Variety (Dec 1905)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

IO I VARIETY. DEWEY. Hose Sydell and her London Belles ap- pear for the second time this season at the Dewey this week, with little or no change in the show. The opening burlesque is called "Daz- zling Nancy," a merry whirl of complica- tions in two acts, by Barney Gerard. Why he calls it "a merry whirl of com- plications" I am at a loss to understand. The comedians, Bob Garnella and James W. Mack, try very hard to make the audience laugh, but it is no use. Of course Rose Sydell was Dazzling Nancy, looking as pretty as ever. As usual, sW wore a small fortune in dia- monds. She sang a number of songs, ably assisted by the chorus and a male quartet. "The above songs," the program read, "were written by J. Edward Owens," (who, by the way, is the leader of the show). It did not take him long to write these songs. Just took some of the big song hits on Broadway and changed a few bars. Shepp Campbell, the man- ager, played I. L. Trimmem, a man with a taking disposition, and it could be seen that he wasn't at home this season with- out Johnnie Weber. In the burlesque, Vera Hearte prob- ably carried off the major share of ap- proval in an Indian song with a splendid chorus. There were si* numbers in the olio, beginning with the McCall Trio, in a comedy singing and dancing act, at least that was what the program read. The female end of this trio does some capital skipping-rope dancing, which is spoiled by the man, who tells some gags that were told when I was a boy. He tries to sing a parody, but that is all he does—trys. The Weston Sisters get a big hand on their clever singing and burlesque box- ing, but mar their performance by the use of some suggestive gestures. Garnella and Shirk have a good talk- ing act in one and finish very strong with a burlesque opera. Miss Shirk has a better voice than is usually found in a burlesque show. The Bijou Comedy Trio, billed as "Novelty, Comedy and Harmony." Where the novelty and comedy comes in I do not know, neither does the audience, but then the least said about this act the better. W. S. Campbell and James Mack have a real novelty in a talking act. They show the interior of a police station. Shepp Campbell as a German inspector, Mack as a patrolman. In the act there is shown a series of living pictures. They are very much out of place and if the pictures were given as a special num- ber in the olio they would look much better. The Great Relyea closes the olio, billed as the perfect man in physical culture. The scenic effects and the costumes and the working of the chorus help the show a great deal, though there is a great deal of "kidding" done by some of the chorus girls in the entrances and is plainly seen by the audience. As I left the theatre I asked Morris Kraus what he thought of the show; he only laughed. Joe Raymond. GOTHAM. Charles Dickson ought to be doing Shakespearean repertoire. Not that he suggests conspicuous ability by his work, but the degree of indifference with which he strolled through his sketch at the Gotham in Brooklyn this week showed his personal conviction that he was too good for vaudeville. At yester- day's matinee he walked through his part of "A Pressing Matter" as though his mind were occupied with more im- portant matters and he didn't particu- larly care whether his lines were list- ened to or not. His attitude was a di- rect insult to any audience. The sketch is of very fair quality and Dickson could make it an interesting part of the bill if he would inject a little ginger into his work. By far the best turn of the Gotham bill was William Cahill's monologue. Cahill is endowed with a wealth of na- tive Irish humor. He has rubbed most of the rough places off his talk and now, relieved of the coarseness that used to mar his performance, he more nearly approaches "The Rolling Mill Man" of beloved memory. Laura Bennett and Pearle Andrews in George M. Cohan's farce, "The An- gel," were funny in a rather loud way. The skit is based on a knocking fest be- tween two jealous "stage ladies," and although it may be true it is an unlovely phase of life and not particularly ele- vating. On the other hand the two prin- cipals are well dressed and handsome in an Amazonian way. They get all there is out of the humor of Mr. Cohan's work, and their singing is above the ordinary. The mysterious De Biere is infinitely more mysterious to the gallery than he is to the first half dozen rows of the orchestra. This is a case of distance lending enchantment. At close view De Biere's methods are more or less trans- parent, although his trick with the trunk suspended in the centre of the prosceni- um arch is mystifying to the uninitiated. Some of his mechanical tricks also are effective. Adams and Drew are newcomers in vaudeville, although they have been do ing their German dialect turn in bur- lesque for some time. The lines are bright and considerable thinking has been expended on tfce dressing of the turn. They have an entertaining line of automobile talk that is new and