Variety (Mar 1906)

Ml/ > VARIETY ~ Grace Von Studdiford. Songs. Proctor's Twenty-third Street. After appearing in Proctor's Newark Theatre Miss Von Studdiford comes to Twenty-third Street for her first New York appearance in vaudeville. With a reputation established in comic opera, the soprano vocalizes with confidence. The three selections given are not sufficient to satisfy the house. Miss Von Studdiford acknowledges the applause, however, by taking curtain calls only. More generosity on her part would not be amiss. Miss Von Studdiford has proved a drawing card. Sime. MEW ACT8 OP THE WEEK j with more talk about "shop." Mr. Nichol- son gives no imitations, but plays the part of a seven-dollar-a-week counter jumper perfectly straight. Miss Norton has good lines of which the most is made. The sketch safely made a hit, for it is original in construction and conception. Mime. V Peter F. Dailey. Musical Sketch. Orpheum. Dailey is using a sort of semi-musical comedy sketch, lifted in large part from "Newport," in which he was seen last year. He is supported by six girls, four of them ex-members of YVayburn's Min- strel Misses. Dailey is a detective em- ployed by one Mr. Bankroll to get him out of a scrape with a woman. Mrs. Bank- roll employs him for the same purpose. He recovers the letter—but what's the use of talking plot. That detail does not fig- ure perceptibly. The backbone of the act is the well known style of comedy in which Dailey stands unique. The girls enter only for one medley of the, coon songs Dailey sang during his stay with Weber and Fields. They are an even half dozen of tiny, dainty girls and they wear first short skirts and then the "Dinah" pantalettes. The pretty light effects that used to add so much to the old time Dailey choruses were missing and should be brought into play. Miss Brennan, an ex- Wayburnian, as Mrs. Bankroll was as pretty and graceful as the specifications called for. . Rush. Polk and Kollins and the Carmen I Sisters. Banjoists. \ Colonial. M The illness of Mme. Renz enables this new formation to present itself before a New York audience. It was first tried out in Utica some five or six weeks ago. Both acts are well known. The Carmens in- crease the volume of sound but decrease the technical average. It is far more showy than either of the double acts and makes its greater appeal through this. Each of the men has a solo and there are two con- certed numbers; the first of these, an oper- atic overture, is taken at too fast a tempo. The last is the old fashioned style of play- ing and makes a good impression for a closing number. Chicot. \ \ Norton and Nicholson. "Ella's All Right." Pastor's. A purely comedy sketch, showing the home life of a young married couple who are employed in department stores. "The flat," consisting of one room containing bath, dining room, bedroom, kitchen, and parlor, but no wardrobe, is the setting, and much legitimate comedy is brought out. It is called "a study from life" by Miss Norton, and is well conceived. This is the first week, and there are unlimited opportunities for humorous dialogue that ■may be developed. The old time jokes in- troduced in a burlesque manner could be improved by replacing the superfluous talk J. Warren Keane ~— Magician. Keith's. After a long delay Keane is at last able to get a showing for his act here in town. Among his novelties is the screen used by Mine. Herrmann and an original idea in a crystal bell that taps out the number of pips on a card chosen and answers when the proper suit is called. It is first worked on a support, but to show that it is not connected with any mechanism the bell is transferred to the magician's wand and is brought down into the audence where it answers question! before and after being shown. It is clever in its simplicity and one of the best minor tricks brought for- ward in some time. Keane is one of the cleverest of the card palmers and has put together an act that is worthy of atten- tion both for novelty and deftness of work. Chicot. '\J Capt. Keller's American Zouaves. Drill Evolutions. Keith's. In spite of the "American" these girls are mostly English and wear sailor suits instead of the zouave dress the bill- ing calls for. Four young men are em- ployed in the act, which fact the drill mas- ter explains by saying that it is so diffi- cult to hold his girls that he has occa- sionally to impress his sons into service until new ones can be trained. At the same time it is observed that these young men are divided so as to hold the girls in line and it is they who do the hardest part of the wall scaling with which the act closes. They should be dropped out, no matter what the cause for their employ- ment, for two of them are spotted the moment they appear on the stage and the others soon make their sex apparent. It detracts from the value of the act and even though the girls might not do as well without them, it would be best to make it purely a girl act. As it stands it is a bad second to some other turns. Chicot. ,.Ss Audrey Kingsbury. "The Garden of Melody. Keeney's. The program particularly mentions "staged by Al Holbrook," but that this singing sketch needed any staging did not become apparent. A back drop, probably belonging to the theatre, representing a garden and one lonesome swing composed the equipment Miss Kingsbury with Oc- tavia Broske sang three songs, one a duet. Both have soprano voices, Miss Broske's being a shade superior, and she presented a comely presence in boy's clothes. The