Show World (June 1910)

4 THE SHOW WORLD June 25, 1909.1 HOT WEATHER HURTS VAUDEVILLE HOUSES MILWAUKEE, Wis., June 21.— With the approach of summer the vaudeville managers do not wear such broad smiles. It is stated on good authority that every vaudeville house in the city lost money last week. The Majestic was rather unfortunate with its headliner and this may have ac¬ counted for the falling off in business there. The attendance at the Mon¬ day matinee, with the Ringling circus as opposition, indicated that this week will show an improvement. The Em¬ press had a strong bill last week but there was too much singing. The Crys¬ tal had very poor business. The man¬ agement had expected to close week before last but the contractors were not ready to begin the alterations. It would have been fortunate for the management had the contractors been ready. The house is closed for re¬ pairs and the entire front is out of it now. The Columbia is said to have played to forty people last Friday night. This gives a general idea of what a blow hot weather dealt the outlying variety houses. Business has picked up some at the Columbia this week. However, the management has decided to close both the Columbia and the Empire on next Sunday night and to close the season early in June next year. The folly of trying' to keep open in the summer is plain. It looks like the Majestic and the Empress intended to remain open some time yet. A few weeks ago the word was given out at the Orpheum office in Chicago Claim that the Majestic All Summer would remain Vaudeville. open as long as attendance’ was sufficiently large to encourage the management. The word is out here that the house is to stay open all summer. The Empress makes a similar claim. There is an eight sheet seen on the boards which reads “June, July and August” and there is “all-summer” talk in the press work. The chances are that enthusiastic employes make claims which hot weather will dis¬ count. It is likely that the theaters will have a few weeks dark between now and September. The eight sheets which read “June, July and August” are worth careful notice. It is the first Sullivan-Considine paper which has attracted the eye of the writer. The eighth sheet has pictures of Hon. Timothy D. Sullivan and John W. Ubnsidine and a three sheet used in front of the New Empress has the likenesses of these gentlemen and cir¬ cles are prominent, about a foot apart in the border, with the list of cities in which the firm has houses. The Alhambra is housing the Al¬ hambra Stock Company. It is under the direction of Frank Hatch. Rob¬ ert Dempster, the new leading man, made his debut With this week in the Stock “Brewster’s Mil- Companies. lions.” The Bijou has a Klimt & Gazzolo stock. Business has been good enough to warrant plans for another stock engagement at that house next summer, under the same directors. This is the sixth week of the Klimt & Gazzolo players at the Bijou and “The Cowboy and the Girl” is the current bill. The Sunday performance was well attended. The week day business was light last week and will probably be light this week. The Auditorium is playing Innes’ band and the engagement is a failure. The big crowds expected to hear the fine music have failed to materialize. The first efforts to utilize the Audi¬ torium in the broad sense of making it available for the masses, will prove a financial failure, but the few thou¬ sands who have attended the concerts given by Innes’ orchestral band are expected, to bear pleasant memories. Artistically, the music festival to date has been a success. It has not mat¬ tered to Innes or his players whether a few hundred listener.s have occu¬ pied the vast seating capacity of the Auditorium, or whether thousands Business at Milwaukee Theaters Falls Off in Same Propor¬ tion as in Chicago Places of Amusement By E. E. MEREDITH have been present. The other the¬ aters are dark for the summer months. It is generally accepted that the Davidson will play the K. & E. at¬ tractions again .next season. Just where the Shubert attractions will ap¬ pear has not been decided, or if de¬ cided the decision has not been given to the public. Milwaukee feels its importance in a theatrical way through the recent them and in return he secures the Shubert Theater in Milwaukee. This gives Fehr control of three theaters in this city. He has the lease of the Majestic, which plays Orpheum vaudeville; the Alhambra, which played Shubert attractions last sea¬ son; the Star, which is the western wheel burlesque house. Fehr also controls the Dewey in Minneapolis (Western Wheel), the Star in St. EMPRESS THEATER. The New Sullivan & Considine Theater i critics passed the compliments of thl day with a lads “Nice! acquaintance. It Ain’t It? was just after the Something Great!” matinee perform! ance of the Ring! ling Brothers’ show at Thirty-fifth and Clybourn street. The circus re¬ mained but a single day in Milwaukee coming here from South Bend, Ind There are several tented enterprise! in Wisconsin at this time. The Young] Buffalo show spent two days at Kenosha, playing there Sunday and] Monday. “Young Buffalo” himselfl was seen at the depot as the train] hurried through with the writer. H( looks like the nickname of “Young* must have been given to him many years ago to have been appropriate The Yankee Robinson show is also in the state at this time. All three of the tented enterprises have enters tained Chicago visitors recently. Buf¬ falo Bill’s opposition car was herd Saturday billing for August 8. I T. Roy Barnes and Miss Bessie Some Act Must Open the Show. Crawford opened the show at the Ma-‘ jestic Monday afternoon. It made] quite a change in the act when it placed in this po¬ sition. When Mr^™ Barries uses thj line to the effe<T that' if the post! ers were turned upside down the act] would headline the bill, it seemed] much funnier with the act placed t<f open the show. It is a splendid acL for that position on the bill. Every¬ one knows that wise audiences hesij tate to laugh at the first act. Barne] makes ’em laugh. He has the kind of stuff that is sure to please. He is offensive without offending, for while boosting his own' game all the time! it does not so appear to an audif ence. Other expressions of his wert strikingly amusing Monday after-] noon. Where he remarks—“I can’d see anything funny about this fellow !’| meaning it as a jest indicating the] comment of the audience concerning himself, he added, “opening the showif too.” When he came to the remark! supposed to be addressed to the stags hands, advising them to keep the! American flag in the wings that he] had “them” without it (referring to" the audience) he also brought in the term newspaper men and theatrical men. This is begging attention frod the newspapers but it won out. The activities of Herman Fehr, attorney for well known brewery interests. Fehr is said ’ Fehr May Fear Publicity. have made some kind of a deal with the Shuberts by which the n Chicago goes to Paul (Western Wheel), and the Prin¬ cess in Chicago. Fehr is said to hold the controlling interest in all of the Singer shows. He is a modest chap and fears publicity, some say. “It was nice, ain’t it? Something great to see!” In these words one of Milwaukee’s representative womenfair Monday afternoon. unmis! takable talent, wins pronounced favol in a collection of nonsense which con¬ sists largely of ‘kidding’ his own work and the audience. His ‘freshness’ is of the ingratiating kind and he shows both ability and versatility. Bessie Crawford proves an acceptable assist¬ ant.” Barnes knows the wants of] vaudeville and supplies them. John Ransome was second Majestic program and the lights flashed “D” instead of “E.” So if anyone had confidence in the program they must have The believed that the Frost of single man who John Ransome. entertained was E 1 i t a Proctor Otis. Ransome has a great deal ofF new stuff from that sprung one weelM before at the Majestic in Chicago. Hel f does just exactly what he ought tol do, moves when he should moveP sings when he should sing and tells stories which are funny enough.] Strange, but when he entertains, in¬ stead of being amused one is inclined] to feel sorry for him. Folks who saw] him work at the Auditorium in ChiJ cago recently commented upon this] point. It was brought out in The] Show World last week in the “Rec-j ord of Acts,” and the impression is so] strong that the writer cannot refrain] from mentioning it once more. Of] course his change in material is a confession that the offering of the Monday previous was a failure. A local gag, which another comedian would have made go big, went only Can it be