The Billboard 1908-12-26: Vol 20 Iss 52 (1908-12-26)

14 The Billboard DECEMBER 26, 1908. Events Amusement of the Week NEWS METRO CEN Opening in Philadelphia, William Morris Starts Harry Lauder and Company on a One-Night Stand the Baltimore Season----California Promotion Committee Pledges its Support for a New Million PHILADELPHIA, PA. The principal event of the week was the beginning of the tour of the biggest oneBight stand company that has ever been erapized in this country. The William Morris -, Incorporated, started the tour of Harry Lauder through the country December 14th, and the way the tour is to be conducted is worthy of note. After concluding a remarkably successful engagement in New York, Mr. Lauder and company embarked on a special train on the morning of the 14th and reached this city shortly before noon. The train was made up of three parlor cars and a dining car, and the Members of the company will occupy that train during the three weeks’ tour. The company includes Harry Lauder, Willy Zimmerman, Adamini and Taylor, Three Constantine Sisters, Virginia Vervella, Vasco, the mad musician; Yamato and Koyoshi and an orchestra of twelve pieces. On the arrival of the train in Philadelphia it was met by a big contingent of Scottish peopie, and a street parade was given. This created quite a stir. The first performance was given Monday afternoon at the Academy of Music and attracted a large audience. The second performance was given that night and the house was entirely sold out. On Tuesday a matinee was given in Washington, D. C., and the night performance was given in Baltimore. A Wednesday matinee was given in Philadelphia, and the same night the company appeared in Baltimore again, going from there to Pittsburg. The tour, which is to cover twenty-five days, will take in all of the principal cities of the country, and matinees wili be played every day if possible. The expenses of such an undertaking are enormous, but from the receipts in this city, Baltimore and Washington, it looks as if it would be a very profitable one. Philadelphia is responding nobly to Grand Opera, five . performances being given every week. As it requires an expenditure of thirty thousand dollars a week to support these performances, it is quite a drain on the pockets of the people who love opera, but so far all the performances have been profitable. Oscar Hammerstein, at the Philadelphia Opera House is giving three evening performances, and a matinee each week, and the Metropolitan Opera Company, of New York are giving one performance a week at the Academy of Music. During the past week there were rumors floating around town that this would be the last season of the Metropélitan Opera Company in this city, it being stated that the directors of that company had been frightened by the opposition of the Hammerstein forces and that they would withdraw from this field. This brought out an InStantaneous denial from the managers of that company. They stated in a circular letter that they were more encouraged than ever by the patronage given them this season and that next year they would give more performances in this city than they have ever before. They are now arranging their plans with that object in view, and have already secured many subscribers for the season of 1909-1910. ° The numerous people who are devoting their time to Christmas shopping has hurt the theatres this week, and business is not as good as usual. large stores are not keeping open nights as yet, and in fact will cut down the number of nights that they will keep open to the four immediately preeeding Christmas. Notwithstanding this, business is only fair at each of the houses. Lyric Theatre.—Nat C. Goodwin opened at this house December 14. in a new play by Booth Tarkington and Harry Leon Wilson and Scored a hit. The name of the play is Cameo Kirby and Mr. Goodwin plays the title role, that of a square gambler in the early forties. The company includes Edward Harrigan. Mande Feeley, James Lackaye, Jeffreys Lewis and other well-known people. Adelphi Theatre.—Marcelle, with Louise Gun and Jess Dandy as the principals has caught on in great shape here and will remain antil December 26, and go from here to Chicago for a long run. The opera is tuneful, the costumes are pretty and the book as clean as anyone conld desire. Chestnut Street Opera Honse.—The second week of the Cohan and Harris’ Minstrels found but little falling off in the business and the two weeks’ engagement will show a big profit. The members of the company have all made big hits here and the company can return later be sure of overflowing honses. Week of December 21, Richard Carle in Marv’s Lamb. Forrest Theatre.—A Waltz Dream opened well and business has been good all this week. It will remain for three more weeks. Garrick Theatre.