un- hackneyed. The Gartelle Brothers In a roller skate dancing stunt did a lot of hard work and were rewarded by the delighted shrieks of the youngsters in the audi- ence. The turn closed with a dance which was good. The introduction of some good talk would benefit the per- formance materially. Joseph L. Maxwell and his Firemen Quartet was new to East New York, and they got an enthusiastic welcome. The five men sing well together. Meehan's dogs were put through the usual tricks and a few that were original and novel. The leaping greyhotinds were above the average. AMPHION. The Amphion Theatre management reaped this week the reward of rather daring entreprise in crowded houses. The Williamsburg house is supporting a bill in which there are at least four acts that have served as the features of New York vaudeville theatres within the last few months. Williams and Walker, of course, lead the procession of head-liners. The act re- mains practically unchanged from the form in which it was first given at Ham- merstein's, with the exception that the chorus in the upper box, with which the act started, has been cut out, and the only work the rather overdressed com- pany is now called upon to perform is in the choruses of the song. The change works to the advantage of the perform- ance. Tom Nawn has to thank the instinct- ive love of a fairy story that is im- planted in most grown-ups for the large measure of popularity that has rewardej his performance cf "Pat and the Genie." Charlotte Appelle, the third member of the company, gives an excellent per- formance. Whether . or no Abdul El Kader's "three wives" are his really, truly spouses, Williamsburg accepts the program at its face value, and ac- cordingly greeted the act with a certain amount of scandalized interest. The women's pictures, however, will never be handed down to future generations as "old masters." Also the veils on the lower half of the women's faces are de- signed, it would seem, as a kindness to the audience rather than an effort to convey the Oriental atmosphere of the act. Fiel Is and Ward must sit up o' nights wrestling with their act. Every time one sees it the sketch has been enriched with half a dozen bright new lines or a clever bit of business. Both artists are good, and their act has merit enough to warrant the owners in losing the little horse play and "kidding" they have been using. Signer Luigi Del'Oro, together with his musical paraphernalia, were surely made in Europe, judging from the name and the gaudy gold and white of his equipment, lie played several classical numbers on a sixteen-pound accordeon. The audience gave its interested atten- tion to the music, which closely resem- bled that of a pipe organ, but when he gave 'em rag time they demanded more, even to the third encore. The sixteen- pounder was assisted by the "armoni- pede," an arrangement of pedals which the Signor worked with his feet. The Three Madcaps in contortion stunts and dances came up to a fair av- erage of shapeliness. They started the performance. Riccobono's Horses did not make goon its description on the programme, "Greatest animal act before the public,** but it was a well done turn, to which a ccmedy hostler contributed a large part. •The Trolley Car Trio frankly an- nounced themselves as being in the slapstick and rough-house business from the getaway. The turn might amuse the youngsters, but for grown-up appreciation the performance of kick- ing a man in the face is rather too ele- mental humor. WHAT REMICK PAID 8HAPIRO. Maurice Shapiro, the former junior partner of the disrupted firm of Shapiro, Remick & Co., has had an inflated chest since the dissolution over the general belief of his "pipe" that Remick paid Maurice $100,000 to leave the firm. Every time it is mentioned to Remick here, he leaves for Detroit so people won't catch him laughing. Shapiro was paid $31,000 for his inter- est in the concern. While the terms were being discussed by him and the senior partner, the wily Maurice had a series of cold chills before Remick fin- ished a short talk on the foolishness of Shapiro thinking he was a "mark." At the conclusion, Maurice, in a limp condi- tion, accepted the offer without com- ment. Frederick Thompson, of Thompson and Dundy, and Clifford G. Fischer, of Marinelli's Agency, left together on the Oceanic last Wednesday, and by special request you are asked to note that Mr. Thompson sailed with Mr. Fischer—but the Oceanic is a big boat. K/ETY 't -C -c Mr. and Mrs. Vic. Levitt are the proud possessors of a bouncing baby boy. Mother and son are both well. SUBSCRIPTION FOR LOTTIE GIL30N Sam Meyers has raised a subscription to bring Lottie Gilson back to New York. I •I t VARIETY PUBLISHING CO. KNICKERBOCKER THEATRE BUILDING NEW YORK CITY Enclosed find $ for subscription to Name Address Subscription, $2 yearly. Foreign, $3. Paper Hill be mailed "as per route/' if so instructed. $»»»»*»» ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥ ¥ ¥¥¥¥¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥¥¥¥ ¥ ¥ ¥¥¥ ¥¥¥¥ ¥¥ ¥ ¥*¥¥¥¥ ¥¥¥¥¥