Variety (Feb 1906)

8 VARIETY Shows of the Week KEENEY'S. \ "girl act." and a "boy act" were both features of the hill at Keeney's this week, and the girl end led by l'rankie Bailey (under New Acts) and the boys because Virginia Karl was at the front. She was the drawing card for the house. Miss Karl is rapidly becoming acclimated to the vaudeville atmosphere and is play- in*; with that dash necessary to it, ably assisted by her six young men, all of whom are good sincere, knowing how to take rare of themselves on a stage. Wheeler Karl in blaolcface as the butler is doing some real comedy work. Harry 1'ilcer, a young singer and dancer, is getting his ottering in better shape, and were he sensible enough to drop the Ceo. Cohan imitation altogether, substi- tuting for it, he would have a better finish. His voice is superior to the aver- age of th«r dancers, and the suggestion that he take a girl partner still holds good. The black sack coat worn in the opening is a horrible affair. Ravine and Ijeonard are giving juggling and comedy with the automobile (not for- getting the young squealer—and the milk bottle) but promise to have something new shortly. Black and Jones, two colored men in songs and dances, need some one to revise their turn, and if that is not to be done at least let the comedian pur- chase a comical make-up. His present dress appears to simply not fit. Melville and Stetson have almost a new act in songs and imitations. Miss Stetson does not fare as well as Miss Melville in it, which is the reverse of past conditions. The dresses worn are elabo- rate, and should be since thev are "on the inside" in the dressmaking line. Chalk Saunders in comic drawings was liked while his back was toward the audience. When facing it he seemed ashamed of himself. Delmore and Oneida gave the perch act, and the "Keeneyscope" announced the bill for next week for the first time Tuesday night. The ushers read it attentively. HAMMERSTEIN'S. A former comic opera star, Louise Gun- ning, is the headliner at Hammerstein's this week, and holds the position through the applause tendered for her rendering of Scotch ballads. Miss Cunning has a pleasing personality which figured largely in the reception. Tom Hearn, "the lazy juggler/ 1 had the house howling. Even Oscar Hammerstein steals the time dining each performance to watch Mr. Hearn, standing back of the orchestra rail and asking his neighbors "if that isn't the funniest act you ever saw." Matthews and Ashley play a return date, and their parody on "Nobody" caused them to run out of verses, and the PeschkofT troupe of Russian dancers were well liked in the finale, a tambourine exercise which is verv prettv in effect and apart from anything shown by other foreign dancing acts. Mr. Peschkoff is most graceful, scoring a separate hit in lis solo efforts. The Military Octette, with The Girl with the Raton, reappeared for the sec- ond engagement, and were successful with their settings and music. The two young girls who give an imitation of "eouchee- couchee" dancing in their efforts to "mark lime" are still retained. The Tommy At- kins cap worn by Rose Stevens, "The Girl," seems very appropriate now, her at- tention on Monday night having all been directed at a party of generously ap- plauding friends in an Upper stage box. Reichpin, a foreigner, has three dogs, two of which are acrobatic wonders and the other a well trained clown. The patience which must have been necessary to have produced the results these animals give is shown by the trainer, who is quiet in his method, without the use of whip or words. Greene and Werner gave their "Babes in the Jungle" with a new dress worn by Miss Werner, while Miss Wiley, of Brandow and Wiley, also appeared in a sensible and expensive gown. Mr. Bran- dow, the male end of that colored sing- ing and dancing team, should forthwith procure Some suitable garments for him- self, his present out tit looking very shabby and almost dirty. Dolan and Lenharr in a new act will be found in that department. ALHAMBRA. The Royal Hungarian Hoys Band re- ceive the most applause at the Alhambra this week, although Carter Deliaven and Flora Parker are prominently featured. The new act this pair is presenting is credited to Del la \ en with Albert Von Tilzer as the writer of the music. The piece proper barely receives an en- core. DeHaven attempts stage-manage- ment within hearing of his audience, and tries for a laugh with a ballet girl bur- lesque. Miss Parker ought not to make up Any more than is required. She is prettier off the stage. "A College Boy's Frolic' is what the offering is called. It is far removed from a headliner. Ma/uz and Mazett in comedy and acrobatics have made no visible change in either, gliding along in the same old style, and Captain Bloom with a demonstration of wireless telegraphy gave an interesting exhibition, receiving the attention of the house which liked the act very much. Dorothy Jardon (reviewed under New Acts) and Paul Sandor were a couple of bright spots on the bill. Mr. Sandor Beems to have cut down the number of animals his dogs impersonate, and he is too free with the whip. Appealing to chil- dren especially as he does, Sandor should be more judicious. Gallagher and Barrett have a sidewalk conversation in the form of a sketch, and are doing very well with it. The "straight" man is excellent, carrying most of the comedy, and the comedian has a funny walk in the burlesque finale which is a bit of art. Leslie and Dailey, with their familiar slang skit, and "In the Sunny South,'' are there, with 1 he pictures. CIRCLE. Charles H. Waldron's Trocadero Bur- lesquera are playing the Circle this week with a chorus of ten girls. Mr. Waldron should have imitated the other companies who "fill in" for New York city. Fifty would not have been too many on the stage timing the opening piece, "A Misfit Family," by Harry