Variety (Feb 1906)

VARIETY Kittie Stevens. Character Changes. Keith's. Miss Stevens may have played the Keith theatres out of town, hut she is new here as far ji.s could he ascertained. In her character changes, she Is attempting too much, giving six or seven, taking from 15 to 22 seconds for the changes in each, wearing one pair of pink tights underneath throughout. A geisha girl, peasant, Dutch and a toe dancer are among the imper- sonations. That of the toe-dancer is pre- ferred. In the Dutch character, the pink tights are seen plainly beneath a short flimsy white skirt, giving a rather un- pleasant picture. Ifles Stevens should se- lect those liked the best, using them only until others equally well liked can be added. As a small act of its kind it is desirable. Sime. Georgina Clark. Scotch Ballads. Gotham. Through an operation < upon the throat fur tonsillitis, Zay Holland had to retire from the bill early in the week, and Oeor- gina Clark replaced her. Miss Clark sings Scotch songs in like costumes. The songs and dresses are both taken Isidily from those used by Louise Gunning. Those are the only points of resemblance. The au- dience liked the singer and the songs. iS'»fM e. V Baker, Devoe and Hammer. Acrobatics. Gotham. This is the second added number on the (iot ham's bill this week, the three Ca- in neos having been disappointed by their topniounter on Monday and replaced by this trio. Baker is a former member of the Meeker-Baker trio, while Devoe is of old team of Contour and Devoe. The acrobatic work is only fair while the com- edy has been carelessly picked up wher- ever available. The "rubber snap-back" Used by the former team of Bailey and Madison is in the act, while there are others of not more recent origin. As the closing number on the bill it met with some applause. Sime. OUT or TOWN f Florence Roberts. Sketch. Denver, Colo. Florence Itoberts, an emotional actress well known to the entire west where she is a strong drawing card, tried out a new play in Denver Sunday. She had hoped with it to win a New York standing but she has another try coming. Her new produc- tion is titled "The Strength of the Weak" and was written by ;i Miss Smith. That i' is not n success is due entirely to "Miss Smith's" mistake in believing that things should 1m i on the stage ns they are in real life, a notable instance being in the last act when Miss Roberts playing the leading role port ravine; an innocent and muchly sinned against young woman— 1m called upon to end her life, which she doc.s leav- ing the had. bad villain to live on and en- joy life. The title is the best part of the play. The speaking parti are unnecessar- ily numerous and the piece is too talk.v. Manager John Crot has done his part in the way of costuine.s and settings. Janus It. NoUtnd, Marshall Montgomery. Musical. Gloversville, N. Y. Marshall Montgomery, a recent "lind" of Wilson and Shea, has a new act Here this week. His act is entirely out of the ordinary as regards musical t in ns. for he plays freak stunts on ordinary instruments. His peculiar ge- nius for discovering odd methods of produc- ing comedy from a piano is also a strong part of his act, while his impersonations of "Stuart, the male Patti" and (leorge Cohan earned him deserved encores. Milford Mowers. Marie Manson. Singer and dancer. Gloversville. Marie Manson, formerly of the "Vero- nique" production, appeared here on Mon- day night for her entrance into vaude- ville. It will be her first and last appear a nee, without doubt. She would have closed the engagement Tuesday excepting that as the young woman insisted upon the agreed salary for the week, the man- agement consented that Miss Manson might continue to sing if she would give up the dancing. COLUMBIA AMUSEMENT CO. WINS. The injunction suit brought by the Em- pire Circuit to restrain the Columbia Amusement Company from operating the TVocadero in Chicago as a burlesque house, and also asking damages to the amount of $100,000, was dismissed upon the applica- tion of Jacob J. Kern, the Chicago attorney for the Columbia Company, who put in a demurrer to the whole proceeding* and it was sustained. GUS EDWARDS' WORRIES. "Schoolboys and Schoolgirls" reported to have made a big hit in Reading this week where it was presented for the first, time 1-elongs to (Jus &d wards, the musie pub- lisher and composer. Mr. I'M wards accom- panied the youngsters to the Pennsylvania town, and was surprised at the lack of knowledge appertaining to anything but New York City, displayed by most of them, many of-whom had never left the city l>e- fore. The comedian and youngest boy in the company is Herman Timberg. Tutting up at the Cities Hotel in Reading, Herman was observed usinir his knife to convey the food to his mouth. I'pon being cor- rected, he refused to obey the injunction lo disregard the "sword swallowing," saying, "I always eat that way home, and my father never kicks." The act opens Monday at Proctor's Twenty-third Street. WEBER & RUSH COMING STRONG. The Columbian Amusement Company (Weber iV: Kllsll | this week signed .1 '.!'