—The Girls of Gottenburg 1s im the last week of a suecessfnl engagement and will be succeed..d December 21 by Henry Miller im The Great Divide. with Lillian Russell in Wildfire as the attraction for week of December 28. Broad Street Theatre.—Falir ven DPivorcons on its seeond week at the road Street Theatre. Week of December 1421, Kyrie Rellew in The Thief, comes for a two weeks’ stay. Walnut Street Thoatre.—Patd In Full is rounding eut a four weeks’ engagement that bas been remarkably successful. Week of Deeember 21. Channeey Olcott comes for two weeks in Ragged Robin. Chestnut Street Theatre.—The Ornhenm Players are giving a splendid production of The Becond in Command this week, and for week of December 21. Charley‘s Aunt will be the bfll. business was Grand Opera House.—For the second week of the run of the Aborn Grand Opera Company at this house, A Chinese Honeymoon was the bill, and the week will show a big profit. The opera was mounted nicely, the costumes were bright and new, and a number of additions were made to the cast. Week of December 21, Floradora, by the same cast. Park Theatre.—Forty-five Minutes from Broadway was the bill at this theatre week of December 14, with fair results. Week of December 21, The Gingerbread Man. Blaney’s Theatre.—Montana is the offering this week and is drawing good-sized houses. Week of December 21 The Angel and the Ox. National Theatre.—In the Nick of Time, with Florence Bindley as the star, is doing a splemlid business this week and announced for week of December 21 is Jack Shepard. Hart’s Theatre.—The End of the Trail is drawing fair-sized houses this week, with Jane Eyre announced for week of December 21. Standard Theatre.—The Standard Stock Company are drawing profitable houses this week with a good production ef Fighting Rill, the Sheriff of Silver Creek. and for week of Decem ber 21. Nellie the Beautiful Cloak Model, will be given. German Theatre.—The stock company § is drawing well at this house and is giving four different plays each week. Girard Theatre.—The Little Organ Grinder ts the bill for this week and is doing fairly well. Week of December 21, Hal Reid in The Kentuckian. Eleventh Street Opera House.—Dumont'’s Minstrels are drawing remarkably well for this season of the year. The new skits are making a big hit with everyone. Keith’s Theatre.—The bill for this week ifs remarkably strong for the week before Christmas, but as many ont-of-town shoppers wind up the day by spending an hour or two at this house the profit on the week will he a goodly one. The features on this week's bill are Robert Hilliard and Company. in Convict 973: The Josettis and Lilliputian Wonder Troupe of Risley Acrobats: Lily Lena, Bert Levy, Wynn and Tewis, Rorani and Nevaro, Niblo’s Talking Birds, The Longacre Quartette, The Bathing Girls, Arthur Righv. Hy Greenway. Morrissey and Avder, Leslie Thurston ard others. Lubin’s Palace.—The Davis-Gledhill Trio, Warren and Rrockaway. Woodford’s Animals, The Healey Sisters. Blverton. Robinson and Franchette, Herold, Reno and Smith, and Clara Hammer are on this week's bill. The price of admission still remains ten cents and hiindreds of people are turned away at every show. Casino Theatre.—The Parisian Widows, with Ed. Markey as a special feature, are drawing money to the honse this week. Lou Robie’s Knickerbockers come week of December 21. Bijou Theatre.—The Empire Show has done a nice business all week and announced for week of December 21 is The Tiger Lilies Comany. aoe Theatre.—Al. Reeves’ Reauty Show has drawn well all week and The Hastings Show will be the attraction, week of December : (Continued on page 32.) BUFFALO, N. Y. The holiday trade igs not interfering with theatriculs in Buffalo. Some excellent attractions are being given and the outlook Is good. Vandeville is doing especially well, and bnrlesqne is holding its own. Harry Lauder’s coming is ex¢iting much comment. The new policy of the Teck is meeting favor. and change from opera to a combination honse is commended. Some of the attractions are booked for a two week's stay. Yosemite, here two weeks, proved good, and Laurette Tarlor. who played a dual role. was a success, William Morris will bring Harry Lauder to Convention Hall. It is stated that Cole Brothers’ Circus, whose winter quarters are at Harbor Creek, a short distance from here. have decided not to give up the usual street parade the coming season, althongh streng efforts to have them do so were made by the other show managements. Some disagreement igs on between William Morris and the church people, from whom he is said to have secured the Pearl street site for his new vaudeville house. However. papers are said to have been signed. The church people say not; meantime Mr. Morris’ agent remains mum. The Qneen City Singing Four is a quartet made up from ushers at Shea’s. Lorally they have made a hit and it is thought they are a coming act. Geo. Reilly. of the Academy, represented local lodge No. 24 at the convention of the National Alliance of Billposters, at Brooklyn, the