Variety (Feb 1906)

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VARIETY main upon the smaller circuit* uutil such time us he could have come into New Vork with at least respectable-looking ••dummies." Four are used, not one of which i.s presentable, and the handling is extremely bad, spoiling wliatever effwt might be obtained through his ventriloquial |M>wei-K, which are far from perfect. Th« i movement of the mouth, always open, is easily detected. Some of the talk has been taken from other acts of this character. Mr. Lovello will do well by being content to remain unknown to fame until he can pre- sent a better offering in every way. Sinn: Geo. Backus & Winona Shannon. "The Dress-Suit Case.' Pastor's. »♦ annpi 7 A comedy sketch by Geo. Backus, one of the players, and Green Thompson. The theme is mistaken identity, and the sketch followed another having the same idea as its base. A short recital of a horse race was preceded by Carew and Hayes in "The Derby Knee," which took the edge off or Miss Shannon's "description, but the sketch scored notwithstanding these draw- hacks. Miss Shannon was winsome as the pretended Quakeress, and Mr. Backus gave a humorous im)>ersonatioii of a clergyman. One song only was snug, and there is no dancing. While it will never become famous as a funmaker, as it is, it will do. Simr. any. \) Boyle, McCarthy and Compan "A Cyclone." Hurtig and Seamon's. "A Musical Farce," the program says so, but the program is the more positive in the matter. The scene in laid (on the program) at a railroad .station at Great Canyon, which is in the West somewhere. On the stage, the nearest to (ireat Canyon the players got was the entrance to Cen- tral Park. A drop should be purchased immediately if it is expected that the life of the sketch will l>e long enough to war- runt it. Four people take the different character*, including Charles If. Boyle as a stranded actor, and Hat tie Sims McCarthy, a ranchman's daughter. Miss McCarthy sings and while doing so, you don v l mind the rest. There is a little din- ner party outside the station "on the lawn," wherr a "prop" turkey is bundled around to gain futile laughs and also a trick bench which slides and tips over. Hugh Cameron is a telegraph operator who yells "(t4" instead of "2.V otherwise acting wry badly, and Flore Theresa is the waitress. The audience did not like it. and on Tuesday night, no encore was received it will have to be entirely re- built to pass. An intimation of a cyclone was brought out through the Hashing of the side lights, and the shaking of the wings by stage hands. That was really funny, whether intended so or not. Rime. M Leona Stevens. Songs. Gotham, Brooklyn. Rather promising was Leona Stevens. one of the tryouts at the. professional t'i^ht iit the (Jotham last week. Miss Ste- ven* »Ugj(e*ts N'oiii Hayes in her work nn ill kIic tackles imitations and fails woe- fully, Mimicry is no! for her and if she does it again she should be spanked. The audience showed very clearly what they thought of them. If she will stick to songs and pick out three or four better suited to her vivacity, Miss Stevens will be a welcome addition to the small act class. She gives great promise, but she needs the stage management of some one exj>erienced in vaudeville matters. Vhicot. Eugenie Castelli. j Imitations. ly Gotham, Brooklyn. One of the professional trials last Fri- day was a woman announced -a* the French-American actress, Eugenie Castelli. She alleges that she does imitations of Sarah Bernhardt. Blanche Walsh and Anna Held. It is not apparent from her work of the other night that she does so. She read the lines of bits from "Camille" and "Resurrection" and sang a song that Miss Held sang, doing all very badly. She in nowise suggested the intensity of the tragic work nor the chicness of the singer, while the effect was further spoiled by a •Iress in miserable taste badly worn. Miss Castelli's stay in vaudeville will not be an extended one. It has probably ended already. Uhivot. OUT OP TOWN Three Seldoms. "Posture Act." Orpheum, New Orleans'. The Seldoms are an Importation of the Orpheum Circuit, and claim to l>e the orig- inators of the "Plastic Statuary Pose." They use a large black cloth and three pedestals measuring about 8x4, which they place together while doing "grouiw." Their act is similar to that which the Faust Brothnrs were doing some ten years ago. The act went big with the Monday night - ers. and "they're a knowing bunch." (). M. Sum ml*. Dave Lewis & Co. "Working For Two." Musical Comedy Sketch. Utica, N. Y., Orpheum Theatre. have Lewis and his company of musical merrymakers open in Utica this week. Sup- porting him are eight girls and two come- dians. With the company he presents a musical comedy sketch called "Working for Two." Dave Lewi*, as a shrewd Hebrew, doe* excellent comedy work. He has a number of new songs that are well ren- dered* The skit deals with the fortunes of a music haii singer (Miss Jeffries) and her lover, a New York clubman ( B, Sj>en cer Lewie), and has many amusing situa- tions. The plot is flimsy and somewhat inconsistent, but not unlike many more pretention* musical production* in that re spect. The act as it is has many rottfli spot*, and is somewhat in need of stage management. The girls are good singers. and make a change of costumes from even- ing gowns to a burlesque evening dress sim ilar to the one worn by Mr. I^cwis. Nvtab. Fred Thompson, of Thompson ft Dundy. and Clifford (J. Fisher, of Marinelli's, are expected to arrive here on the 17th. having sailed on tin' same boat -not so large hut si ill large enough. IS KEITH FRIGHTENED? K. F. Keith appears to have taken per- sonal charge