The Billboard 1911-01-14: Vol 23 Iss 2 (1911-01-14)

enna ettetimnntbals er eS The Bi llboard JANUARY 14, 1911. @ were dismissed. The Amusement Week in America JUDITH ZARAINE Begins Life at Royal Alexandria Theatre, Toronto—A Skillfully Written, Intensely Interesting Story, says, Canadian Critic Toronto, Mt., Jan. 4 (Special to The Billboard).—At the matinee performance, Monday, Jan. 2. the Royal Alexandria Theatre was the scene of the first public presentation of Judith Zaraine, a four-act drama written by Cc. M. 8S. MeLellan, and produced by Liebler & Lena Axbwell, who bas but recently réturned to America, has the title role. That the play is destined to be one of the season's successes, is indicated by the spontaneity of appreciation and applause given the new play at its initial percuenanee. The Toronto World D Was profuse proclaiming the merits of the play. CHARACTERS: eee Rika Charles Waldron Oe EES een: John EB. Kellerd Conrad Boriniski................ Howard Kyle OR ae Gordon Johnstone Léeutenant Trench............ Walter Cluxton Lieutenant Goodrich.......... Edward Langford Dt ithe vehebentédheee>eane Charles Dowd i. 26% nome Wer oa ewiin Donald Gallaher Judith Zaraine...... peiidieetetainhd Miss Ashwell Soldiers, Miners, Townspeople, etc. SCENERY. ACT I—The Executive Office at the Temporary Headquarters of Col. Pontifex, Minetown, woact 11—Conrad Boriniski’s Shoe Shop, Minea ’ nD. ACT III—Col. Pontifex’s Private Apartments at Headquarters. A IV—Judith Zaraine’s Lodgings, Mine The play staged by Ira Hards. Judith Zaraine has a theme of gripping human interest. It is skillfully constructed, has little more digression than is necessary to relieve its tragical side and the evolution of the main story is artistic: and naturally contrived. The earlier denovements are well managed and lead logically to the great climax in the third act where the protagonists on each side discard all pretence of courtesy and play out the game to the last card. When the curtain rises. the andience is at once introduced to the executive office of the temporary headquarters of Col. Pontifex, at Minetown, Pa. Three thousand men have been thrown out of employment through the action of the United Mining Company, a trust determined to drive all independent companies from the field. John Isaac Actresses Arrested for Joy-riding Memphis, Tenn. Jan. 7.—Six lively chorus girls with The Midnight Sons Company were arrested for joy riding early last Tuesday morning, while spinning down the city’s principal street at a fifty-mile-an-bour rate in a big touring car. When haled before the desk sergeant at the central police station, they gave the names of Mae Raymond, Flereuce Hayden, Marion Stewart, Alice Stewart, Willie Franklin and Ruth Allen. Clarence Weis, manager of the Lyceum, where The Midnight Sons was playing. came to the rescue of the party with forfeits of $10 each for their appearance on charges of exceeding the speed limit. The chauffeur, who sails under the name of Dercy. was also held, but Mr. Weis allowed him to shift for himself. “My, this is awful, isn’t it?’’ sobbed one of the pretty girls, as she waited in the sergeant’s office for some one to come to bail the’ party out. ‘And we haven't had breakfast yet,’’ remarked another. They all had breakfast and appeared as usnal at the matinee and night performances. Wednesday morning their cases NOTES FROM O’BRIEN’S MINSTRELS. J. C. O’Brien’s Famous Georgia Minstrels closed a very satisfactory season Dec. 31 at Mobile, Ala., and shipped from there to Argenta, Ark.. where the show will make its winterquarters. This show opened April 18 at Horton, Kan., and played Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and never lost a performance on the reason. The show will be overhauled, repainted and enlarged for the coming season and will be the largest and best of its kind on the road. Mr. O’Brien bas purchased a 72-foot baggage ear, five head of stock, two baggage wagons, a buggy. one elephant and two camels and al! new parade wardrobe and will offer the most unique minstrel parade ever given. The show will play two a day and bill the country. Many of the old faces will be with them and the heads of the departments will be virtually the same as last year. This show will be an eye opener to the natives and also to some of the profexsion and expects to be one of the bread winners in the two-car show business. OLD THEATRICAL MAN DEAD. Chicago. Jan. 3.