past week, Estelle Wentworth, late prima donna of the Aborn English Opera Company, who has many friends in the city, will sing at Shea's the coming week. Some of the best bookings of the season are scheduled at the Star and the Lyric: Paid in Full. The Lion and the Mouse, The Road to Yesterday, Captain Clay of Missouri, and Brewster's Millions. JOHN 8S. RICHARDSON. BOSTON, MASS. Julia Marlowe has selected Boston as the first city in which to present her new play, The Goddess of Reason, a play of the French revolution, by Miss Mary Johnson. The piece will have first production on any stage at the Majestic, December 21, playing an engagement of two weeks, Lew Dockstader’s Minstrels come to the Globe Theatre for three weeks, beginning January 4. The Follies of 1908 is to be the next attraction at the Tremont Theatre to follow The Merry Widow, which closes at this house, December 26. For the first four days of Christmas week, the stock company at the Castle Square Theatre will revive The Devil. Beginning Friday and continuing throngh the week and the one following, for the first time in the history of the Castle Square, a dramatic stock company will appear in mnsical comedy. The piece selected is The Circus Girl, made famous by Augustin Daly some seasons ago. George Bowles and a number of other New Yorkers came on to Boston and were present at the opening performance of Paid In Full at the Colonial Theatre, Monday night. Miss Grace Filkins, whose last appearance in Boston was made in The Daughters of Men, has been engaged by Henry B. Harris for the role of Mrs. Howard Jeffries in The Third Degee. The addition of Miss Filkins’ name to the east makes it one of the most remarkable in point of importance of any one company seen in this city in a long time. Manager Magee, of the Grand Opera House. has decided to give amateur nights, beginning the first of the year. Bunco fn Arizona. which made snch a big hit last season, with Miss Eugenie Besserer in the title role, will be the Christmas week attraction at the Grand Opera House, Colonial.—Paid In Full, direct from New York, opened for a run Monday, with all the star cast. Majestic.—Joe Weber continues in repertoire to capacity business. Castle Square.—The Heir to the Hoorah. by the stock company. Christmas week, The Devil, and the Circfis Girl for the holidays. Hollis Street.—The Third Degree, enters on its third week to excellent business. Park.—Hook of Holland, with Frank Daniels, continues for three more weeks, Tremont.—The Merry Widow closes in two weeks. The Follies of 1908 to follow. Boston.—Farewell week of the stock company who will wind up with The Walls of Jericho. Grand Opera Honse.—The Life of an Actress, with a strong road company. ee B. Arnold’s Serenaders and a big olto. Globe.—Graustark played to excellent business. Columbla.—Broadway Gaiety Girls, with Mike J. Kelley, a big Boston favorite. Palace.—Rialto Rounders, with a trandsome chorns and strong olio. Bowdoin Square.—The Red Cafe, by the stock company, with Charlotte Hunt in the title role. The new play by Eugene Walter. which David Belasco is to produce, with Frances Starr in its leading role. is called The Easlest Way and is now in rehearsal under Mr. Belasco’s personal direction. Its opening performance will come immediately after Christmas, and it will be played in various leading cities before reaching New York. In the company are Miss Lanra Nelson Hall, Miss Jane Cowl, Joseph Kilgour and William Sampson. Joe Weber. whose company is now playing a Roston engagement, has been upon the stage for thirty years and he has been engaged in prodneing burlesque for twelve years. In his yonnger days Mr. Weber appeared under the manegement of B. F. Keith, at his old museum on Washington street. and also in Austin and Stone’s Museum, which is still doing bysiness in this city. Hattie Williams, in Finffy Ruffles, come to the Park Theatre. hbense she first appeared Little Shernb. Ionis Mann will make his first appearance as Shylock In The Mérchant of Venice. at a special matinee in Philadelphia, February 5. Mr. Pattie, manager of the Winter Garden. annminced the Immediate closing of the Winter Garden, which will not open until after the holidays. Word has been received that FE. D. Stair. a Roston manager, has acquired the theatrical properties of Frank Burt in Detroit. The Ly cenm and Murt’s Theatres, two of the leading Plarhonses in that city, have been turned over to the new purchaser. The Third Degree. which is the current attraction at the Hollis Street Theatre ts to remein at this honse until Jannarv 2, Instead of closing Its engagement the end of next week, will soon It was at this as a star, in The as was at first planned. The original hooking was for two weeks. which will bring The Sicilians. to this theatre, one week later. A private posing demonstration, by Mande Odell. was given at the Orpheum, Monday afternoon. to the leading artists of