The Billboard 1911-07-08: Vol 23 Iss 27 (1911-07-08)

a ———————— ‘Whiner 3% wn. yl Hal | ULY 8 1911. The Billboara 13 ie The Vaudeville Week in Chicago MAJESTIC’S GOOD BILL VAUDEVILLE CHATTER st Week’s Program, a Gathering of Diversified Acts that Prove Oral and Visual Delights to Unusually Large Summer Audiences June 28 (Special to The Billboard). ‘pstanding the unsettled weather conand intermittent showers of the morn' afternoon, the Majestic opened its ‘offering Monday night to a well-filled with one of the most pleasing bills in a of weeks. No small amount of com. : has been made by people who are in @ , to know, evincing surprise and wonder » good business that has been maintained The Majestic all through the summer ps. But when stops to think and wonder not take into consideration the splendid and management~+ under which this tiful theater is conducted? The wonderful f noiseless electric fans and blowers, nrteous and considerate attention of a of polite attendants, the ice water service n sparkling spring water in clean crystal s js dispensed freely and often through audience, the neat little mulatto girls act in the capacity of miladies’ maid, anu wiy those features, but others too numer mention, is the key to the entire situ . and but the overture is over, up goes the and comparing our program to the anement board, we find “The Pandar ’ the giant comic acrobats, bopearance of one of the imported acrobatic ypening with just a trifle too much slap comedy, which, nevertheless, they get with nicely. Much yelling and falling troduced, but it is rather difficult to deterthe excuse for the billing to contain the acrobats, the latter part of the act is an tion of stilt walking in comedy make-up wstumes, each of the twelve people in the oy making his entrance on stilts just a higher than his predecessor, and after a parade about the stage in this regalia the as brought to a close, and met with as applause as the act justified. second offering was a genuine surprise very one, as such acts as the one subby Joseph Browning and Henry Lewis dom found on the early half of the big bills. and while it may sound like a ; strong statement, these two boys could been second or third from closing and = as well as any act on this week's The act is called ‘‘Nearly a Soldier,’’ and thelr own special scenery depicts a United army recruiting station, one of the boys Feovered in front of the station wishing fcitement when, behold, the boy from ‘‘Der rand’ and “‘schlagen allus kaput’’ things in real earnest, and such a line of rich —[—E ts New to Chicago COGHLAN AND COMPANY. piaylet, Majestic Theatre. Fall stage, Coghlan and Company introduced a play to Chicago. It is a story of heart in i affords an excellent vehicle wherein ean and her well-chosen company ap= best and to very good advantage, the part of Violet Haven, portrayed Dramatic Twenty-two. mal n, the star’s daughter, who * exhibits much of the cleverness et pera nality of her mother and looks wh star. The story deals with a 4 iad for years been estranged from Er and thinking her baby daughter a" turned to the stage as a means of ering wemty years have passed, and yon an engagement in her home city. 7 assumed hame, and recognized by none reat fen ances or friends, she strikes ~ riendehip with a matinee girl who aoe ler dressing room, and through 4. actress discovers this beautiful gir! sed? daughter She had been led to beof 4 girl's father, knowing her the = S for her and recognizes his or ts ctress, and through threats and ne gool name and honor of their ! r (the mother) to remain silent oat 4 identity from the girl she has : / er daughter. The father anil . ave, overture is called, a hasty amiline ied and with a broken heart, on a mother leaves the dressing awh — ‘tee, happy audience. The act «4 ecess and demanded half a dozen E oa SUBWAY, Comedy Playlet. Full <™ becial setting. Number of peoeae Time 20 minutes. The cast: Edwin. Stevens, Mr. Byron Marsh Ory nh Corwin and Miss Marguerite a Wilson Avenue, Chicago. rennet to criticize this act fairly el. opening the first show at Ww tle ted ag thine but half the audience il dtr) the following facts Der ar ‘Yee that the parts of the ash an a , ticket-seller, enacted by rdone di twin Corwin, respectively, b this cen Ubtedly, gentlemen who a8 9 "pation in the New York