Variety (September 1907)

10 VARIETY RENTZ-SANTLEY. It is rather surprising to find a bur- lesque company with entirely new pieces presenting a show at this early stage of the burlesque season with well thought out, concisely arranged and well presented comedy. Frank Ross and Fred Russell carry the {unmaking, the former in a German dia- lect role, and the other in a Hebrew part. Russell's Hebrew is a first-rate burlesque characterization. There are roughnesses about it, but it never becomes disagree- ably coarse, and the comedian plays it with commendable restraint. The quiet- ness of his methods do not detract from the effectiveness of the work, for he won frequent laughs on his own individual ac- count, where a less skillful comedian would have been content with making himself a pure and simple "feeder." The part was probably written with just such an intention, but Russell makes the role as important as that of the leading com- edian. Ross makes an amusing German. In this respect the show is particularly free from horse play. The resounding slapstick and the stuffed club are con- spicuous by their absence, and the humor, although it is keyed to burlesque ap- preciation, is constructed on sane and conservative lines. There is scarcely a line that could be construed as being colored by indecency, and the audience gets its money's worth of clean, spontaneous good humor. Anna Glocker is principal boy, and a decidedly attractive boy she makes, with agreeable stage presence and a limited but perfectly selected wardrobe. Dottie King and Louise Marshall make an effective pair of soubrettes. The "sis- ter" act adapts itself to burlesque pur- poses admirably and does exceedingly well in its present surroundings. The pair sup- ply just the touch of ginger and anima- tion that the show would lack without them, and their costume changes are fre- quent and elaborate to the point of be- wilderment. Beside holding down the Soubrette roles they contribute a number in the olio—a dancing and singing act in which Miss King does a subdued "Mix- ixe," which is free from the usual offen- sive trimmings and at the same time a fairly interesting performance. Carl Anderson has a vast amount of mouthing and "tall acting" of the bur- lesque semi-straight variety in the bur- lesque. With his present part and op- portunity he should be amusing, but he is merely noisy and tiresome. Fisher and Berg have a well-handled comedy bicycle act in the olio, with a quantity of novel material in the straight work and fairly well arranged comedy. Charles D. Webber won laughs with his eccentric juggling in which there are many points which suggest that he has been industriously looking over other artists doing his sort of work. Berzac's comedy circus, a "No. 2" act, modeled closely after the original, scored an emphatic hit. It works with speed that rivals Berzac's own offering, and the laughs are distributed quite as liberally through it, thanks to a good company of attaches who attempt to ride the mule. Roscoe and Sims did nicely in a musical novelty specialty, and Frank Ross in a talking and singing act used two or three new parodies that registered. Rush. THE NIGHTINGALES. It's a downright shame, and nothing but that when "The Nightingales" are al- lowed to dirty up and spoil a good show, full of comedy than which none better has been seen in burlesque for several sea- sons because some one deems "dirt" and "smut" necessary to a burlesque produc- tion. "The Nightingales" have undergone a complete reversal of form since last sea- son. Under the management of Alex D. Gorman it is now good all the way, from the striking appearance of the chorus at the opening through the olio and down to the finish. The results go for nothing, however. What is the need of giving both a good and a dirty show? Either have one or the other. If an audience walks out saying "It would be a good show if it weren't so dirty," what becomes of the effort to establish a burlesque title on the founda- tion of an enjoyable performance? The gallery likes suggestion, even un- disguised filth, and there is altogether too much play to the upper loft. Encores are accepted without number for the rough work. The noise and the applause come from above, and the applause was the loudest when a comedian bit the shoulder of one of the women. No one in the show is extraordinarily well known, but they play well together, and make an excellent organization. Tony Kennedy and Ted Evans are as good com- edians as there are in burlesque to-day, and do even better as "Rubes" than in Irish characters, Mont Howard has a good voice, and knows how to use it. Mr. Howard should serve as an example for music publishers. He is singing " 'Neath the Old Cherry Tree, Sweet Marie," and is the first singer to properly bring out that song. Up to Howard's rendition, it was believed to be a poor one from the manner in which others heard had "killed" it. Enterprise and "song-plugging" are very well, but promiscuously selecting people to sing numbers intended for popularity who have no conception of what they are doing, acts in exactly an inverse ratio to what the publisher is aiming for. Mr. Howard has also an agreeable stage presence. The chorus is good looking, but falls short vocally. Anna Yale is leading woman and the Misses Woods, Kennedy, McCord and Tempest have speaking parts but need instruction in making-up. They may plaster the rouge on their faces; it only causes them to look grotesque as now thrown on. The Great Vulcan, a strong man, is the feature of the olio, and McDevitt and Kel- ley, the taller of whom is an exceptional dancer in his method; James R. Waters with current parodies, Howard and Lewis in songs, with conversation, and Ken- nedy, Evans and Kennedy in a sketch, make up the olio, a great deal better one than it looks on paper. "The Nightingales" is a good show. There is original comedy in it. The "skat- ing" is funny and Kennedy and Evans do some of the best work imaginable as au- tomatons. Theirs is a really artistic per- formance. But what does it all amount to if a manager desires it to be known he has a "good show"? Here is a per- formance which could rank with the high- est this season