lonesome swing holding Miss Kingsbury, who sang a solo while swaying back and forth, propelled by her "assistant," did not create the furore expected. For an encore a military number was offered, wfth cape coats thrown over the costumes. It may have been intended for a burlesque, but furnished a poor finale. If the title is to be carried out, flowers and plants should be profusely placed on the stage. Instead of a novelty or even a big act, the sketch at present simply stands as a fair singing turn. Sime. Six Proveanies. Cyclists. Keith's. These performers are new in name only, for they are a part of the big troupe re- cently appearing at the Hippodrome. No men are used in the act save an assistant who is handy in case of trouble with the wheels. Two of the younger girls are clever riders and one of them suggests Ralph Johnson in the daredevil features of her work. She is as agile as a monkey and works with a sureness that adds to the effect. Some of her work is new and she does a great deal to save the act. The others are good in the team work and the act ranks well up. In the suits worn Monday afternoon the color difference be- tween the stockings and knickerbockers was so marked as to be unpleasant. They should have them dyed to match the knickers. Chicot. \i Harris and Beauregarde. "The Country Judge." Pastor's. It is some time since this team has made its appearance around the city, and this week at Pastor's it appears with a girl, the daughter, in the sketch. The young woman has a "freak" baritone voice of good quality, while Mr. Harris plays a farmer without exaggeration. The sketch is patterned somewhat after Cressy's "Village Lawyer/ 1 and with the girl al- lowed another song it would be an enter- taining number anywhere. Sime. Three Zolars. Acrobats. Colonial. n Two men and a woman are employed. The woman wears a page's suit and helps to the extent of carrying a parasol and wrap off the stage and bringing on a tray with two cups thereon in the furtherance of the idea that the two men are in a cafe garden. One of the men makes up as a most impossible woman. They perform a number of hand to hand tricks which have been seen before. It serves well enough in its place as the opening number. It will not get beyond that at present. Chicot. \ Max Welson Troupe. Rope Artists. Colonial. This troupe offers Spanish ring work, employing rope grips instead of metal rings. They accomplish a number of smart tricks notable for clean cut work, neatness of costume and sureness of per- formance. Their work does not differ markedly from other ring acts of the mus- cular sort, but ranks with the best of these. Four men are employed, all of whom are workers, the act not being padded out with apprentices. The final trick is one in which one man carried the others from the stage, one on a harness, the others on his arms, all doing hand stands. The best feature of the act is ■ nice sense of arrangement in the laying out of the group tricks. Chicot. Carroll and Baker. Singers and Dancers. Pastor's. One of the team essays the character of a Hebrew comedian. Both are good dancers, and they dance too well to risk comedy. The reception given by the Pas- tor audience was cordial, for several new dance steps were shown. Sime. \i Williams and Pullman. "Are You a Lobster?" Pastor's. This sketch is believed to be new in the sense that another woman is in it. Wil- liams can dance. If he did that and that alone without a partner, the title might be discarded and not be indicative of a re- verse state of affairs. Sime. OUT OP TOWN Eddie Herron and His Show Girls. "At the Stage Door." Orpheum Theatre, Utica, N. Y. One of the brightest offerings seen here this season is the act of Eddie Herron and his Show Girls in "At the Stage Door," a one act musical coined v. The act moves with a smoothness that in most cases only time gives, and the single appear- ance of newness was on a luick drop at the rehearsal scene. Herron, the country l»oy in the original "Way Down East," is a good comedian. In this act he is a stage door Johnny who succeeds in getting into a theatre while trying to meet a sou- brette and is mistaken for the new come- dian the company is waiting for. Several songs with catchy music are in- troduced. The four girls are pretty, neatly dressed and dance well. The book and lyrics are by Herbert Hall Winslow, music by Ernest E. Brace and staged by Jack Mason. Sctab. 1/ "In the Swim." Novelty Act. Trent Theatre, Trenton, N. J. Three clever people have put their heads together and brought forth one of the best girl acts seen in the history of this house. Harry Williams of song writing fame originated the idea and wrote several catchy songs to the tuneful music written by Max Hoffman, while Gertrude Hoffman has put on the very clever dancing num- bers. "In the Swim" consists of six chorus men and six prettv girls and also a tramp juggler who works closely after the fash- ion of W. C. Fields. The act consists of several clever singing numbers, a little dancing, some good comedy juggling and finishes with an original fan effect which is supported by the twelve members and upon which there is thrown from the bal- cony a series of flags of all nations, while the entire company sings one of Mr. Wil- liams' catchy airs appropriate to the scene. The music is all original and written es- pecially for this act and the costumes are beautiful. While the tramp juggler is clever, he is on the stage about four minutes too long. Other than this, the act