sub lemen ru’, “rough necks” and these and a go well to study natural I the ay ’eton of their parts and exe ‘1 houghness, for certainly eptionally clever in thelr particular D Elton, ,., \ctY €00d in his enactment , o compuant commater, and is n any ny who retains a nator nd ~ throughout. Miss Henry's b only etx 'rimble, the girl who left and. wt cents in her purse, is ver ‘-e she {s clever at some reom for improvement. | the part of the lady of the house, situations ar having all} Pertinent Gossip of Performers Appearing at the Several Variety Houses in the Western Metropolis—Brief Bits of News Concerning Their Activities and Future Plans German dialect and comedy has not been heard since the days of Weber and Fields, and it isja Goubtful if any act in this position on Jestic bill ever George Paul left Chicago last week to accept stock engagement at Danville, Ill., arranged a Ma-| by the W. V. M. A. created such a’ sensation Barrett and Bayne, who. ¢ ¥ i , t } ‘ E ; an ye, are now in Chicago, Butler Haviland and Alice Thornton offer a | will be seen in the East shortly. classy little parlor patter called ; Question Harry Moore will erect a vaudeville theatre of Policy. Mr. Haviland. enacting the part | next door to the Columbia (burlesyue) in Chiof a fresh insurance agent, and Miss Thornton cago. Gus Sun, whose circuit grows more important each year, announces important additions for next season. Edith Haney spent last week in Chicago, after 68 weeks of W. V. M. A. Time, and was given seven weeks more of parks. When this time introduced that offer an excellent opportunity for or ginal, snappy comedy, that was well re ceived by the Majestic audience. (Continued on page 52.) LOUISE DRESSER. John T. Thornton Meritorious Bill at Dies Suddenly _‘ Virginia Theatre ; Chicago, Tl., June 29 (Special to The BillChicago, Il., June 27 (Special to The Rill " > 2 <n seee t Ben ter poardy-soun."T. “Thornton, a ‘vauievilie per-| heard) Manager W. H. Heanes of the Virginia former of wide reputation, who appedrs with ber “ > or ¥ rm brn ‘to last Grace Carlton, his wife, under the team name a gh ae ~ “2 ae Se a _ . . co * 1al oO iis reek. r do, omedy vere Se :— A ‘ — ated ct hd aye. opened the show in a neat little offering, runnin: marquette, m. meee . r about twelve minutes in one and pleased. come to light owing to the remote locality in poe Be Be > wich ‘bis ‘death “occurred and'‘to the fact that | Kramerand Riliott, the messenger, boy snd, the the widow has been so prostrated with grief e ° agp : 7 boy, opened in one with a song in the midst of which he engages in an argument with a sup posed usher. It is an old stunt but the boys pulled it nicely and closing working well together, pleased. Three charming, clever young ladies, under the name of The Le Grande Trio, sang in harmony and did some very classy dancing. The girls are worthy of all good that can be said of them, and undoubtedly have a brilliant future. Their costumes are neat and conservative and their prenetee personalities are doubtless instrumental to their success, that she did not communicate with any of her friends in the profession until recently, when she wrote to eorgGe Castle of the Kohl-Castle Company in Chicago, It seems that Mr. Thornton was stricken with heart trouble one year ago while In Kansas City and has never played since, spending his de clining days in his Wisconsin home. He was born at Lexibeton. Va.. Tan. 16. 1856, and while a youth was educated at Washington and [ee University {a that city, attending school while General Robert EB. Lee was president of that (Continued on page 52.) (Continued on page 52.) Brookes and Carlisle will rest a few weeks in San Francisco, after completing a tour of the Pantages Circuit. is played she will be seen in the East either in vaudeville or in a production, Miss Cario Portello. formerly manager of one of Powell & Cohen's comedy shows, is now producing out of the offices of Hilliard Campbell. Her first big production is the Cario Portello Musical ] somedy Stock Company, which opened at Waukegan, Ill., June 26. Master Vernard Luebben, the boy soprano, said to be the highest salaried child on the American stage, begins his season July 3, at Peoria, Ill., playing Vernon Seaver’s Princess Thea Tony West and his wife Helen Hartley, who were in the cast of Mary