—Willard F. Wentworth, aged 75, who in early days was engaged actively in the promotion of theatrical and sporting ¥entures and later in the hotel business, dled Dec, 28 at Winnetka from a complication of diseases, has stood out and the company has established a rival plant, and after a year’s struggle hacompelled him to close his works. The men are filled with deep resentment against the trust and its strong man, David Murray. Their leader is Judith Zaraine, an employe of Isaac’s, who has gained marked ascendanc) over them by her own personality and the fervor of her demands for righteous dealing. To maintain order, troops under Pontifex have been (Continued on page 50.) PRODUCERS’ PLANS An Epitome Setting Forth the Contemplated Plans and Purposes of Eastern Theatrical, Magnates. Advance Notices of New Plays ee New York, Jan 7 (Special to The Billboard). —Raker & Castle, the firm that made Graustark famous, believe they bave found a worthy successor to that sensational hit in Harold MacGrath’s novel, The Goose Girl. Contracts have been signed with the Bobbs-Merrill Company | which give this firm the exclusive dramatic rights to The Goose Girl, and also to The l’uppet Crown. an earlier, but no less interesting novel by the same author. George D. Baker, of the firm, will make the dramatizations and James W. Castle will give MADAME NAZIMOVA, t (Q =a) c( | Appearing in The Fairy Tale and a repertory of ether plays. St. Paul Theatre Robbed St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 5.—The Shubert Theatre here was robbed of $950 in the early morning of Jan. 8. Two men who sald they were members of the company now playing at the theatre called from the outside to Edward Derndt, the watchman. They told him they wanted to go to their dressing room. When he admitted them, he says, they im mediately bound and gagged him, entered th: box-office and made away with the receipts, which amounted to $950. Derndt was held by the police. MISS PERRIN IN THE WEST. Chicago, Jan. 7 (Special to The Billboard).— Miss Marie Alice Perrin, whose reputation as an eloentionist and entertainer has been ¢stablished in the East, is now on the Pacific Coast visiting her parents. The theatres and booking agents in Chicago have naught but praise for her and acclaim her as an artist of unusual merit. Miss Perrin’s plan will not be definitely announced until after *he bas realized on the several weeks of reet which have been deferred time and time again because of the demand fur her appearance. Jud Lawrence has purchased 8. H. Brick's interest In the Grand Amusement Company, op erating the Grand Theatre, Kenton, 0. The Encounter | Produced | Louisville, Ky., Jan. 7 (Special to The Billboard).—Last Monday night, at the Shubert Masonic Theatre, Margaret Illington gave the premiere stage production of The Encounter, a translation of Pierre Berton’s latest drama, La Recontre, which was produced a Iittle over a year ago at the Comedie Francaise Theatre tn Paris. The piece was favorably received. NEW THEATRE AT NEWPORT. Newport, R. I., Jan. 6 (Special to The Bihhoard).—Work on the new Colonial Theatre at | Newport, R. 1., is progressing well under the | direction of Thos. F. Keeher. The theatre will be finished within a very short time, and will be |} one of the finest In this part of the country. | The house will have a seating capacity of 1,200. PARTNERSHIP DISSOLVED. |. Newark, N. J., Jan. 4 (Special to The Rillboard).— partnership exixting between Iler j; men H. A. Schmidt and Christian Kurz, war b ~~ last month, and Mr. Schmidt remains the sole owner of the Olymple Park. Mr. Schmidt will assume all the obligations thereof, and collect all debts due thereto, his personal attention as director to an early spring production of The Goose Girl. The production of The Puppet Crown will follow, probably the beginning of next se.eon. Mr. Baker is finishing a new Biblical play to which the firm will give a production at an early date HENRY W. SAVAGE’S PLANS. New York, Jan. 7 (Special to The Billboard.) —Henry W. Savage's office on West 45th street is a veritable