New York Morning Telegraph; VO. L. Hall, dramatic editor of the Jour¬ nal; Charles W. Collins, dramatic I editor of the Inter Ocean; John Glenn, 1 the well known man about town; Frank 10. Peers, manager of the Whitney Opera jhouse; Fred King, manager of “The I Climax"; Cy Simon, the well known attorney; Jules Altman, Louis House- \ man, and a host of others. John Cort, the theatrical magnate 'from the northwest was also present )and he, with U. G. Hermann and Harry IK Frazee were the center of a group I of congratulating friends all the even- ' lug. It was a gala night, and the l audience was enthusiastic to a degree, lit was there to applaud, and it ap¬ plauded in season and out of season. Every member of the cast was taken i right into the good graces of everybody I in the audience, and every number was 'down for encore after encore. 1 Amelia Stone, the prima donna, who was in the cast only by leave of her ■ physician, was called upon to repeat her , songs so many times that she finally , had to trip down to the footlights and ; beg the audience to excuse her. Joseph - to sing and dance so much, is finally tuckered out. and - a grassy mound and puff pant and- ■*— '-* u anything that will tend to wash it clean of many of its objectionable features. The show is terrifically bad. In the first place, the company is headed by a comedian, who, lacking many essentials necessary to entertain, resorts to coarse methods that for the most part failed to get even a “hand or a laugh” from the low-browed contin¬ gent. However some burlesque com¬ edians when given an inch, take a mile and a sigh of relief was heaved by the Empire audience when the curtain fell at the close and ended the agony. There are certainly some agonizing minutes in the show and the bright spots are few and far between. The show is in two parts, the first being entitled “At Monaco” and the second, “The Retreat of the Pirates of Penzance.” The first scene is supposed to be that of a summer home of an army major and the second of a cave on an island, where the pirates con¬ gregate and render a few vocal num¬ bers. The “pirates” disclosed their plunder of smutty phrases, filled their retreat with burlesque “bits” that were older than the hills and showed bold¬ ness in saying some things that would have done credit - —’ pirates. real band of J thaThe ' ___ = _for breath, while John Park, the tenor, who has been growing stout of late, was also winded, and had to beg for time. Stanislaus , Stange finally made a neat speech to 'quiet the clamoring audience. “The i Kissing Girl” is the title of the piece, 1 and this is an attractive title, and one / that appeals to every one. It has a very sweet smack about it, and when \ it is finally whipped into shape, and I the first nighters get through insisting I upon encores the piece may reveal ’some plot, and settle down for a nice, long 1 and prosperous run in this playhouse, f “The Kissing Girl” is an operetta in ’.three acts. Ttarrv tii,.- -- *’ t tantalizing. Vincent Bryan wrote the {lyrics, and they are good and Stanis- laus Stange wrote the book. Amelia , s,one 's featured, and among the other ; Players of note may .be mentioned Jo¬ seph Miron, the basso; John Park, the ' tenor, Mart Lorenz, the big fellow and -others. Mile. Vanity, a good dancer of , the toe variety is seen in special num- . bers and Vera Berliner, a vaudeville J. ttvorite, oilers some obligato features .“"‘are fetching. As for the house, it {would take an architect’s assistant to , J?? crlb ®, 1L It is compact, and allows , the audience to come into close com- . munion with the people on the stage, i os soon as the curtain goes up, the People in the auditorium, whether they are on the mezzanine floor, the lower or he balcony floors soon come into In- relations, for they are all close together, and this gives the house i nif V s gives rne nouse a I rac T e and homelike atmosphere. t °. Pridmore, who designed the ’ k C theater, the National and i JL Taormina - The exterior is simple, f severely classical. The pros- 18 e'aborate, the boxes are [ an? m* 1 J birds’ nests along the wall," 1 n? j; gh , up above the green beams of *vln» Per ki? are entwined with running , gold emblazoned banners ™ Picturesque folds. It is fash- 'SSLS? the lassie order, and it has 'Jceuent accoustic properties. It is one handsomest houses in the city The frequent interspersion of pro¬ fanity by Carlton became disgusting, but some portions of the audience seemed to relish it. Others didn’t. The band feature of the first part was enjoyed, but Carlton did <—* work t'--“ —“ corned,,? j vit ! 