Roston. It was given so that the artists may have an opportunity to view the perfect figure of the original Galatea. who won the 10.090 beantr prize. and the Sandow Gold Medal in London at the International Beanty Contest. The Outlaw’s Christmas will return to the Grand Opera House early in January. Lew Dockstader bas received a tempting of fer to make a European tour during the season of 1911-12, and it is not unlikely he wil) take his minstrels abroad at that time. Coarles E. Lothian, son of Napier Lothian, for so many years the famous leader of the orchestra at the Boston Theatre, is at the Co lonial Theatre as the business manager of the company playing Paid In Full. Manager John Graham has left for the West, as far as Denver, to close up the bookings for the tour of Knapp’s Band, which begins early in the new year. The Casino Girls big show comes to the new Galety fer the week, beginning December 21. E. Rosenbaum, Sr., and E. Rosenbaum, Jr.. are both identified with the business staff of The Follies of 1908, which comes to the Tre mont Theatre the first of the year. Mr. B. F. Keith has declared war on ticket speculators, and after trying all the ordinary ways has decided to adopt a new method. Op Christmas day no reserved seats will be sold Instead, admission tickets will be sold at the box-office, on the policy of first come first served, and any person holding a ticket will be entitled to any of the vacant seats. By this plan everybody is assured a chance and there will oe no advantage in buying up tickets ip advance over the regular price. It is also a good plan for the house as, on that day, seat» can be sold over many times. EDWARD A. COADY. ST. LOUIS, MO. Business in St. Louis, theatrically, has fallen off considerably, owing to the holiday season. and while they are not losing money in St. Louis, they are not getting big receipts. The moving picture theatres are doing better busi ness, comparatively, than the theatres, caused by the fact that being continuous, people tind them good places of rest. The commercial stores are reporting better business this .year than they have had for some time, which indicates that after January 1, business at the theatres should be good. The Yankee Prince Company, with George Cohan and family, did about $20,000 of busi ness last week at the Olympic. The New Phonoscope, controlled by the West ern Film Exchange here, 4s a success, and much praise is given it. It contains several new mechanical devices that are giving it strength in voicing pictures. The Rhode Royal Indoor Circus is having 8 fair week, under the most trying circumstances, as the Jewish Charity Carnival just precedin them in the same building made a profit © $100,000 over all. Capt. W. W. Riggs is wintering in St. Louis, in his own cars, with no plans as yet for next season, Al. Combs has this week accepted a contract with the Kline Optical Co., of New York. He has been most successful in St. Louis moving pieture business. Norris ani Moore Circus, now erganizing In St. Louls, have just purchased an immense lot ef high-bred horses and will start breaking them next week in their winterquarters under the direction of Mr. La Pearl, of last year’s Bar num Show. The entire Yankee Prince witnessed The tm ef Ruffles opening at Olympic, Sunday night. Mr. Frank Alberts, of the White City, Chi cago, was a visitor in St. Louis Mast week. Blanchard and Foster and Chas. Williams are St. Louls vaudeville artists that are right now making a big success in Illinois. May Irwin left last week for Hot Sprirgs. Ark., where she -will remain until she recovers from her recent illness. J. H. Boyer will put owt a Rip Van Winkle Company under canvas, next April, and is bav ing his car now built for the company. His Ten Nights Company, now playing in Alabama, under canvas, is making money, and he wil) follow it in the spring with Rip. Rocky Mountain Hank will join the Norris Moore Circus next season. M. Becker arrived last week from Eng land, where he purchased the figures for hix marinette show, and will take the road Jap uary 2, starting from St. Louts. WILL J. FARLEY. MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Dustin Farnum, in The Squaw Man, is draw ing crowded houses at the Metropolitan Opere House this week. The latter part of the week will witness The Servant in the House witb the all-star cast. The advance sale indicate that S. R. O. will prevail. Impertant book ings for early appearance include Polly of the Circus, January 7-9; A Knight For A Day. week of December 20; Hip, Hip, Hoorah, the half-week of January 3, and The Rogers Bros in Panama. The Governor and the Boss, with William H Turner in the title role of the Boss, is acking the Bijou Opera House this week. Mr. Turners work is fully up to bis usual excellent stand ard. Next week Ben Hendricks will be seen tp Yon Yonson, ang among future dates are How Paul Kleist, the ard Thurston, with “Musiee!