smashed into smithereens by totally unnecessary "smut." Sime. RUNAWAY GIRLS. The first part is appropriately named "Lemons," and Charles Grade, its most prominently featured principal, carries the equally apt program name of "Lem N. Taker." The farcical plot involves a good story, so good, indeed, it has been used innumerable times before. Gracie has the role of a "fly" person always on the lookout for a "mark." In the working out of his "bunco schemes" he himself always is the victim. This process is repeated half a dozen times, and at the point where Gracie appropri- ately murmus "stung," a bell rings and a mechanical apparatus at the back of the stage drops a lemon into a small net at- tached to the scenery. This sort of mechanical, inanimate com- edy served very well for a laugh two or three times, but its continual repetition became rather tiresome when it had been used a dozen times. Milton Schuster and Lew Reynolds, in the respective roles of Hebrew and "Rube," come into the proceedings from time to time with "comedy bits" that are entirely disassociated from the action of the piece. There are sixteen girls listed on the program as members of the chorus, but in the numbers only twelve were visible. They were dressed nicely and worked well enough even at the matinees, and made us the brightest part of the offering. It was the numbers that made the show pos- sible. Clara Burg is featured in the program with large type, but did not impress her- self upon the audience proportionately. There are six numbers in the olio, which contains a good deal of talking material, made up from the principal comedians of the pieces. Stuart and Turner have a fairly well dressed singing and dancing turn at the opening. Gracie and Reynolds put a vast amount of rough knockabout into their Irish con- versational sketch. The proceedings were a good deal like a Donnybrook fair where the method is to hit every head that comes into sight. The knockabout was merely rough and had little real fun in it, and the talk, while it had a reasonable percentage of mildly amusing points, was not conspicuously funny. The Misses Kendall and Thompson made a good deal of noise on two cornets, but aroused no great degree of enthusiasm until they played "Dixie," which evoked the usual burst of applause. The Famous Livingstons, two girls and a man, have worked out a rather monot- onous routine of acrobatic material, with no sensational feats to catch attention. The Bowery Quartet contributes an ex- ceedingly rough singing number with quite the most tiresome line of talk imag- inable. They dress as tough, eccentric, straight and blackface, and work hard but vainly for effective comedy. Ward and Raymond have a singing and dancing sketch in which there is some talking, but there is not enough weight to it to dis- tract attention from the unpleasant fact that Ward wears a celluloid collar of high polish. The burlesque is constructed upon fa- miliar lines with a good spectacular flavor and some interesting numbers, one of them being led by Lottie Livingston, who has a good deal to do throughout in this department. Ruth. aoTH CENTURY MAIDS. Maury Kraus' "20th Century Maids" has undergone an entire change from last season, piece and parcel. No ques- tion remains whether the show has im- proved. It has, almost to the point of a legitimate musical comedy, and had the pace set at the opening been continued "A Trip to Panama," which is the title of the three-act piece, would have been entitled to that classification. But it does not. With one, two or three exceptions from the middle of the first act to the finale, the show is moving steadily backward. Credit should be un- stintingly given, however, to the arranger of "Everybody Squeeze," a number in the last act, sung by Emma Wood, and Paul- ine Moran, backed up by the chorus, who play a "living" poker game to the accom- paniment of the verses. Wm. J. Kerngood wrote the music. Vic- tor Vane is responsible for the book and lyrics. It is a fact that the lyrics are the best of the whole show. Mr. Vane seems to have a strain of "story songs" in his compositions. The music is pleas- ing. There is nothing but "pleasing" to be said of it. It doesn't stir, is never over- melodious, and runs along in an even ding-dong fashion. There are sixteen young women in the chorus. The shortage in the supply of chorus girls must have been at its acute point when the selections were made. Two passable looking young women are posi- tively handsome among the bunch. Billy Noble is the principal among the men, playing "straight" and "coon shout- ing." He looks and sings well and is a large contributor. Harry Holman in blackface is giving a good performance. His "coon" is a real one, but Mr. Holman should ask to be relieved from singing "E-x-p-e-r-i-e-n-c-e." The song is not worth the time. Henry P. Nelson is playing a "Dutch- man," and there may be those who will think well of him for his manner of doing it. He gains laughs, but is not a funny "Dutchman" in talk, actions, makeup or build. Abe Sinclair is rather a good Italian in dialect were he not made up for a Chinese man- darin, although Mr. Sinclair is probably of the impression his "Dago" is a ferocious one in looks, and it is. Emma Wood and Pauline Moran sing a great deal. Both avoid vocal fireworks, which rather helps their plain voices. Miss Moran is lively, and partial to black dresses. Her opening costume is of that color; it is not becoming to Miss Moran or her part. May Strehl is a captain. In that capacity Miss Strehl wears a uni- form which must have been built upon her. Not a curve is left unseen, and some are very wide. The "con" game in the last act should be dropped immediately. It is simply silly. If Mr. Kraus will look over his show, taking some of the numbers from the opening and spreading them into the following acts, he is going to have a first- class production, for the costuming is pretty and attractive. If the show is left in its present condition, it will go along as "pleasing," which would be a pity, for there is too much originality in it. Cornalla and Eddie are doing a better act in the show with their comedy acro- batics than they have ever done. Sime.