Montague. "Mistaken Identity" is given the full limit in it, and the description on the program says: "A Merry Musical Comedy." It is a bur- lesque tragely instead. Frank Graham in a character part of an old man did some capital acting, but the lines, some of which are most open and suggestive, operate against the others in the cast. It runs much too long, and it is a pleas- ure to see the olio arrive without an in- termission, even if Mae Taylor does open the middle section with singing. Frank and Crace Graham have succeeded in bringing out a character singing act with moving pictures that pleases, and if they will conclude t<» drop that "Gentile and Jew" number, the act will be in first class shape. Brinn. a juggler, will be found under New Acts. Charles Mackie and Ben Walker have a scenic singing turn also, using the chorus in the opening, and getting themselves well liked by the audience for the earnest endeavor they make. The Wilsons, a team of colored singers and dancers, are a great deal better than many similar colored acts in vaudeville. The woman has an idea of comedy, and knows how to use it in her singing numbers, while the man is a good dancer, without "rough house" inter- ludes. The concluding burlesque "Fun at Hotel Astorbilt" scores through the slap-stick business employed. The chorus is swollen to twelve here, a couple of the "principals" in the first piece being reduced in the last. Crace Graham is one. and to ap- pease her feelings she is allowed to wear a black pair of stockings and a bow gar- ter for distinguishment. Were it not for the olio, Waldron's show would be out- classed by many inferior companies. INTERSTATE CIRCUIT. (Special to Variety.) St. Louis. Mo., Feb. 14. The management of the Interstate Amusement Company, operating ami con- trolling the Majestic Circuit of vaude- ville theatres in the South, states that there is no truth in the report that they have closed their theatre in Birmingham and one other point on the circuit. Bir- mingham has not yet opened, the theatre at that point being in process of comple- tion. This house will open March 5. All the other theatres on the circuit are in operation and the general business of ihe company shows a steady increase. The bills now being presented on this circuit are booked entirely through the Orpheum circuit at Chicago in connection with the western vaudeville managers' association. The management states that it traces the report concerning complaints against house eiews to an artist now said to be in New- York who was recently cancelled, at the Houston Theatre because of his unpro- fessional conspiracy with an employee of the company resulting in the artist mak- ing a speech to the audience, in which he referred in uncomplimentary terms to the management and boasted of his intention to operate a stock company in that city next season. The management promptly closed his engagement and discharged the employee, whieh action closed the inci- dent. By Sime THE OFFICE BOY AND THE AUDI ENCE. "I wish you would take a fall to the fact that I'm tired of talking to. you," remarked the Office Hoy. when I saw him the other day. "You ought to know I've been seeing enough vaudeville shows without having to talk about them after- ward." The Bov was told he hadn't been asked to speak, which information seemed to strike him the wrong way, for he red- dened up and replied, "Well, maybe 1 should have waited until you asked me something, but the ltoss is busy ami 1 knew you would hang around for a few minutes anyway. I'll keep quiet. If there's any talking to be done you do it, and I'll pretend to l>e the audience and laugh. "That reminds me of the audience you And in a vaudeville house," continued the Boy. -Aren't they the limit? That's the first thing you think when they don't think the way you do. but as it's the audience that decides how much money the artist is entitled to a week, I guess everybody will listen to them all right. "1 would like to know just how many people in a vaudeville theatre agree upon a certain thing, when the laughter is so loud you can't hear yourself. They may make a lot of noise, but there's a whole lot of people who never smile at the same time. It sounds <;reat to the artist, but it's about an even break mostly between those that laugh and those that don't. The smilers don't count. "It's very few people that go to a vaude- ville show that's sure what thev want to see anyway. In vaudeville you can make the people laugh with business which if seen on Broadway thev would mob the manager who charged $2 for the exhi- bition. On the other hand, there are comedians on Broadway who people pay $2 to see that would die in vaudeville be- fore the first week's salary came due. "III some houses around town, what goes great at the matinee falls fiat at the night show, and vice versa. You can't explain that. "1 remember Syd Grant handed out three of the oldest ones he could think ot in Syracuse one night, and the audi- ence fell off the chairs. 'What's the use. alien you can get 'em with that stuff?' said Syd, sotto-voee. dim Thornton has tried out the same idea often. *1 think it's the first impression the house gets that has a whole lot to do with the act, but, of course, the finish is the telling point. If you get them right on the jump, they're yours, but if not, you've got to win them over, and it's just like lifting dead weight. "Some artists have a habit of giving the audience hard looks. That's a pretty easy way to lose them. They may not know much about vaudeville, but it's 1.000 people all looking at the stage, and 900 will notice if the fellow there gives any indication of freshness. I'd like to figUre this audience idea out. There's a fortune in it for the first fellow that does »• Simr. Eddie Clark is publishing a press sheet called "The Weekly Hash." Eddie is a nice little boy and has a fair "girl act." That lets him out.