1 brazen smut, devoid of featcrL , depending on suggestive tte eSL t0 - bring the shekels into Janv 0tt fh! 0 £r, the men behind the com- lurlMn,,? v Br «adway Gaiety Girls” ttis wcpl at the Empire theater eeK needs censoring, pruning, or CHAl^S r f/ Over 76 per cent, of the finest theatres in the United States Canada are furnished with them. They are used in 318 of the moving picture theatres in Chicago. To meet the growing demand for LOW PRICED OPERA CHAIRS we have originated a number of styles which, though inexpen¬ sive, are characteristic of ANDREWS QUALITY W rite for our large catalogue, illustrated in colors, which will guide when contemplating the purchase of Opera Chairs. The costuming was passable with pink tights very much in evidence throughout. Several of the singing numbers proved acceptable, but the good points in the show were com¬ pletely overshadowed by the deluge of obscenity. The old saying that “it never rains but what it pours” was con¬ clusively proven by the way smut rains and reigns in the Empire show this Frank Carlton is the chief comedian. There are others down on the program, who are not down for very much comedy on the stage. Harry Autrim, as the strutting actor with the long black hair, strutted well and Thomas Brown, in the part of the German chef, had little to say or do for which the audi¬ ence was thankful. If some of Carl¬ ton’s comedy had been bridled, the show would have moved more smoothly and entertainingly. Perhaps Carlton is not to blame for the bad “bits” of comedy, but someone is responsible and the washing day sign should be hung Kitty Pembroke was really funny at times and her voice came to the rescue of the chorus several times. She and Carlton did the old stunt of leaving a balcony by means of a ladder in which Kitty makes some missteps and does a slide to the bottom that used to set the house afire in other days when the “bit” was used by the -various minstrel companies as the closing feature of their olio. Kitty’s voice is high and strong, however, and when she used it, the singing numbers were helped im¬ mensely. May Streh, Amy Allyn and Yetta Peters are the other programmed female principals. For some reason, Amy Allyn did not appear in the olio in her “serio-comic” specialty, but according to the program, she was in several singing numbers. And if she was the young woman in the modest attire throughout the show, she deserves a lot of credit as her voice is about the best in the company. The work of Yetta Peters was pleasing, al¬ though she didn’t have much singing to do. Five of the women in the first part appeared in base ball suits and a “bit” was introduced by Carlton as the um¬ pire and Thomas Brown as the catcher, with a bird cage over his head and boxing gloves on his hands, and several male members assisting them. A huge medicine ball was brought into play and the company was kind enough to permit the audience to throw, hit, push and kick it to and fro and the exercise proved so exciting that even the or¬ chestra joined in the game. At least five minutes was spent in keeping the ball going, and from the way the audience enjoyed the sport, ** * “ spent. well „~~ond part, the pirate lieuten¬ ant (Harry Everett) sang a solo and it seems strange that the rest of his pirate band never harmed him. “Cap¬ tain Edward,” of the pirates, and his crew had a singing number in which an avalanche of smut was let loose. The five Brown brothers with their music and comedy were a redeeming feature in the olio, the popular selec¬ tions on the brass Instruments being unusually well received. One of the numbers works in blackface. Autrim and Peters appeared in a sketch in which Autrim’s whistling and imper¬ sonation were a hit. Another whistling solo or two by Autrim would help mat¬ ters. Carlton and Terre do a singing and talking act that went well. Carlton worked to better advantage in the olio than in the burlesque department. The duet was enjoyed. Just before the curtain fell at the end of the second part, Lucia Romanos, a somewhat stout member of the com¬ pany, did a “cooch” which the gallery lads applauded. It was the finale to the shower of smut that fell shortly before she began her gyrations. The Johnson-Ketchell fight pictures were shown, after the show, and proved interesting.—MAYNARD. STAR & GARTER. Andy Lewis and his “Mardi Gras Beauties” were the burlesque combina¬ tion that attracted big houses to the Star & Garter theater this week, al¬ though John L. Sullivan, who for twent- ty-six years was the undisputed cham¬ pion of the pugilistic world, with Jake Kilrain, another old-timmer with the gloves, as an extra feature, proved a popular drawing card. The Lewis show opened with a con¬ glomerate mass of musical numbers, absurdities and horse-play that char¬ acterized the Weber & Fields style of burlesque entertainment in the olden days. In fact, the program states that the first offering is “Whirl-I-Fun,” and the title parts cover a range of imper¬ sonations of stage celebrities by the principals who endeavor to provide the comedy. They are meant to con¬ vey some idea of how certain well- known artists look and act on the stage, but if any of the originals were to have the temerity and patience to sit through the show and watch their imitators, it’s a 100 to 1 shot that they would either fall into a paroxysm of laughter or faint dead away. Anyway it would be an awful shock to their nerves. However, it does not seem to be qual¬ ity but quantity that counts in the first part, for the work of the chorus, aside from the singing numbers of Virginia Royden and Sidonne Dixon, forms the most entertaining feature. Andy Lewis, who has been in the burlesque limelight for many moons, stays out of the first part, and his absence gives Clyde Bates and Frank Ernest, In German makeups, a chance to shine. But, unfortunately for them, they don’t shine. Perhaps in some other line of work they might create a more favorable impression, but in their present roles they fail to show the proper merit. They seemingly work hard enough, but the desired results are lacking. Several “bits” they did were apparently well received, the