of his firing line. The rapidity with which 8. Z. Poli is annex- ing sites and theatres, together with others who book through the office of Will- iam Morris seems to have caused Mr. Keith some thought. Some years ago, Keith was a power in vaudeville, 'but of recent date, his star has l>een in the descendant, other managers, willing to engage large acts and pay for them, forging to the front. Keith in an endeavor to retain his stand- ing is seeking the aid of the opposition houses in towns where the Morris' combi- nation hold theatres with a view of in- ducing them to come into the Keith Book- ing Ageucy, and receive the benefit of its advantages as set forth in glowing terms by the master mind himself, and his first lieutenant. K. F. Albee. Keith made it his personal affair one day last week to call at Hyde and Beh- man's in Brooklyn. Henry Behman was exercising his horses at the time, while Richard Hyde was out of town. Mr. Keith did not try to see the show. Win. T. Grover, who lias two vaudeville theatres in Brooklyn, besides a summer one at Brighton Beach, has been engaged in done conversation several times by Mr. Albee. In the Keith office, the statement is made "that any good act can be given sufficient time, with a 'repeat' to carry it through the year." That is rather in- definite, but implies the Orpheum circuit, which decides for itself. Were the West- ern j>eoplo to say "yes" to a combina- tion . BIG ACTS FOR BURLESQUE. Arrangements have been made by the Columbian Amusement Company (Eastern burlesque "Wheel") to play headline vaudeville acts in their houses as special attractions. No limit has been placed on price. Should the opposition "wheel" follow suit, it will create an exceptionally increased demaud for big acts, about 70 houses being in ope ration throughout the country, mostly all in direct competition with each other. AMONG THOSE, ETC. Among those present at the opening of the Sloan-McGraw billiard parlors were Frank Keeney and "Wallie" Hyde. Al Fields closed the show, drifting in just as they were turning out the lights. Major Doyle says he was there, too. The Major plays billiards on stilts. NOT THERE. It was announced that Harry ThompKon played one performance at Proctor's New ark last week. Thompson says that lie was playing a week's engagement with his physicians. THE TELEGRAM AGAIN. The Evening Telegram of Thursday be «:iiLs trouble in this fashion: "When Ar- thur Prince came here from London a few weeks ago. he was booked at a weekly Mil art of $125. etc." Behave! GREENE AND WERNER "LEGITI MATES." tlreene and Werner. "The Babes in th<' .1 tingle,".will travel in the legitimate next Reason as the stars of "'Hie Missionary Man." TR0V0LL0-L0VELL0. Appearing this week at Pastor's is a ventriloquist (-ailing himself "Lovello," which is closely akin to Trovollo, the name of an artist who has, by steady applica tion, created a reputation for himself as a ventriloquist, and whose name "Trovollo" has a commercial value. "Lovello," when seen this ffeek by a rep- resentative of Variety on the stage at Pas- tor's Theatre, as he was about to appear, said that this was his first appearance in the Kast, having appeared previously in the West under the same name. Asked to pro- duce a program beariug that name, he re- plied he had not one with him. Upon being questioned as to whether he knew of Trovollo, and why he attempted to trade on that name in the same line of work, he replied: "1 have heard of Mr. Trovollo, but do not consider that I am injuring him in any way by using my present name, which I think I nm entitled to. My own name is K. G. Lovering, and 'Lovello' was the near- est I could approach it for stage purposes. If Mr. Trovollo objects to my using 'I^o- vello' I will drop it." The last statement of Mr. Lovello's about dropping tin- name if Trovollo objected heing repeated he verified it, and the matter is now up to Trovollo himself. FRANCIS WILSON'S NEW OPERA. Francis Wilson, the comic opera come- dian, has commissioned the building of another opera to follow "Mountain Climber," now in rehearsal ami which will shortly be produced. The new opera will follow it in the spring or early in the fall. Gus Edwards was invited to Mr. Wilson's house in New Rochelle during the past week, when the contract for the musical numbers for the new piece were plaeed by Mr. Wilson with Mr. Edwards, and they will be published by the compos- er's firm. RICE AND COHEN TO TRAVEL. •John (\ Kice and Sally Cohen, who arc now amusing out-of-towners in "All the World Loves a I>»ver," will go abroad this summer, visiting the watering places of renown, and touring Kurope thorough- ly. Several offers have been received for their appearance on the other side, but Mr. and Mrs. Rice have resolved to have a pure vacation while away. Providence, 15. 1.. Feb. 0. A report has heeu rife the past week here that a new vaudeville theatre would be built before next fall by a former well-known New York manager. It will be in direct opposi tion to Keith's theatre in this city, owned by E. F. Albee. Clias. Lovenbcrg, the Keith resident "janitor," has become so cordially disliked in this town in addition to the quality of the bills presented here lately, that a new house, with any legiti- mate pretense of attracting patrons, would sweep clean. Allie Gilbert, who has been in retire- ment since her marriage to William Loraine some three years ago, will be seen in vaudeville next week, when •»he will open at Heading in a new sketch, a girl act to be called, "Allie Gil- bert and her Summer Girlies." Miss Gil- bert was one of the prettiest of the old Weber and Fields chorus. William Lo- raine wrote the music for "Peggy From Paris.'*