Variety (Nov 1906)

10 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Sherman and DeForest (New Sketch). Hyde & Behman's. Barrows, Lancaster Co. (New Sketch), Hyde & Behman's. Princess de Broglie, Colonial. Trixie Friganza (Reappearance), Kee- ney's. Three Liviers, Keeney'i. McVeigh and Daly, Keeney's. The Great Lafayette (New Tricks), Or- pheum. James Witt Dougherty, Pastor's. The Sullys (New Sketch), Pastor's. Laura Bennett (Reappearance), Novelty. Arnold Daly and Company (a). "How He Lied to Her Husband." 29 Mins.; Full Stage. Fifth Avenue. ■ •±^=s=*== == For the advent of Arnold Daly in a Bernard Shaw sketch in vaudeville to draw a top-heavy house was not more remarkable than the lethargy displayed by the entire audience Wednesday evening at the Fifth Avenue Theatre toward the play and players. It may have been the dissimilarity of the expressed ages of the characters and the stage appearance of the participants, or it may have been that thft subtle sarcasm of Shaw flew over the vaudeville head, or it may have been that the audience as one was in total ignorance of "Candida" or George Bernard Shaw, and possibly also Mr. Daly, but the truth remained that for a "head- liner" in the continuous, Daly, his com- pany and act lack weight. As a pre- lude to a two or three act piece, with an audience intellectually capable of grasping the finer points of Shaw's satir- ical writings, "How He Lied to Her Hus- band" would prove amusing. Without Mr. Daly or Isabelle Urquhart for as- sistance in vaudeville it would place the "house" in a comatose state. Its recep- tion depends altogether upon the per- ceptive faculties of its hearers. Mr. Daly was disappointing as an eighteen-year - old boy; Miss Urquhart was apparently in the dark as to how old she appeared upon the stage, and both showed a lament- able lack of knowledge in the art of "making up." Daly's conception of the part is not gauged to the vaudeville stand- ard, regardless of his legitimate repu- tation. There is no vaudeville "sketcher" who could not have conceived his character more acceptably. Sime. Corbley and Conley. "The Piker and the Sport." 14 Mins.; One. Pastor's. A bit loose in construction and show- ing some minor faults, the conversational sketch displays nevertheless some nov- elty in conception and starts off well enough with a quantity of fairly bright racetrack talk. The act is given with a special drop showing the outside of the Sheepshead racetrack with a glimpse of the grandstand. For the appreciation of captious audiences there is perhaps too much punning in the talk, but at Pastor's the house manifested its approval. Both men work with certainty and confidence, but in the recitation concerning tele- grams there is a bit of seriousness that has been dragged into the proceedings without due process of dramatic law. Rush. (iNEW ACTS Or THE WEEK) Commencing with this issue, VARIETY will give the time and stage space of each new act listed. Master Gabriel and Company (5). "Auntie's Visit." 35 Mins.; Full Stage. Harlem Opera House. Seven people back up the diminutive comedian in a pocket edition of the origi- nal "Buster Brown" production in which Gabriel's cleverness aided and abetted by the dog "Spike" (George Ali) do all the entertaining. Maurice Hageman has a fairly amusing comedy role, but the others merely furnish a skeleton of story to hang the pranks of Richard Outcault's mischiev- ious boy upon. In person and makeup Master Gabriel realizes the Sunday comic section creation perfectly and Ali puts an amount of effective comedy into the grotesque dog that raises it to the dignity of a "fat role." The audience put the stamp of approval on the offering. Rush. Helen Trix. Serio-Comic, ia Mins.; One. Keeney's. With a pretty figure and a neat cos- tume Miss Trix made an agreeable im- pression on the Keeney audience, an im- pression that was heightened by a good selection of songs. At present, however, she has not the art to hold down a single act in an important place, rather sug- gesting the advisability of working up an incidental interest by the use of a clever "pick" or two. Ruth. H. W. Tredenick and Company (2). "The Lobster and the Maid." 15 Mins.; Full Stage. Keeney's. The program announces that Mr. Tre- denick was "late of Mme. Schumann- Heink's Opera Company," a claim that is partly borne out by his typical musical comedy voice. * He is assisted by Elise DeLaire, a pretty, vivacious young person, who gives agreeable and much-needed re- lief from the rather labored clowning of the principal. The greater part of the of- fering consists of a travesty upon musical comedy in which Tredenick burlesques the chorus, the tenor and the baritone. There are real laughs in the sketch, but they are due rather to the idea of travesty than to any particular cleverness on the part of Tredenick. As an act of the lower comedy grade with a "pretty girl" interest the of- fering should enjoy fair demand. Rush. Artois Brothers. Comedy Bar Act. 10 Mins.; Full Stage. Hammerstein's. Lately arrived here, an English pair of horizontal bar performers, with one a genuine comedian, go right to the front of bar acts and will undoubtedly hold that position for some time. Both work in clown makeup, and not only has the comedian the ability to draw laughs, but he is a contortionist as well, with humor even in this. It is a rattling good act. Sime. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner Crane and Com- pany (3). Protean Farce, "Everybody's Up." 31 Mins.; Full Stage. Hyde & Behman's. The program frankly says that the lat- est sketch of Mr. and Mrs. Gardner Crane's is a "protean farce" without divulging the author's name. The scene is laid in a hotel office, one of the women guests dis- covering at midnight the loss of some dia- monds, accusing each person in turn who has been in her rooms during the day of the theft. The jewels are finally located in the waistcoast of her tipsy husband, having been placed there as a substitute for his watch charm which he was unable to find. Before the complications are cleared away Mr. and Mrs. Crane each assume six characters and the inquisition is taken charge of by the guest (Vira Rial), a hotel clerk (L. P. Reinhart) and the proprietor (Louis Frohoff). The aim of the piece is underlying comedy and this is brought out both in dialect and char- acterizations by the principals. A few quick changes are made. The final one by Mr. and Mrs. Crane is effected simul- taneously in 25 seconds. Another rapid one for Mrs. Crane is 30 seconds and for her husband in 45. The others average about one and one-quarter minutes, ex- cepting the first. Mrs. Crane scores in three of her characters and Mr. Crane has the same number to his credit. The com- pany is capable, although the landlord's part is too boisterous for a genteel boni- face. The sketch accomplishes its objects of amusement and interest. Sime. The best feature is the "calculation" at the opening. After the addition is made Mr. Alexander, who is in the orchestra, points to the different figures without spoken cues and the woman calls them ac- curately one by one, some twenty in all. The act should be placed in the middle of the olio instead of opening, if possible, and the pair develop a showy style of working. Sime. Six European Bijoux. Acrobatic Dancers. 7 Mins.; Full Stage. Al Reeves' "Beauty Show." Better looking as a whole than the usual English "girl act," this troupe sing poorly, but dance better. The "acrobatic" por- tion causes no excitement. The girls help to fill up the ranks in the show's chorus. Sime. Braatz's Dogs. 14 Mins.; Full Stage. Hammerstein's. The dogs of several sizes and species are exceptionally well trained for acrobatic work, which is done in the opening. A change is made in the setting for panto- mime, when some more painstaking train- ing is shown. The animals might be ac- cused of having seen the Byrne Brothers in their play. The acrobatic tricks are the best, but the act is pleasing through- out. Sime. The Balzers. Acrobats. 13 Mins.; Full Stage. Hyde & Behman's. A European acrobatic act, the two Balzers, show some neat work on the bounding net preceded by ordinary acro- batics. An attempt has been made to dress in conventional garb and the com- bination is not attractive. Either evening dress or suits with knickerbockers should be worn. The act proved a first-class opener. Sime. The Great Alexanders. Jail-Breakers. 16 Mins.; Full Stage. Al Reeves' "Beauty Show." A young man and girl doing familiar handcuff work. Both are good looking. Murphy and Palmer. Songs and Dances. 14 Mins.; Full Stage. Pastor's. "Funny oddities" is the billing. Their cavortings were accurately described by the latter word, but the house refused to believe the qualifying adjective. The woman attempts a ballad, but has no voice to carry it. This performance was painful enough, as was also the dancing of the man, but the joint comedy efforts of the pair were the worst indictment against them. The act will hardly find place. Rush. STRIKE OFF IN DETROIT. Detroit, Nov. 2. The Theatrical Stage Employes' Union has given up its struggle to control the situation in Detroit, and the strike that has been going on intermittently for six years has been given up. There was no compromise with the managers, but the union is allowing its members travelling with road shows to work in Detroit houses where formerly non-union men made up the crews. MAY ENLARGE ACT. A proposition has ben submitted to Klein, Ott Brothers and Nicholson, the musical quartet, by a New York Arm, probably Dial & Armstrong, to increase the act next season through the addition of six female instrumentalists who can also sing. The four men are thinking the matter over. Meanwhile they will close their vaudeville tour January 1 to go out with a musical comedy. A COSTLY WARDROBE. Miss Harris, of the vaudeville trio of Brown, Harris and Brown, comes forward with the announcement that she has just acquired two new gowns at a cost of $1,450, which she will presently show for the delectation of vaudeville audiences. A new sketch will soon be introduced along the Sullivan & Considine line in which the Four Masons will appear for the first time as a quartet. Mr. Mason, the head of the combination, has been seen in the vaudeville circuits as part of the team of Mason and Frances, Miss Frances being his daughter. Miss Mason is going out with a show and Mason has ar- ranged s sketch for the rest of the family