extinguish¬ ing of a small blaze on the top of Ernest’s plug hat by Bates, who dons a fireman’s helmet and carts i—* ~ elicited considerable laughter. Ernest and Bates also did a burlesque prize fight in a pitched ring, but it was a long time between laughs. A sextette number, entitled “How’d You Like to Marry Me?” was well ren¬ dered and the number really deserved more applause than It received. Vir¬ ginia Royden works in several numbers and the pretty little blonde sang sweetly and became quite a favorite by her winsome ways. “Fluffy Ruffles, “Dreamy Rag,” and “My Little Kan¬ garoo,” afforded her ample opportunity to display her ability. Delmore, Feiber, Walsh and Clare in their imitation of the Empire City quartette did well and got away with several encores. Sidonne Dixon’s best work was done in an Indian song, entitled “My Chero¬ kee Maid,” in which the male members of the chorus appeared in paint and feathers, and the girls were in vari¬ colored attire. The finale to the song, which was also the wind-up of the first part, was effective and pleasing. The faces of the chorus were reflected in the camp fires, the stage being darkened to give the picture the desired effect. In the second part, Andy Lewis is in the foreground and as the principal fun- maker, keeps the merriment at high pitch throughout. The closing offering 3 far superior to the first a It i rathskeller and the second a roof gar- Lewis appears as “Joulious Tomascah- sky,” a Russian Jew, and his comedy was enjoyed by the Star & Garter clientele. His piano “bit” aroused the gallery gods and they demanded several encores. His song with the “squabs” was a hit and Andy "kidded” a number of the chorus girls good-naturedly, and each one that stepped to the front of the line sang a chorus of a popular song. The number was heartily ap¬ plauded. With Lewis at the helm, the comedy . ship was piloted to better advantage and Bates and Ernest proved fair deck hands in handling what lines and "bits” that were intrusted to them. A large¬ sized hit was rung up by Virginia Roy¬ den in "The Girl With the Eyes.” She sat on a table in a spot-light, and inbe¬ coming attire, rendered the song in a manner that pleased. Charles Barrett got busy in the sec¬ ond part and sang "Three Thousand Miles Away” effectively. Sidonne Dixon had the opening number and it was well worked up with an attractive set of “ponies.” The “rah-rah” boys in their loud suits sang a number acceptably and worked in on the choruses of others until the final curtain. Jess Feiber, in his solo and piano selection, entertained, but Andy Lewis in his closing number, where the “kidding bee” took place, made it hard for Virginia Royden to fol¬ low in her dance, which is programmed “Dance De Temper.” In the olio, Andy Lewis in his slangy race track sketch, "The Winner,” aroused the audience from its lethargy and his race track talk came hot and heavy, keeping the boys, upstairs and down, laughing continually. The sketch, is ably presented by Mr. Lewis, Virginia Royden, Maxine Hampton and Lester Pike. The work of Miss Royden was prominent and her lines were enunciated clearly. Her acting was ap¬ preciated. "Forsaken,” a pantomime, was pre¬ sented by Blanche Martin and other members of the company and proved interesting. With a more adequate set¬ ting the act would go much better. Evans and Weston dance well and did some waltz clogs that scored. Ryan and Feiber, with their ragtime piano playing and singing, didn’t bring the “house down a brick at a time,” but managed to make good, the duet at the end being their one best “hit.” John L. Sullivan and Jake Kilrain re¬ ceived a lot of applause and got enough attention to satisfy them that their friendly little setto was worth the effort. Sullivan told a few stories that were ap¬ parently enjoyed from the way the au- Majestic. Without any startling stars or heavily touted features, the Majestic is this week offering a delightful entertain¬ ment. It is a well balanced menu, at that, in which there is a proper ad¬ mixture of the heavy and the light; the frivolous and the serious. There are two sketches, numerous dancers, several singers, some acrobats and a clown or two, and no lover of My Lady Vaude¬ ville, could ask or hope for more. Not occupying the headline position, but worthy of it is the playlet, “A Bit of Old Chelsea,” the work of Mrs. Oscar Beringer, once presented as a curtain raiser by Minnie Maddern Fiske, and now offered for the first time in variety by permission of Harrison Gray Fiske. This is a pathetic little sketch, in which a waif, or flower girl of London, strays into the studio of an artist, and there dreams a short dream of love and hap¬ piness in another world from her own. It is a plaintive little play, with odd little moments that verge on tears, and some little humorous spots. Miss Ida O’Day, a bit of an actress with a path¬ etic little voice, is seen In the role of “Saucers,” as she is called on account of her large eyes, and she gives the part a careful and conscientious study, and is effective. Burke Clarke, Robert Kipper and Lebbius Sweet are In her support, and they are adequate to their several roles. Miss Adelaide Keim, formerly leading woman at the Bush Temple theater, ap¬ pears in the headline position in a sketch called “The Same Old Thing” by Roi Cooper Megrue, whoever he may be. There is no doubt at all but that