Jane’s Pa last season, and more recently with Ollie Mack over Pan tages’ Time, are in Chicago, visiting . Errett Bigelow of the American Theatrical Agency. Little Brownie (Louise Northrop), who has been connected with several musical comedy productions, is playing this week at Forest Park Highlands, St. Louis, Mo., with Harry Fields’ School Kids. THE MAZEPPA FAMOUS SHOWS. Chicago, June 28 (Special to The Billboard). —Harry Sanger, general agent, and Orville Bunnell, seeretary for Backenstoe Brothers, owners of the Mazeppa Famous Shows, are in the city arranging for the appearance of their avgregation as the feature of the Thirty-first Street Carnival which Messrs. Tomlinson and Tossel! are arranging on the South Side for the week of July 17. The show opened at Kokomo. Ind.. on May 29, and played La Porte, Ind. On the week following, reporting great business for the fortnight. The show has sprung an innovation this year in the shape of a free street parade. four blocks long, headed by Backenstoe Bros.’ $10,000 team of highsteppers, which were prize winners at the Madison Square Garden Horse Show in New York last winter. A feature of the parade is the January wagon drawn by a kicking mule in which the famous clowns, Danny O’Brien and Ed. Mealy ride, to the plaudits of the spectators. The free attractions comprise the six Flying Moores in an aerial act, and Mme. Anna Woodward, the famous singer, who accompanied Sousa’s Band its tour of the world, who will sing twice ally, W. V. M. A. Posts Restrictions Chicago, Ill., June 27 (Special to The Billboard).—Conspicuously displayed on the bulletin board near the stage door of the Majestic Theatre. Chicago. is this “Notice to Artists’’: “‘Artists playing the Majestic Theatre are advised that if they accept bookings at other theatres in or near Chicago their value to the Majestic will be destroyed and the management will not care to consider another engagement.’’ The notice is signed by Lyman B. Glover, general manager, who explains it in this way: “We do not intend to dictate where any one shall or shall not play, but the Majestie Theatre can not maintain its exclusive character if it exchanges acts with the cheap houses. Artists of any importance must determine for themselves in what classification they wish to be placed. There is no coercion about it, but a determination on our part to play only such acts as are not seen elsewhere in or near Chicaro. If any one cares to cast his fortune with other houses, well and good. We have no objection, but in that case his services are no longer valuable to us and he will not appear at the Majestic.’’ FEATURE BILLS AT WILSON. Chicago, June 30 (Special to The Billboard). —Manager Licalzi of the Wilson Theatre, ‘‘came back’’ the last half with a bill almost as good as the one offered the last half of last week, which attracted so much comment and admiration on the part of the patrons of this pretty little north shore house. The show was opened by a big act called In The Subway, which is reviewed under the heading of New Acts on this page. Chris Lane, the monologist and story-teller. was second on the bill, and while a part of his monologue is new (for Chris) his songs are the same used by him for the last half dozen years. Lane has played around Chicago so much that almost any audience feels perfectly safe in referring to him by his first name, nevertheless he got away nicely with the aid of a Fourth of July song and responded to two encores. The next offering was a genuine surprise— sensation and is undoubtedly, without exaggeration, the greatest hit that has ever played the Wilson, Alphonse Zelava, who appeared under the bill The Paderewski of South America, son of the exiled President of Nicaragua. Zelaya undoubtedly is the greatest pianist in his line appearing on the vaudeville stage today. His execution is marvelous, his imitation in character of the old masters playing their own compositions, wonderful, his delivery ‘and stave presence, easy and natural, and his long hair and fine appearance, the subject of approval anv! admiration by the ladies; im fact the exclamations and sighs by the fair sex reminded one of one of an afternoon at Orchestra Hall with (Continued on page 53.) © ay ME, ee ns: ——— et | a £ ' : hes ” Seger BOE PT aA EE Te Se a Pp ae St as Sa ee 5. ee Se