.» year lease <d' a plot of ground in Mem phis, Tenn.. on which will be erected n now burlesque theatre to be known as the Gaiety, costing $100,000. The same com pany is erecting a playhouse in Columbus. Ohio, and in addition to the other ven t ures of the corporation recently an- nounced in Variety, will open a new house in Youngstown. Ohio, on February 12. MR. HAMMKRSTEIN IS UNDECIDED. Oscar Hammerstein states that he has arrived at no decision as to what will be the continued feature, if any, on the Vic- toria Roof this coming summer. Mr. liammcrstcin added thai he doesn't give the roof any thought while there is still danger of cold weather appearing. Regarding the Fields theatre, he said that no definite plans had been formed, but it would never Ik- a music hall, and the seating capacity of the theatre did not allow of the costly weekly bills now necessary fot a successful vaudeville house. The Drury Lane, Mr. Hammerstein's new opera house, now in process of erec- tion, will be devoted to grand opera, pro vided—and Mr. Hammerstein does not equivocate over the "provided"—that he receives sufficient subscriptions to assure its success before opening. The pros pectus came from the printer's last Mon- day, and the future policy of the hand some new Hammerstein theatre will soon be known. IT IS TO LAUGH. The funniest thing in the "Proctor Prompter** since its first publication-, is the announcement in the last issue that Gerald Griffin and Amelia Bingham tied lor first place in the recent voting contest and that Miss Bingham gracefully retired in favor of Griffin. Miss Bingham was so far behind in Un- voting that the Proctor people were ashamed of her showing and it is prob- able that (Jritlin "gracefully" consented to the tie vote under pressure from the management. Griffin has more friends in the Proctor clientele than Miss Bingham can ever command and his silence in this matter is a surprise to his friends. BURLESQUE IN BALTIMORE. James L. Kernan, who has had a monopoly of the variety field In Balti- more, will have opposition from the West- ern Wheel after February 5, when Weber and Rush's new Gaiety theatre opens in the Monumental City. Kernan's present burlesque theatre (Monumental) is located in the lower part of the town, and the Gaiety is calcu- lated to cut off the approach to the lower house, proving a formidable competitor. To offset this, Mr. Kernan and the East- ern Wheel folk have decided to open the Kijotl theatre in the same section as the Gaiety. The Rijou is a ramshackle build ing, which has hceii closed up several times. There will be a pretty fight on in Baltimore in the burlesque line, which will U- watched with much interest by the managers of the different wheels. A TRAVELING AGGREGATION. It is said that the Le Domino Rouge i The Girl in the Red Mask) will soon head a company of vaudeville headliner*. under the management <d' Werba and I.ucm her. A tour of the principal cities w ill be made. VIOLA GILLETTE. LOOK INTO THIS, MR. POLL Willy Zimmermann, who impersonates famous composers, had occasion recently to play Poli's theatre at Bridgeport. Mr. Zimmermann, considering the time 8|>ent by him in this country has an excellent command of English, but, while his in- tent ions are always of the best, he some- times becomes confused in expressing him- m If. (hi the Monday morning of his opening at Poli's house in the Connecticut town, Mr. Zimmermann, who requires the able assistance of the orchestra more than anything else, to evidence his good-fellow- ship, tendered the orchestra leader a two dollar bill, after the rehearsal was over, with the remark "for the boys to have something," Zimmermann not knowing any of them personally, and believing that was the quickest and easiest man- ner of expressing himself. The orchestra leader in Poli's at Bridge- port had evidently expected a week's sal- ary in advance, for he took the bill, looked at it, laughed, and passed it to the next musician, who went through the same performance, it finally reaching the stage manager on the stage. This stage manager, with the same dis- play of corner saloon breeding, spat on the bill, dropping it to the floor and kick- ing it away, murmuring at the same time, "jackass.** As Iff, Zimmermann presumed that Mr. Poli paid his orchestra for their labor, he is at a loss to understand the tin gentlemanly actions, and his opinion of the Bridgeport house management has dropped considerably below par. William I.. Lykens has booked V'ioiu (ill lette from "The (Jiil and the Bandit" to ojteii in Wilmington in a sketch having t'nlir people. HUBBY WITH HER. When Kstelle Wentworth makes her vaudeville bow, her associate will be Al- bert Parr, her husband, who was last a member <>f "The Yankee Consul'' com- pany. TONY PASTOR APPEARS. At a "Special Social Session" given by Sew York Lodge, No. 1, B. P. 0. Klks, last Sunday, Tony Pastor, the veteran showman, appeared for the first time in a long while in public, ringing '"Down in the Coal Mine." "Sarah's Your Man" and "Auld Lang Syne.** Mr. Pastor had to threaten lo call the police before the audience would allow him to leave the stage. COOPER SEEKS AID. Several \audcvillc agents, among them .lames Armstrong, have received within the past week letters from Frank C Cooper, as he signs himself) asking financial aid. Cooper, who was formerly advance agent for "Bob" Fitfsimrrrons, the Henry Bur- lesque Company and several circus eombi nations, writes that he is in prison in Dan- ville, 111., charged with killing one Charles H. Smith, that he is without funds and begs financial assistance. In hi« letter Cooper say a that several months ag" he went, to Danville to see hifi wife, who was formerly a theatrical woman, and while there got into a quar re| with Smith. He (Coooper) declares over his signature that he felt himself jus- tified in killing Smith and puts his request for aid on the score of old friendship. Cidc ami .lobUHon will open at the P«l ;i.i-. London, in May.