bee-hive of industry these days. Every minute of working time available in the twenty-four hours of each working day is consumed, and the proverbial Trojan application which the impresario puts to his multifarious duties is met with usually exultant co-operation by the executive heads of his various depart. ments. Mr. Savage's enterprises this season embrace a wider range of theatrical attractions thas are operated under any ower Individual management in the amusement field. The comnanies now en tour under the Savage banner include a trio of brilliant organizations presenting Bis son's supreme drama of tears, Madame X. These companies are classified as A B and C, and are booked with a view to playing the chief towns and cities throughout the United States during the current season. Company A, headed by Dorothy Donnelly, and practically al) the original New York cast, is now in its final week of a phenomenal six weeks’ engagement at the Lyric Theatre in Philadelphia, and begap its Boston engagement at the Majestic Theatre on December 26 (the Christmas holiday), where it is booked to stay for the remainder of the season. Company B is scheduled for the prin cipal cities in the trans-Missouri territory and the Pacific slope, while Company C is meeting with phenomenal box-office returns in the Sonth and Southwest. The Merry Widow, the most successful oper etta in the history of the American stage, ie being presented for its third phenomena! sea son by two notable organizations, and an all star revival of the perennial Pixley and Ludere musical comedy, The Prince of Plisen is keeping up the high-water box office mark which it reg: istered eight years ago. Another of Mr. Sav age’s big winners is Monckton Hoffe’s dainty comedy of Bohemian life, The Little Damozel, which the consensus of critical opinion pro claimed to be the most unique and best acted (Continued on page 51.) Miss Crosman’s Scenery Delayed Herrisburg, Pa., Jan. 3 (Special to The Bill board).—The biunder of a clerk in the rail road yards at Wilkes-Barre, Pa.. compelled th Majestic Theatre to return abont $850 to peo ple who wanted to see Henrietta Crosman in her new play at a matinee performance, Jan. 2. Through some error the car containing the scenery, properties and costumes of the company falled to arrive in this city until Iste in the afternoon, and Miss Crosman was obliged to tell a disappointed holiday matinee audi ence that there would be no performance and that their money would be returned at the boz office. By evening the belated baggage arrived and » crowded house laughed at the satirical bur lesque, Anti-Matrimony, with which Percy Mac Kaye has provided Miss Crosman. MRS. HART LOCATES PARENTS. Mrs. Marie Hart, wife of Billy Mart, and the pleasing little woman who made a decided hit at the Orpbeum during the past week, has exceptional reasons for ing jorous during this holiday season owing to the fact that she has discovered her parents after being unable to locate them for the past elght years. Mrs. Hart comes from a family of cireus per formers, and her parents, the Gillams, have been with Ringling Brothers for several years. Fourteen years ago Mrs. Hart left her parents to make a reputation for herself in the theat rical world and be it known that she has ac complished this feat to a marked degree. Some time ago Mrs. Hart sent her phote graph to an Eastern theatrical publication (The Billboard) and it was reproduced with the re sult that she received a letter from her parents Inst Saturday. Needless to say she is highly elated and at the close of their present con tract on the Orpheum Circuit, Mr. and Mrs, Hart will go to Mount Pleasant, Texas., for an ex tended visit with Mrs. Hart's parents, who now have a small circus of thelr own, Their engagements with the Orpheum will coutinue until next spring.—Ogden (Utah) Examiner. CHANGE FAIR DATES. Lexington, Ky., Jan. 7 (Special to The Bill board).—The State Board of Agriculture, For estry and Immigration at its meeting here on Wednesday, changed the date for the opening of the state fair at Loulsville from Sept. 11 to Rept. 4. The change was made to avold con filet with the dates of the state fairs of Oblo and Indiana and to secure some of the ex: hibits that will be made at those fairs.