Variety (Jan 1906)

8 VARIETY Shows of the Week « SHORT TALKS TO ARTISTS. liilly Van sippeaied at the New York Thoatro lust Suinlay ni|^ht for tlie mh-oiuI time within a I'lonth. Ajyain returning to bhickface. Mr. Van may ((tnHitler lie is •,'iving a new act, but the eliilly reception rtMvivtNl yihouM warrant the rnniedian in immediately seeking new material. It is hardly worth while reciting a monologue to an audience, who can almost repeat it verbatim from n;eniorv. Jilanche J^e Vigne, of the Grand Opera Trio, playing this week at Hurtig & Seanion's, as mentioned in the review of that bill, sutFered fri)m a sever*' hoarse- ness on Tuesday night. If Miss !>• Vigne has any regard for the preservation of her voice, she should not have appeared. When the proper plact* for her was home, she was on the stage, liaving gone to the theatre in damp weather, singing in the prison scene from "Faust" when every vi- bration of her vocal chords caused her agony. It was the height of folly. A voice is more to be looked after than a week's engagement, and more so when it may be the future means of livelihood for the person possessing it. liert Grant, on the same bill, does not even display horse sense in his selections of songs. There are plenty "coon" songs to select from, Mr. (Jrant. Don't resurrect in any event. The audience doesn't care one whit whether you were ever associ- ated with Irving Jones, and the probabil- ity is that at least three quarters present don't remember either your name or his. Ijavine and I.,e<>nard. at Pastor's this week, are narrowly escaping having a big act through not having some one write a sketch around their automobile. This could easily be done, when, together with the juggling, the team would find time hanging hea\ily. It would Ihj advisable also to drop the beer-<lrawing "business." This has been mad«' tix* well known by Snyder and Bucklev. 'Bessie Gilbert, at the same house, "Hhnnid secure a partner. lit* A*ery hard work at l>est to succeed as a cornet solo- ist. A conjedi^n with some idea of music may help out to an act for which there might be some demand. The Claience Sisters are dressing poor- ly, although this will probably not l>e be- lieved by the girls. There is too much or- nanuntation on their <'ostumes, and one change is accomplished by dropping down a part of the di esses. IMaiu costumes would be more eflective. Xellie i^oyniour and .loaie Allen would do well by dropping the Colonial opening, starting with a song, and then changing for the chaiacter work. Miss Allen could do the "sr.leslndy" without disjdaying her ball co^tiinH . An ordinarv street dress would be in belter taste. If Francis Wood ex|)ects to be laughed at, he should work out some comedy not shown by Kiee and Prevost jir Hickey and Nelson. There is plenty of room with the hoftps for s(.mething original. You are spoiling a pretty fair hoop-rolling act with the poor (omedy work you are ofTer- ing. Mr. U'ood. Puy something new if vou can't invjMil yourself. PASTOR'S. Mae Taylor is coming in vandeville. Who is Mae? Down at Tony Pastor's widely known Fourteenth Street Theativ, where "Mike" {'.(•rnard gives an imitation of the bamboo chimes on the pijino, you may sjh' Mooney and Holbein this week. If you can recol- lect far enough back, you will recall this same team when they were liot so promi- nent on the Pastor bill. It shows what earnest endeavor will ilo. Mr. Moonev himself probably does not realize what an improvtMuent is shown in his work from four years back, and Miss Ibdbein has kept pace accordingly. What was on(>e nothing more than a contortion turn has ileveloped into a real act of merit, an«l it is a pleasure to record this fact. It is the result of sincere hard work, with the mind always on the future. There are three comjwratively new acts on the bill—Madge Fox, Pierce and Hos- Ivn, and the Golders—reviewed under New Acts. The Bennington Duo, also new to this part of the country, were not seen. Mr. and Mrs. Neil Litchfield, in "^'Down at Brook Farm." are established favorites here, rendering comment unnecessary, and l^ivine and Ix'onard, in juggling, with good comedy effects, were one of the strong features. The comeily is derived from the use of an auto, after the manner of Harry Tate's "Motoring" with this diflerence, that a real machine is in use. and the idea was pri'vious to Tate's. Were the team to give more attention to the machine, a great deal more fun would be had. It is a credit to an American team to institute the lirst real automobile in vaudeville, and to a great many the com- e«ly effects are gotten much more easily than in the English importation. The juggling can not pass unnoticed. It is a feature in itself. Wills and Hassan in hand balancinj; ■showed one new trick entitled to men- tion. One of the men stands on his head unsupported, while the other does a hand stand from the soles of his feet. It is Mvhat is termed in the yemacular "a peach." The understander accomplishes the "lifts" with ease, and the act. with some more showy setting, would be a larger hit in any Ixmse than the average of its kind. Bessie (lilbert played the cornet, and the Clarence sisters. "The Australian Nuggets," did much better dancing, espe- cially the "skipping rope." than they sang whiU' Sheppard and Ward di<l well enough considering their position on the bi|I. Miss Ward's voice is not overstrong, but the medley for the finale helped a great deal, with Sheppard's German ilialect, which was not spread on too thickly. Nettie Seymour and .Tosio Allen vary the usual "sister net" with imitations and character changes. Not much fault oould be found until Mis^ Allen essayed Mrs. Leslie Carter. Whether she seriously in- teixled in the «frort or not is immaterial. Slie should drop it. Miss Seymour is much the better half of the act. Francis Wood has a lietter idea of roll- ing hoops than he has of conrcdy. A female partner slionld be secured, when (he comedy would not have to be so ob- \ iiiiislv striven for. Mike Scott. "Ireland's dancer," and the pictures were alpo on the bill. HURTIG AND SEAMON'S. Kose Stahl in "T) . .lorus J^dy" heliwd the bill largely this week, a large major- ity of the numbers falling short by more or les> of a nuirgin. Miss Stahl has l>een West for some time, but returns to meet the same individual success with her play- let, previously enjoyed. Travel is shown by the white gloves of "Mrs. Westervelt," one of the characters in the piece. As a reUex of a "society woman" as now played, it is impossible to realize how any- one could fall in love with her. A new "Tommy Noonan" is in the sketch as the call boy. He speaks his lines closely in imitation of a Coney Island "barker." The character of the chorus girl, although toughly drawn by James Forbes, the au- thor, is enjoyed by the audience in Miss Stahl's conception. > The (Jrand Opera Trio did not meet with its usual reception, wholly through Blanche 1^Vigne having a cold. It was a cruelty to compel the girl to sing the part. Theo. Julian was a number legitimately earning applause. Miss Julian has not been seen around here of late nearly often enough. With a musical act bespeaking refineirent in person, dress, music and ex- ecution, it is a pleasing diversion from the noisy musical acts vaudeville has grown accustomed to. Fitzgibbon, McCoy and Ritter, in "A Mischievous Brother" have a new member of two in the trio, but the sketch has not suffered sufficient change to merit a position under New Acts. The action bears out the statements of Fred Ray in his letter to Variety last week, particu- larly being applicable to the "custard pie." Max Ritter is the "brother," and as one of the newcomers, does well enough did he not display a certain amount of egotism in his works and remarks. The Alpine family on the tight wire showed no new tricks, though one of the two girls made an unsuccessful attempt at one—which is new for her sex. Some ground tumbling in which the man of the family joined, the only time his clothes were in danger, closed an act which was received mildly. Another foreign act on the bill, having a good position, was the Ortaneys. It is all acrobatics, evenly divided between three men and a like number of dogs. If acrobatic work three high is to be shown, with three men on the stage at the time, it is preferable by the average audience to see the third man as the top-moimter rather than a dog. Several details de- tract, and the animals would be of more value did one man only work with them. This act could split up into two numbers on the same bill, with better rtjults to themselves, the management and the audi- ence. .-. ■-' ■ Some acrobatic dancing is given by the Althea Twins, two girls who resemble each other more closely in the dressing than in looks. Tom Almond has his long-toe and skate dancing, while the pictures closed a bill notable for the "waits" and lonj? inter- mission. KEENEY'S. IK>spite the warm weather the early part of the week, there was no decrease in attendance at Keeney's, where the fea- ture is the new sketch of Katie Barry's, reviewed under New Acts. - f . duis. T. Kllis and wife in "Mrs. Hogan's Music Teacher," by George F. Marion, drew down the aplause in plenty. Al- though the sketch is far from new, it seemed from the reception that it had not played this house before, and the for- mer star of "Casper, the Yodler" struck the Brooklynites in the proper phwe by his pathetic rendering of a ballad, and the realistic snow-storm, which cause*! the boys in the gallery to snicker, as the Hakes were still falling while the company took a curtain call. Mark Sullivan in his monologue and inntations gave a new impersonation of of Sam J. Ryan, of I^ewis and Ryan, as, he appeared in "Little Johnny Jones." while neglecting to give Willis 1*. Sweat- nam. Mr. Sullivan still consumes consid- erable time in arriving at the point of "Anthony's Speech," leaving the impres- sion that way down in his own private opinion he considers himself a pretty fair declaimer. That will be admitted if Mr. Sullivan will drop the recitation for some- thing more timely and humorous. Shorty and Lillian DeWitt have gotten their act in such c(mdition that now you laugh whereas at one time not so long ago vou frowned. They were somewhat un- fortunate in having to follow Charlotte Coate and "Sunflower." who appeared in place of Charles and H^lna Harris, the lat- ter team having been prevented from opening through the illne.ss of Miss Har- ris. "Sunllower" is a girl, about nine years (dd. Mr. Keenev said that she had not received the (Jerry permit, although ap- plication had been made. The act has lu'cn forced to play outside of New York for a long time for this reason. The youngster is "cute," and like all of her age, is \vell liked.. ^^^- ' George B. (Jreen. "Brooklyn's Favorite Baritone," sang some songs to the accom- paniment of illustrated pictures, and un- less Mr. Green can lose his nasal twang Brooklyn may retain the favorite. His singing voice is so cloudy from head tones, and the slides so jworly gotten up, that wore it not for the announcement on -the sheet preceding the songs, no one present would have the least itlea what the sing- ing was about. Hanson and Harris in an acrobatic trick- wall scene would do much better were they to drop the talk and play only in pantomime. The act goes very well in a new house, but no conversation is re(|uired. The Carson brothers closed the bill be- fore the pictures, which wound up a rather late show for this section of the town, ow- ing to two overtures during the perform- ance to allow the stage to be set. for which ample time had been given through acts in "one." The brothers are acrobats leaning more to hand and head balancing, with a dark background before which they |M)se in white fleshings. Nothing new was shown by them. The four Milons will return to Ger- many on March 12. The Klein family of acrobats, a foreign act opens on the Orpheum circuit, Sept. 3.